Getting To Know Vincent Van Gogh

ARLES, France — For most of our lives, the name Vincent Van Gogh was little more than that, a name. We knew he was a painter, perhaps because of jokes connected to his famous last name, perhaps because it had been buried in textbooks we tried hard to ignore. We knew he was a favorite… Continue reading Getting To Know Vincent Van Gogh

Magic To Do Just For Princess

The nice thing about new music and shows and entertainment in general is that they never end. There are always creative minds that come along with something fresh and this is especially true in cruising, an industry always eager to find a unique way to entertain thousands of passengers on cruise ships. The pendulum of… Continue reading Magic To Do Just For Princess

Friday file: Cruising On 'Italy’s Finest'

That’s the slogan Costa uses for its new ship, the Diadema, and it gets no argument from the cruising families of Italy. We spent five days on her in the Mediterranean, where the Diadema sails year-round at or close to capacity. Today’s photos demonstrate some of this ship's more interesting features… At two-per-cabin, the Diadema carries 3,710… Continue reading Friday file: Cruising On 'Italy’s Finest'

Cruise And Cancer An Unlikely Tandem

In Canada today it’s National Wear Pink Day, a chance for the whole country to “Get Pink’d” in support of breast cancer. In Canada, we have a niece who is fighting breast cancer. She just returned from a cruise, which is why today’s subject is the dreaded disease. For her, the battle is almost two… Continue reading Cruise And Cancer An Unlikely Tandem

Creativity In Ship Casinos

Our sense is that things are gradually changing on cruise-ship casinos. It started when Crystal Cruises announced last month it was offering passengers — albeit passengers from gambling hotspots Hong Kong and Singapore — the opportunity to convert on-board credits into chits for the casino. Now, Carnival has a promotion that gives you up to $50… Continue reading Creativity In Ship Casinos