Category: Cruises

The Rhine River, Basel to Breisach

I’m behind on my posting now – it’s been very busy, and the Internet connection on the ship is very poor except when everyone else is on bed, and then only from the lounge, not ship-wide as they claim. Anyway, back to Basel for a final 2/3 of a...
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Sailing to Alaska, Day 7 – Hubbard Glacier

Glacier cruising days are often a major highlight of an Alaska cruise, whether you’re sailing Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, Collee Fiord or Tracy Arm. But occasionally, heavy ice or other conditions can turn a potential highlight into a large disappointment, so I’m always somewhat anxious about this day. My...
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Thoughts about the Costa Concordia tragedy

All of my regular readers know that cruise ships play a significant role in my life, both in professional and recreational terms. I sell cruises, I work on cruise ships and I take cruises simply for pleasure. The tragedy still unfolding in Italy is obviously on my mind a...
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12 nights in the Eastern Mediterranean in October?

On this blog, I seldom mention the fact that I’m a cruise consultant with Expedia CruiseShipCenters. BUT, I just got an email from Celebrity that I have to pass on. The Mediterranean is hot right now as a travel destination, and prices are getting quite high. For the next...
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Canadians – use Aeroplan points to buy cruises

Give the Perfect Gift this Holiday Season! This holiday season, give the gift that fits all lifestyles, ages and interests… without spending a penny! Did you know that you can redeem your Aeroplan Miles for gift certificates to use on a spectacular cruise vacation? Whether the gift is for...
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Abandoned ammunition?

I was on the Port of San Diego Web site today to read about their new cruise terminal. I got side-tracked by the Harbor Police blotter, and was more than a little surprised to see week after week, multiple “incidents of abandoned ammunition” at the San Diego airport. Huh???...
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Off the Carnival Destiny and onto the beach

When I began writing this, it was 05:30 am on the 21st, and I had just watched Holland America’s new ship Nieuw Amsterdam sail into the channel leading to Port Everglades. I went back to bed, though – it’s now 07:10 and I’m watching the sun come up over...
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Scuba diving at Grand Turk, BWI

November 18: After a tantalizing but very brief look at Grand Turk last week, I was even more excited about donning scuba gear for a look at the world-famous coral reef. The Carnival Liberty approaches the Grand Turk dock just in front of us, at 10:18 am. It’s a...
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Back on the beach at Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

November 17: Our day at Half Moon Cay last week was excellent, though marred by there being 2 ships, overcrowding all the facilities. We were looking forward to seeing it with fewer people. This is a typical stairway on the Carnival Destiny We still find the interior of the...
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Exploring Nassau, Bahamas

November 16: We had no firm plans for Nassau, but thought that we’d go over to Atlantis and have a look to start. Information that we found online about day-pass options at Atlantis was contradictory so we weren’t sure how that would turn out. Another beauiful Caribbean sunrise as...
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