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My last day on the Celebrity Century was a bit of fun, a bit relaxation and a bit of “this feels like the longest cruise I have ever been on”.
After a leisurely breakfast and some more observational strolls, it was time for a light lunch so my DW and I went to the Grand Dining Room. Again there was disappointment. Today was “brunch”. It consisted of a fairly typical buffet, but it offered far less than the buffet in the Islands Café and, more importantly to me, it was horrifically noisy and dirty. We arrived at 12:30 PM and literally not a single table in the entire dining room was clean. If two people at at a table for eight, their plates were gone, but the rest of their remnants remained (napkins, glasses, etc.) were not and if it was a table for two, it was no different. Hence, we were left with either sitting at a dirty table, compromising on less appetizing food and staying in a loud area or heading back to the Islands Café and carrying our trays to the Sunset Bar to dine al fresco. You know what we did.
Then it was time for a shuffleboard tournament within our group. We had a fun time, but we had to find our individual way to the bar to get drinks and the equipment was a bit shoddy, the deck seriously in need of a good sanding and oiling and only a few older loungers available. (I did think of the Seabourn Odyssey and Sojourn’s new “fancy” shuffleboard and putting greens with comfortable all weather chairs and sofas…and the bar waitstaff, but kept it to myself.) My DW and Nancy won; a tremendous victory!
Then it was time for a nap on my balcony. Aside from the stains on the lounger cushions the two on our suite balcony were quite comfortable, so with one of my bath towels used for a bit of cleanliness, I was quickly asleep…only for my DW to come bursting onto the balcony yelling in panic “I lost my glasses!” (Like I had something to do with that!). So, still in a half-sleep I said, “Give Nancy a call. I am sure she picked them up at the shuffleboard tournament.” Her response, “I can’t! I can’t see the numbers on the bloody phone!” I tried not to laugh…Really I did…but I had to. (Nancy had her glasses, so I was off the hook.)
I was then forced to see the pre-dinner show. After the barwaiter gave me the wrong drink…and then spilled it on my pants…I was forced to stay. And then I was forced to stay even though the show was terrible. (Anyone want to buy a CD or DVD after the show?)
Dinner was good; truly enjoyable. But the waiters and barstaff were just too smiley and asked too often if everything was to my liking. Oh, yes, that is because it was the last night and even though we had paid our gratuities ($15.00 per day in a suite), that wasn’t enough. They wanted more. And, to be sure, some of those in my group did give more but I was – as a seasoned cruisers – more offended than shamed into slipping twenties here and there. (And I gladly tip extra when deserved.)
I should note that my butler was present thought the cruise and was more than willing – always with a nice smile – to do anything I asked, but I just didn’t ask. He dutifully brought us tea and finger sandwiches at 4PM everyday, but generally we weren’t in at 4PM. He would bring us canapés at 6PM, but we generally weren’t in at 6PM. Would I consider this “luxury”? Not really. It was nice, but as I have always said, it is more show than substance…and not worth paying a premium for. (I should also note that I do not think I ever saw my room steward. He did an acceptable job keeping the room tidy.) I do still recommend paying the extra for the Sky Suites and their amenities…just don’t do it because you get a butler.
Now for my concluding thoughts:
My premise in writing this was actually not based upon any true belief that a five day cruise on the Celebrity Century (the oldest and smallest ship in the fleet) could actually provide a luxury experience because there simply is no way it could. It is not its purpose and the clientèle that enjoy this ship want a particular product that is more upscale than Royal Caribbean or Princess and without all of the glitz and activities and announcements…or they just found it to be a good value for a five day getaway. Other than dinner in Murano, certain times at the Sunset Bar or Michael’s Club (stained furniture aside) “luxury” in its true sense is not what the Celebrity Century is about.
Someone said to me that they felt five days was the perfect amount of time for a cruise. I asked them if they had some more cultural or other activities off the ship (visiting ruins, snorkeling, sailing, ATVs, cultural tours, etc.) so that the ship was less the focus and days were more diverse would five days be enough? The response was “Good question. I don’t know.” Because of the lack of those things…even more so than the state of the ship…I felt five days was far more than enough…for me.
Does that make me a “cruise snob”? No, it means I need my cruising time to be more mentally rewarding and enriching. I need to walk the fish market in Catania, Sicily or visit the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey. There are many people that those things simply hold no interest. They would just as easily and quickly say, “Seabourn has fancy ships with nothing to do and its way too formal. Yuk.” They are not wrong; Seabourn is just the wrong product for them.
What was truly disappointing and a bit shocking for me was the difference between the Celebrity ships. I am sure the Solstice-class ships have spoiled me, just as the Celebrity Suites on the Millennium-class ships have, but to a lesser degree. Celebrity does not try to be everything for everybody, but I think just as the Meridian, Zenith, Horizon, Galaxy and Mercury have said goodbye, the time for Century to do so may be near.
I am not sure what will be done, if anything, to spiff her up before she spends her summer doing 7 night Alaska cruises and then travels to Australia. Considering the options out there for similar cruises one really needs to look hard to be sure this older lady that is showing a bit of neglect is one’s best choice. You really need to ponder whether what she offers is what you really want. I am sure that for many it is, but for others don’t see the Celebrity name and assume she provides what Celebrity markets. Other Celebrity ships do, but Century…
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Seabourn
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Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (Food & Wine) Cruise
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Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part I (A Look Back and A Look Forward)
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part II (Copenhagen & The First Day)
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part III (Flam & Alesund)
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part IV (Slovlaer and Tromso)
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part V (Honningsvag) – Ventures By Seabourn
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part V (Sea Days & Private Culinary Events)
Goldring Travel’s 2015 Culinary & Cultural (formerly Food & Wine) Cruise – