Star Clippers announced today that is dropping calls in Antigua in the wake of last week’s murder of one of its passengers on the island.

The sailing ship line says it will substitute the Caribbean island of Nevis on upcoming itineraries of the 227-passenger Royal Clipper. The ship normally calls in Antigua every two weeks.

“Star Clippers has called at Antigua for many years without incident, and with its long sailing and yacht history, the island has always been a popular destination with our guests,” Star Clippers CEO Mikael Krafft said in a statement. “We are taking this decision after much deliberation, and we will continue to monitor the security situation in Antigua and evaluate our options for next winter season regarding returning to the island.”

As most of you know, I was on the sailing when Nina was murdered. I have been following the case very closely and unfortunately no one has been arrested yet. I believe Star Clippers is making a smart decision.

My Exclusive Journeys, the new tour operator that prides itself on a very high level of customer service, is offering a variety of journeys featuring small ship cruises in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, with pre/post extensions in various cities.  The ships, which range from seven to 64 cabins, also vary in accommodation and amenity levels. Some are small and casual, just right for a family charter, while others are larger and much more luxurious—one even has a helicopter on board.

In Argentina and Chile, the 5-deck, 64-cabin twin ships Mare and Via Australis, which were purposely built for cruises to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, sail from Ushuaia around Cape Horn to Punta Arenas on 3-night voyages.  On the Beyond the End of the World journey, they are combined with Buenos Aires, Santiago and the Santa Cruz Wine Region (from $2,529).  Longer journeys from Buenos Aires to Santiago and vice versa include Bariloche or Iguazu Falls (from $3,933).

In Brazil, the 4-deck, 15-cabin riverboat Premium has spacious cabins and public spaces, but is shallow enough to navigate remote tributaries.  It makes 2-, 3- and 5-night cruises on the Amazon from Manaus, including Rio and Salvador de Bahia (from $2,941).  The larger, very upscale Gran Amazon (which has two pools, a fitness room and Internet access) cruises along the Negro and Solimoes rivers, as well as the Amazon.

Nomads of the Seas’ Atmosphere carries 28 passengers on 7-night “Posh Patagonia” cruises deep into the wilds of Chilean Patagonia in great luxury, complete with spa, thalassotherapy pools, a gourmet restaurant and—yes—a helicopter (from $10,928).

There’s a huge choice of small motor yachts, catamarans and expedition vessels plying Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.  The star of the show, however, is the stylish and elegant motor sailer, Alta, which makes 7-night voyages through the Galapagos, often under sail.  They can be combined with a pre/post extension to Quito (from $6,995).

And finally, in Peru, cruising the northern Amazon from Iquitos, there are two beautiful cruise ships that look rather like large houseboats.  The M/V Aqua, custom-designed in 2007 to the highest standards, has 12 cabins with panoramic windows, excellent Peruvian cuisine and all the comforts of home.  The M/V Delfin, a 19^th-century-style Amazon riverboat, has seven cabins with private bath and air conditioning.  Both offer 3-, 4- and 7-night cruises plus visits to Cuzco and Machu Picchu (from $4,822).

All prices quoted are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability and do not include flights, departure taxes, hotel taxes, Galapagos Park fees or gratuities.  Cruise only rates are available upon request.  For additional information, visit www.myexclusivejourneys.com or call 1-888-334-6905.

This is one of the most beautiful memories i have………..the day we spent on Holland America’s Private Island

A recent visit to Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas, illustrates the cruise travel industry’s ongoing effort to exceed the expectations of its guests. Air-conditioned, open-air beach cabanas are available just a few steps from warm, blue, pristine waters. Private butlers magically appear (for a small fee) from nowhere to fill one’s beverage glass; others prepare hot and chilled appetizers, as well as cool cucumbers to sooth guests’ eyes from the tropical sun.

Is this heaven? Not quite, but these breathtaking private islands surely are memorable for cruisers wanting to enjoy total stress reduction.

Many Caribbean cruises include a stop at some of the Caribbean Sea’s most picturesque islands. Turquoise waters, stunning coral reefs, beautiful beaches, native fauna and wildlife draw the awe of visitors. For the more active crowd, a variety of optional island exploration and water sports activities keep people busy all day long.

Beach umbrellas, cabanas and other shady spots are available to those who want to step out of the sun. Beachside massages sooth the senses. Guests who want privacy are invited to visit many of the islands’ more isolated and secluded beaches. Families are more than welcome, with plenty to do for all ages, including aqua parks, hiking trails and other kid-friendly activities. Many areas on the islands are handicap accessible.

The following is a rundown on the private island ports of call by cruise line:

Costa Cruises- Costa Cruises guests visit Catalina Island, off the coast of the Dominican Republic. It features activities such as volleyball, beach Olympics, snorkeling and massages on the beach. Cruise passengers can also rent jet skis, go for banana-boat rides, or relax on a long beach edged with palm trees. Music and barbecues complete an idyllic day and, for the tourist-minded, visitors can purchase jewelry, beachwear and other souvenirs.

