11/28/2018
On The Edge!This last week I had the opportunity to sail on Celebrity's newest ship, the Edge. Over the last 12 months I attended a number of webinars to learn more about what the ship had to offer, and hands down, she is impressive.
The build up to the inaugural was exciting, but seeing everything in person is an unmatched experience. Being one of the first to see this ship with everything brand spanking new was especially sweet! From beautiful neutral colors and jewel tones to innovative staterooms and distinctive venues and experiences, the Edge is quite the ship. This week we celebrated Veterans Day, in honor of all veterans who have served in the US Armed Forces, in war or peace, dead or alive. The official day is November 11, the anniversary of the official end of World War I.
Overseas celebrations triggered a fond memory of my visit to the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial near Carthage, just outside of Tunis. The experience was one I will never forget. What an incredible feeling. 11/6/2018
The Ups And Downs Of River CruisingThere is very little about river cruising I don't like, except that the time goes by far too quickly. Then again, for me, every cruise feels that way, no matter the length.
A rarely talked about fact in ocean cruising is that itineraries are not set in stone and cruise lines can change them with little or no notice. My guess is that most people never read the contract details, so when this happens, they are "shocked". While most sailings follow the scheduled itinerary, stops are occasionally skipped or changed due to weather conditions or operational logistics that make it unsafe to call on that particular port. This too can happen on a river cruise, especially when the river levels are too high or too low to navigate. Levels too high make it difficult to get under the bridges; levels too low make it difficult to navigate through sections of the river or to get close enough to the pier. River cruise ships are built for optimal performance (for example the navigation bridge lowers down into the ship so it can get under bridges) and have incredibly low drafts (some as low as 1-3 feet under the keel!). This allows for minimal interruption, but even the best designs can't cover every situation. How do you plan for this and what happens to your cruise if there are changes made to the itinerary? |
Laurie Marschall - Owner and Founder
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