Cruising news and stories

Celebrity Solstice Deals!

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:05:00 +0000

Since Celebrity's Solstice was ahead of schedule, they added 3 additional sailings before the originally-planned inaugural cruise. While these sailings have been open for sale for some time, they haven't yet sold out, and offer some remarkable values.

For example, insides start at just $699/person, oceanviews at $849/person, and balconies at $949/person. This is for a brand-new ship in an entirely new class. If you can get away this November/December, and are a Celebrity fan, I *highly* recommend checking out these offers! Best pricing can be found on the sailings between November 23 (which is the inaugural, by the way) and December 14.

Email or give me a call for more details or to book!

Holland America Creates Explorations Team

admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:57:00 +0000

We're all familiar with a traditional "cruise director" staff - those people who organize the onboard activities such as trivia games, pool fun and evening entertainment. Holland America is taking that concept a step further, creating what they're calling their Explorations Team.

The Explorations Team will be comprised of event staff with specific expertise ranging from technology to travel who will offer guests a menu of “edutainment” programs. The Explorations Team will be a cohesive team dedicated to enhancing the overall cruise experience and includes an onboard party planner, a travel guide, a “techspert” and dance directors. On cruises lasting 12 days or more, a book club leader will also join the team. “People learn through experience and our guests are looking for programs, events and activities they can personally connect with,” said Richard D. Meadows, executive vice president for marketing, sales and guest programs. “Our goal is not only to entertain guests but to offer them the opportunity to learn a new skill or discover something about a new port or country; the choice is theirs, and the Explorations Team is in place to facilitate that choice.”

The onboard party planner will schedule, implement and host events in the Culinary Arts Center, significantly expanding the program that already brings more than 70 culinary experts onboard each year for cooking demonstrations and seminars. The line has invested more than $14 million in the professional show kitchens found on each ship and will use the space for more activities such as wine tasting, craft classes, floral arranging, and table and lifestyle presentations such as creating the line’s towel animals. The travel guide will host lectures and be a source for information on the ports of call. A destination expert, the travel guide will be available throughout the cruise to interact with guests on a one-on-one basis, answer questions, and give presentations on the destination’s history, culture and geography. On Grand Voyages and on Prinsendam, rotating guest speakers fill the role of travel guide.

The “techspert” will be on hand to teach guests how to take advantage of technology, whether helping guests make the most of their vacation photos, arranging a digital scrapbook, blogging, creating a slideshow or editing a movie. Classes and workshops will be available throughout the cruise. Novices can learn about Web 2.0 and how to work with digital photos. Dance directors show guests how to dance. Classes and dance events are available throughout each cruise. On cruises lasting 12 or more days, a book club leader will host book discussions in the Explorations Café. Book titles will be posted online before the cruise so guests will have time to read the chosen book. The book club leader will plan and facilitate two to three discussions for each book. Books chosen will relate to the sailing destination whether by author or topic. For example, on an Australian itinerary the book may be “In a Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson or in Asia, “Saving Fish from Drowning: A Novel by Amy Tan.” The Holland America Line Explorations Team will be implemented fleetwide.

This type of group has long been a feature of luxury lines, and I think it demonstrates Holland America's committment to improving the quality of their onboard offerings and drawing in cruisers looking for more from their cruises.

Jewel River Cruise Line Update

admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:58:15 +0000

Jewel River Cruise Line, the company launched last November by former Silversea President and CEO Albert Peter and former Celebrity Cruises executive Jacques Wulffaert, on Friday said it would postpone the debut of its luxury brand, Jewel River Cruises, and consolidate the company.

In a statement, Jewel River said launching the first boutique-luxury ship in the river cruise industry had become increasingly challenging given the current worldwide economic climate and uncertainties in the international financial markets. Jewel River Cruise Line’s two other brands -- the premium Emerald River Journeys and the contemporary Aqua River Journeys -- will continue to operate. These ships are currently chartered to European tour operators through 2009.

