Carnival's Spirit of Australia

Photo by Jean-Philippe Boulet When you take something and give it an authentic Australian flavor, are you “Aussifying” it…or “Australizing” it…or just putting it on the barbie? Whatever it is, that’s what Carnival is doing to the good ship Spirit, in preparation for its winter Down Under in 2012. So what exactly is Aussifying? In… Continue reading Carnival's Spirit of Australia

Princess Change for the Better?

There is news this week of a restaurant change that was prompted by the passenger feedback, and it’s going to be interesting to see what the passenger feedback is now. The restaurant is Sabatini’s, now on 13 of the 16 Princess ships, including the Coral Princess. We mention that because we were on the Coral… Continue reading Princess Change for the Better?

Things That Come with Being Big

The following is to give you some perspective, and maybe even an occasional chuckle, about the size of Oasis (also Allure) of the Seas, the biggest cruise ships on the planet… If you cleared the top deck, you could play three pro football games at once, and  even have room for a couple of rows… Continue reading Things That Come with Being Big

NCL's Making a Millionaire

Once upon a time, there was really only one way for the rank and file to become a millionaire. It was through the generosity of a fictional TV character named J. Beresford Tipton, who dispatched his courier to turn ordinary people into millionaires. For viewers, it was just a dream. Then, along came long-shot lotteries… Continue reading NCL's Making a Millionaire

Drinking Legally on Cruise Ships

On the surface, any time a drinking age is lowered, it’s considered to be a bad thing, and no doubt Royal Caribbean is going to feel the heat now that it’s announced the drinking age on its ships is dropping from 21 to 18. There is, however, another side to the story. Several years ago,… Continue reading Drinking Legally on Cruise Ships