Cruising to the French Riviera Pics

Ever since I was a child I can rememberthe French Riviera as being synonymous with luxury and glamor. Itwas the place where royalty and movie stars went to vacation. It wasalso the location for numerous films including Hitchcock's “ToCatch A Thief” and several James Bond movies.

It wasn't until I first went therethat I realized why this place attracts people who could go anywherein the world. It is simply a beautiful combination of sea, mountainsand charming looking towns. The light is soft, not too harsh. Theweather is mild, not too hot and not too cold. A really nicecombination.

Cruising to Tuscany Pics

Tuscany is a fabulous cruisedestination. It has beautiful countryside, historic cities and greatart. The only problem is that it is all inland.

The vast majority of cruise shipsoffering cruises to Florence and Pisa stop at Livorno or Leghorn asit used to be called. It is an industrial port which suffered badlyfrom bombing during World War II. As a result, there isn't that muchto see in the city itself and the busy movement and storage of cargomakes the port less than ideal for passengers on cruise ships,especially the large ships that dock in the midst of the cargo area.

Alhambra, Cruise port Malaga, Spain Pics

When I was growing up, I rememberhearing of the Alhambra. It was most likely in connection withWashington Irving's writings, as his house was not far from ours. However, the image stayed in mind of this beautiful castle in Spain. This image was only reenforced as I grew older and read countlesstravel articles discussing the romance of the Alhambra.

Celebrity Eclipse superior cruise ship Pics

Celebrity Eclipse is a superior cruiseship. She is one of five Solstice class ships built by Meyer Werftfor Celebrity Cruises. All of these ships are nicely designed withattention to detail. They also offer a very good array of diningoptions ranging from casual to healthy to classic fine dining. Inaddition, they offer a good program of reasonably sophisticatedentertainment and activities even though the enrichment program isnot as cutting edge as it was just a few years ago. They are alsogood ships from a nautical perspective.

Emerald Princess Photos 2013

This week the focus shifts to PrincessCruises with an expanded and updated profile of Emerald Princess.

I had enjoyed myself on EmeraldPrincess the last time I was onboard and I was pleased to find thatshe still presents a quite enjoyable cruise experience. Apparently,quite a few other people agree as the ship attracts a high proportionof passengers who are in the upper tiers of Princess' loyaltyprogram. These are experienced cruisers who do not spend their timeon ships that do not deliver a superior cruise experience.

Cruise ships in Southampton Pics

Southampton in southernEngland is a great place for cruise ship enthusiasts. Not only doquite a few ships call there during the warmer months but there areseveral places around the harbor from which you can get a good viewor photograph the ships. There always seem to be a few people aroundtaking photos as the time for the ships to sail draws near.