Cruise Specialists Blog

After a gorgeous day on the sugar cane and beautiful beach strewn island of Mauritius we headed for South Africa- with Rev Desmond Tutu on board as our interesting and somewhat controversial keynote speaker.

Our first port was to be Durban with the many high rise blocks of flats along the coast line that I remember from visits many years previosly. However the entire city seemed alive with new buildings of luxury homes, hotels and of course to crown them all the impressive stadium (almost) complete for the World Cup.

Queen Mary 2 - 16 March 2010

Arriving in Sydney harbour is always special and this time we arrived in the afternoon. We were met at the Heads by hundred of small boats and the shoreline was lined with many people - much flag waving from those ashore and those of us on board.

Feb 23rd 2010

Greetings from Queen Mary 2!

Just about on the equator as I write.

This has been a very busy and exciting few weeks visiting so many exotic ports.

Cochin, India where a cruise on the still little known backwaters is a must.

Puket, Penang, Kuala Lumpar, Bangkok - all so colourful and different with, of course, interesting sightseeing and great shopping.

Queen Victoria Pier 35, San Francsico

When I found out that I was one of the lucky few guests from our office to be invited to visit the Queen Victoria when she came to San Francisco I was ecstatic. On a particularly sunny January afternoon as I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge I could see her parked at Pier 35 in all her glory. There was much excitement and anticipation as I reached the travel professional holding area, everyone was just as eager as I to see the Queen Victoria as she prepared to embark on the full World Cruise voyage.

Jan 30th 2010

Greetings from Queen Mary 2!

We are presently in the south Arabian Sea heading for Cochin, India where we are due to arrive early tomorrow morning. Today the sea is like glass, hardly a ripple, except for the flying fish, as we glide smoothly along. We now have bright hot sun making it almost too hot to enjoy our balconies!

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of sailing aboard the elegant Queen Mary 2. At 151,000 Gross Registered Tons she is one of the largest ships afloat. The Qm2 is now six years old but the maintenance done on board has kept her in pristine condition and she is showing no signs whatsoever of wear and tear.

This is such an exciting time of the year – We have just enjoyed Halloween, (for me and my fellow Brits – Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire night 5th November) another birthday for me on the 7th – 29 again! Then it is on to Thanksgiving (yes I am also proud to be an American) followed by Christmas and New Years. BUT the reason I get so excited is this is the time of the year when I see so many friends make their final arrangments for our next Cunard World Cruise – so many old (sorry, former friends) returning to enjoy this special time with me.

As a kid, I used to listen to James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and “How Sweet It Is” over and over…as a young man working for Golden Bear Travel, I used to listen to James Taylor’s “Greatest Hits” and two of my favorite songs were “Mexico” and “You’ve Got A Friend”…now as a much older “young man,” I am amazed and delighted to see James Taylor headlining the entertainment aboard a Cunard Line Queen Mary 2 Trans-Atlantic Voyage! As Bob Dylan says, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”….