Don’t Remind Me – I’m on vacation. What else do I really need to know?
Monday Mantra I forgot! … I forgot! … I forgot! … Don’t Remind Me I’m on vacation. What else do I really need to know? The first thing I do when I arrive at my cruise port is buy a toothbrush to replace the one I left on the sink at home after brushing my […]
Five Faves: National Drink Beer Day
The two greatest things you can do today — it being National Drink Beer Day — are 1) drink beer and 2) plan ahead for future beer-drinking. A broken clock may be right twice a day, but a broken calendar will be wrong all year long. That’s unless you simply live your year according to […
Crew Woo – Sure, the uniforms were hard to resist. At least on board….
Monday Mantra The Love Boat … The Love Boat … The Love Boat … Sure, the uniforms were hard to resist. At least on board…. I wonder how Lois and Stefano are doing. I met Lois on an m.v. Homeric cruise a million years ago and on that sailing, she met Stefano, a navigation officer. […]
A Southern Lady in the Big Apple – American Duchess is one mighty fine riverboat.
Monday Mantra A Real Peach … A Real Peach … A Real Peach … A Southern Lady in the Big Apple American Duchess is one mighty fine riverboat. Once in a while, cruise writers — even lowly freelance ones like myself — find themselves at cool press events where industry announcements are made. W
Five Faves: Cruise Blooms
While the rest of the hemisphere prepares for fall, these ports are in full flower. Think you know your cruise destinations? We’ve picked five popular ports, each known for its lush, tropical foliage – and each with a gorgeous national flower. Match the bloom to the country to pass this
Tropical Snow Job – Bikini babes and a whole lotta blow made this world cruise one for the books.
Monday Mantra Busted!…Busted!…Busted! Bikini babes and a whole lotta blow made this world cruise one for the books. Two weeks ago, authorities arrested three Canadian cruise ship passengers after police and sniffer dogs searching Princess Cruises’ Sea Princess found cocaine inside two
Lost-o-phobia – The irrational fear of having to live without whatever you packed.
Monday Mantra Luggage Lunatic … Luggage Lunatic … Luggage Lunatic Lost-o-phobia (n. | lȯst-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə) The irrational fear of having to live without whatever you packed. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been cruising for more than 35 years and have never once experienced the loss of a bag.
Five Faves: At Sea, In Session
Back-to-school excitement doesn’t have to be wasted on the youth … or on land for that matter! As the kiddies are prepping for another year of pencils, books, and teacher’s dirty looks, it’s not unusual for us adults to feel a wee bit jealous. Who knew all those years spent sulking at a clas
All Aboard the SS Christener! – There’s got to be a better way to name a new vessel.
Monday Mantra A Ship by Any Other Name … A Ship by Any Other Name … A Ship by Any Other Name … All Aboard the SS Christener! There’s got to be a better way to name a new vessel. Baffled, I am. Simply baffled. Over the past decades we have seen nothing short of […]
What, Me Go Cruising?
Monday Mantra Going MAD at Sea … Going MAD at Sea … Going MAD at Sea … What, Me Go Cruising? How “The Usual Gang of Idiots” made shipboard history. As I was passing a newsstand the other day, the current issue of MAD magazine caught my eye. I was delighted to see that iconic […]
A Fuller Ship – Finding the “best” cruise means knowing what you really want.
Monday Mantra A Matter of Opinion … A Matter of Opinion … A Matter of Opinion … . Finding the “best” cruise means knowing what you really want. The 10 Best Ships for Your Next Vacation! The 5 Best Islands in the Caribbean! 13 Things You Must Do On Your Next Cruise! The Top 5 […]
Going for the Silver Gold – Legendary athletes deserve no less legendary accommodations.
Monday Mantra Olympic Dreams…Olympic Dreams…Olympic Dreams… Going for the Silver Gold Legendary athletes deserve no less legendary accommodations. I always find out about things too late in life. Like, if I’d known that I could spend 17 days docked in Rio aboard Silversea Cruises’ luxuriou
On the Horizon – The end of summer means the fun is beginning!
Monday Mantra A Date with a Viking … A Date with a Viking … A Date with a Viking … The end of summer means the fun is beginning! It’s August! Summer is almost over and that means … vacation! I’ve never been a big fan of the summer vacation. In July and August, I’m […]
Boundaries On Board – Cruisers tend to be friendly. But there are limits….
Monday Mantra Nosy and Nautical … Nosy and Nautical …Nosy and Nautical Boundaries On Board Cruisers tend to be friendly. But there are limits…. “A penthouse?? Wow! And how much did that set you back?” I was leaning on the bar, signing the tab for a cosmopolitan and a Beefeater on the rocks
Rise and Shine – Some cruisers might think getting up before dawn is crazy. They don’t know what they’re missing.
Monday Mantra The Early Bird Gets the View … The Early Bird Gets the View … The Early Bird Gets the View … Rise and Shine Some cruisers might think getting up before dawn is crazy. They don’t know what they’re missing. Last night I was lying in bed reading when the following sentence stopp
Cruise Artiste – Maritime painter Stephen Card has got the ticket to the good life.
Monday Mantra A Lucky Card … A Lucky Card … A Lucky Card … Cruise Artiste Maritime painter Stephen Card has got the ticket to the good life. When I die, I want to come back as maritime artist Stephen J. Card, luckiest son of a gun ever. Stephen was born and raised in Bermuda […]
Five Faves: Smokestack Spotters & Top-Deck Trivia
Stumped? Highlight for answers: 1. P&O Cruises (P&O Ventura‘s smokestack), 2. MSC Cruises (MSC Splendida‘s top deck), 3. Holland America Line (ms Nieuw Amsterdam‘s aerial view), 4. Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Escape‘s bridge and upper decks), 5. Wind
Kicking Butts – Sometimes, flicking a cigarette overboard can be playing with fire.
Monday Mantra Way to go, P&O … Way to go, P&O … Way to go, P&O … Kicking Butts Sometimes, flicking a cigarette overboard can be playing with fire. The latest charge against the cruise industry comes in the form of a cancer-stricken 58-year-old Australian man being unceremon
Five Faves: The Many Fish of Finding Dory
The Many Fish of Finding Dory Which of these characters are you likely to see on your next underwater excursion? Spoiler alert! There are fish in the new Disney•Pixar film Finding Dory! That’s the only revealing plot-point we’ll dare to share from this, our favorite movie of 2016 thus far. And