Jewel River’s Fort Lauderdale office will be scaled back and operations will move to the European headquarters in Wollerau, Switzerland. President and COO Wulffaert will remain in Florida. Founder and Chairman Albert Peter will continue to move between the two offices. Wulffaert will concentrate on liaising between the charter operators and tour operators, as Peter continues to meet with financial institutions. “We still believe that a boutique-luxury brand in the river cruise industry is a sound and viable proposition,” said Wulffaert. “The river cruise market has been experiencing a boom and there is currently no true luxury brand in the market. We expect that when the economy stabilizes and credit becomes more readily available, we will be well positioned to be a dominant player.”

Jewel River had planned to offer the first ultra-luxury river cruise product in Europe. Its first ship, Jewel Imperial Blue, was expected to operate 10-day vacations on the Seine River in France to and from Paris. The ship was purchased from an individual owner and was set to undergo a $3.5 million transformation. The vessel was going to be converted to an all-suite vessel that accommodated 90 guests in 45 suites.

Under the original plan, the ultra-luxury venture was to be financed by its two other divisions, which were set to provide equity and cash flow, according to Peter, who had partnered with river cruise veteran Ulrich Baur and Swiss financier Eberhard Henter-Besting to form his company. The Jewel brand was going to be sold only to Americans exclusively through travel agents. Silversea veteran Jim Burnside had been named chief information officer and vice president-revenue management, reservations and IT. Terri Haas, vice president-sales, had joined the company from Costa Cruise Line. Calls to Jewel’s spokeswoman to see if those executives were still employed by the line had not been returned at press time. For more information on Jewel, call 866-342-7607 or visit www.jewelrivercruises.com.

Once Again It’s Happy Hour Time… With a Twist

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:26:00 +0000

It's time to post next week's Happy Hours. Royal Caribbean's offerings are pretty typical, and for sale on Tuesday, October 7 only.

However, Celebrity has mixed things up a bit, offering second passenger at 50% off on the applicable sailings booked between Monday, October 6 through Friday, October 10. Fares starting as low as $599! If you can sneak away to Europe this fall, these are incredible offers.

Royal Caribbean Happy Hour Specials for October 7, 2008

Celebrity Happy Hour Specials for Week of October 6, 2008:

11/21/08, Celebrity Century, 10 Nt W. Mediterranean, 1st Guest from $999, 2nd Guest from $499
12/1/08, Celebrity Century, 14 Nt Transatlantic, 1st Guest from $1,199, 2nd Guest from $599
11/3/08, Celebrity Galaxy, 11 Nt E. Mediterranean, 1st Guest from $899, 2nd Guest from $449
11/14/08, Celebrity Galaxy, 10 Nt E. Mediterranean, 1st Guest from $649, 2nd Guest from $324
11/24/08, Celebrity Galaxy, 11 Nt E. Mediterranean, 1st Guest from $599, 2nd Guest from $299
12/5/08, Celebrity Galaxy, 14 Nt Transatlantic, 1st Guest from $699, 2nd Guest from $349
10/18/08, Celebrity Summit, 14 Nt Mediterranean Legacies, 1st Guest from $799, 2nd Guest from $399
11/1/08, Celebrity Summit, 14 Nt Classical Mediterranean, 1st Guest from $999, 2nd Guest from $499
11/15/08, Celebrity Summit, 14 Nt Mediterranean Legacies, 1st Guest from $799, 2nd Guest from $399
11/29/08, Celebrity Summit, 14 Nt Transatlantic, 1st Guest from $599, 2nd Guest from $299

The Magic of the Galapagos

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:31:00 +0000

Every trip that I do which has an exploratory nature to it, whether it be to Europe, Antarctica, the South Pacific, or even to a new destination in the Caribbean, has a “magical” moment to it. A time which will live in memory without difficulty. Which changes me in subtle or dramatic ways. Thus far in the Galapagos, while it has been absolutely fabulous, I hadn’t yet had that singular moment. But it was coming.

