Rachel Garrett

Expertise: Experienced traveler with a young and fresh point of view if you are looking for the exotic and also southeast USA, especially Florida. She knows Florida inside-out!

Advice – Although traveling can be challenging on the details side, it’s a wonderful way to create memories and dreams.

Rachel has been to Mexico, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Canada, Hawaii, Tahiti and hundreds of locations all over the US.

One of her favorite places is where she spent her honeymoon recently – the South Pacific/ French Polynesia. She has plenty of ideas for travelers looking for the same.

The South Pacific / French Polynesian Islands offer exotic, gorgeous settings that also are secluded and private, with a very rich and interesting history. Wonderful hotels she recommends are the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa, and the Radisson Plaza Resort (Papeete) Tahiti.

In Florida, strong recommendations in Hollywood / Ft. Lauderdale for the Hard Rock hotel, the Bahia Mar, and even the more economical Sheraton Yankee Clipper Hotel.

Miami / South Beach recommendation is the Ritz. Same for Naples – the Ritz.

If you’re thinking South Carolina / Hilton Head, Rachel recommends the Villamare villas & condos.

If you’re headed to the Western US, she loves the Stanley hotel in Colorado, which is where the Shining movie was filmed.

In Mexico, she suggests the Marriott in Puerto Vallarta. Marriott for Toronto as well.

She’s been on Celebrity Cruises and loves cruising.

Other favorite places – Maui without a doubt, in part because it is exotic, romantic, beautiful and memorable – but also still USA and somewhat more accessible. She loves to tell people about Haleakal, or the East Maui Volcano, a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the island. In Maui, Rachel recommends Grand Wailea.

Another favorite is South Beach, Florida, and the Delano Hotel. It is the ultimate world-class urban resort and self-contained destination, a cool haven of relaxation in the middle of one of the world’s most vibrant communities…never a dull moment…sushi bar in lobby is awesome, nightlife is endless, alive at all hours.

Favorite thing to do when not traveling: Rachel likes to hang out with her husband and dogs and loves to shop, spend time with her mother and plan her next trip.

Rachel grew up moving about the US with her family, living in such states as Florida, Georgia and Michigan. She also toured many southeastern US states while playing soccer in high school and early college.

Rachel attended Brenau University in northern Georgia and ultimately took a different route. She graduated from William Beaumont Hospital’s Program of Radiologic Technology in Royal Oak, Michigan,

Rachel is an Interventional Radiology technologist with Beaumont Hospital.

When Rachel’s not working, she enjoys traveling with her husband, mother, family and friends.

Alexander T. Garrett

Alexander has been traveling to many US locations and many amazing locations around the world. He has been to Florida, California, New York, Las Vegas, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Canada, Tahiti, Mexico and Italy. His love for travel started at an early age and he continues to explore new destinations every year.

Alexander has been on numerous Royal Caribbean International cruises and has had the privilege of staying at some of the finest resorts in the world – the Ritz in South Beach, Naples, and Palm Beach; in Miami the Sanctuary and the Fairmont Turnberry Isle, and The Breakers Palm Beach.

His most memorable place was on his honeymoon at the St. Regis in Bora Bora. He also has wonderful childhood memories from living at The Wentworth by the Sea in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Alexander loves Las Vegas, is an expert regarding many hotels there and enjoys the Hard rock Hotel, Bahia Mar, Yankee Clipper& Ritz in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

His travels also include visits to these lovely properties, St. Regis Bora / Bora, Moorea Pearl Moorea, Radisson Papeete, Marriott in Puerto Vallarta and Toronto, Grand Wailea in Maui, Celebrity cruise lines, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, and Villamare in Hilton head

Alexander Garrett was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, and moved about the US until settling with his family in Rochester, Michigan. He received a BS in Business Administration from Oakland University works for Guardian Insurance Company in Michigan.

Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is pleased to announce all voyages for 2011 are now open for sale and complete day-by-day itineraries are available at www.silversea.com. In the next few weeks, reservations will also open for the expedition ship Prince Albert II.

In 2011, the company’s quintet of elegant all-suite ships, Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and the new Silver Spirit, will offer 170 diverse itineraries, visiting over 335 ports in more than 100 countries and island destinations.

