Emerald Azzurra … What a Gem!
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 Sea
Sailing into a New Year!
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.
The Judi’s Choice Awards 2019
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)
Blue World Voyages: The Healthy Choice in Cruising … AND Living!
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 from the [&h
A Lifetime of Painting Cruise Ships
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 Yo
Viking Helgrim‘s Rivers of Gold
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
Perfect Pre-Cruise Prep in Portugal
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 scre
Cheers to the Newest Renewed Carnival Cruise Ship
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 I wa
Music Cruise: On the Blue and Feelin’ Groovy
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, t
A Guide to Cruising to New York City
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 London, Florence, […]
Vatican VIP – Miracles Do Happen
Monday Mantra It’s a Miracle … It’s a Miracle … It’s a Miracle Vatican VIP Room to breathe, a papal address — this is a trip with a difference. Life is full of surprises. Like today, I saw the Pope. Bam! Just like that. I guess I should explain that I’m in Rome
Cruise Ship Friendship
Monthly Mantra Waves of Kindness … Waves of Kindness … Waves of Kindness … “Wait! Wait! I want to give this to you!” That was the older woman with the organza hat, waving me down as I gathered my luggage after disembarking Queen Elizabeth 2 in Southampton in 1983. At the time, I was [&h
Cruising Raises The Zombies’ Legacy
Monday Mantra Sailing into the Hall of Fame … Sailing into the Hall of Fame … Sailing into the Hall of Fame … Next month — March 29, to be precise — all eyes will be on Brooklyn, New York’s Barclay Center and the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The Hall’s [&hellip
The Weight After
The Monthly Mantra A Holiday Miracle! … A Holiday Miracle! … A Holiday Miracle! Dover sole: delicate and moist in a sauce of butter, garlic and wine. Veal Wellington: tender slices of flavorful veal topped with a rich mushroom duxelle and wrapped in a flaky crust. Lobster bisque: creamy
The Judi’s Choice Awards 2018
The Monthly Mantra And the winners are in! … And the winners are in! … And the winners are in! It’s time for the Judi’s Choice Awards and this year my head is spinning! 2018 has seen explosive developments in the cruise industry, big and small, far and near – so here are this year’s
Delicate Features – Face Plates as Fine Art
The Monthly Mantra An Unusual Setting … An Unusual Setting … An Unusual Setting Well now. This is different. A cruise-ship press event … at a china shop? Okay, not just any china shop but New York’s chi-chi Bernardaud, masters of the art of French porcelain who, to this day, carry Marie Anto
Trick or Treat … or Travel
The Monthly Mantra Halloween, Ahoy! … Halloween, Ahoy! … Halloween, Ahoy! I just finished the final Twix in the massive bag of assorted Halloween candy I bought — obviously, a bit too early — for my trick-or-treaters. I finished the Twizzlers yesterday, so if the kids don’t like Th
Packing is Such Sweet Sorrow
The Monthly Mantra Packin’ it in … Packin’ it in … Packin’ it in … It’s late afternoon the day before disembarkation and I’m on my balcony gazing out at the ocean, serenaded by the gentle swish of the waves. But ever so subtly, I find myself bracing for the transition from carefree h
Cruising to a New Europe – by Sail
The Monthly Mantra A Space in the Crowd… A Space in the Crowd… A Space in the Crowd… Venice is vexed. Barcelona is bothered. London is livid. Prague is p.o.’ed. And Rome is revolted. I just watched a news report that said that residents of European capitals are up to HERE with the thousands
Bermuda, Booze, Horizon: Three ingredients to a killer cocktail
The Monthly Mantra Hitting the bottle … Hitting the bottle … Hitting the bottle … People cruise for all sorts of reasons: to visit exotic ports of call, to relax poolside, to enjoy the fine dining and to meet new friends. I, meanwhile, cruised to Bermuda aboard Carnival Horizon last week to pi