This morning, we visited Isabela, searching for our first glimpse of the giant tortoises, land iguanas and other inhabitants.

I haven’t focused too much on the flora of these islands, but lest you think they’re all arid and with low shrubs, this is an example of the lovely and delicate flowers we saw this morning.

This island also boasted several Darwin Finches (I’ll admit, while the naturalist explained the differences, much having to do with the beaks, on quick examination I couldn’t identify which was which species) and even some moths and butterflies.

At first, most of the residents we encountered were the land iguanas, though they were being quite photogenic in the morning light.

Finally, we hear rustling in the brush, which signals there’s a tortoise nearby. Watching carefully, we can see the leaves moving… and finally… there’s a glimpse!

It’s thrilling to finally sight the iconic symbol of the Galapagos about which we’ve heard so much. While it takes careful eyes, we now understand a bit how well adapted they are to their environment. Another gives us a better look as he rests in the cool shade.

Much of the talk today centers around the conservation efforts in the islands. How the endemic species, such as the tortoises, are threatened by the animals which man has brought, such as cats which are now feral on several islands, including this one. Cats in particular are a huge threat to the tortoises’ eggs, but also to other species as well. And because cats are so cunning, they’re extremely difficult to eradicate. The settlements now have strict controls on cats and dogs to try to prevent further man-made effects, but the feral cats are a particular challenge. The Darwin Society scientists are working on ways to specifically target the cats with chemical sterilization for example, but so far they’ve only had partial success.

As a cat lover, I hate hearing about the killing of cats, but when we sighted a feral cat in the brush not far from the tortoises, I understood instantly at a basic level. They don’t belong here. They, like other land mammals, including man, change the environment dramatically and without controls will wipe out what makes these islands so special. Feral cats are natural, and they are wild in many parts of the world. But they shouldn’t be so here. But if you doubt how difficult it will be to find and control them, see how well they have adapted and blend in… Where’s Wald…er, Kitty?

When we returned to the beach area, several opted to go swimming. Thought I’d add in here a picture of the landing area. You can see one of the zodiacs coming in for a pick-up. This landing is described as one of the more difficult, because of the angle of the beach. It is a bit tricky getting off the front of the zodiac and walking up in the soft sand, but the guides and boat assistants do help.

I took this opportunity to get some more pictures of the Sally Lightfoot crabs on the rocks.

Back to the ship for an absolutely wonderful Ecuadorian lunch and a conservation lecture, then it was off to our next destination.

In the afternoon, we went to Fernandina, home to marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, sea lions and… magic.

I’d been looking forward to getting some really close-up pictures of marine iguanas just out of the water, and this was my chance!

After a dry landing, we walked through some marshy areas, then emerged on lava flows. If you do some readings from Darwin’s journals before you arrive, or even watch “Master and Commander” to get a sense of his sense of discovery in these islands, one of the key factors in what he observed on these islands which shaped his future writings were the lava flows. He wrote that it appeared the lava appeared as if it was new and had just cooled in flows like rivers. While these islands are still growing and there are active volcanoes, those areas weren’t what he observed, nor did he observe any eruptions. But the sense that these islands hadn’t been “created” whole and complete is what began to shake up his awareness and later led to his writing “On the Origin of Species.” Lava. Not tortoises, though he observed several different species, and at least not initially not even birds, which were prominent in his later writings. It was lava flows which started the process.

On Fernandina Island, you see flows which invoke that sense of time frozen. The flows are actually in rivers, with ridges. They’ve just begun to weather, to erode, but barely. Green life here only slightly has a foothold, and it’s struggling. Everything is black and lava and wild. Fernandina is one of the two “youngest” islands in the grouping, along with Isabela, and it really shows.

Okay, back to the critters. First up, the marine iguanas! There were areas where they were literally all over one another, warming up from their feeding forays in the ocean. Oddly enough, many of them are in the shadows. Why odd? Because intellectually, you expect to see them in the sun warming up. However, it’s so hot on the lava, they retreat to the shade so as not to get overly fried.

