Fifty Cruise Specialists guests with a thirst for new adventures, good wine, and giving back recently set sail on the 2011 California Winemasters Association cruise which helped raise $10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (the association’s official charity). Cruise Specialists donated a portion of each guest’s reservation to the worthy cause. This year’s cruise is hosted by Justin Baldwin of JUSTIN Vineyards and is sailing on the new Celebrity Eclipse to the Eastern Caribbean. Guests are enjoying private wine tasting events, exclusive winemaker luncheons and much more.
All right, so you’re an experienced Caribbean cruiser.
You’ve docked in places like Phillpsburg and Bridgetown so many times you qualify for frequent visitor status. You’ve slathered yourself in sun lotion on more palm-lined beaches than Columbus ever claimed. But I bet there are still big gaps in your Caribbean life list; places that hardly ever show up in cruise itineraries. Maybe it’s time to look into some islands off the well-churned cruise routes that are places that can only be visited by smaller ships. The experience is sure to be one that won’t have our friends saying “been there, done that.”
We recently sailed from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Athens on the Azamara Quest (30,000 tons with 694 guests and 407 crewmembers) in a Club Continent Suite. We enjoyed the service provided by our excellent Butler and Stateroom Attendant. I was asked what the butler does for you onboard – the welcome letter in our suite gave us some ideas: assistance with unpacking/packing, daily news delivery, in-suite breakfast, lunch and dinner service, evening hors d’oeuvres daily, afternoon tea service, shoe shine service, assistance with reservations for specialty dining, shore excursions, and spa appointments, etc. Our butler, Eyup, also assisted us when we encountered rough seas tendering in Sorrento and our clothes were soaked – off they went to be returned clean and dry the next day!
The Suite Life Comes To the Caribbean On Celebrity’s Solstice-Class Vessels
This winter, Celebrity Cruises has sent not one but all four Solstice-class ships to the Caribbean, offering sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Florida aboard Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox; Miami aboard Celebrity Eclipse; and departures from Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey aboard the new Celebrity Silhouette.
Celebrity’s Solstice-class vessels are truly remarkable ships, and we feel they are some of the best ships afloat for cruising any destination. More than 85 percent of all accommodations feature private balconies, but Solstice-class goes so much further.
Our roving reporter, Ralph Grizzle, sails aboard Silversea Cruises ultra-luxury expedition ship. This video provides you with a detailed look at life aboard the Silver Explorer.
Cruise Specialists is proud to announce their offices raised over $2,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month! The luxury cruise agency raised the money for the foundation by making a $10 donation for each cruise reservation they sold on a Holland America sailing during the month of October. Cruise Specialists also encouraged clients to donate money to take part in special five-kilometer walk onboard any Holland America cruise ship deck this year called “On Deck for the Cure®”
During our Atlantic crossing on Silver Cloud, I saw something I did not expect to see: an audience stand not only to applaud but also to participate in a powerful performance by six young and extremely gifted vocalists.
We spent a fascinating day in Agadir, Morocco, which I photographed from the kasbah, the citadel overlooking Agadir.
Today just so happens to be my birthday. To celebrate, I ordered room service and spent a relaxing morning sailing along the African coast. Sipping a cup of coffee from my balcony, I gazed out at fishing boats against the the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, undulating along the distant horizon. Africa beckoned from afar. I was a “traveler in romance,” a phrase coined by one of my favorite authors during my youth, W. Somerset Maugham.
There will be more to come about my cruise on Silver Explorer, which ended Friday morning in Panama. For now, however, I am posting this brief “Summing Up” to answer questions that readers asked during my voyage and to give you a few of my impressions.
Chris Parker, vice president of sister company All Aboard Travel recently returned from an Avalon river cruise on the Seine River (Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches itinerary). Here is his personal account:
I recently experienced an Avalon Waterways river cruise on the Avalon Creativity cruising the Seine River. It was amazing to experience France’s beautiful countrysides, meet fascinating people, enjoy fantastic cuisine and excellent service and take in all the great history this itinerary provided.
Fifty Cruise Specialists guests with a thirst for new adventures, good wine, and giving back recently set sail on the 2011 California Winemasters Association cruise which helped raise $10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (the association’s official charity). Cruise Specialists donated a portion of each guest’s reservation to the worthy cause. This year’s cruise is hosted by Justin Baldwin of JUSTIN Vineyards and is sailing on the new Celebrity Eclipse to the Eastern Caribbean. Guests are enjoying private wine tasting events, exclusive winemaker luncheons and much more.
