I received a media release this week from Carnival this week (on behalf of its eight cruise lines) proudly touting the official opening of Amber Cove, a purpose-built port at Puerto Plata, on the Northern coast of the Dominican Republic. And my immediate thought was to wonder how ‘real’ the experience would be, at a…
I mentioned recently that I’d done a cruise on the Sun Princess as an ‘Enrichment Speaker’ – someone who delivers educational and (hopefully) entertaining lectures on a variety of subjects. I’m often asked what my lectures were on … so here’s a part of one: Cruise Ships Past, Present and Future. The idea of ships…
Dolphins with droopy dorsal fins; earthquake-damage apologies; French street signs; frigid teal waters; rose gardens; mosaic galleries – we’re talking about Akaroa, on New Zealand’s South Island. The town is on the Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the country, and it’s where the cruise ships come in to visit Christchurch, around 80km away. Akaroa’s…
I was in an elevator last night, on the way to dinner, when a young family got on – a mother, and two of her children. They started talking about whether they would even get off the ship today, when we dock in Noumea. “So where are we tomorrow, mum?” asked one – “Can we…
What do you call a South Pacific island paradise on a grey, windswept day? You call it still gorgeous. And also, Iles Des Pins – or Isle of Pines in English. A part of New Caledonia, the island (called Kwenyii in the local Kanak dialect) has around 2,000 residents – mainly Melanesian Kanaks. Like its…
Cairns Communications 