Ports
VALENCIA, Spain — As we departed this port stop during the Oceania Riviera's Christening Cruise, one word seemed to cover the experience of visiting Valencia. Fascinating. When the America's Cup came to the city in 2007, the port had to be re-built. There was some controversy and, in the end, an "open vote" of [...]
BARCELONA — The Oceania Riviera was our christening christening, which is to say our first. If you're like us and you've never been able to enjoy the spectacle of seeing a cruise ship become official, what follows will give you a rough idea what happens… The ceremony begins with the pre-ceremony. Acrobats tie themselves [...]
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We are fond of Japan, and all things Japanese, so it's a natural for us to celebrate that Princess is making a serious attempt to helping our world be even smaller by cruising in a country that is largely ignored by cruise lines. Even if the cruises are designed more for Japanese travelers. Our affection [...]
The cry that you hear from people who love cruising and who love Mexico — that would be us — is this: “Somebody do something!” News on the weekend that 22 Carnival passengers were robbed, at gunpoint, while on an organized shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta, has taken violence in Mexico to another level. Until [...]
This isn’t exactly a blog about cruising, but it is about a “shore excursion” that you could take when in Los Angeles, as we did this week. The Grammy Museum. Okay, first you have to be interested in music, of course. Right now, it also helps if you’re interested in The Beatles…or at least in [...]
In Venice, the locals are talking about charging cruise passengers a head tax for visiting Italy’s pretty and most unique city. We realize it’s on the other side of the world but…have they heard of Alaska? Here’s the problem…or the first one anyway: The astounding growth of cruise ships visiting Venice is becoming an environmental [...]
When it comes to arriving in a port on a cruise ship, it’s hard to imagine a prettier one than Vancouver, the most recent North American city to become known world-wide after hosting the Olympics. We have spent a lot of time in Vancouver over the years. Even at that, when we sailed into the [...]
If you watched the singing of the National Anthem this week at the World Series, and if you’ve read or heard any of the National Anthem Pundits (who knew there were such things?), then you know the time has come to mess with Texas. While Ronnie Dunn — he’s from a different branch of this [...]
In our haste to tell you last week about seven wine cruises on the Celebrity Constellation next year in Europe, we neglected to dig beneath the news and tell you why this is happening. It’s because of the Holy Land where, believe it or not, they do like wine…we have a bottle of red from [...]
When a ship arrives carrying our friend and Ports and Bows colleague Phil Reimer, we know where you’ll find him. An early riser, Phil likes to be first off the ship…if possible. As for us, not to much. We’d be quite happy — unless there is an urgent travel commitment we have to keep — [...]