They’re all over the place, in pairs, singly and groups.

The surf and ship are always in the background, not too far away.

Some even have little friends keeping them company.

And the shot I’d been hoping for – I was even able to catch one of them “sneezing” out the salt accumulated in its body on a feeding foray!

Next we moved out over the lava and sand toward the flightless cormorants.

Even here, access is strictly controlled, as there is a marked path on the sand from which you aren’t permitted to deviate.

Keeping you company along the way are families of sea lions frolicking in the water.

As with everywhere in the Galapagos, reminders abound about the cycle of life. Here is the skeleton of an iguana and the remnants of a sea lion with a lava lizard investigating.

At first, you feel a bit macabre and ghoulish investigating these, but it’s all part of the Galapagos experience, and an important one at that. Even as your heart pains at the sight, your understanding grows.

After a few minutes’ walk, you get close to the Flightless Cormorants. These birds have lost their ability to fly. Their wings have atrophied and gotten too small to support their weight in the air, but their hind legs and webbed feet have grown, and their lungs have changed to allow them longer periods underwater to fish. By the way, when I say “get close to” that was a relative term on this day. I was using a super telephoto lens (400mm) and was at the limit of it to catch these photos.
As you can see, they live together with the marine iguanas without apparent conflict.

As I mentioned, life on this island is tough and harsh. Not sure if this was a piece of driftwood which washed up on the beach, or a tree which tried unsuccessfully to grow, but the sea lion didn’t care – it was nap time, and he had found a bit of shade.

Not even a group of us walking by would disturb it.

As you move inland a bit, there are trees trying to take hold. In one, we were fortunate enough to glimpse a Galapagos Hawk.

It was shortly after this that I achieved my epiphany. Because I was getting a bit too hot (I have to be very careful in the sun), I was given special permission to stay behind for a bit, sitting on the lava in the shade behind some bushes. Our group was going to be passing back past this point in a short time, and there wasn’t another group I could join to head back to shade. While this was a breach of Galapagos protocol, my guide had gotten to know me, knew that I respected the islands and their inhabitants, wouldn’t move from this spot… and most importantly that I needed to stop and didn’t want to keep the rest of the group from moving on.

As they left, the silence of the island settled over me. A sense of peace descended. I watched hawks soaring on the afternoon current, while another cried in a nearby tree. A petrel working its way up on the currents around me. Finches calling all around me. Sitting on a raw lava flow. Crackles in the brush behind me from some unknown creature settling in as the sun lowered. Stillness and connection with the rawness and inclusiveness of nature. Even the one fly buzzing me didn’t detract. Much. I was connected. I was part of the Galapagos. It was Magic.

I wrote the above paragraph as soon as I returned to the ship so I could capture the images and emotions while it was fresh. When I experienced it, I was so profoundly happy that I cried a bit, but was smiling at the same time. I’m crying again now as I recall it. I’m not the only person to be so affected by these islands. Many have talked and written about how they’ve been changed. I know I have.

I have to say it’s a shame that more people can’t experience this type of moment in the Galapagos. While the rules are in place to protect the islands and their inhabitants, it does serve to limit a bit the connection. Perhaps it is because I’m an introspective, quiet person by nature, but I find the quiet contemplation to be when I find my special moments. They happen on a dive not when there’s activity all around, or when I’m zooming from one place to another, but when I settle in to watch a fish being cleaned or an invertebrate moving across the ocean floor or watch a school of fish just swimming by. Similarly here, the best moments were those when there was more time to observe, rather than just to see. If you understand the difference between observation and looking, you’ll understand what I mean.

When the group returned a few minutes later, I walked and talked quietly with our guide on our way back to the zodiac. He is a long term resident of these islands and veteran of these tours. He, too, was sorry that more couldn’t have this type of experience. However, he said few would have been comfortable alone in that situation, and that I can understand. We both agreed that I’d had a very special moment, one that few get to experience in life anywhere.