Disney Cruise Line - Disney’s Castaway Cay provides plenty of magic and fun for people of all ages. The three-mile long island, of which only ten percent has been developed, provides plenty of opportunities for guests to enjoy its natural beauty. The island caters to guests in true Disney style. This is the only private island featuring cruise ship-docking capabilities, versus shuttle boats between the ship and island. This allows guests to come and go as they wish. Attractions include the Castaway Family Beach, Serenity Bay for adults, Teen Beach and Scuttle’s Cove for kids, plus numerous water sports, snorkeling and water tour excursions.

Holland America - Half Moon Cay, rated the “Best Private Island” by Porthole Cruise Magazine, 8 times now, is located on three mile-long Little San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, of which only two percent has been developed. Half Moon Cay was built on a crescent-shaped white sand beach more than a mile in length. Island attractions include horseback riding, snorkeling with stingrays, personal watercraft tours, kayak lagoon tours, parasailing, massages and the Half Moon Lagoon Aqua Park. Your private butler will attend to virtually any need during your stay, and the island makes a lovely setting for a destination wedding.

MSC Cruises- Many MSC Caribbean cruises stop for the day in Cayo Levantado, off the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic’s Samana Peninsula. As at all the other private islands, passengers can enjoy a beautiful beach, go snorkeling or swimming. There are beach chairs, umbrellas and walking paths, plus tables for an open-air lunch. Travelers also have the option of taking a tour (including jeep safaris and whale-watching).

Unlike the other cruise lines, Cayo Levantado isn’t actually MSC’s private island; it’s owned by a Dominican company. Another caveat: a day at this beach is considered a shore excursion, and passengers are charged a fee to play here.

Norwegian Cruise Line - Travelers set foot on Great Stirrup Cay, located 120 nautical miles east of Fort Lauderdale in the Berry Island chain of the Bahamas. There are two maintained beaches on the island, plus several other more isolated ones. Visitors enjoy native fauna, animals and marine life at every turn. Water sports activities include snorkeling, paddle boats, sailboats, kayaks and parasailing. Special cruise line “Olympic” competitions are frequently held on the island for guests, as well.

Princess Cruise Line - Princess Cays is located on the southern portion of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, featuring white-sand beaches and turquoise waters great for snorkeling. Island activities include seaboards, aqua bikes, Hobie Cat and Sunfish sailboats, paddle wheelers, Banana Boats or transparent hull kayaks at the water sports pier. Enjoy a beach barbeque and a full staff of drink servers is ready with cocktails and soda. For those who want to just relax, there are plenty of beach umbrellas, tiki huts and hammocks slung between shady trees.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises- Although not affiliated with Princess, ships of Regent Seven Seas do make stops at Princess Cays on some of their Caribbean itineraries.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity- Located in the middle of the Caribbean is the secluded 140-acre private island of Coco Cay, reserved exclusively for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests. The tropical paradise was recently updated with new aquatic facilities, nature trails and numerous places to relax. A favorite attraction is the new 20,000 square-foot Caylana’s Castle Cove, a fun-filled floating aqua playground. Other popular activities include SeaTrek adventure waverunners, snorkeling and parasailing 400 feet above Coco Cay. The sandy beach and coral reefs of Labadee, their second private island, also is a wonderful place to relax and have fun. Activities include kayaking, snorkeling, parasailing and bike riding. Become a pirate for a day, ride a waverunner, or just lie on the beach and relax.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s most innovative ship to date will summer in the Mediterranean.   Don’t we all wish we could summer in the Mediterranean?   If you cannot take that little luxury in life, perhaps the next best thing to do is to try a Mediterranean cruise and now may be the time to book for 2011.   Norwegian Epic’s Mediterranean itinerary’s are from $699 per person.

The ship will sail a seven-day Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, Spain from May through October 2011.

Ports of call include: Florence/Pisa (Livorno); Rome (Civitavecchia); Naples, Italy; and Palma, Majorca, Spain, along with two full days at sea.

The 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic incorporates many innovations including several new types of accommodations – the curved New Wave staterooms; the largest Villas suite complex at sea, comprising 60 suites and villas on two private decks at the top of the ship; and spa and family-friendly accommodations. Kids will have a blast with Nickelodeon at Sea offering Nickelodeon-themed family entertainment and programming including: character meet and greets; interactive game shows; and more.

The ship also boasts unique nightlife options with the first Ice Bar at sea and Spice H20 with non-stop entertainment day and night; an expansive Aqua Park with the only tube slide and largest bowl slide at sea

Wine enthusiasts can travel with an expert aboard Windstar Cruises’ Wind Surf, departing April 4 from Lisbon.

