Why Cruise?

Cruising has been the fastest growing segment of the travel industry with an estimated share approaching 20% of revenue. 2017 saw 27 million cruise passengers embark on cruises utilizing 537,000 beds across 314 major cruise ships worldwide. In 2019 there was an estimated increase over 2017 of 14% with a majority of ships operating at near 100% capacity. Because of this dramatic increase the industry had almost 50 new ships on order by the end of 2019.

The Elephant In The Room: The global pandemic has seriously impacted the cruising world. There are a number of reasons for what has transpired but very little of it is the fault of the cruise lines. Overall cruising is safe with the only serious health issue involving cruise ships prior to the coronvirus-19 pandemic being norovirus outbreaks. Norovirus is a virus that is highly contagious, causes severe stomach problems and is commonly associated with outbreaks where groups of people are in close contact. The number one location involving norovirus outbreaks is schools followed by offices. Because of the impact of a coronvirus outbreak on a cruise ship the cruise companies have become very expert at dealing the these situations.

Fall colors on the St. Lawrence

If you have ever been on a ship when norovirus was diagnosed you understand how well prepared cruise ships are to deal with it. Ill passengers are confined to staterooms. Crew with sprayers filled with disinfectant are everywhere. Railings and door knobs are usually drenched in disinfectant and a common joke is that if you stand still too long you’ll get sprayed down too. We’ve experienced 2 of these outbreaks and there was very little spread or impact. Dealing with covid is actually very similar.

Cruising was blindsided by covid-19 just like everyone else and suffered from a panic reaction by governments and it’s still going on. Very little spread occurred into the general population from infected cruise passengers while airlines were found responsible for the majority of international spread. Airlines are still being allowed to fly with lax health requirements even today.

Malta

While suffering a major reversal of fortunes because of the covid-19 pandemic, cruising has too many avid followers and advantages over the competition to not recover. Currently 2022 bookings are showing an increase over bookings at the beginning of 2020. Some smaller companies may fall away but the financial growth history of the major cruise companies has large investors ready to infuse more cash to help jump-start cruising.

Why Cruising?

The major attractions to cruising are fairly well known; good dining, entertainment, nightlife and exciting destinations and mostly all-inclusive. Todays newer ships offer amazing activities from ice skating to surfing to onboard amusement parks. There are few land-based resorts that provide anything near what today’s cruise ships offer.

Through the Panama Canal

Breakfast On Ice!

Morning coffee at Dawes Glacier Alaska

In our case I’m not sure of any leisure pastime that can come close to what we routinely expect from our cruise. What can match the amazing experience of having breakfast as you watch a glacier drift by your window. How about cocktails while looking down on Piazza San Marcos as you ship sails into Venice.

If you had suggested to us in the past that we would soon cruise into Paradise Bay in Antarctica on a bright sunny day or witness steaming lava pour into the ocean soon after Sunset, we would probably have laughed. How about watching the changing leaves as you sail up the St. Lawrence or seeing a pod of humpback whales breaching in mid-ocean.

Cruising Alaska’s Misty Fjord

Have The World Come To You…

We have traveled a lot over the years with many trips being two or three days in a hotel and than moving on to another destination with more nights in a new hotel. Packing and moving suitcases can be a pain and waiting for your next room to be “ready” can be frustrating. About twenty years ago we took our first cruise and after settling into our stateroom the destinations just came to us. A whole week or more in one room with the scenery changing constantly outside our window! On a number of travels we’ve had problems at times finding a restaurant open (pizza from a convenience store?) or having no idea what dinner would cost. Now, no matter how far from home or how exotic the local food – dinner is waiting for us back on board the ship! – running late? there’s always the buffet.

Cruising into Venice

Dollar for dollar cruising has been one of the best values in travel, which has a lot to do with its popularity. Cruises come in a wide range of lengths and destinations with a number of price levels. There’s probably a cruise out there to fit almost anyones’s budget.

Paradise Bay, Antarctica

What Now?

It’s going to be a struggle for the cruise companies coming out of the pandemic shutdowns and governments aren’t make it easy. Start-up costs are going to be high and they are going to try and recover some of the losses with fares going forward. That may put a damper on some people being able to afford it or even believing the higher cost is justified. All of that will sort itself out and 2022 is most likely to be a resurgence year for cruising.

Bon voyage!

An Urban Hike In St. Thomas USVI

A St. Thomas Walking Path From Havensight into Charlotte Amalie

View from Paradise Overlook

This is more an urban hike with a special interest to passengers on cruise ships tied up at the West Indian Company docks. Centered on an area known as Havensight it is only about a mile walk into the west end of downtown Charlotte Amalie from the docks. If you are into hiking this is a well paved walkway that runs along the sea and through a few interesting areas.

