New in 2015 — Norwegian Escape

Last in a series about new ships Ambitious to a fault, Norwegian launches a new class of ship with this — Breakaway Plus. Fortunately, the ships won’t be named for the class (a ship called Breakaway Plus?), and the Escape came from passengers who participated in a naming contest. After a three-year building sabbatical, Norwegian… Continue reading New in 2015 — Norwegian Escape

New ships: Le Lyrial, Mein Schiff 4, AIDAprima

Fourth in a series about new ships Ponant’s Le Lyrial If you’d like to know how the wealthy French cruise, this could be as close as it gets. The Ponant ships are like large yachts, with a crew-to-passenger ratio better than 2-to-1, with a promise that every guest will be pampered, entertained and enlightened, and… Continue reading New ships: Le Lyrial, Mein Schiff 4, AIDAprima

Nassau: An Incredible Experience

  One of the Caribbean ports that attracts a lot of cruise ships is Nassau, partly because of its geographical location as either the first stop or last stop for ships based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale…and perhaps partly because of those constant TV commercials about Paradise Island and Atlantis. In any event, Nassau is… Continue reading Nassau: An Incredible Experience

Majesty of the Seas’ Royal History

Photo by Matt H. Wade Wikimedia Commons Every ship has a story. Given that Majesty of the Seas carried close to three million passengers in her Royal Caribbean lifetime, it’s reasonable to assume the ship has a few thousands stories, at least. But her story is more fascinating. It’s about her Godmother. Her name is Sonja… Continue reading Majesty of the Seas’ Royal History

An Epic Journey Ending In Caribbean

Barnacled and bruised, and beleaguered since birth, the Norwegian Epic is riding off into the sunset next spring. Perhaps the sun will be kinder to the big ship in Barcelona because, on this side of the ocean, the sun appears to have done melanoma-like damage. Among the critics, that is. The Epic arrived in New… Continue reading An Epic Journey Ending In Caribbean