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[by contributor Geoff Edwards].

At first the wire worked, but then we set sail.

Only a decade ago, Internet communication from a cruise ship was practically nonexistent. I was on Rotterdam when Holland America Line started to offer e-mail in 1999. But this was not the World Wide Web, mind you, only a link to it. E-mail was sent to Seattle where the company would forward it.  Read more... (421 words, 2 images, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

The Avid Cruiser visits Gammelstad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that represents the best-preserved example of a “church village.” Villages like Gammelstad were once found throughout northern Scandinavia. The 424 wooden houses that radiate from the early 15th-century stone church, were used only on Sundays and at religious festivals to house worshippers from the surrounding countryside who lived too far away from home to return on the same day. Gammelstad is fewer than 20 minutes by car or bus from where the cruise ships dock in Luleå.

Hi kids, My flight has landed in Miami, and I am boarding a bus to transfer to Fort Lauderdale, where I will step aboard Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, for the second time. You’ll remember that dad went to Turku, Finland, to board Oasis when it was still under construction a couple of months ago. It will be great to see it complete. You’ve been anticipating Oasis ever since its inception was made public. I wish that you two were with me, but this an industry function with business meetings and much work – and I am only on board two nights. Would that be fair? To drag you kids off after only two nights? I don’t think so. Anyway, I’ll send regular updates, photos and possibly a video. That’s it for now. I am off to Oasis. Love, Dad

Posted from my Blackberry.

The Avid Cruiser visits Swedish Lappland, where reindeer and elk (called “moose” in North America) are still herded by the local Sami people (also known as Lapps).

The Avid Cruiser visits Storforsen, one of Europe’s largest rapids and only an hour’s drive from Luleå, Sweden.

The morning that I boarded a boat to Bonaventure Island, Perce Rock was crowned by a wispy cloud. It was an indescribably beautiful sight, one of the world’s largest sheer rock formations and natural arches jutting out from the water in all of its sublime splendor.  Read more... (154 words, 4 images, estimated 37 secs reading time)

Posted from my Blackberry.

I’ve written this many times, but it merits repeating: Carnival Cruise Lines does a better job than any other cruise line in delivering its brand promise. And that brand promise, which has been the same since the maiden voyage in 1972 of the company’s first ship, essentially boils down to this: Sail with us, and you will have fun. 

Posted from my Blackberry.

I went to prison in Trois-Rivieres, and if you’re lucky, you will too.  Read more... (191 words, 4 images, estimated 46 secs reading time)

Sunrise in Baie-Comeau sheds light on a new and promising day, especially if you’re someone who loves nature.  Read more... (185 words, 4 images, estimated 44 secs reading time)