However, even without that experience, these islands would have profoundly affected me. We had many times where we got to stop and watch for several minutes a particular interaction of wildlife. Have moments of quiet conversation with the guide. See touching moments. The ship and itinerary serve to foster that in amazing ways. And the guides are wonderful in helping you to understand it all.

As I said. Magic. Everyone will connect to something different on this cruise, at a different time or from a different experience. Today was mine.

Tonight we had an outdoor barbecue, held on the aft and top decks. Fun and YUMMY! Followed by the Captain turning on the anchor lights when we dropped anchor for the evening. Once again, this attracted the small fish, followed by pelicans and sea lions to feed on them, and finally some large sharks started cruising the area. Seeing the food chain in action is an amazing sight, and a perfect end to this remarkable day.

Sea Turtle Saviors and Fulfilled Penguin Dreams

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Throughout this journey, there are events which either subtly or more strongly assault your intellect. You know coming here that this is all about nature. But most of us are insulated from the realities of nature – the closest we come is a National Geographic special, or perhaps the zoo or what we encounter on hikes near our home. We rarely are brought face-to-face with life and death struggles, and how much animals will sacrifice to maintain the species. In Galapagos, it’s everywhere, and in unexpected ways. Each experience changes you, whether you cheer the triumph, feel for the struggle between endemic and foreign species, or feel your heart pain when the battle is lost.

Today is a triumphant day.

The morning activities were both centered around Bachas Beach, with the option to also head inland on a flamingo search at the brackish ponds. This beach is a turtle nesting site, which ended up to be the focus of the excursion, as the naturalists found a female who was stuck in her struggle to return to the water after her night of laying eggs. While it is prohibited to interfere with animals in the Galapagos, as nature needs to play out in her own way, the naturalists here felt it wasn’t interfering to bring this female out of where she was stuck, so she could then make her own way back to the ocean.

They combined their strength to gently lift and turn her, bringing her to an area where she could, if she wasn’t already too weak, drag herself to the sea. To everyone’s relief and excitement, she immediately started her journey back to the sea. It was a moment of exultation and celebration. She was weak, but she now had a chance!

The afternoon choices were very different, though they all ended with beach/snorkeling time. Those who were fit and eager climbed “to the top” at Bartolome Island, up 358 wooden steps to the top of the island for an incredible view. Not so eager to do the climb? There was a fantastic zodiac option where we circled the island, observing the Galapagos Penguins on the shore, mantas jumping in the distance, and searched for sharks in the shallows. It was an absolutely beautiful boat ride, full of sightings. I think we counted almost all the penguins known to be in the area! What a treat!

After the first half of our excursions, everyone met at the beach to sun, play in the water… or if you were a snorkeler, to go over to Pinnacle Rock to find the penguins. We weren’t disappointed! Because it was late afternoon, the penguins were in and out of the water, hunting and diving, and they were zooming past those who made the swim over to see them.

The personal thrill for me is beyond words. Ever since seeing the penguins in the water from the beach during my Antarctic cruise, I’ve been dreaming of being in the water with them. I feared I’d have to learn how to dry suit dive and brave the Antarctic waters in order to accomplish that, but here was my dream coming true. When I learned there was a chance to snorkel with them I was excited, but the actuality far exceeded my hopes. Not only was I able to see them, they came zooming by me VERY close, and repeatedly. The light was low, the water was murky, but I got some shots which, while technically leaving much to be desired, will continue to make me smile for years to come.

This was Pinnacle Rock itself, with several penguins resting atop it. Sorry for the odd coloring – I had a red filter on my lens to enhance the underwater colors, and it was difficult to get the color correction right for the above-water shots – and it didn’t help at all that we were facing into the setting sun.

Yes, there are several penguins on the rocks. You can make out the one on the left fairly easily, but there were three more in the shadows as well.

Not only were the penguins zooming by, but there was a pelican hunting at the surface as well. Look closely here – you can see the pelican’s beak and feet along with a penguin just coming into the frame in the lower right corner. Both were less than 12” away from my lens.