As part of the line’s Signature Collection Host Series, Jay Schuppert, president of Cuvaison Estate Wines, will join the sailing, lecturing on the wine-making process and conducting wine tastings.

The Lisbon to Barcelona itinerary includes ports in Tangier, Morocco; and Malaga, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia, Spain. Cruise rates start at $2,399 per person, based on double occupancy.

To Find a Competitive Rate, give CruiseCompete.com a try

Star Clippers will drop Antigua as a port of call on five remaining Royal Clipper itineraries through April 10, after a passenger was attacked and killed there on Jan. 19.

The line will substitute Nevis for the scheduled stop at Antigua.

“Star Clippers has called at Antigua for many years without incident, and with its long sailing and yacht history, the island has always been a popular destination with our guests,” Star Clippers CEO Mikael Krafft said in a statement.

“We are taking this decision after much deliberation, and we will continue to monitor the security situation in Antigua and evaluate our options for next winter season regarding returning to the island.”

Norwegian Cruise Line will target solo travelers for the 100-square-foot studio accommodations on its upcoming newbuild, the 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic.

The Epic’s 128 studio cabins will be designated and priced for solo travelers, who will not have the pay the single supplement common for single cruisers. Prices for the studios will start at $799.

The studios are all inside accommodations, slightly smaller than standard inside cabins, and feature windows looking onto the corridors. They also feature the Living Room, a shared, common space with a lounge, private bar and two large screen TVs, accessible only to studio passengers.

Maria Miller, senior vice president of marketing for NCL, said during an online webinar that the studios were the first cabins in the industry “designed and priced for solo travelers.”

“Solo travelers have typically been ignored by the cruise industry,” Miller said. “We’ve taken the opportunity to reposition the studios and go after this market.”

Miller pointed to data which suggests that there are 100 million single adults in the U.S., and that 35 million adults take solo vacations every year. However, less than 5% of those travelers take cruises. Miller added that the single supplement has always been the “key barrier” to getting solo cruisers.

“Our goal is to break down that barrier and make it more comfortable for single travelers,” she said. “Solo travel is well suited to a cruise. … Cruising is ideal for people who want to travel alone but don’t want to be alone.”

If you are interested in solo cabins, please send me an email and I will have a cruise specialist who helps singles contact you.  heidi@AllThingsCruise.com

My husband, Jeff, owns a Harley and he thought this would be a great summer vacation idea for us and other Harley lovers.

Harley Davidson® has established rental locations throughout the world to accommodate the growing cadre of international road warriors. All rentals are late-model Harley-Davidson® motorcycles, serviced and maintained to strict company standards.

To make it easier for you, see the complete listing of international Harley-Davidson Authorized Rentals® locations.

Here are a few examples of the exciting Harley rental ideas you will see:

Harley-Davidson Roma – Via Silvio Spaventa 15/17- Phone +39 064880452

Now THIS is the way to see the Eternal City. Your Harley will navigate the narrow streets, allow you to park anywhere along the way, and – you’ll get to the Appian Way a lot quicker than did Caesar’s Roman Legions. Whether it’s pure sightseeing or romance that’s in the air, you will not be disappointed. Ciao!

Harley-Davidson Zürich – Müllerstrasse 34a, Zürich 8004 – Phone +41 044 / 225 41 21 – Fax +41 044 / 225 41 22

You’ve been motoring along the Swiss Alps and have decided to give your bike a rest. Time for some R&R back on your European river cruise vessel – check out AMAWATERWAYS – ms Amalegro, 13 Nights – 2010: The Enchanting Rhine. A stop in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, offers numerous historical (and romantic) opportunities. Whether traveling solo or accompanied by a partner, the blend of biking, river cruising and sightseeing is a combination that won’t be beat.

While biking on your Harley offers terrific side-trip opportunities on any cruise, note that there are some things to keep in mind before you sign up for your rental. For most of Harley Davisdson’s® international rental locations, riders must generally:

Be 21 years of age or older, Have a valid heavyweight motorcycle operator’s license and of course Have a major credit card.

Enjoy!

The Royal Clipper under full sail

Jan. 19-20: Antigua and St. Kitts

The past two days have passed very swiftly on the Royal Clipper. On Tuesday, we were on the island of Antigua. As usual, we anchored away from the city center (St. John) at Falmouth Harbour. What this means for passengers is that when you go ashore, you really won’t find much except for a few small stores and restaurants which cater to yachtsmen.

As usual, the ship ran two tenders: One to the marina and one to the beach. Chet and I first visited the marina and then walked about 20 minutes to the Pigeon Point beach where the ship held a  barbeque for lunch. We then spent a couple of hours swimming and snorkeling from the beach.