From the West Indian Company dock walk away from the water toward the Havensight buildings and turn left on the first major passage and head toward Charlotte Amalie. You will be passing a number of duty free shops, food concessions and markets along this two block stretch. As you get near the water again the walkway into town is directly ahead on your left. For one of the best views of St. Thomas you can also take a right turn instead and cross Edward W. Blyden Road to the Paradise Point gondola base station and ride up to Paradise Point overlook.

On the water within a hundred feet or so of picking up the walkway you’ll find yourself in Yacht Haven Grande with luxury yachts tied up in the marina and shops along the walkway. At Yacht Haven you will find the shopping is much more upscale with a number of nice restaurants like a sushi bar, a Mexican cantina, Fat Turtle and Blue Eleven.

Yacht Haven Marina
Ft. Christian

After Yacht Haven the walkway runs along the water with Veterans Drive on your right for about a half mile until you get to Fort Christian. The historic Danish fort watching over the harbor is operated by the National Park Service and is open to the public. As you walk along this part of the trail you’ll also see Bluebeard’s Castle Resort standing above you on the hilltop. With the Fort Christian on your right on the other side of Veterans Drive the V.I. Legislature buildings will be on a point of land on your left. Just past the fort is Vendors Plaza, a street market filled with locals selling their crafts and souvenirs. Vendors Plaza is also where most of the shuttles into town from the West Indian Company dock let off their passengers.

Bluebeards Castle
Creque Alley

Going past the fort the walkway down Charlotte Amalie’s main waterfront continues on for an additional half mile. Along the waterfront crossing Veterans Drive takes you into the main shopping district that extends about three blocks inland up from the waterfront. Charlotte Amalie offers numerous streets and alleys leading up from the water. These alleys are an important part of the towns landscape with each one being a mini-mall lined with cafes, restaurants, galleries and shops. One block up, running parallel to Veterans Drive is Curacao Gade (Street) the main shopping thoroughfare in town.

In Barbados, A Walk Along The Sea

A Great Beach Hike (Stroll) In Barbados

This island nation is blessed with some of the worlds best beaches and has a beach to meet virtually everyone’s taste and budget. North along the coast from the Capital city of Bridgetown on the central west coast is a long stretch of beaches washed by the Caribbean Sea. In the middle of this is one of the islands most exclusive resort areas with the most famous resort being Sandy Lane. Down on the Southeast coast, on a stretch of shore lined with some cliffs, are still a number of great smaller beaches and resorts. Check out The Crane Beach and the upscale resort by the same name. On the central Atlantic coast is a rocky stretch of beaches noted for the best surfing in the Caribbean and centered around Bathsheba. South of Bridgetown is another long stretch of beautiful white sand beaches lined with cafes, restaurants and resorts with a nice walking trail.

A restaurant along the Boardwalk

Those beaches south of Bridgetown offer the islands best stretch for seaside walking. Barbados calls it a boardwalk and while there are a couple of actual stretches of wooden boardwalk it is mostly a wide and attractive sidewalk running near the beach. The Richard Haynes Boardwalk starts near Bridgetown along Hastings Rocks and runs for a little over a mile down to Accra beach. Roundtrip the hike is about two and a fifth miles with a number of good opportunities to replace those calories you may have burned off. The scenery is fantastic and there are numerous opportunities to stop have a drink or grab something to eat at a number of good restaurants that line the boardwalk. Take your time, stop often and sit and enjoy the Caribbean Sea views or take advantage of the many beach coves for a swim or sun bathing.

Accra is a beach area noted for smaller beach resorts, a number of good restaurants, some fast food outlets, sports bars and beach shops. Back towards Bridgetown you’ll pas the Hilton and Radisson beach resorts and Bayshore Beach with the famous Harbour Lights Club and Bar.

The Richard Haynes Boardwalk is one of the best hikes in paradise!

Images of Ireland

Photographic impressions collected from near and far…

Temple Bar Dublin
Blarney Castle

The Giants Causeway Northern Ireland • A geological marvel of myth and nature. A place where spectacular basalt columns formed through the rapid cooling of lava from an underwater volcano, or, as legend says created by the mythical Irish Giant Finn MacCool?

For centuries people have visited the Causeway and marveled at its incredible rock formations. Situated on one of Worlds most spectacular coastlines, its unique rock formations have, for nearly sixty million years, stood as a natural rampart against the unbridled fury of North Atlantic storms. The incredible symmetry of the columns never fails to intrigue and inspire visitors. To stroll on the Giants Causeway is to travel back through time.