Because the conditions were so extreme (very dark underwater because of the murk and low light, very bright above with the setting sun), a split shot was not able to be perfectly (or even close to acceptably) exposed. But as bad as these shots are technically, look at what you can see topside and underwater (look closely – there be penguins there!)

A penguin just zooming by – gotta love continuous shooting!

To get a sense of the speed of these penguins, my camera is capable of shooting 3 frames per second. So that series above took less than two seconds for him to completely swim by with me panning as he swam. They’re quick little critters!

For the photographers reading this, yes, I could have used strobes in these shots. But I opted not to, in order to be able to take the faster, continuous images, and also because of all the particulate in the water. Had I been on scuba rather than snorkel, I might have used dual strobes to capture the color better. But at these depths, in these conditions with the fast-moving subjects, I decided this was the better option for me.

Why were the penguins and pelicans here? For the fish of course!

Yup, more penguins in the bottom two shots there.

On the way back to the beach, a couple sharks were also sighted – just small white tips, but exciting none-the-less.

What a day! But it wasn’t over. Tonight, we celebrate a somewhat-traditional Crossing the Line ceremony (though toned down a bit from the more ribald antics common on naval ships). During this cruise, we actually cross the line 4 times, but this particular crossing was timed so we could enjoy and celebrate it after dinner. So much fun! I’ve gone over the equator many times, but never before onboard ship, and was looking forward to the ceremony – it didn’t disappoint! King Neptune, of course, was in evidence, along with his queen, and the antics ensued. At the end, we all got our certificate so we can now say we’ve been inducted into the Society by King Neptune.

This was one of the few nights when most passengers stayed up after dinner. Usually, it got almost immediately quiet after dinner, with a few of the teens staying up, and a few adults heading for a nightcap. Definitely not a ship for night owls, as even I was usually in bed long before 11PM. But it was nice almost every evening to have one after dinner drink either in the lounge or up on the top deck. While the upper deck “Blue Finch Bar” never opened at night, even though it was mentioned in the daily program, the bartenders from the main lounge were more than happy to bring up the drinks to us. The bar was a bit understaffed this cruise, but they made up for it with enthusiasm.

Overall onboard there were several new crew, as some of the more experienced crew were rotating on and off, and since they’re all local, there were occasionally a few glitches with service, but never once could you fault their attitude or desire to take care of you.

Sea Lion Kisses

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Tuesday. Floreana Island. This is the day I’ve been looking forward to – our first opportunity to snorkel! I’d tried to arrange to be able to dive on these snorkel sites (for better photographing of the sea lions underwater), but that wasn’t possible. That’s okay – the sea lions LOVE snorkelers!

It’s a very busy day today, with the potential for up to 4 excursions, 3 of which allow for snorkeling.

The early morning crew could head to Cormorant Point, hiking into a brackish pond which is fabulous for bird-watching. Flamingos, stilts, pintail ducks and more were seen here. You could snorkel here as well, but not if you wanted to also do the high intensity snorkel, which I’d been told by past passengers was THE place to snorkel and not miss. They were right!

About mid-morning, we loaded our snorkel gear into the zodiacs, and headed out to Champion Island to find the sea lions. Actually, they found us, as they headed into the water as soon as they sighted our boats. They know what the boats meant: PLAY TIME WITH HUMANS! As we got to the drop-off point where we’d slide off the boats into the water, several sea lions were already circling the boats, barking at us, telling us to hurry up and get in with them.

It’s a wondrous moment to realize these wild animals look forward to us and we make them happy and excited. Not often in nature do you get this type of interaction. I’d experienced it before in the Sea of Cortez, and it ranked among my most memorable and happiest animal interactions. These sea lions were just as enthusiastic and happy to see us, and we quickly donned our gear and got into the water.

The excursion is billed as a “high intensity snorkel”, but truly, if you’re comfortable in water above your head and snorkeling in potentially rough conditions (in other words, don’t get panicked if water comes into your snorkel), you should be fine here. I’m sure at times there are some stronger currents than we experienced, but it was a good snorkel where most of the exertion was in playing with the sea lions.

