Everyone wants to cruise when the weather is perfect. Everyone wants to vacation when the weather is perfect. Airfares are high when the weather is perfect. There is a good case to be made for cruising when the crowds are gone – between peak and off-peak seasons – also known as the ‘shoulder’ season. Cruise ships try to avoid bad weather. They have excellent navigation and weather tracking gear. The officers are experienced, often having sailed this route …
The phrase “… who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” is part of a famous Oscar Wilde line in a play describing a cynic. Some people think if it’s expensive, it must be the best. Today, it has been said Millennials and Gen Z value experiences over possessions. When you travel, enjoying traditions can become experiences and these traditions define a timeless luxury. Some cruise lines deliver this experience. How do they do …
Yes, I dream about wine. I believe a day without red wine is a day without sunshine. My doctor thinks differently, but all this gets done in moderation. One of the dilemmas faced by wine fans is restaurants with reasonably priced good food (buck a shuck oysters) rarely have a wine list to match. Restaurants featuring multi course tasting menus matched with fine wines can cost $1,000+ a couple. No buck a shuck oysters there! This leads …
186 years is a long time. Cunard’s roots stretch back to 1840 when Samuel Cunard thought regular scheduled service across the Atlantic Ocean sounded like a good idea. For decades, sailing transatlantic was the only way to get back and forth between Europe and America. Cunard still operates the only ocean liner in service, Queen Mary 2. They have a loyal following. But there are always rough seas to navigate. The airlines changed the game, starting in the …
Do your friends have any idea what goes on when you take one of your many cruise vacations? Probably not. They assume you stretch out on a deck chair by the pool for a week, then repack and head home. We write a travel journal, sending daily messages to our friends back home. We design it in an hour-by-hour format. You might ask, why don’t you simply post to social media instead? Posting in real time to …
Overall Score: 90/100 points Overview: We just returned from the transatlantic Eastbound crossing of Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. The sea was calm from the moment we left New York until the moment we docked in Southampton seven days later. The weather was overcast with some rain. We spent the entire six full days indoors, as the ship is a floating resort. You lose an hour five times when sailing to Europe, because of the five-hour time difference. On these days, the captain announced the ship’s …
We love cruising. My wife and I also come from upbringings where we structure everything. Idleness is bad. There is always something that needs to get done. This is one of the reasons we take cruises. We joke “we live the life of our cats.” We eat, we sleep, we use our box! Structure still rules supreme. Here are 12 things we do on the first day of a cruise. Remember where we parked the car. If you …
“You cannot go beyond the railing of the ship.” This was one of the reasons my wife delayed falling in love with traveling on a cruise ship. Many people consider sea days less desirable than port days. They cannot wait to get off when the ship docks in port. What now? Use common sense. Ever hear the expression “film noir?” This usually refers to films from the 1940’s or TV series from the 50’s that are often black …
Is this your first cruise? You might have stayed at resorts or city hotels before. Let us include countryside B&B’s and that villa in Tuscany. Your cruise ship is a self-enclosed resort that moves to a different location every day. Here is a list of ten things you need to do before you vacate your cabin and a totally different person arrives for the next voyage. Review and settle up your account. Technology might allow you to …
Is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on your bucket list? Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2 sails back and forth for about eight months of the year. All cruise lines have personalities. Cunard is more formal than most and the average age of the clientele is older than some other cruise lines. They sail to plenty of places, yet their best “product” is the transatlantic crossing. We have sailed 20+ times and most of those voyages have been …
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