CRUISING

• 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 18, 2014

  Cruise lines offer more beverage packages in rising tide of bar tabs

  The cost of wines and spirits has become one of cruising’s more confusing, and more expensive, extras. Partly, that’s because normal routines from home tend to change with the partying lifestyle at sea, supported by an expanding array of well-hyped alcoholic concoctions.

• 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.

• May 20, 2014

  Travel agents know best cruise secrets

  With so many cruise lines and so many ships now sailing the world’s waters, the expertise of a knowledgeable travel agent is a valuable tool when choosing a voyage, a vessel, a cabin, or even a restaurant for a special meal.

• 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…