From the moment we dropped in, they surrounded us, darting in and out, zooming around us, begging us to play with them.

Several of the teens and naturalists were good at free diving down with them, and the sea lions loved it!

Many times, it seemed as if they couldn’t figure out why people were heading the other way (though they were likely watching other sea lions)

There were often multiple lions entertaining us – or were we entertaining them?

But it wasn’t all play – they were also fishing while they were out with us.

Interestingly, while the sea lions seemed comfortable with most cameras, they weren’t liking my dome port very much. I think this was new to them, as in the Sea of Cortez, they tended to use it as almost a mirror, coming right up and staying nose to dome with it. With my dome here in Galapaos, they came zooming up to me, but then veer off more quickly than I’m used to.

I think they just don’t see this type of lens and port here with the snorkelers as sea lions elsewhere where they get more divers with the larger camera rigs. By the way, it’s the dome port and fisheye lens that I used which account for the curves you sometimes see at the edges of the frame – such as at the top with the water.

Of course, there are the classic play poses that all sea lions tend to do.

And get a sense of their immense power while swimming.

The bubbles you see in poses like this aren’t from their exhaling, but instead from them barking underwater to communicate.

It wasn’t all sea lions, either. A reef shark was sighted, as were several types of tropical fish.

but the sea lions were absolutely the stars of the show.

It was with regret that we left to head back to the ship for lunch. The good news, however, is that immediately after lunch, there was another high intensity snorkel on the agenda!

During lunch, a huge school of dolphins surrounded the ship, one of the largest I’ve ever seen, with well over 100 individuals. Our Captain handled the ship as nimbly as a zodiac, turning and playing with them, following them, staying with them as long as possible. Yet another good reason to eat lunch out at the Beagle Grill! I just wish I’d had my camera, but alas it was in my cabin still in its underwater casing awaiting the afternoon snorkel excursion.

Mystery Bay was next up, and we were dropped a bit off the bay and swam in. I have to admit, I was a bit puzzled by this, as we didn’t really spot much on the swim in, and the swim was rather high intensity as we were booking along at a good pace over a distance. Since the zodiacs were able to get into the bay to pick us up, it wasn’t for that, so I have to presume it was that we were looking for other critters (such as rays, sharks or turtles) which weren’t in evidence this day.

We did pass one outcropping with Galapagos Penguins, but unfortunately we didn’t veer close to them. One of my few disappointments of the week. I have a feeling our guide didn’t see them.

The water was very dark and murky today, turning everything a bit of a green color underwater, with a lot of sand kicked up. But that didn’t keep a small family of sea lions from coming out to play with us!

This family seemed much more interested in being photographed.

– doesn’t that second shot seem to be asking if I wanted to photograph him, too? This sea lion actually bumped my port he came so close.

Even though there weren’t as many sea lions here, the interactions between sea lions and snorkelers were just as stunning, with them seeking us out to play.

The last excursion option of the day was a wet landing at “Baroness Lookout”, a site which figures prominently in the human history, gossip, mystery and scandals which are a part of these islands. Yes, these islands do have a fascinating human history as well, with many colorful characters, both men and women, attracted to these intriguing islands.

After dinner, many of us gathered on the “WHIG SIG” top deck to get a star gazing lesson from the second officer. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating by the time she arrived, though we’d already tentatively identified many of the southern constellations. Of course, some of the identifications might not have been accurate, but since we had arranged for “beverage service” up there, we weren’t too concerned by the end. This is such a wonderful way to end the day – lying on the loungers, watching the stars and talking with friends, with after dinner drinks being served to us. We were loving the luxury!

What is WHIG SIG? Several of us the very first day during the bus ride decided that “What Happens in Galapagos Stays in Galapagos” and I promptly named us the WHIG SIGs. So of course, the deck where we would hang out at night (sometimes having to evict the teens who thought it was their territory) became the WHIG SIG deck. All were welcome, as long as they embraced that philosophy and shared their laughter and fun with us.

