Our plan was to take the train from Sorrento to Pompeii but when we arrived at the station we discovered that there was a rail strike โ these occur at random with little or no warning. Plan B was to take the local bus along the Amalfi Coast to Positano โ but of course that was everyone elseโs Plan B as well, so the queue was horrendous.
Best of the Best was a memorable dinner, hosted by Captain Ikiadis, cruise director Eric De Gray (very funny guy), hotel director Scott Daniels and chief engineer Evangelos Miskedakis. It was served in the Drawing Room while we sailed through the Strait of Messina...
We had booked a day-long 4WD trip to the lava fields of the 10,800ft high volcano but as there were not enough takers it had been cancelled, so we set off for Taormina to see if we could find a local tour operator offering something similar.
My alarm went off at 8 am and I woke to complete darkness. There was a moment of fear. Had Cuban pirates boarded the ship in the night and consigned me to a barrel?
I am not speaking of the cute British kidsโ television series from the 1960โs in which Hammy Hamster, Roderick Rat and GP the guinea pig had amazing adventures, but the increase in the popularity of river cruising......
Hereโs Azamara Journey docked in her port of registry, Valletta, the capital city of Malta. This 16th-century city is a living history lesson and the guided walk we took around the streets and key sights was well worth the $41 charge.
As the editor of P&O Cruisesโ in-cabin magazine Pacific (as well as Cruise Passenger of course), I recently commissioned a feature on the theme of โHow To Do Nothing On A Cruise Shipโ. A sea day on this cruise is the perfect opportunity for me to practise what we preach. I could now leave this page blank while I do nothing at all ... however...
Early spring in Europe is proving to be a very cool affair. As soon as we boarded the tender to take us from the ship to the island this morning, I wished Iโd taken my jacket with me.
Itโs been an epic week since my last blog, with the joy of the Royal Wedding over in the UK on Friday night, capturing the attention of millions of people across the globe, then the historic news about the demise of Osama Bin Laden yesterday......
Oceania Cruises has a new ship and an amazing series of new journeys. Peter Lynch and Rose Kelly talk to the line's James Sitters about what's on offer and some special deals just for you.