Notes from Around the Cruise World

It’s time for some “new ship” announcements…Carnival is adding three but none will have the familiar funnel design…The newbies are going to less familiar members of the Carnival family — Costa and AIDA, the latter a little-known branch of the family residing in Germany…Costa will get a 3,700-passenger ship in 2014, its 17th and largest… Continue reading Notes from Around the Cruise World

Tip for Celebrity an Aussie Challenge

There’s an old joke Down Under. You know the difference between an Australian and a canoe? A canoe tips. That’s the basis for the battle brewing in Australia’s cruise industry. To tip or not to tip. It is not customary there, it is not expected and generally it is not practiced. In fact, a “tip”… Continue reading Tip for Celebrity an Aussie Challenge

Canada Cruising and a Name Contest

Cruising to Canada usually means one of two things. You’re en route to Alaska (west), or you’re going to see fall colors (east). If you’re sailing out of New York or Boston, it’s September or October and you’re off to see the brilliance of a Canadian autumn. That’s part of the problem. In the eyes… Continue reading Canada Cruising and a Name Contest

An Xpedition with a Capital 'X'

On our most recent cruise to South America, somewhere around the equator we were told about cruising the Galapagos Islands. At the risk of showing our ignorance, we first had to learn how to say it, and then how to spell it (we were okay with the “islands” part), and even now there seems to… Continue reading An Xpedition with a Capital 'X'

Celebrity Cuisine's Changing Tastes

Passengers who cruise on Celebrity ships will tell you, whether you ask or not, that they enjoy the finest food on the seas. There is no validation, of course, because food likes and dislikes are among the most subjective things in life. What is clear is that Celebrity can never be accused of not taking… Continue reading Celebrity Cuisine's Changing Tastes