From the pristine wilderness of Alaska and the amazing pyramids of Egypt to the ancient castles of Dublin and the sleek yachts of Monte Carlo, Silversea will present a vibrant collection of the world’s most sought-after destinations. Highlights include Silver Spirit’s 119-day Inaugural World Cruise and seven new Silversea destinations: Brindisi, Italy; San Sebastian on the Canary Island of La Gomera; Ballycastle, Northern Ireland; St. Helier on the British Isle of Jersey; Matarani, Peru; Cooktown in Queensland, Australia; and South Australia’s Port Lincoln.

“It’s always our goal to provide unique and enriching travel experiences,” said Kenneth Watson, Silversea’s chief operating officer. “Our 2011 schedule has been carefully designed to offer a broad range of travel choices, including multiple-day calls and overnight stays showcasing traditional must-see destinations, as well as myriad opportunities to explore the world’s most exotic regions.”

SILVER CLOUD

The 296-guest Silver Cloud starts the year with a series of Caribbean voyages and two crossings of the Panama Canal before spending a month in the Mediterranean. Silver Cloud then travels northward to summer in Iceland, Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland. An overnight visit to remote Archangel, Russia, is one of the season’s highlights. Autumn in the Mediterranean precedes a stylish return to the warm Caribbean waters and explorations in the Amazon.

SILVER WIND

2011 itineraries aboard the 298-guest Silver Wind begin in fascinating Dubai, visit India and exotic Oman, slip into the seductive Seychelles and trace Africa’s coastline from Mombasa to Cape Town to Morocco. Mediterranean destinations, including the Holy Land, and a Black Sea cruise fill the idyllic days of spring and summer, followed by two more cruises to the Holy Land and an encore of Arabian ports and Seychelles islands to close out the year.

SILVER SHADOW

As the 382-guest Silver Shadow opens the year with explorations of Oceania, spectacular New Zealand fjords and a first-ever, 30-day circumnavigation of Australia are among the season’s highlights, followed by extraordinary Far East wonders during spring. Alaska cruises fill the entire summer season before a return to China, Japan and Vietnam. Popular holiday sailings in Australia and New Zealand are again on the calendar for 2011.

SILVER WHISPER

Aboard the 382-guest Silver Whisper, 2011 arrives in the majestic Chilean fjords, setting the tone for a year of spectacular experiences in South America, the Caribbean and Northern Europe. Fulfilling the requests of Silversea’s valued guests, itineraries include three days in St. Petersburg, Norwegian fjord cruising, and fall foliage season in Canada and New England. The year concludes as it began with Caribbean and South America voyages.

SILVER SPIRIT

For 540-guest Silver Spirit, 2011 features a 119-day Inaugural World Cruise spanning from Los Angeles to Southampton. This epic journey takes in the tranquillity of French Polynesia, Australia’s untamed landscapes, the unique customs and cultures of Asia, Egyptian wonders and favorite Mediterranean ports from Italy and Monaco to Spain and Portugal. Throughout summer, special Mediterranean sailings focus on the Greek isles or the flavors of Italy. Exclusively for Formula One racing enthusiasts, Voyage 5112 overnights in Monte Carlo during the Grand Prix. Late autumn months are celebrated beneath the warmth of a Caribbean sun.

Silversea Cruises is recognized as an innovator in the luxury segment, offering guests large-ship amenities aboard its intimate, all-suite vessels: Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper — and launching in December, Silver Spirit – all designed to offer an atmosphere of conviviality and casual elegance. With the addition of the regal expedition ship Prince Albert II, the company’s itineraries encompass all seven continents.

By Marcia Levin

Special to AllThingsCruise.com

Nov. 23, 2009 – Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas is true to its pre-inaugural hype. It’s big and bodacious, absolutely brilliant in design and looks darn good in the process!

CEO and president Richard Fain told reporters aboard a November inaugural sailing of the new 5,400-passenger ship that it is “one-third familiar, one-third evolutionary and one-third revolutionary.”

Familiar touches include the Royal Promenade – an enhanced area of shops and food options – the rock climbing wall, FlowRider and skating rink. New developments include a zip line, 28 two-story urban lofts and 25 eateries throughout the more than 220,000 gross  ton ship. A crew of more than 2,100 men and women from 70 nations keep her ship shape.

Her architectural design in distinctly revolutionary and the concept of balcony cabins with open sky, yet views of the seven “neighborhoods” on the ship, is truly unusual.

