It was a seemingly normal Friday morning this past April 16, when I settled in with fresh cup of roast and began to browse my e-mails. Business as usual until a friend from San Francisco wrote, “Hi Peter, One of those great two stack military ships from Suisuin Bay just…
LOUIS MAJESTY introduces a new blue and red rising sun Louis livery. Update: Link to video clip shot on board LOUIS MAJESTY as she entered the Gulf of Lyon on February 18, 2010 Sunday, February 14, 2010 MV LOUIS MAJESTY Royal Observatory, facing forward from port. Happy Valentine’s Day to…
Sestri Sisters: A Float Out at Fincantieri’s near Genoa-based shipyard for the newbuilding MV MARINA and steel cutting for her twin, the MV RIVIERA. Problogue: Thursday, February 25, 2010 Jogging in Genoa! Ah, Genoa! I was delighted to be back in the Ligurian maritime capital once more, this time with…
Restoring the FAITHFUL (A quick visit to the former XANADU in Rio Vista) When The History Channel contacted me in search of an aged cruise ship for its “Life After People” series, I gave them a short list to consider. With access, timing and budget limitations, by far the best…
Penning The Ultimate ROSE Blog (Hail and Farewell to Saga Holiday’s SAGA ROSE) Friday, October 2, 2009 The only thing that assuaged the grim reality of having to disembark the cozy, charming BLACK PRINCE after ten nights of carefree, nostalgic cruising was that we were heading directly over to Saga…
Penning The Ultimate PRINCE Blog (Hail and Farewell to Fred. Olsen’s BLACK PRINCE) First Post — Southampton Pro-blogue: September 20,2009 Southampton’s Maritime Museum. After some twenty hours of commuting from Southern California, it was tempting to just call it a day when we finally arrived at the Ibis Southampton City…
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 After three wonderful nights in scorching Vancouver (see prior blog post), it was finally time to embark Hapag-Lloyd’s 8,378 gt, 200 passenger MV HANSEATIC. Not only would this be my first time on the five star German expedition ship, it would be my first ever sailing…
Saturday, June 25, 2009 I left relatively cool Southern California this morning for sweltering Vancouver, British Columbia, which had just been kissed with an extraordinary heatwave that promised to break records over the next week. I would have three days prior to boarding Hapag-Lloyd’s five star expedition cruise ship HANSEATIC…
Saturday, June 6, 2009 Once we were seated on the coach, it was time for a deep sigh of relief. An excruciatingly early (but thankfully non-stop) five and a half hour flight from LAX was behind us. Off we sped from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Whittier, some 65…
Monday, May 4, 2009 Aft from starboard wing: MV DISCOVERY. With the Turkish coast partially obscured in mist off her starboard side, DISCOVERY drifted on a plodding, four or five knot westward course through the Sea of Marmara. Our final sea day would be a lazy one with the next…
