Bargains at the Last Minute Long Gone

A few weeks ago, we started shopping around for a cruise to Alaska. Wanting to get the best deal, as always, we were looking for a “last-minute” cruise, and we were willing to make the decision a day or two before the ship’s departure. Well, it turns out that “last-minute” cruises aren’t what they used… Continue reading Bargains at the Last Minute Long Gone

Celebrity Cruising, Discount Prices

Normally, we feature a kind of “deal-of-the-week” on Saturdays to headline our “Notes on the Boats” blog. The deal we found this week can’t wait. It has to be booked by tomorrow (July 30). That doesn’t leave much time — sorry about that — for you to make a decision. But if you’re thinking about… Continue reading Celebrity Cruising, Discount Prices

Blokes and Folks who like Liverpool

There must be something in our lineage that connects us to seaports because we might be the only worldly (?) travelers around who raved about visiting Liverpool and Marseilles, port cities that tourists love to hate. So we read with a certain wistfulness — if anybody dares to read with wistfulness the ramblings of Carnival… Continue reading Blokes and Folks who like Liverpool

Another Battleground for (non) Smokers

News item: Carnival conducts an experiment to ban smoking in more areas of its ships. This, if you’ll pardon the expression, is a hot one. For people who smoke, being deprived of their right to do so can enrage them. For people who  don’t smoke, being subjected to the loss of fresh air (among other… Continue reading Another Battleground for (non) Smokers