Entertainment venues include the awesome Aqua Theater, dedicated jazz and comedy clubs, a sprawling well-lighted casino, a magnificent theater for headliners and stage productions, and a spa and fitness center that is state-of-the-art.

Among the really revolutionary items is a kids program that blows away those offered on other cruise ships (the teen program is on separate deck) making Oasis of the Seas the ideal family vacation destination.

Tuesday, November 16, 2009…My Equinox diary

Tomorrow is our final day at sea before arriving at Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday so everything is kind of wrapping up. People are checking their accounts, packing up their trip purchases and planning their Thanksgiving holidays.

Today there were two highlights:

First was the passenger talent show. There were 15 “acts” – brave souls willing enough to get onstage before hundreds of people to perform – and most acquitted themselves admirably. Several of the singers were quite good, and then there were the surprises…including a fellow singing to his wife for their 61st wedding anniversary.

The live show last night was an extravaganza…titled “Equinox: The Show” it was a Cirque du Soliel-type production with lots of acrobatics, contortionists, high flyers and fabulous costumes and staging. In my opinion, it was the best show I have ever seen produced on a cruise ship.

I did hear others say that they prefer song and dance over acrobatics but one must give credit to Celebrity for investing in this ambitious undertaking. I enjoyed it so much that I was willing to stand for the entire hour…as the house was packed and no seats were available.

So what are the cabins like on the Equinox?

This seems like a good time to discuss the cabins here on the Equinox. About 90 percent of the cabins on this ship are exactly the same. They are all veranda cabins with 194 square feet of space. The differences in price are largely due to placement on the ship and additional amenities offered so bear that in mind when booking.

We prefer this configuration...

What is rather unusual is that the way these Solstice-class ships are configured, every other cabin is arranged differently. Either the bed is next to the entry door, or it is next to the sliding glass doors to the veranda. We much prefer having our bed next to the entry door…but whichever your preference you should be aware of this when booking.

The veranda cabins are very nicely appointed with very comfy beds, high end linens, 32” LCD TVs which swivel so you can see them from anywhere in the cabin, a large sofa (some of which contain trundle beds) and a rather small vanity. The lounges on the veranda are excellent. The only improvement would be a bit more storage space.

The bathrooms are perhaps the best I have seen, with plenty of storage, a large mirror and an excellent shower with sliding glass doors. The automatic night light is much appreciated.

...over this one

Some of these cabins are designated Concierge Class, which means the cabin is exactly the same but you get some extras. These include fresh fruit, daily canapés, fresh flowers, plush terry bathrobes and a nice piece of linen by your bed each night. We are in one of these cabins and we discovered that while the posies are a nice touch, we do not eat the fruit or the canapés (who needs the extra food?) and that the plush robes are actually kind of a pain and too big to wear on deck. So is the upcharge worth it? You decide.

There is another group of cabins designated AquaClass. You pay a larger premium for these. They are located near the spa and have the same amenities as Concierge Class plus a bit more. People in these cabins have their own specialty restaurant, called Blu, which serves lunch and dinner. Supposedly, it features healthier fare. Also, there is not set seating, you can dine anytime.

Bathrooms are excellent

They also have their own Spa Concierge, who coordinates spa appointments for them, and they have access to a couple of special lounges in the spa.

Sky Suites are slightly larger…the rooms are wider, but no longer…but I am not sure these are worth the upcharge either. Our friends have a Sky Suite and noted that a comparable suite on Holland America Line’s Eurodam was much larger and better configured.

Tomorrow, time to pack…

TRAVEL – CRUISE DEALS As with virtually every part of the travel industry, cruise lines are offering some sizable discounts to fill their ships. CruiseCompete is a great place to begin looking for bargains. Based in Des Moines, Iowa (with nary a cruise ship in sight), the service asks you first to pick a cruise ship and the dates you wish to sail. It then shares that information with more than 300 travel agencies, which email prices back to you. You pick the lowest bid and book with that agent. The service is free. Clicking on “View all Cruise Specials” on the Web site’s home page allows you to search cruises by various categories: region, cruise line, length of cruise and type of traveler.

Take one rarely visited island paradise, add a visit to a jungle tribe much unchanged by modern culture, mix with an incredible array of tropical sea life found in two oceans, then sweeten with lectures and guided tours by two generations of renowned marine researchers — the results are tropical adventures found on two Central American voyages presented by small-ship line Cruise West (www.cruisewest.com) for the 2009/2010 season.

