The "unprecedented times" we are all experiencing feel both unnerving and reflective to me.  Never in a million years would I have thought that the skies would be empty of planes for weeks on end.  Never would I have ventured to foresee a day where no cruise ship churns through the worlds oceans and rivers.… Continue reading The World starts moving again – slowly

Lake Brienz You have undoubtedly noticed the silence on my part as my travel adventures stopped abruptly in late February. What followed were 4 weeks of crisis management unlike any I have ever witnessed in my life. Golden Princess passes under Golden Gate I am pleased to report that all our clients have been accounted… Continue reading The Day the World stood still

Reflecting on a week aboard the Viking Sea, I can confirm that the experience exceeded my expectations. The ship is cozy in an efficient Scandinavian way where every piece and element has a purpose. Food was exceptional and varied in all venues and the casual aspect of dress is a big plus. Octopus carpaccio above… Continue reading Viking Ocean Cruise – a recap

As we maneuvered into our parking spot we could easily compare the Viking Sea against the Cunard Queen Victoria. QV launches in 2007 and her hull displaces 90000 GRT, roughly double the size of Viking Sea. Our included tour took us to the highest point of Barbados (the only non-volcanic Caribbean island) where we got… Continue reading Viking Ocean Cruise – Barbados

Docked in Castries, the Viking Sea rests safely moored after a 205 nautical mile overnight journey along the island chain referred to as the Lesser Antilles from St. Kitts to St. Lucia. Tidbit - the origin of the term Antilles stems from the Portuguese navigators and Portuguese language. Anth = before & ilha = island… Continue reading Viking Ocean Cruise – St. Lucia

2020 has arrived and with it a new decade of adventure and discovery! 2019 ended for me with 134,526 miles flown, 3 continents visited, and 9 different cruise ships sailed.  That is why I took a bit of a holiday break from blogging and enjoyed quality time with family and friends at home in the… Continue reading New Decade – New Luggage

While I am still not entirely sure where the idea of a "White Party" aboard cruise ships originated from, our sail away evening bash leaving Santos was amazing. Awesome music tailored to the audience, a fantastic buffet of international cuisine, and spectacular decorations on the pool deck made it a night to remember. A lovely… Continue reading Azamara Cruise- two days at sea

After a rather rocky night across the southern Atlantic, we approached the harbor of Santos (Brazilian football star Pele's home-town). Pictures show you the approach and docking. We then gathered as a group for a great excursion courtesy of supplier Bedsonline/TravelBound. Our day consisted of a community give-back with a native Indian tribe. We visited… Continue reading Azamara Cruise – Santos & Tupi-Garani native tribe

Long and quiet nights of solid rest are a rarity these days for many of us. Our arrival day presented such an opportunity with an early dinner before heading off to bed. It refreshed everyone enough to tackle a day of exploration in Rio courtesy of #urbanadventures. First order of business was a visit to… Continue reading Azamara Cruise – Highlights of Rio

No visit to Rio would be complete without a pilgrimage to the "stadium of stadiums" - the legendary home of Brazilian Footbol commonly referred to as Maracanã. Built for the 1950 World Cup, Maracanã, officially called Estádio Mário Filho, was built to serve as the flagship venue. It was meant to become the biggest football… Continue reading Azamara Cruise – Pilgrimage to Maracanã