-
Revisiting Carnival Cruises – 15 years later.
Oh, the stories I could tell about the cruises I took with friends throughout our twenties and early thirties! Starting around 1995 right up until 2001, I cruised on Carnival nearly every year with friends, and did we have a good time! (Such a good time, in fact, that when we showed up on a cruise one year, we found that much of the crew had moved there from the ship we sailed on the year before – including the piano bar musician and our favorite deck waiter – who remembered us from the year before. By name. Let’s just say we had a really great time on all those Carnival cruises. Perhaps because of…
-
I’m Sailing….Sailing Away
Today is the day. The day that has got me through this dreadful winter. Through 70+ inches of snow and who knows how days of many sub-zero weather. (Ok, Tom Skilling from WGN probably knows, but whatever.) Through the down coat, the pale, dry winter skin and hair electrified by static. I’m in Florida. Port Canaveral to be exact. And I’m boarding the Disney Fantasy. For seven days, I won’t be cooking, washing dishes, scrubbing toilets or folding clothes. I won’t be making beds. I will be kicking back, reading my book, splashing in the pool, trying not to eat too much fattening stuff, and generally turning off my brain.…
-
River Cruising: On to Avignon, Pont-du-Gard and Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Tuesday morning of our river cruise holiday on the River Royale found us in Avignon – from our stateroom, we could see the walls of the old city. This morning, our goal was to visit the Palace du Popes. The cobblestones in the streets were lovely (and a bit treacherous for my poor foot, and I was tempted to find a walking stick like Marty’s. Yes, it turns into a stool. No, I’m not 60. I will apologize now as you will soon discover my love of windows and archways. I really could have played with these and edited them but I’m too lazy I’m liking the images without filters.…
- Uncategorized
River Cruising: Bienvenue a Arles
No longer lost in my laundry room, hidden in laundry, I’m quite missing the River Royale and the first class service we received. I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and pick through the gazillions (that is a real number) of photos I took and have a little look back over the trip, as well as write a few notes – wishing, all the while, that I had journaled more while on board. I meant to (just like I meant to post every day) but while I normally would tuck Pea into bed next to me and start writing, over the week of the trip, I found myself crashing…
- Uncategorized
River Cruising, Family Style
I am an avid cruiser. In my late twenties, I started cruising with a group of friends. We took our first few trips on Carnival, but shortly moved on to Royal Caribbean. I introduced my soon-to-be husband to cruising a year or so before we were married, and then took a hiatus while we started our family. Last year, we introduced our kidlings to cruising a-la-Disney style, and they were hooked, too. This year, however, we opted for something different: River Cruising. Traditionally, the river cruise is populated primarily by senior citizens, and (if you were to base your information on feedback vehemently expressed on Cruise Critic) not a place…
-
Anchors Away!
My bags are packed, the dog is at the kennel, the house sitter has the keys, and I’m ready for some sunshine. Tomorrow we head off to the (hopefully) sunny south of France for a different sort of holiday: a river cruise. I am sure some fantastic online French lessons (click here for more information) will come in handy on this trip. Admittedly, this will be nothing like the Disney Cruise we did last year – to the point where I’ve explained that to the kids that it’s not so much a cruise as a hotel that floats – there is no pool, no fireworks off the bow, and no…