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Winter Garden – In The Shadow Of Orlando

A Cute Town With A Juicy Past

Orlando is a massive metroplex with dozens of suburban towns that include Walt Disney World in the west and Winter Park in the Northeast. Within the Orlando orbit and located twenty miles due north of Disney World is the town of Winter Garden.

It was a thriving town in the early twentieth century with it’s principle focus on growing oranges (juicy past). It was located in Orange County and at one time shipped more fruit than any other spot in the nation. Centrally located. two railroad lines passed through the town bringing in tourists and hauling out oranges. Many of the tourists came to fish Lake Apopka, once an international capital for bass fishing.

By mid-century the lake was terribly polluted (mostly from agricultural runoff on its north shore), the orange industry had consolidated around mostly larger corporate groves that had moved farther south and the town was drying up.

The town has enjoyed a rebirth recently. In 1994 the West Orange Trail opened on the former Atlantic Coast Line rail bed and become one of the states most popular biking and walking trails stretching out to twenty some miles. Created by Orange County the trail included way stations and rest stops doted along its length. On weekends Winter Garden plays host to throngs of bikers from all over riding the West Orange Trail. The middle of the trail runs right through the center of Plant Street, Winter Garden’s main downtown strip.

For several decades Lake Apopka has seen extensive efforts to reverse its pollution and the results are showing signs of making a difference. Anglers are catching bass again and boaters are using the lake for recreation. The town is making use of a lakeside park for concerts and Forth of July celebrations and there are plans to improve the waterfront.

Located on Plant Street along with two bicycle shops are a number of noteworthy attractions including the Edgewater Hotel. Developed in the 1920s as a state-of-the art accommodation for the anglers who visited Winter Garden to fish largemouth bass, it now operates as an upscale boutique bed and breakfast.

Also there’s the Plant Street Market, a new facility that looks a lot like Winter Park’s original Farmer’s Market. On the outside, the brick building looks like a survivor from the earlier century, but inside it’s 21st-century modern, with a craft brewery along with a number of food venue choices.

The town includes the Garden Theatre, which originally opened in 1935 as a modern motion-picture theatre and was restored in 2008 to become a performing-arts center that now offers plays, concerts and movie festivals.

The downtown district covers an area about eight blocks long and two to three blocks wide and within this area are two museums, several gift shops, four women’sdress shops, more than ten restaurants and three café/coffee shops.

Weekends are full of events with Friday night music on the square in the town center, along with additional music usually available in three or four other venues around town. Live music is usually featured all weekend at The Attic Door wine café, Pilars Martini Bar (Pilars also features a great open-mic jazz Sunday) along with the Crooked Can Brewery in Plant Street Market.

Saturday mornings start with one of the best Farmers Markets in Florida and continues with more live music around town going right thru Sunday. Recently on one Saturday evening there was live music going on at seven different locations in town.

Winter Garden is also noteworthy for a number of special weekend events throughout the year. There is the Spring Fling Garden Show, Blues and Barbeque, Classic Car nights, Halloween Treats in Town, Holiday Light Up Winter Garden., Orlando Symphony on the Lake, along with a couple of music concert weekends taking over the length of Plant Street.

If you are visiting Orlando or live within driving distance and are looking for a fun day consider a visit to Winter Garden. Unfortunately other than the Edgewater Hotel there are not a lot of hotels nearby.

Old Spanish Sugar Mill, De Leon Springs, Florida

The Old Spanish Sugar Mill, A Griddle House Restaurant

Located ten miles north of DeLand Florida and only twenty five miles west of Daytona Beach is a Florida park named De Leon Springs and inside the park is a truly unique restaurant.

The Old Spanish Sugar Mill must be doing something right since they have been open for almost sixty years. Originally the location was a private resort at one of Florida’s amazing fresh water springs and when the state added it to its parks the restaurant remained open on the property. While it sells a menu of sandwiches and snacks to visitors at the springs, its real claim to fame is breakfast. If your family includes children this is a must if you are visiting the area.

The main attraction is pancakes, griddle cakes or flap jacks, if you prefer. Each table has a griddle built in and when you order pancakes you get two pitchers of pancake batter, a spatula, butter, syrup, honey and molasses. The batters include are made with stone-ground flours and include unbleached flour and five grains. If you order eggs they come in the shell with a bowl to help scramble or just slide them on the griddle. The basic plan is you cook your own eggs and pancakes and you guaranteed to have fun if you are seven to seventy.

To visit the The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill House you need to pay the park admission but that’s actually a bonus. After breakfast spend some time around the springs, walk the nature trails or take a boat excursion. All-in-all a great family outing.