David Molyneaux’s Blog

Carnival, that most American of cruise lines, won’t return to Europe any time soon

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Remembering occasional cultural clashes, naked Russians, buying beer by the bucket at the movies, caught by security with a kitchen knife The new Carnival Horizon, which left Europe in May for New York and will move to Miami in September, may be the last Carnival Cruise Line ship to offer European voyages, at least for quite some time. President Christine Duffy says Carnival has no plans to cruise in Europe. Carnival Horizon was built in Italy and …

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New dimension in vertical transportation on Carnival Horizon

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BARCELONA-In a stream of passengers boarding the new Carnival Horizon, I entered an elevator for a ride to my assigned cabin, only to become a prisoner to a lift with a brain but no buttons. The door closed quickly. Nearly a dozen of us, seemingly trapped in an elevator without controls, began rising to who knew where. Carnival cruisers: Get ready for brainy lifts at sea that may know more about where you are going than you …

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Ocean ships, river cruises add new shore excursions, active tours

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More choices require more research to target experiences that are right for you In Germany on the Rhine, my riverboat, the Viking Hild, stopped in the historic city of Mainz. The vessel’s basic complimentary walking tour included monuments to art and history, markets, churches, and the fascinating museum of Johannes Gutenberg where travelers may see two of the 29 remaining copies of the Gutenberg bible. All good, except what I wanted to see in this port, on …

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In a food fight among premium cruise lines, Celebrity seeks an Edge

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In a darkened room at a restaurant table set with empty, shiny white dinner plates, a little man about the size of my thumb suddenly appears plate-side to prepare dessert. He is accompanied by a miniature sled, spoon, and igloo. At each place on the table, the animated little man in red scarf and chef’s hat heaves a scoop of ice cream, flips berries with his spoon, shoots chocolate sauce from a firehose, and lights a celebratory …

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Post-cruise, How 2 people vacationed on the Amalfi Coast and were the only Americans in town

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MINORI, ITALY-A week into our off-season trip to the ancient Amalfi Coast beach town of Minori, my wife and I heard whispers from a doorstep as we walked along a cobbled lane. “Here come the Americans,” (or something close to that), said one woman to another in Italian. We were making our usual late afternoon shopping jaunt to buy fresh bread, a sack of delightful baby artichokes, a big scoop from a barrel of ripe broccoli rabe, …

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Icebergs, bears await intrepid cruise travelers in Alaska’s wilds

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Book early, as many small group adventures, like these, sell out before the summer cruise season starts Inside Passage, Southeastern Alaska-Clunks from chunks of ice, the submerged parts that we could not see, delivered an unnerving soundtrack as our metal boat danced among a thousand icebergs on a zigzag path toward the great LeConte Glacier. For nearly an hour out of the Alaska port of Petersburg, we had been traveling at a pretty good clip, seven of …

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With 42 sails unfurled, Royal Clipper cruises for tiny towns and empty beaches

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BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS-The first time that you climb the ladder from dock to gangway to board the 227-passenger Royal Clipper, you will know instinctively that your week on the world’s largest sailing vessel will be unlike any other cruise. That ladder moment is too late to decide whether you favor the ride and rigging of a glorious sailing ship or prefer something that is steadier, roomier, and more luxurious on a much bigger vessel. On the Royal Clipper, …

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On a luxury cruise in the Arabian Sea, on the lookout for pirates

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Pirates seldom dominate our thoughts beyond movie myths and Halloween costumes, but real pirates still threaten danger for the unwary. As my ship, the 600-passenger luxury Seabourn Encore, cruised recently on the Gulf of Aden, with Yemen to the north and Somalia to the south, the ship’s crew prepared for a pirate attack. Passengers, too, were ready, with a set of instructions about when and where to go to hide if the captain sent us a signal. …

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Where to jumpstart a diet and exercise program? On a luxury cruise, of course Working out, dodging calories, stretching willpower on Seabourn Encore headed to Dubai

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eeding to lose at least a few pounds and hoping for a jumpstart on a regular workout routine, I booked a 21-day cruise on the new 600-passenger Seabourn Encore. Seabourn is a four-ship line that rates itself six stars on the luxury meter, none of them connected to the concepts of moderation and personal discipline. A crazy idea? Maybe, but I chose a repositioning cruise that would be heavy with sea days, providing extra time to exercise …

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Cruising Alaska, a delightful day in Petersburg Where else can you watch log rolling, a herring toss and Fools on Spools?

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Petersburg, Alaska-Fancy free summer travel can be so much fun when you meander as a stranger into one of America’s lively small towns — especially when you encounter a festival or other special event. In many small towns, holidays and civic celebrations are special, with parades, family gatherings, local entertainment, and contests attracting much of the populous. This was certainly the case with a spirited log rolling competition on the very chilly waters of Petersburg, Alaska. Starting …

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