A PAIR OF WINNERS

26 FEB 2010:  Avalon Waterways’ new river cruise ship, the Avalon Felicity, will be christened next month in the Netherlands by award winning Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, who was most recently seen and heard around the world as she sang at the Olympic opening ceremonies. Brueggergosman’s  magnificent soprano sound has been described as “a superb voice capable of just about everything.” She is now a major international talent, who also won a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year in 2008. Read more...

CRUISE CHANGES

03 SEP 2010: Hurricane Earl continues to strut its stuff along the Eastern seaboard. After causing trouble with Caribbean cruise schedules it heads north to see what mischief it can create with vessels sailing to Bermuda, New England and Canada. Changes so far: Read more...

NOT AGAIN

03 SEP 2010: In the James Bond thriller Goldfinger, the title character famously says, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action.”  Well, that’s two. Thirteen crewmembers  were taken from the water 92 miles off the coast of Louisiana, yesterday morning, when yet another oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Read more...

A ROYAL OCCASION

03 SEP 2010:  Her Majesty The Queen will name Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony to take place in Southampton, England on 11 October.  This will be the third Cunard ship to bear the name Queen Elizabeth. Read more...

GUIDED TOURS

03 SEP 2010:  In most of my travels, especially when I am going to a city or a new area for the first time, I make it a point to hire a private guide for at least a part of the first day. Usually I set this up ahead of time and often through the concierges at the hotel at which I am staying. I suggest this to all my friends, and of course, recommend that travel professionals have their clients do the same. Read more...

NOT AGAIN II

03 SEP 2010: The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that a fuel tanker carrying 9½ million litres of diesel fuel has run aground in the Northwest Passage. Read more...

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

27 AUG 2010: This is decidedly confusing.  If you have clients on a Pandaw Cruise in India, you need know that it is not a Pandaw Cruise but another company entirely calling itself Pandaw India Cruise or Bengal Pandaw and using a seized Pandaw Cruise vessel.  See what I mean? It's tricky. Read more...

BLACKWATER

27 Aug 2010: The Environmental Protection Agency proposes to ban all ships exceeding 300 tons from discharging treated and untreated sewage within three miles of the California coastline. Read more...

SEA CHANGE

27 AUG 2010: The Greek parliament has formally approved a law lifting cabotage restrictions on cruise vessels. The international cruise industry and the Greek cruise industry in particular, have tried for years to get this accomplished, and experts believe the results will prove economically positive for the local cruise and tourism industries. Read more...

CHANGES AT ORION

27 AUG 2010: I was in Montreal yesterday for a meeting with Sarina Bratton who founded Australia based Orion Expedition Cruises in 2004.  Until now they have had just one vessel, the Orion, but things are about to change. Read more...