Jackie Sheckler Finch fell in love with cruising 35 years ago when she rode the magnificent Mississippi Queen riverboat in its inaugural 1976 voyage. A newspaper reporter, photographer and travel writer, Jackie has cruised on large and small vessels on numerous rivers and oceans. Read more...
ABOARD THE DISNEY MAGIC – My grandson Logan did a double take when we walked into Parrot Cay for dinner the first night of our Magic cruise and a server called him by name. How did anyone know Logan’s name? We sure weren’t wearing nametags. The mystery was solved when Simoun Olba introduced himself as our server for the entire cruise. When he saw us walking toward Table 67, I guess Simoun had no trouble figuring out …
ABOARD THE DISNEY MAGIC – Jacob Marvel is so excited at the treasure he just got that he finds me in the crowd to share the good news. “I will never ever trade it. This is my favorite,” the 9-year-old declares, clutching a red-white-and-blue image of a Disney cruise ship. Complete with Mickey Mouse’s legendary ears, the ship looks as though it is sailing on a deep ocean with stars sparkling overhead. Pin trader extraordinaire, Jacob explained …
ABOARD THE DISNEY MAGIC – Nicole Muldoon wanted to take the family to Disney World Resort. Her husband preferred a relaxing ocean cruise. The couple reached a great compromise – they booked passage on the beautiful Disney Magic. “It’s wonderful. Just what we needed,” Marc says of the family’s first Disney cruise. Getting away from wintery weather at their Cape Cod home has been a welcome break. “It was really cold at home when we left,” Marc …
ABOARD THE DISNEY MAGIC-I’m perfectly capable of climbing stairs. But I do enjoy riding the glass elevator on the Disney Magic. It’s fun to zoom from the lovely atrium past the glittering Dale Chihuly glass chandelier to the top of the ship. After watching a bunch of excited youngsters meet with Disney princesses in the atrium, I step aboard the elevator and find a family from Texas. The two little girls in matching dresses – Olivia, 3, …
When we left Indianapolis, the sky looked like cold oatmeal. Roads were slick and icy. Snow swirled through the early-morning sky. Wind chill temperatures were below zero. Even our heavy winter coats couldn’t keep out the bone-shivering cold. But, oh, what a difference a flight made. Our plane landed in Houston to sunny, short-sleeve warmth. And this was only the beginning of our winter getaway. Catching an airport shuttle to the historic Hotel Galvez in Galveston, we …
ABOARD THE EURODAM– So close. And yet so far away. The Eurodam is stopped off Half Moon Cay. Strong winds and rough seas have made it dangerous to dock for a day at the private island of Holland America Cruise Line. This was to be our final hurrah before the cruise ends tomorrow in Fort Lauderdale. I was looking forward to seeing the island named in honor of Henry Hudson’s ship – the ship that is depicted …
ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS– So many choices. So little time. Our Eurodam cruise ship arrived in St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, at about 8 in the morning. The ship would depart at 4:30 in the afternoon. My sister Elaine and I scanned all the shore excursions and settled on one we thought would give a good overview. It was a great choice. First, we caught an island shuttle for a winding trip to the top …
ABOARD THE EURODAM– Strong winds and rough seas canceled our visit to Grand Turk today. Ship Captain Jeroen van Donselaar decided it was too dangerous to dock so we headed out to sea again. I never question a ship’s captain when it comes to changing course. And I never tire of shipboard activities and watching the ocean roll. So, instead of writing about our visit to Grand Turk, I thought I’d introduce you to some of the …
ABOARD THE EURODAM– What happens to entertainers if they don’t make it through the tough tryouts for Holland America Cruise Line? A Eurodam performer has a quick answer for the question: “They go to other cruise ships.” Although the reply brings some laughs, it might also have some truth to it. I must admit that the shows I have seen so far on the Eurodam’s Mainstage are top-notch. The 14 talented singers and dancers are definitely not …
ABOARD THE EURODAM– I’ve been drinking tea for a long time. But I learned on the Eurodam that I’ve been preparing my tea entirely wrong. That’s one thing my sister Elaine and I enjoyed greatly about our Eurodam cruise – the wealth of programs offered daily were so interesting that it was difficult to choose. Inviting cruisers to explore the world, the Eurodam features four different “Explore” categories of choices each day: Explore Wellbeing is presented by …
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