Announcing a new six-night Cocos Island voyage and a freshly revised nine-night Between Two Seas itinerary that ventures from Panama to Costa Rica. Book both voyages back-to-back and save 25 percent on Cocos Island and an additional five percent on Between Two Seas.

Cocos Island – rich in history, rich in nature

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cocos Island borders on the magical — caverns rumored to hold pirated Incan treasure; 200 streaming waterfalls; the world’s largest population of hammerhead sharks; 90 species of birds; and outstanding kayaking and snorkeling are just a few of its many attractions. An inspiration for the film Jurassic Park, Cocos Island is considered the jewel of the Costa Rican park system; a paradise that Jacques Cousteau once called “the most beautiful island in the world.” Choose from two departure dates, roundtrip from San Jose, Costa Rica: January 24 and April 12, 2010, with rates starting at $2,799 per person.

Leading these voyages onboard the 100-guest Pacific Explorer are renowned Christopher and Stephen Weston, second and third generation naturalists from a family long known for its exploration and protection of Cocos Islands.

Famed shark and tropical ecology specialist Stephen Weston will share his passion for marine life conservation on both cruises. Grandson of the famed Cocos Island explorer Julian A. Weston, the third generation Weston honed his craft diving at father’s side. Today, he operates a marine research station where he has pioneered methods in identifying and documenting sharks. Author and researcher Christopher Weston joins son Stephen on the April cruise to share stories of the family’s long history with Cocos Island as well keen insights into its flora and fauna.

Between Two Seas awaits a tropical adventure

Starting in the Caribbean Sea and ending in the Pacific Ocean via a transit through the Panama Canal — the nine-night Between Two Seas voyage offers spectacular exploration of the tropical isthmus that separates these two seas. Within this ribbon of land are more species of wildlife and flora than any other place on the planet, complemented by slumbering and active volcanoes, cloud forests and turquoise bays that teem with marine life.

A highlight of this voyage is a zodiac excursion to visit the remote Emberá, a tribe much unchanged by modern culture and designated as a UNESCO site. Located in the Darién Jungle, the excursion offers a true immersion experience into an historic local culture. Guests also will revel for two days at Coiba National Park, known for its abundant sea life and world class snorkeling; visit the exotic gardens of Casa Orquideas at Golfo Dulce; and enjoy some well earned beach time at Corcovado Conservation Area and Manuel Antonio National Park, both known for prolific wildlife and bird viewing.

Book both voyages back-to-back and save 25 percent on Cocos Island and five percent on the January 15, 30 and April 3, 2010, departures of Between Two Seas. In addition, the single supplement fee will be waived on these departures in select cabin categories. The nine-night Between Two Seas voyage operates through April 3, 2010, with rates for beginning at $3,999 per person. An added bonus for holiday travelers – Christmas or New Year’s celebrations with festive Costa Rican and Panamanian holiday activities and traditional cuisine.

Land tour add-ons include two nights at El Establo Hotel deep in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a four-day Highlights of Costa Rica tour or a four-night coastal wildlife experience at Costa Rica’s famed Tortuguero National Park.

For further details, visit www.CruiseWest.com, call 800-296-8307 or a travel professional

Sunday/Monday, November 14-15, 2009…My Equinox diary

These past two days at sea have passed swiftly. Our mornings are generally quiet. Chet gets up and goes to the gym early and then we have coffee in our cabin and go to breakfast between 8:30-9 a.m. Timing is a little off for everyone as we turn back the clocks one hour almost every night.

If the sun shines, the pool is busy

Then we generally go to the top of the ship, to the Lawn Club area, where we find some comfy seats to read for an hour or so (Chet has already finished three books) and watch the many activities going on. There is a putting contest each day at 10 a.m. followed by bocce, quoits and other lawn pursuits. The hot glass show is also going on and it is fun to check out what they are making each day. (They do not sell the pieces on board although they sometimes raffle a few at the end of the cruise.)

Most days we have lunch in the dining room. It takes a bit longer but it is nice to be served and it is a nice place to meet new people and talk about their cruising experiences.

In the afternoon, we generally participate in scheduled activities…like listening to lectures and such. David Perry has been an excellent speaker on the history of cruise ships. Yesterday morning we did go to Catholic mass in the morning.

