David G. Molyneaux

Cruise ports

December 2, 2014

Getting up to speed on Quantum, world’s smartest cruise ship

Remember your first computer, your first smart phone? Royal Caribbean’s revolutionary new Quantum of the Seas, now cruising out of New York, is the first “smart ship.” Be prepared.
November 12, 2014

When lunch at a cruise port is a welcome excursion

When you are planning a port day for an upcoming cruise, and are looking to step away from the typical tour paths, consider lunch. One way to get a feel of a port is to taste it. I look for casual spots that attract locals, have reasonable prices, and menus with regional specialties. Lobster…
November 5, 2014

Cruising guest stars on Regal Princess’ Love Boat

Joining the old “Love Boat” crew for a big party on the new Regal Princess.
August 5, 2014

Royal Caribbean hopes to lure new cruisers with Quantum of the Seas’ flexible dining

Desperate to lure more first-timers to their vessels, especially in the Caribbean, mainstream cruise lines are redesigning dining, adding smaller restaurants, most with extra fees.
July 23, 2014

Puttering around Europe, cruising on Windstar’s new Star Pride

Windstar Cruises is carving out a popular niche with a growing fleet of small ships that carry 312 or fewer passengers. The latest, Star Pride, is cruising the Mediterranean.
May 30, 2014

Joys of a small cruise ship, visiting the Med’s quiet harbors

Star Pride notes from the Mediterranean Sea One of the best reasons to choose to cruise on a small ship in the Mediterranean Sea is the opportunity to visit ports with delightful harbors where big cruise ships cannot go, to dock among the stunning pleasure yachts or tender to the heart of town. Harbor…
May 29, 2014

Humming ‘1492’ as a Windstar Mediterranean cruise memory

Star Pride notes from the Mediterranean Sea Two weeks off the Star Pride in the Mediterranean between Barcelona and Rome's port of Civitavecchia, and still I am humming the theme from "1492: Conquest of Paradise." Officers of Star Pride slowly raise the flag of Windstar Cruises at daily sail-aways, to the music of ‘1492: Conquest…
May 28, 2014

Cruising on Star Pride, casually elegant from a carry-on bag

Star Pride, the first of three power yachts to arrive in Windstar’s hands during the next 12 months, is cruising the Mediterranean with an airy Yacht Club, redesiged lounge and dining room, an atmosphere of warmth, and a contemporary style similar to Windstar’s sailing ships.
April 27, 2014

Norwegian Getaway and SeaDream, sailing the same sea, very differently

Two recent Caribbean voyages, aboard SeaDream I and Norwegian Getaway, could not have been more different. One week, cruising aboard a 112-passenger SeaDream yacht was like being a private guest at an intimate, fashionable house party. Energetic, highly trained crew were at beck and call as we floated from small ports to anchorages off such…
April 24, 2014

Life in remote villages of the Upper Amazon of Peru

One of the highlights of a riverboat tour in the Upper Amazon was the opportunity to visit remote villages that sit beside the many rivers in the Pacaya-Samiria government reserve near Iquitos, Peru. A boy in Urarina, Peru, said he speared these fish in the waters of the Upper Amazon (Photos by David G. Molyneaux,…