Christmas Mini Cruise
We boarded the Queen Mary 2 at Southampton just before midday for our Christmas/Birthday mini cruise to Bruges. Queen Mary 2’s decor is traditional, timeless and classic and on this Christmas Markets voyage it looked sublimely seasonal – it was impossible to walk an inch and forget that Christmas was fast approaching. There was an imposingly […]
Read MoreMSC Sinfonia with Mum
In 2014 I flew back to South Africa to spoil my Mother with a cruise. It would be the last holiday the two of us would ever take together again. In 2010 she was diagnosed with Lupus, an auto-immune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Symptoms vary between people and […]
Read MoreIt’s time to start filling those stockings with Christmas cheer!
As hard as it is for us all to comprehend, 2017 continues to fly by in the blink of an eye and once again Christmas is just around the corner. By now we’ve all begun to discuss plans for the big day and put the wheels in motion to prepare for its arrival. Discussions have […]
Read MoreHow to Stretch a Cruise Ship!
Bigger ships are sought-after because demand for holiday cruises is growing rapidly worldwide. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), passenger numbers rose to 22 million in 2014 from 13.1 million 10 years earlier. A recent survey of cruise passengers found that the trips were increasingly popular with younger travelers and suggested that the all-inclusive […]
Read MoreThe old-fashioned promenade deck – is it making a comeback?
There’s no doubt that the soaring space of the Royal Promenade on, say, Independence of the Seas is an impressive facility, lined with shops, bars and restaurants, and an all-weather venue for parties and street parades. But it also has the air of a suburban shopping center. The promenade was the place to lounge on a […]
Read MorePart 4 – Our Baltic cruise conclusion
While still overshadowed by the popularity of the Mediterranean, a cruise on the Baltic Sea through Northern Europe and Scandinavia has charms of its own. The region boasts a kaleidoscope of cultures, languages, currencies, artistic traditions and ancient histories — and cruising is the ideal way to see it all at a reasonable price. (Sweden, […]
Read MoreMother Russia – part 3 of our Baltic cruise
The Baltic region has become one of the hottest cruising destinations largely because of huge, unabated interest in visiting St. Petersburg (formerly known as Leningrad), the glorious capital of Imperial Russia from 1712 until 1914. No other port city in the region can match this proud city’s array of dazzling sights: the Hermitage State Museum, […]
Read MoreBaltic cruise part 2 – Ship Life
Launched in 1998, with a major refit in 2011, she is a true beauty from bow to stern. Her exterior was designed with glass walls allowing the views from outside to ripple through to her interior. More than two acres of glass was used in the ship’s construction to ensure people could get the feeling […]
Read MoreBaltic Cruise: Amsterdam (Part 1)
Our Baltic cruise was starting in Amsterdam so we decided to spend 2 days exploring this wonderful city before setting off on our cruise. After a quick flight from Southampton we were in Amsterdam. When we arrived it was 30 degrees and fortunately our transfer was air conditioned. We used Schiphol Hotel Shuttle who were very […]
Read MoreEscape on the High Seas
RCI have announced that ‘Independence of the Seas’ will undergo a major refurbishment during the ship’s dry dock in April 2018. The ship, which entered service in 2008, has not had a major refurbishment since 2013. Independence of the Seas will receive some high-energy features including a trampoline park, water slides, laser tag and […]
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