What are the other people on ship doing? There are more than 350 Germans on board and they all seem to gravitate to the pool area. If the sun is out, then you can count on the pool lounges being full for most of the day. Then there are people learning languages at the Rosetta Stone classes and others are taking lessons in the computer lab. There are also scrapbooking sessions and lots of trivia contests. There are also live music performances throughout the ship.

Fitness center

The fitness center (as opposed to the spa) is always busy. The treadmills seem to be full from morning to night and there is a wide offering of fitness classes. There is also an acupuncturist on board as well as a medical doctor giving injections of Botox®, Restylan®e and Perlane®. How busy they are I have no idea. The costs for these treatments runs into the hundreds of dollars.

My own impression is that the AquaSpa, lovely as it is, is not as busy as it might be and I attribute this to its extremely high pricing. Generally, I would have several spa treatments but have cut back drastically because of the cost and have talked to others who have done the same.

Dining at Silk Harvest

On Sunday night, we had dinner with the Jantzes at the Silk Harvest Asian restaurant. Here the surcharge is $20 per person. The menu is limited but creative and is served family style so that you can sample the many offerings, which include sushi. I thought it quite good and the service was excellent. I recommend the Red Curry Duck entree, but watch out for the habanero pepper that will (literally) take your breath away.

On both nights, we have attended the evening shows and both entertainers were excellent. On Sunday, Greg Bonham, a singer/trumpeter/dancer from Las Vegas performed and on Monday, jazz violinist Doug Cameron took the stage. Both were backed by the excellent Equinox Orchestra, however Cameron’s show was greatly enhanced by the participation of the Inspiration Strings Quartet.

In general, I would say that the live entertainment on this 14-day transatlantic cruise is way better than usual. Both of these entertainers are going to be giving afternoon concerts on coming days and we will be sure to attend.

Only two days at sea to go…

Saturday, November 14, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was our second full day at sea and we decided to sample as many of the onboard activities as we could. So, this morning we attended a culinary demonstration in the main showroom given by the Executive Chef Steve van der Merwe from South Africa and the Head Pastry Chef Bruno.

On-stage cooking demo

As anyone knows who attends such an event in a huge venue, there really wasn’t much to see…but the schtick between the two was fun and it was an enjoyable hour. And I always like to take away one cooking tip from such a demonstration and this time it was about how to use truffle oil.

Soon after we attended the daily trivia contest run by Cruise Director Gary Walker. Usually held in a much larger lounge, it had been moved to the small Martini Bar so that was a bit awkward. Also, we showed up without a team…so were paired up with two women, but we were at a disadvantage as most teams consist of 5-6 people. We didn’t do very well (except I did know the maximum number of clubs in a golf bag — 14) but I can see that the trivia folks are a passionate crew and there must have been well over 120 in attendance.

After another nice lunch in the dining room (more about that below), we headed to today’s maritime lecture given by David Perry. It was about the great age of ocean liners and the 45 minutes was quite informative. It is obvious that Perry is a hit as several hundred people attended.

Then we headed back to the cabin, answered some emails on my laptop, and then began considering dinner. The days pass quickly this way.

One tip about internet use on the ship:

When you board, you buy a package of internet minutes. We bought 200 minutes for $99. You can then either use these minutes at the laptops in the online center or you can use them on your personal laptop, either in your cabin or elsewhere on the ship.

To conserve minutes, it is best NOT to answer your email online. This burns up minutes. But with your own laptop, you can go online, download your email and upload your answers and then go offline immediately. You can even take a minute or so to update your Facebook page. This way you use only a few minutes.

Then answer your email offline and upload the answers the next time you go online. I have been on the ship for nine days now and I still have about $30 credit left, which is pretty remarkable, because it takes me about 15 minutes to post this blog each day.

Speciality restaurants:

Tonight we ate at the Murano speciality restaurant, which serves French food. We had an excellent meal and service was superb. Three of our four ordered the dover sole and declared it perfect. For $20 a person this is an excellent dining option.

Tomorrow we eat at the Silk Harvest Asian restaurant and will probably dine again at the Tuscan Grill before the end of this cruise. The quality of the food and the presentation is so much higher than in the main dining rooms.

