Its true cruise ships are made of many, many profit centers. You might think once the ship pulls away from the dock, your objective should be to get as much as possible for free. After all, cruises were one of the first “all inclusive” vacations. (Although alcohol was usually separate.) Frugal or not, here are eleven things where you should part with some cash during your vacation. A drink in the best bar with the best …
About 60.2 million American households own dogs. (1) People are very attached to them. In Europe, it’s common for people to bring their dog to pubs and restaurants. (In the UK you get the idea all dogs are on Valium, but that’s another story.) You might wonder, when I take a cruise, can my dog come along too? Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the only ship I’m aware of that has provisions for pets. There’s an …
If you’ve never played pub trivia, now is a good time to take the plunge. To start, buy into the concept British homes are generally smaller than yours. The neighborhood or village pub serves as the community living room. People show up in the evening to socialize. Organized pub trivia nights are just one of the ways they keep life interesting. If your ship has lots of British people aboard, chances are there’s plenty of scheduled …
If you travel to Asia, custom tailored clothing is an ideal souvenir to bring home. It may change your life forever. Here are some of the things you need to know. The Rationale for Custom Clothing Shanghai, Hong Kong, cities in Korea and Vietnam all have a reputation for custom tailoring for men and women. This isn’t going to work for you if you have an eight hour port stop. It’s better if you arrive in …
Your vacation is over. You want to get home. Why must I wait? There must be a better way. The trend is for ships to get bigger and bigger. Symphony of the Seas, an Oasis class Royal Caribbean ship, carries 6,680 passengers and weighs in at over 228,000 tons. Big ships can provide lots of entertainment, but they still need to get everyone on and off. Our experience of big ships has been Cunard’s Queen Mary …
If your vacation is an ocean voyage on a cruise ship, it’s highly likely you will be assigned dinner seating in the main restaurant. You will likely be seeing more of these people than any other passengers, except for the person with whom you are sharing your cabin. How do you interact with your new tablemates? First or second seating? Before sailing, your travel agent will ask if you prefer first or second seating. We’ve always …
“If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium.” The title of this 1969 movie might have a familiar ring if you are on a cruise stopping at multiple ports or islands. Many travelers walk off the ship, stroll along the main street, stop in a few jewelry stores, have lunch at an overpriced restaurant with indifferent service and head back to the ship. Over dinner, they remark: “All these islands are the same.” How can you make …
Brooklyn has a passenger ship terminal in Red Hook. If you are taking a transatlantic crossing on Cunard, you’re likely starting or ending there. If you are doing a round trip crossing, you have maybe eight hours in the Big Apple. You are concerned if you venture too far afield, you might miss the sailing. Exploring Brooklyn is your solution. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal Here’s the good news: It’s a modern, easy to navigate facility. Now …
Maybe you cruise a lot. Some people seem to almost live at sea. Others are celebrating a major wedding anniversary or taking their maiden voyage. A ship carrying 2,500+ passengers weekly sees all kinds of people, behaving in all kinds of ways. Here are twelve examples of what constitutes bad behavior. Twelve Things You Shouldn’t be Doing Smuggling. Of course you wouldn’t do that! We’re not talking serious contraband, but things some people think won’t get …
We recently visit Barcelona for two nights, then two nights in Madrid and another two nights in Barcelona. Barcelona is a major cruise destination. Thinking of going? Here are some observations: Getting there. We flew American Airlines nonstop from Philadelphia. The flight is about eight hours. We traveled in coach with carryon luggage. Everything went smoothly. Arrival. Barcelona’s airport arrivals process takes some time. We arrived about 8:00 AM, getting onto an impossibly long line for …
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
