Cunard Return…Just a Few Years Later

“We are committed to Southampton as our main base, but Liverpool is our spiritual home.” Those are the words of Peter Shanks, Cunard’s President, after word leaked in the Liverpool Daily Post that the Queen Mary 2 may — that’s “may” — start sailing from Liverpool to New York on a one-off, sporadic basis. The… Continue reading Cunard Return…Just a Few Years Later

Splendor in the Seas…Maybe Not

We feel a little sorry for the Carnival Splendor. She’s not even four years old and already she’s been rejected, isolated, burned and — while it may be stretching the analogy too far — placed in the cruise ship version of a witness protection program. She came out of cruising’s womb at Fincantieri, Italy’s most… Continue reading Splendor in the Seas…Maybe Not

Anybody Ready for More Football?

Maybe it’s because a week after the Super Bowl, I’m already in football withdrawal…but after a little arm-twisting I convinced my better half (and I do mean better) that we should write about a cruise with a football theme today. It leaves New York for England on May 8, and it’s a re-positioning cruise for… Continue reading Anybody Ready for More Football?

Key Upgrades for Sapphire Princess

It’s finally happened. All 16 Princess ships have piazza and pizza, and it’s a good thing the cruise line has competent proof readers. The Sapphire Princess is now out of dry-dock and on a Hawaiian vacation. It has a new Piazza Atrium, and it also has Alfredo’s Pizzeria. Anybody who has ever been on a… Continue reading Key Upgrades for Sapphire Princess

About That Fine Print, Folks…

How many of us could say we have actually read the fine print that’s part of the documentation when we cruise? Not us. Not once. Not only are they written in legalese, they’re up to 8,000 words long. Because of the Costa Concordia accident, we are all being deluged with warnings about making sure we… Continue reading About That Fine Print, Folks…