Who we met today:

Joan and Paul Brite

At lunch today we met two new couples: Joan and Paul Brite and Tony and Gloria Rossomano, all from Coral Springs, Fla.

They boarded the ship in Rome, after spending three days there. They have been enjoying their cruise but offered some good observations:

1. They believe the ship needs magnifying makeup mirrors in the bathrooms. “Women our age don’t see all that well and we need those mirrors.”

2. Paul suggested that it would be very nice to have telescopes around the ship at night with star charts so we could observe the night skies.

Gloria and Tony Rossomano

3. Paul, a smoker, noted that there is very, very little smoking space in the bars and asks why, late at night, when some bars are mostly empty that they couldn’t open up a few tables for smokers.

The Princess Cruises entertainment studio in Santa Clarita, Calif., was filled with exceptional performances last week as the cruise line hosted its first ever talent showcase. From Beatles and Abba tribute bands to variety acts and comics, the showcase featured nine finalist performers, each of whom had been chosen from thousands of applicants.

The finalist acts put on their best show for Princess executives as they competed for the chance to be part of the entertainment offerings on board one of the line’s 17 ships. Once Princess selects the winning acts in the coming weeks, the top performers will soon be entertaining passengers at sea.

“With more than 8,000 guest entertainer performances annually on our ships, Princess is one of the largest entertainment procurers in the country,” said Martin Hall, Princess’ vice president of entertainment and passenger programs. “Our goal is to ensure that our passengers have the best experience on board. To help achieve this, we’re always looking for new, fresh talent to enhance our entertainment offerings.”

The inaugural talent showcase is one of the many ways Princess Cruises seeks out new talent. Interested entertainers are encouraged to submit resumes and performance videos to Princess’ entertainment recruitment site for ongoing consideration, as well as for the chance to be featured in next year’s showcase.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com.

Friday, November 13, 2009…My Equinox diary

Today was Friday the 13th but no one here on the Celebrity Equinox would have known it. The weather was just about perfect with a smooth following sea…a fine beginning to our six-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The card rooms are busy

If all sea days go by as fast as this one then our week will be over in no time. It seems that the day just flew by. There was certainly plenty to do. Some 59 activities were listed in the daily program. But what I noticed is that most people were occupying themselves with more mundane activities.

The card rooms are full…with people playing everything from Sequence, to Mah Jongg to Euchre. There are lots of bridge players with a large gathering every sea day at 11 a.m. in the conference center.

The Lawn Club

Almost every comfortable chair is occupied by someone reading…or napping…or meditating with their eyes closed.

The Fitness Center seems to be busy all day long with the treadmills and elliptical machines always occupied. The spa is busy but because of its extremely high prices I don’t think it is as busy as it might be. A 50-minute facial, with tip, costs $185….

One place that is very popular is The Lawn Club on Deck 15. This is a new addition to Celebrity’s newest two ships, the Solstice and Equinox. Up here there are two main features. There is a large lawn of natural grass that is used for bocce, quoits, golf putting, corn toss and croquet. They run informal tournaments and it is open for general play the rest of the time.

Hot glass show

Here also is the Hot Glass Studio where glass blowers from the Corning Museum of Glass perform several times daily. Carl Siglin and G Brian Juk are the main glassblowers and very good narrators as well. They perform for a total of four hours every sea day in an open-air covered theater. There is also a small “museum” attached to the glass studio that explains in more detail how glass is blown. This feature is an excellent and innovative addition to shipboard entertainment.

Today we had lunch with two couples from Midland, Texas…they were Bill and Sonnye Dingler and Don and Minda Parks. They are “back-to-backers,” that is, they took the two-week cruise previous to this one as well. So they have been on board for three weeks already.

Minda and Don Parks

They had many tales to tell of their adventurous touring in Israel and Egypt, including a blown tire on a private van getting them back to the ship in Cairo. They also said they particularly enjoyed visiting Ephesus. Although the weather was poor most of that cruise, the exotic ports made it worthwhile. Bill is a semi-retired contractor and Don is a fine artist (www.donparksfineart.com).

Meeting such interesting people is one of the wonderful aspects of sitting with others at lunch.

Bill and Sonnye Dingler

Tonight was a formal night and there was an excellent show called “Limelight: The Broadway Dream.” The fact that the show tunes were familiar to most passengers made it more successful than the earlier stage production which featured music unfamiliar to most of us.