…or, I found my room 245. I sighed with relief that it was in the soulless “new” section (new being at least 20 years) as at least the walls are not paper thin. Saying that I can still hear a fair bit of noise from people on the street below and banging around from rooms above and next door. The room is a good size, and they have made some effort. But the bathroom is appallingly dated. And they still have all the warning signs about what you can an…
…rtners working with them. January 2013 will be the official launch of this new free podcast series that I am launching. However, you can subscribe right now to Travel Bloggers Podcast on iTunes or the Travel Bloggers Podcast RSS feed. You will hear me talking about the podcast, and if you subscribe it will ensure you get the launch episodes when they go live. I am launching the Travel Bloggers Podcast as there are almost no podcasts out there to h…
…ook trendy, funky and modern. But the problem is that the body beneath the new clothes and lipstick is not up to scratch. It is failing. On a superficial level, they have done a decent job of this tried and uninspiring block of concrete. The lobby is bright, white and modern. The bar is trendy. The breakfast room all gleaming and shiny. But the problem is that the real substance of the building fails it. It is an old building with dated infrastruc…
…w Cruise Critic interview and review CompareHolidayMoney.co.uk Interview GoneWithTheFamily.com Interview and Review Great Boat Journeys Blog Review AmsterdamNews.com review World of Cruising Magazine Review GoNomad review and extract of a chapter from the book SpaWellbeing Magazine review The Weekend in Travel Show (audio interview) US City Traveler Podcast (audio interview) MyTravelMoney.co.uk Video Interview and Discussion Travel Coffee Break On…
…d revamped version of my popular “Cruising with Cunard” eBook. It contains new chapters, rewritten existing ones and new photographs. Advice and tips on planning and getting the most out of cruising with Cunard Cruise Line by Gary Bembridge, author of “The Cruise Traveler’s Handbook”. This 43,600 word, 214 page book of articles and over 36 photographs explores the history, uniqueness, life on board, reviews, essential cruising tips and advice for…
…they were not and we had to request they were reinstated and had to set up new accounts! The team on the ship could not do this and had to email the office to make this happen. Points from playing in the Casino also disappeared and we had to request the manager to put these back on our account. As the days progressed we discovered another issue as the credit card that had been given at Southampton was not attributed to our new cruise card, and so…
…what the lines are doing, and the CEOs are saying. You should be ready for new cruises and short, limited itinerary cruises, as happened in Europe. Let’s see why I say this. First of all, when Carnival cancelled all cruises out of USA ports except Miami and Port Canaveral in November and December, the announcement made it clear they could not confirm that the cruises from those ports would run as advertising. They offered people cruising from thos…
…u things look and work, and what you can expect when you can cruise again. New protocols and procedures have changed the way cruises operate. So how does it really look and work in practice? I am Gary Bembridge, and although I am still not able to cruise, a follower of the channel (Tomas Medek from the Czech Republic) has been able to, and has given me footage so I can show you what cruising is now like. Tomas and wife, Dominika, cruised on MSC Gr…
…rnment has a ban on cruise ships entering until March at this time. So, no new news and everyone is waiting to see if they extend or let it lift. Meantime, in positive news, Ponant announced they have received conditional approval for one of its ships to sail in New Zealand waters, for New Zealanders from February 2021 following months of discussions with New Zealand’s Ministry of Health. The small-ship Australian Coral Expedition ships (Coral Dis…
…is a massive job. So please still be cautious if are thinking of booking a new 2021 cruise, and carefully assess any you have already. VACCINES WITHIN PROTOCOLS There are some new indications on what the four main cruise groups (Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Group, Royal Caribbean Group and MSC Cruises) are thinking on the vaccine requirement for cruises. All have said in public that they are seeing vaccine roll out as the key development that…
…nd that’s what I’m here to talk to you about today as I have some exciting news to share. I have started to post video updates DURING my cruises that are EXCLUSIVELY for Patreon Patrons – where I give on-cruise behind-the-scenes updates, first-hand insights, and early access to what I am experiencing. In each of these updates I also answer questions posted by my Patrons and cover and show aspects of the trip that they specifically want to see or k…
