Jul30
Ralph Grizzle
Few travel experiences can top sitting in a piazza, watching the world pass while sipping on a cappuccino or a glass of chianti or digging at a delicious dome of gelato.
I know, because I spent such a day on the Italian coast, returning to my table at the piazza several times to take in the play of life. I watched acrobats flip, jugglers toss, musicians play and crooners send their soft melodies to the far reaches of the square. The world was indeed a stage that day, just as it is every day at the piazza.
What made my experience highly unusual, however, was that my piazza was floating. No, I was not in Venice. I was on a ship, the Emerald Princess.
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Princess Cruises
Jun11
Ralph Grizzle
June 30, 200 nautical miles east of the Bahamas — The Crown Princess’ sleek hull slices the Atlantic Ocean’s gentle swells as our ship makes its way back to New York. Crown Princess departed Brooklyn’s cruise terminal last Friday morning, and here, on our return one week later, passengers are intent on savoring the last two days of a nine-day cruise. Continue Reading »
Caribbean, Princess Cruises
May13
Ralph Grizzle
When he was but a nine-year-old boy, my son Alex reached into the Windex-blue waters on a sandy Bahamian beach and quickly withdrew his hand to proclaim, “Dad, I touched a stingray.” He furrowed his tender brow and added thoughtfully, “They’re nice.”
In doing so, he had ascribed a sweet, if somewhat inaccurate, characteristic to the stingray. Yes, the stingray was nice indeed, particularly with its barb blunted for safety. None of tragedy that befell animal lover Steve Irwin here. Off the coast of Australia, a ray’s barb had pierced his heart and stunned the world.
Alex, my daughter and I were in a friendlier place, a paradise really, free of danger and removed from the real world, an idyllic island created for us by a cruise line.
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Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, NCL, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean
Mar19
Ralph Grizzle
Research shows that most people planning a trip to Alaska want to see two places: Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. You can get to Glacier Bay aboard a cruise ship and admire the national park’s stunning scenery from the comfort of your balcony stateroom. But to get to Denali (a.k.a. Mt. McKinley), you’ll have to get off the ship, lace up your hiking boots, and trek inland. That’s where a cruisetour comes in. Continue Reading »
Alaska, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean
