Cruising

THE START OF A HOLIDAY IS ALWAYS EXCITING But when the start is the sight of the most beautiful RMS Queen Mary 2 transatlantic ocean liner in dock at Southampton – beckoning and welcoming you to board and sail away with her to the fjords and mountains of Norway – the excitement is just unbearable!…

LET’S CRUISE THE MED IN QUEEN VICTORIA STYLE  Apart from the many lovely ports to explore and enjoy on a Mediterranean cruise, Cunard’s Queen Victoria makes it fun to stay on board too! I think our ‘blog’ of pictures tells the whole story! And if we’ve inspired you to take to the Mediterranean Sea -…

THE BLUE DANUBE From the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania, the Danube flows and meanders “sparkling blue”, through fabulous European cities and countryside – farms, vineyards, and little villages. The Danube took me from Budapest in Hungary, to Nuremberg in Germany, and through other countries on the way, Austria, Czech…

MY BLACK WATCH EXPERIENCE Back in June I flew to Stockholm to join the last four days of a Baltic cruise aboard Black Watch.  As a first-time cruiser I was pleasantly surprised at what life afloat has to offer. There are a wide choice of cabins available to suit your budget; all have private facilities…

A CRUISE FOR A PURPOSE If you’ve dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, the best way is to get away from it all! Away from the city lights, out at sea. The darker the sky, the brighter the lights will appear. When there is no light, the aurora can reflect on the sea too. Hurtigruten…

MOODS AND MEMORIES OF THE QUEEN MARY All Aboard the QM2 – and share my journey on the Ocean Blue! Are you … in the mood? ..for romance and adventure? Let me tell you how, on Cunard’s fabulous Queen Mary 2.. please read on! I’m in the mood… for Dancing Learn to Ballroom Dance, or…

CRUISING AS IT USE TO BE Hapag-Lloyd took me away from it all on their newest luxury cruise ship Europa 2. The ship is beautiful, elegant, hushed and upscale. Works of art, and ornaments at every turn. Being of German origin you can imagine – the ship is run with precision and every detail is…

TWO CRUISES WITH A DIFFERENCE I have cruised the Caribbean on several occasions, but our voyage this year, on the Royal Clipper, was undoubtedly the most impressive. Modelled on the German clipper ship Preussen, the recently built Royal Clipper boasts five masts and 42 sails and is a magnificent sight under full sail. She is luxuriously…

GOT YOUR SEA LEGS YET? Ever since I was on a school trip cruise to the Mediterranean, and I lay on my bunk, my face a greenish hue… I thought “No! Life on the ocean wave is not for me!” As the years went by, even the sight of the white cliffs of Dover reminded…

ALL I ASK IS A TALL SHIP AND A STAR TO STEER HER BY by Richard Cutler A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit the world’s largest sailing ship while she was anchored close to Tower Bridge. This was not a museum piece, however, but the brand new Royal Clipper on her way…