Rivers, Concordia and Belly Flops

During a recent forum in Florida, four cruise-line executives had some interesting comments on topics that interest their customers. Here are some of the subjects and some of the comments, as recorded and reported by Tom Stieghorst of Travel Weekly… River cruising is becoming so popular that ocean-going cruise lines may get into the business:… Continue reading Rivers, Concordia and Belly Flops

Gr-eight Day at Port Everglades

  Good friends of ours (also travel writers) — Harry and Joan Shattuck — stepped off Holland America's Eurodam and into history last weekend in Fort Lauderdale. Stepping into history is always memorable, if nothing else. The occasion was eight ships — including the mighty Oasis of the Seas — in a port at the… Continue reading Gr-eight Day at Port Everglades

New Ship 'Breezes' into Miami

  The class of ’12 is almost complete. With the arrival of the Carnival Breeze in Miami yesterday, there's only one new ship left to make its debut this year (debut being an operative word, since a ship's arrival is incomplete until it has touched down in North America). Yesterday, the Breeze was as much… Continue reading New Ship 'Breezes' into Miami

Economy Moves Carnival in Europe

With all the reports about Europe's economy over the past couple of years, it was only a matter of time before it showed up in cruising. Cruise lines can run from the facts but they can't hide…and not just because their revenue generators weigh thousands of tons and carry around whole towns of people. Enter… Continue reading Economy Moves Carnival in Europe

Carnival: Timing Splashdowns

Have you ever considering flying down the tube they call a water slide at breakneck speed so that you can hit the water faster than your son, daughter, spouse…fill in the blanks? You haven't. Well, that makes three of us. However, the majority of cruise passengers just may be interested in such pre-chiropractic exercises. That's… Continue reading Carnival: Timing Splashdowns