Jackie Scheckler Finch, Author at AllThingsCruise

Regal Princess – Technology helps boarding process

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

Seeing the long line waiting to board the Regal Princess, I thought I would be standing there for quite a while. I was wrong. Boarding the big cruise ship was a breeze. What made embarking so efficient and quick? The well-organized Princess staff kept the line moving quickly and most passengers had prepared their pre-boarding forms via computer at home. That meant passengers arrived with boarding passes in their hands. Ah, the joys of technology! In …

Winter a great time for a Regal Princess cruise to the Caribbean

December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

A bitter winter wind has stripped the autumn leaves from trees. The last of my roses was nipped by an overnight freeze. Winter in Indiana is a good time to head to some warmer place, particularly aboard a cruise ship. So I’m packing for a week on the Regal Princess. We will be cruising round trip from Ft. Lauderdale in Florida to Princess Cays, St. Thomas and St. Maarten in the Caribbean with three days at sea. …

Keep Your Abilities in Mind When Choosing a Cruise

November 8, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

On my first glorious day in Athens, I walked among Greek ruins, traipsed up and down hills, strolled historic streets and browsed through sidewalk shops. It was a marvelous beginning to my 10-day cruise on the M/V Athena titled “Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast & Greece.” However, it was also the day one of my 32 fellow passengers decided the trip was too strenuous for her and that she should go home. It was a good …

Visiting Nashville: Andrew Jackson said to still walk the grounds of The Hermitage

October 31, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

Andrew Jackson loved his home so much that he chose to be buried there with his beloved wife Rachel. Some say that the man known as “Old Hickory” keeps watch over his Tennessee plantation. “Many people don’t think that he has ever truly left,” tour guide David said. “General Jackson had such a strong personality that I think he has stayed around to watch over his home.” The Hermitage is preserved today almost as it was during …

Visiting Nashville: Grand Ole Opry features legendary performers and newcomers

October 30, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

In the center stage of the Grand Ole Opry is a special piece of wood. It is from the old Ryman Auditorium. “Can you imagine what it has seen?” asks Dan Rogers, marketing manager for the Opry. “If it could talk, think about all the legends it could tell about.” Over the years, thousands of performers have stood on this circle – Hank Williams, Jim Reeve, Patsy Cline, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks, Johnny …

Visiting Nashville: Known as ‘Home of 1,000 Hits,’ Studio B was a favorite of Elvis and other musicians

October 26, 2018October 28, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

While most people were settling down for the night, Elvis Presley would slip into the nondescript building and sit at a well-worn piano. For the next couple hours, Elvis would warm up by harmonizing on gospel, often with the Jordanaires. Then he would get down to the serious business of recording songs. About the time the sun came up, Elvis would call it a night. “Elvis did most of his work here. He recorded 262 songs here, …

Visiting Nashville: Johnny Cash Museum honors ‘The Man in Black’

October 26, 2018October 27, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

When Bill Miller was 13 years old, he went to a Johnny Cash concert that changed the course of his life. “Johnny Cash played a harmonica and tossed it into the audience when he was done,” Miller said. “I caught it.” That was just the beginning. Over the years, Miller collected a treasure trove of Johnny Cash memorabilia and became friends with the legendary entertainer. “I honestly can’t tell you how many pieces I have. It’s in …

Visiting Nashville: New Patsy Cline Museum showcases recently discovered personal items

October 26, 2018October 26, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

Patsy Cline saved the memories of her life. That memorabilia, after being locked away for more than half a century, is now being seen at the new Patsy Cline Museum in Nashville. “Patsy Cline was very sentimental,” said museum founder Bill Miller. “I think people will be really surprised at what we have in the museum.” A 25-cent writing tablet filled with “biography” entries handwritten in red ink by Cline notes that as a youngster she “started …

Visiting Nashville: County music legend George Jones honored at new museum

October 25, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

George Glenn Jones almost died before he got a chance to live. The family doctor dropped the baby shortly after delivery. The sturdy newborn survived with only a broken arm. But what a life the country music legend went on to live in that interval between the day he entered this world on Sept. 12, 1930, and the day he left on April 26, 2013. “George went to hell and back with many addictions and he beat …

‘Come see what you’ve heard’ at Musicians Hall of Fame

October 23, 2018 by Jackie Scheckler Finch

When Joe Chambers discovered that Jimi Hendrix’s apartment from his seminal years in Nashville had been razed, he decided that the Tennessee city should not lose another piece of music history. “If people will make a trip to his grave in Seattle, why wouldn’t they go to see where he actually lived?” Chambers wondered. “That’s what really triggered me to having some kind of museum here.” When another of the Nashville clubs where a young Hendrix performed …