Comment

Comment by Ed Wetschler on August 27, 2010 at 3:14pm

Kathie, you just talked me out of my nonchalant attitude. Thanks.

Comment by Kathie Hagen on August 26, 2010 at 6:11pm

Just got back from a 9-day from Baltimore to New England/Canada on RCI's Enchantment of the Seas. I'm an OFS (obnoxious former smoker). I smoked from when I was 20 (real dumb) til I was 25. I've been asthmatic since I was 28.

When I went to the casino (except on the 2 non-smoking nights, which were heaven), I was in big trouble. When others smoke near you, YOU smoke. That's the reality. & you're not getting the super-filtered end of the deal, either. Also, you run the gauntlet when you pass the smoking section as you enter the pool area to get to the Windjammer buffet. When the automatic doors open, it creates a vortex which pulls all the smoky air right at you with a dramatic rush. If you took a shower before you came down to breakfast, you're SOL. Now you stink.

It's difficult to blame the cruise line for this; I believe they were thoughtful about where on the ship to put smoking sections. But honestly, the last night aboard ship, I was in the casino (a smoking night) & I had a sore throat. Big deal; I knew it was because of the heavy smoke & I'd feel better the next morning. Not so. I'm getting over the head cold that developed full-force when I got home from my vacay last Saturday (it's Thursday).

It's not fair to tell non-smokers to avoid the smoking areas on the ship. The casino was non-smoking 2 nights out of 9. The area of the pool where the smokers are is practically unavoidable; one must walk through this area to get to the Windjammer (my husband & I did a little recon when we first boarded to see if there was a way around this).

I understand that smoking is an addiction of the brain & body. Perhaps smokers could use their cruise as a time to "stop" smoking. I didn't say "quit." You *know* you could stop smoking for a week or so. Give it a try.

Comment by Ed Wetschler on August 26, 2010 at 9:29am

Smoking on Cruise Ships

Where there's smoke, there's fire: A post at Cruisecritic.co.uk has reminded me what a hot issue smoking on cruise ships is. I'm a life-long non-smoker (really life-long; I never even tried it) who's pretty tolerant about other people smoking, but is this permissive attitude outdated?

Comment by Tripatini on August 18, 2010 at 12:28pm

New on the Tripatini blog: another member's take on Norwegian Cruise Lines new Epic.

Comment by Marcia Raffel Levin on August 16, 2010 at 10:13am

The new Costa ship, Deliziosa, was home to three of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" who, with their families, sailed on the maiden voyage last winter. Teresa Giudice, Jacqueline Laurita and Carolina Manzo were aboard.and took in the sights of Venice. They enjoyed spa treatments, the casino and dancing.

Comment by EnLinea Media on August 10, 2010 at 2:29pm

Ahoy! A Tripatino has a question about a Mediterranean cruise. Can you lend a hand?

Comment by Ed Wetschler on July 13, 2010 at 1:34pm

Contest for Writing a Cruise or Port Review

Don't know if this is worth doing or not; I'm just passing it along.

DETROIT, MI (July 13,2010) AllThingsCruise.com, the leading consumer cruise information site, is offering its visitors the chance to win a river cruise on AmaWaterways.

Guests need only write a review of a recent experience with a ship or port of call to enter; each legitimate review submitted to the site by September 15, 2010 will earn an entry into the “AmaWaterways ” River Cruise Contest. (No purchase of any kind is required- please see the official rules for submission guidelines.*)

Comment by Ed Wetschler on July 12, 2010 at 8:40am

Today's eTurbo News includes a CBC report on another possible battle between environmental regulations and cruise ships.

"New emission controls planned for Canada's coasts may threaten the country's multi-million-dollar cruise ship industry.

The level of sulphur permitted in fuel used within 200 nautical miles of land is going to be lowered, which would raise the costs of operating in Canadian waters.

The U.S. is making similar changes after a joint agreement reached with Canada in March....One British cruise ship operator [Fred Olsen cruises] has already said it will likely drop Canada and New England from its schedule when the controls start in two years."

Will this end up as a cautionary tale for other countries that want to raise environmental standards for cruise ships?

Comment by Looking For Freelancers on July 6, 2010 at 8:55pm

Hello all you cruise-goers and experts!
We are looking for freelance travel writers for advertorial assignments in an American high-end lifestyle and travel magazine. Must have travel experience aboard a luxury cruise ship, be familiar with the luxury cruise industry, and (or at least) thorough and varied knowledge of high-end cruise lines. We have several advertorials that need to be written for such companies as Uniworld, Silversea, Oceania, Regent, Seabourn, and Crystal, and we will allot each assignment to whomever has the most experience writing on the subject, or who has had a first-hand experience as a guest on the particular luxury cruise line. We have many assignments for this publication twice a year, and we look for writers we can keep using in the future.

Please contact by email. looking4freelance@yahoo.com
Please send:
1) your resume and rate per word
2) list other publications you have written for
3) advertorial writing samples (of cruise lines if possible)
4) a list of cruise lines you have experience sailing aboard, and where you have traveled.
Thanks, and Happy Travels!

Comment by Ed Wetschler on June 24, 2010 at 9:04am

A few months Tripatini ran a story about the cruise ship showdown in the Mekong River Delta. Now a manager at one of those companies, Compagnie Fluviale du Mekong (CFM), says these routes may be imperiled by environmental changes. "I feel that global warming and the eventual effects of China’s dams in the Upper Mekong might lower water in a irreparable way," says Ship Manager Yves Boccuni. "We certainly will have to rethink Mekong cruises within the next decade." He urges the formation of an association of competing cruise lines to cope with this and other problems. Would these competitors really cooperate much with each other?

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• …
• 14
• Next ›
• Page