That evening’s entertainment was a steel drum band from the island and so the party was festive. (Little did we know of the tragedy that had already occurred.)

Yesterday we visited the small island of St. Kitt’s. Chet and I opted to take a shore excursion here, a trip on the St. Kitt’s Island Railway. This company began seven years ago. It renovated an old sugar train that now takes visitors on an informative trip ¾ of the way around the island and then completes the circuit by bus.

We enjoyed this excursion as it gave an in-depth view of the island. The capital of Basseterre has greatly expanded in recent years. A land reclamation project has enabled them to build a new cruise terminal area called Ponte Zante with many upscale shops.

After dropping us off for excursions in the morning, the Royal Clipper moved to another part of St. Kitt’s for our time on the beach. Paula and Carl reported very good snorkeling from this beach.

However, all of this was overshadowed by…

On Wednesday morning, just before our shore excursion, we learned that a tragedy occurred late the day before on Antigua. A passenger from our ship was found killed on the beach at about 5 p.m. (not the part of beach that our group was on). The young woman had last been seen at 3:30 p.m. after being part of a snorkeling group. Of course, we do not know who perpetrated the crime and the ship was in no way connected to this reprehensible act.

Her family disembarked the ship that night and sailing was delayed by several hours. Word spread quickly through the ship  about the crime although few specific details were known until later in the day. Just before dinner an announcement was made that a family had disembarked because one of their party was missing and asked that any passengers with information should report it to the police. Then we were asked for a moment of silence. All in our group felt that the ship’s officials should have been more forthcoming.

Since then she has been identified as Nina Elizabeth Nilssen, age 30, of New Mexico. What is especially tragic is that she is the sister of  Liv Nilssen, who was married onboard on Sunday, and was part of the wedding party. She was found partially clothed and was stabbed in the neck. An autopsy showed she died of exsanguination. No one has been apprehended as of yet, according to local Antigua newspapers.

I think that this incident reinforces a fact of travel that we should never forget. That crime exists everywhere, be it Palm Beach, Thailand, Easter Island or a Caribbean island and we should always be mindful of our personal safety. We should always travel with another person and not go off with people we do not know. This is just so sad.

In my next post, I will discuss how the matter was handled (or, rather, not handled) on board the ship.

On a more uplifting note: Last evening the ship sailed at 5 p.m. and passengers were given the opportunity to board a tender to go out and take pictures of the ship under full sail. So at the top of this posting is a lovely photo taken by Chet.

January 18: The island of Dominica

Our second day aboard the Royal Clipper, flagship of Star Clippers, we visited the small island of Dominica. However, we did not anchor until noon so we had a restful morning at sea.

While many just read and napped in chaises, others were busier. A group of six or so were taking scuba lessons in the pool. Others opted to climb the mast to the first crow’s nest. Still others climbed into the netting at the bow of the boat so they could ride above the waves. The ship is full, with 208 passengers on board.

My husband Chet and son-in-law Sam were among the hardy group that met with the marine biologist Mariano at 6 a.m. on the bridge to look for whales (which migrate through here at this time of year). They were unsuccessful, however the group that went on the whale-watching shore excursion later in the day reported seeing a pod of some 20 pilot whales and three sperm whales.

Other shore excursions included tubing down a river and touring the island. Those who did not take formal tours had two choices, one was to tender over to the nearby national park where they could walk to a fort and take a short walk through the jungle. My sister Beth and Tim opted for this and enjoyed it.

The other option was to tender to the beach (black volcanic sand) where they could participate in beach activities (wind-surfing, sailing, water-skiing, kayaking) or take a 20-minute walk into “town.” Chet and I opted to walk to town and went about ¾ of the way. There was not much to see but a good way to stretch our legs.

Others in our family made this walk about an hour later and were accosted by beggars, which was not a pleasure, to say the least.

Back on the ship, we had a spectacular sail-away with perfect light for photos. As usual, they played the theme from “1776” by Vangelis (this is our fourth cruise on Star Clippers, and every sail-away is to this music). After sundown, Captain Vlad gave a short talk on the history of pirates and Mariano gave a talk on marine mammals.

The theme this evening was pirates, so the crew was dressed in costume although not many passengers followed suit. After dinner, the evening entertainment was crab races.. live crabs are put in a circle and you bet on them by number. The first crab to reach the outer edge of the circle wins. I only know that No. 8, called “Jack Sparrow,” won the first race. We had lost our money so we went to bed.

All in all, it was a leisurely day. Tomorrow we will be in Antigua where a full schedule of activities is planned, including a beach barbeque.

Note: This blog posting is a day late because the Internet connection was out all day yesterday in Antigua. Internet is a bit problematic on these ships because of irregular connections. Also, you have to buy Internet minutes (12 Euros for an hour). However, there are two computers on board for passenger use.