The Haitis of Mitch Albom & Royal Caribbean

LABADEE, Haiti — One of our heroes is a man named Mitch Albom, a Detroit sportswriter-columnist-novelist-screenwriter of immense talent who for the last four years has taken a personal interest in this Caribbean island devastated by an earthquake that killed 150,000 people and left three million homeless. Albom has made it his cause to help… Continue reading The Haitis of Mitch Albom & Royal Caribbean

Travel Insurance: Thoroughness Counts

You can buy insurance for everything. The trick is identifying your insurance needs, and everybody is different. In no part of life is this more difficult than in travel. As Yogi Berra himself might say: "You don't need it until you need it." And: "That happens when something happens." The big ones are medical, trip… Continue reading Travel Insurance: Thoroughness Counts

Oceania Ships Have The Same Look Now

Two years ago in the Mediterranean, we were fortunate to be on the Oceania Riviera for one of its first cruises, with a stop in Barcelona for the christening and official naming ceremony. This is a smallish ship by ocean-going standards — just 1,250 passengers — and, by any objective cruiser's estimation, the Riviera is… Continue reading Oceania Ships Have The Same Look Now

TSC: The Solo Cruiser's Status Grows

You know that something is official when the most traditional of (fill in the blank) accepts it, no matter what the industry or walk of life is. Today, the blank is filled in with Cunard. Regarded by passengers as the most traditional (some might say staid) of all cruise lines, Cunard has now come to… Continue reading TSC: The Solo Cruiser's Status Grows

How Catering to Crews Became Business

On every cruise ship we have sailed, in every interview we have done, the single most important secret to success is people. That's the people who make up the crews, who make officers and companies look good, and who make passengers want to come back. So it's a cruise company mandate to do whatever is… Continue reading How Catering to Crews Became Business