The Monthly Mantra Worth the Wait! … Worth the Wait! … Worth the Wait! There are lots and lots of big things coming our way this year — Virgin’s Scarlet Lady, Celebrity Apex, Carnival Mardi Gras, P&O’s Iona, Princess’ Enchanted Princess, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas and more. But I, personally, am …

The Monthly Mantra Cruise Year Resolutions…Cruise Year Resolutions…Cruise Year Resolutions…. It seems everyone’s making resolutions this month:  Lose weight, stop smoking, stop drinking and rev up the fitness routine.  As a cruise fanatic, my resolutions are a bit different.  Below are just a few of the ones I’d like to conquer in 2020: …

The Monthly Mantra Judi’s Choice Awards … Judi’s Choice Awards … Judi’s Choice Awards … It’s time for the 2019 Judi’s Choice Awards! Unlike all those hum-drum “best-ofs” that tackle the obvious aspects of a cruise like dining, entertainment, and itineraries (anyone could do that), the Judi’s Choice Awards delve just a tad …

The Monthly Mantra Move it! … Move it! … Move it! Blue World Voyages is betting that it can get my fat butt out of a deck chair and transform my cruise experience into an active and healthy one with an exclusive focus on sports, fitness, and wellness. And from what I learned …

The Monthly Mantra Artist on Board … Artist on Board … Artist on Board … “Can we go to Cucina for dinner?” That was Bermudian maritime artist Stephen Card’s immediate reaction to me telling him I’d be visiting the island aboard Carnival Sunrise’s 4-day sailing from New York. Not “Oh, it’ll be so …

The Monthly Mantra The Dazzling Douro … The Dazzling Douro … The Dazzling Douro Pinhao! Gaia! Regua! Favaios! Lamego! No, I’m not cheering on a soccer team. I’ve just returned from a Viking Helgrim “Rivers of Gold” sailing and these unfamiliar towns located along the stunning Douro River in Portugal are now sitting …

The Monthly Mantra The Transition … The Transition … The Transition Could it really be only one day since my butt was crammed into an airline seat aboard a trans-Atlantic flight with a temperature that had to be hovering at the freezing mark? Between shivers and trying to ignore the screaming baby that …

The Monthly Mantra Cuervo Makes the Sunrise … Cuervo Makes the Sunrise … Cuervo Makes the Sunrise … “Cuervo Makes the Sunrise” was Cuervo Tequila’s ad slogan when I was a teenager and I’d like to apologize now to the good folks at Cuervo for the poster I swiped off the subway when …

The Monthly Mantra Garfunkel on board … Garfunkel on board … Garfunkel on board … Eventually, everyone goes on a cruise. Even Art Garfunkel. I don’t know very much about Garfunkel, other than the fact he grew up in Forest Hills, New York, walking distance from where I live. And, of course, that …

The Monthly Mantra Take a Walk on the West Side … Take a Walk on the West Side … Take a Walk on the West Side… Sometimes I wish I lived in some sleepy little rural town so that I could experience cruising from New York City. But not in 10 hours. Like …