It’s not exactly cruise-related, but it’s still cosmically cool. Cruise Critic member shootr, whose hobbies clearly transcend at-sea travel, snapped this shot of the “ring of fire” eclipse from near Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. Put on your shades, queue up some Johnny Cash tunes and check out more of his pics here.
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We asked a pro for tips on how to take better pics on your next cruise. Here are his top seven.
Over on Facebook and Twitter, we had some fun discussions about MSC Cruises and its newest ship, Divina, which departed from the shipyard at St. Nazaire, France, on Saturday. One Cruise Critic poster called the Swiss/Italian-owned MSC the Carnival of Europe. It’s not. Costa, which is actually owned by Carnival Corp., gets that nod; it shares ship platforms and, except for the upcoming Carnival Breeze, an interior designer.
It’s my feeling that MSC Cruises is the industry’s most misunderstood line. The style of its ships and service is European through and through, and it’s quite different from the more service-centric lines in the U.S. and U.K. The line, which has debuted eight ships in its eight years of existence, is on a major growth spurt. Still, it’s had its challenges, particularly with service (though it’s working hard to address that negative, hiring more experienced crew).
So I wondered: If you could loosely compare the ambience, food, entertainment, sun deck and accommodations to a better-known cruise line, which would it be?
In our most recent blog contest, we asked if you could name the setting (a famous garden) and location (a European capital city) of the photo above. By and large, you got the right answer, although there were a few notable answers in the mix.
Three Queens, fireworks and the Red Arrows will make for a spectacular June 5
A gathering of Cunard Queens is always a huge draw to spectators. Whether it’s the ships’ association with royalty, or the romantic heritage of the line, or the simple fact that Cunard’s ships are so famous, there’s always a party when the sisters get together. Keep reading →
As part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration next month, Cunard will be amassing its own royal trio — Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 — on June 5. At the end of the special bank holiday weekend, the event promises to attract thousands to Southampton for a street festival, fireworks and a high-flying performance by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team. We’ll be covering the event from all angles, but first, we need your help. This isn’t the first time Cunard has brought its fleet together, and we’re sure there are plenty of pictures out there of previous rendezvous. Have you snapped a photo of two or three of the queens together? Send them to us at at feedback@cruisecritic.co.uk and we’ll share them as the day approaches. If we select yours, we’ll send you a nice bit of swag to say thank you.
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With German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s admission that Greece may have to leave the Eurozone, a couple of rather alarming travel-related stories caught our eye this week.
Online travel company DialAFlight warned holidaymakers to ‘get rid’ of their Greek euros in a blog post (which has since been removed from the website). The company was criticised for scare-mongering, according to a story in the Daily Mail, but the fact remains that the fallout from Greece exiting the Eurozone cannot yet be predicted.
Industry newsletter Travelmole reported that TUI Travel PLC, which owns a number of tourism properties, including Thomson and Island Cruises, has contingency measures in place to compensate for a downturn in travel to Greece. And there are widespread reports of bank runs in Greece, totaling millions of euros.
So, will you still book cruises to Greece? Are you concerned about upcoming cruises you already have booked? Vote in our poll, and let us know how you feel in our comments section.
A memorable moment as Riviera sails into Venice for the first time
As Oceania Cruises’ brand new ship, Riviera, sailed along the Giudecca Canal into Venice on Monday, guests swigged Bellini cocktails in the hot sunshine as the rousing strains of legendary tenor Andrea Bocceli singing ‘Volare’ wafted out of the speakers, across the open decks. It’s a song I will now always associate with that rather moving moment – a new ship, arriving for the first time in one of the world’s greatest seafaring cities.
Can you pinpoint this location? Answer for a chance to win.
Editor’s note: This contest is now closed. Thank you for participating.
We’re off on a shore excursion, meandering through a lovely landscape, and we can’t quite recall the name. Can you help? There could be a prize in it for you, provided you answer correctly, of course.
Enter our contest using the comments section below. In your entry, tell us the name of the famous garden in the photo as well as the city where it’s located. (Hint: It’s a European capital.) In order to give everyone a fair chance, we won’t approve any comments until the contest ends on Friday, 18 May, at 5:00 p.m. After that, we’ll choose a winner from all the correct answers and announce the winner on Tuesday.
We’re big fans of group cruising. Pick the right ship and you can easily accommodate wildly disparate tastes for seven nights. But some of reviewer of the week live2vayk ‘s choices had us a little worried. She was sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas as part of a four-family, 16-passenger crew — only her quartet was sardined in an inside cabin, while the other units enjoyed balcony views. Was she setting her family up for a case of cabin envy? The self-described cheapskate wasn’t worried. Check out her insightful review on group cruising.
Curious about Crown Princess? Eurodam? See all of this week’s chosen reviews.
In Barcelona, I’m onboard the 66,084-ton, 1,250-passenger Riviera, the newest ship from luxury-mainstream straddlers Oceania Cruises. In preparation for Friday’s christening ceremony, our dock is literally ringing with the sounds of hammers and chisels as workers install stages, lighting towers and a massive flat-screen television to create a mini-arena.
No doubt the star of tomorrow’s festivities will be Riviera’s Godmother, “Iron Chef” Cat Cora. A chef is a fitting pick for a line that’s one of the most passionate in cruising when it comes to the culinary arts (whether it’s about eating food or cooking it in the Bon Appetit Culinary Center). Indeed, Oceania takes cuisine so seriously that its two new-builds (sister ship Marina debuted in January 2011) are often described as “the world’s largest floating galleys.”
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