Shifting Tides of Celebrity Market

We knew it would happen eventually, of course. Celebrity Cruises isn't focusing on us any more. They want our kids. In a meeting with loyal travel agents last week, two Celebrity executives tried to define the market their agents should chase. The clients most likely to want and enjoy the "modern luxury" Celebrity ships offer… Continue reading Shifting Tides of Celebrity Market

Mournings Move Carnival Breeze

When Carnival christened its newish ship the Breeze on Saturday at the Port of Miami, two people towered over their respective genders. Physically and figuratively. If Tracy Wilson Mourning wasn't the tallest woman in the Breeze's Ovation Theater, it could only be because somebody else was wearing higher lifts. In fact, it's possible the only… Continue reading Mournings Move Carnival Breeze

No. 5 Reflects Best of Solstice

In wondering whether we'd be able to tell the difference between the Celebrity Reflection and the Eclipse, the only other Solstice Class ship we'd been on, we quickly realized the answer was in the measurements. The Reflection is 60 centimeters wider. Two feet. Cruisers who were on the Solstice, the five-year-old matriarch of the Class,… Continue reading No. 5 Reflects Best of Solstice

Upon Reflection, People are Special

Quite by accident — or by failure to follow directions — we enjoyed our most pleasant evening on the Celebrity Reflection in the company of a junior waiter, a waiter and a sommelier. This is typical for us. We make more friends among cruise ship staff than we do passengers, which means either we enjoy… Continue reading Upon Reflection, People are Special

Despite Breeze, Time for Reflection

We had to make sure we heard right when talking to the young man in the elevator at the Marriott Miami Biscayne. On the way to the 30th floor, we had been talking about cruises, since that's what brought us to this hotel. On the way from the airport, we noticed several billboards that trumpeted… Continue reading Despite Breeze, Time for Reflection