That night we also got to enjoy the antics of the water creatures once we arrived at our anchorage, as the ship turned on the anchoring lights, attracting the small fish who came to feed, and then the pelicans and sea lions who fed on the fish. You could see the hierarchy of predators in action – the plankton are attracted by the lights, and are fed on by the small fish who, in turn, are eaten by the larger predators. This is the Galapagos – this is nature.

Tauck to Use Victoria’s Jenna on China Program

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:13:36 +0000

Tauck World Discovery unveiled the 2009 edition of its China, The Yangtze River and Hong Kong itinerary, which will feature Victoria Cruises’ newest ship, the Victoria Jenna, scheduled to make its inaugural journey in April. Victoria Cruises operates the largest fleet of five-star vessels on the Yangtze River with the coveted rating from the China National Tourism Administration, and the Jenna will be its new flagship. Tauck’s escorted 16-day China, The Yangtze River and Hong Kong itinerary features a four-day sailing along the Yangtze River on the new, five-star Victoria Jenna, and accommodations in several world-class properties, including the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong, Peninsula Beijing, Shangri-La Golden Flower Hotel in Xi’an, Sheraton Guilin Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai.

Also included in the tour price are 15 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 12 dinners, on-tour air and a multitude of shore excursions and cultural sightseeing trip.

On the Yangtze River, the tour will include a four-day Yangtze River cruise from Chongqing to Yichang aboard the Victoria Jenna; a spectacular view of centuries-old pagodas and temples nestled along the mist-shrouded Yangtze; many onboard activities such as Tai Chi lessons and a host of nightly entertainment options; an excursion to the impressive Three Gorges Dam Site in Sandouping, an extraordinary feat of engineering and major highlight of the river cruise; an additional excursion, such as a tranquil journey through the Yangtze’s scenic Daning or Shennong River tributaries to the Small Gorges. In Shanghai, the tour will feature a sightseeing tour of Shanghai, including the classical Yu Gardens, featuring over 30 pavilions; a spell-binding performance by the world-renowned Shanghai Acrobat Troupe; a chance to explore Shanghai’s best preserved ancient town, Zhu Jia Jiao, which dates back 1,700 years and boasts willow-lined streets; and a farewell dinner and cocktail party. Pricing for Tauck’s 2009 departures of its 16-day itinerary begins at $5,990 per person double occupancy, plus international air. (Selected 2009 departures of China, The Yangtze River and Hong Kong feature smaller group sizes with a maximum of 26 Tauck guests, and are priced from $6,130 per person plus air.)

Contact RiverDiscounts.com for extra Savings 800-640-4899

Efforts under way to keep Delta Queen

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:07:25 +0000

VICKSBURG, Miss. -- Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker have joined in congressional efforts to keep the Delta Queen afloat.

The Mississippi Republicans have joined with lawmakers from seven other states to exempt the riverboat from safety regulations.

Because its superstructure is wood, the Delta Queen violates the 1966 Safety of Life at Seas Act. The owners have operated the passenger steamer under an exemption, which expires this year.

Proposed legislation would extend the exemption to November 1, 2018. Without the bill, the Delta Queen could not be allowed to board more than 50 passengers or operate overnight cruises.

The boat's November farewell tour, which Majestic is calling the 2008 Delta Queen Tribute Event, will see the riverboat stop at Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez en route to New Orleans and retirement.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Happy Hours!

admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:05:00 +0000

It's time again for the Happy Hours for next week to come out!

Here are the specials from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, valid only on Tuesday, September 30, 2008. Call me for more information or to take advantage of these specials!

However, if you're looking at Royal Caribbean for sailings later this year than are on the Happy Hour, or any time in 2009 or 2010, also consider the WOW Sale on Thursday. No reduced pricing, but you do get onboard credits and reduced deposit!

Royal Caribbean Happy Hour Specials for September 30, 2008

Celebrity Cruises Happy Hour Specials for September 30, 2008