What’s to Like About Epic
It was on the Celebrity Eclipse, somewhere crossing the Atlantic, that we heard the erudite author John Maxtone-Graham give the best answer when he was asked what his favourite cruise ship was. "The...
View ArticleBelize it or not…Costa Maya
News item: Carnival has canceled 10 stops in Belize City because the Belizians have taken on so many ships that the tendering process (necessary) has created congestion. Instead of Belize, passengers...
View ArticleA Peek Inside a Slam Show
In the first of his two 90-minute sets that evening, "The Soul Working Man" kneeled before a cruise passenger, took her hand and sang a moving tribute. Before returning to the stage to continue his...
View ArticleAlaska Backs Off On Environment
Environmental issues can often be complicated. The latest one — this week in Alaska — is definitely complicated. If you're interested in protecting the environment (duh!) and the part that cruise ships...
View ArticleOceans to River in Belize
BELIZE CITY, Belize — What to do in this friendly country under the arm of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and bordered on one side by Guatemala and the other by the Caribbean Sea, yet 400 miles from the...
View ArticleJewels of cruising on a Crown Princess
Ten things we liked about the Crown Princess, the ship that in seven days carried us to three Western Caribbean ports from Galveston, in no particular order: The Ultimate Ship Tour Usually, tours of...
View ArticleCruise Awards: Oceania Big in UK
When "awards" are given in the cruise business, just like in any other business, they have to be taken with a grain of salt water. Voting being voting, it's always subjective because the results are...
View ArticleCruise Trips of a Lifetime?
Three items we thought would be of interest as you head into the weekend… * * * Royal Caribbean is giving everyone a chance to win "your vacation of a lifetime" by answering four harmless questions...
View ArticleRoyal Princess Preview for Writers
There are lots of times lots of us would like to be where Phil Reimer is, and this week is one of them. Phil is Canada's pre-eminent cruise writer and, after a short stop on the river in The...
View ArticleNew Evacuation System on Breakaway
Let's start with a couple of acronyms that will help in this story, most of which will be told by pictures: MES — Marine Evacuation Systems SOLAS — Safety Of Life At Sea LSA — Life Saving Appliance...
View ArticleCreepy Eaties in Southeast Asia
When it comes to food — and we come to food often — one of us is a little fussy and one of us will eat just about anything. We'll let you guess. As we cruise to places we've never been, and meet locals...
View ArticleGetaway on the Grammys a Coup
Next month, Norwegian unveils the Breakaway and all its Broadway fervor as New York's ship. Next year, Norwegian unveils the Getaway and its…Grammy Experience. The Getaway will be Miami's ship and the...
View ArticleCruise Joke — Time for a Laugh
Today, a little levity. Everybody gets jokes by email, and this is one directed at us because we write about cruising. It's six excerpts from the daily diary of a cruiser… DAY 1: All packed for the...
View ArticleWalk For A Wish a Good Start
Every time we go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, we make a point of participating in the ship's fund raiser for the Make A Wish Foundation. It just seems like the right thing to do and while clearly we...
View ArticleAlaska on Verge of Another Crisis
There's an interesting law being enacted in Alaska (yes, another one) this year that could impact the cruise industry. Specifically, it could impact how much your cruise costs to visit the 49th state....
View ArticleThe Queen, Olympics and…Breakaway?
The Norwegian Breakaway arrives in Bermuda today, its first port on its first cruise, and we're hoping Richard Janicki is on the ship. Who's Richard Janicki? He is a Norwegian employee, a hotel...
View ArticleExplorer of the Seas…Changes
The Explorer of the Seas will be going in for a major refurbishing after Royal Caribbean introduces Quantum of the Seas near the end of 2014. Having been on Explorer of the Seas, we have five...
View ArticleInternet Issue Bound To Change
Remember when… Every time you checked into a hotel and asked about getting on the Internet, the hotel was happy to provide you with an ethernet cable to connect, for a price? Remember when… WiFi was...
View ArticleHelpful Heald The Cruise Director
The world's best-known cruise director is Carnival's John Heald, who gets a kick out of shocking his readers with sometimes crude stories and borderline language, or borderline language and crude...
View ArticleCruise Lines Like Big Apple’s Taste
Last year, Norwegian announced it was going to make New York home for its newest ship, the Breakaway. Last month, Royal Caribbean announced its new ship, Quantum of the Seas (2014), will be...
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