An Unlikely Home for Dean Bailey

Dean Bailey is from Great Britain, of Jamaican parents, lives in Hungary and spends his work days on the high seas in whatever country his Royal Caribbean ship is visiting.  Home is Budapest, a city he once rejected as a place to live because of "cold weather' and "language." So what took him to Budapest?… Continue reading An Unlikely Home for Dean Bailey

New Caribbean Port Coming in 2014

The first time we cruised to "Honduras" was about three years ago and the opportunity to do so was intriguing, since it was a country we had never visited…and it's always interesting to go somewhere new. Then we looked at a map. The ship — Norwegian's Epic — was visiting Roatan. Now technically, Roatan is… Continue reading New Caribbean Port Coming in 2014

Breakaway's Inaugural Not SRO

  Tomorrow, the Norwegian Breakaway embarks on a pre-inaugural cruise. That's a cruise for travel agents and media, to give them a change to preview the new ship. On Sunday, it's the inaugural cruise. The first time the general public has a chance to sail on the ship. The breaking of the Breakaway's maiden, as… Continue reading Breakaway's Inaugural Not SRO

Princess Special Cruise Line to Brits

Friends of ours were on a Princess cruise ship last year. Before we knew that, we asked which line they'd been on and which ship. They said: "Coral Princess…P and O." It happened that we'd just been on the Coral Princess so we knew, first-hand, that she belonged to Princess Cruises. We politely made the… Continue reading Princess Special Cruise Line to Brits

A Royal Story Rich in Irony

Who writes this stuff? Really. Shakespeare or Monty Python? The Royal biographer, perhaps… A cruise ship is called the Royal Princess. At an elaborate "naming ceremony" the ship will be christened by a young woman who used to be a Royal Princess but is now a Royal Duchess. Okay, technically, she never was "Princess" Kate…but… Continue reading A Royal Story Rich in Irony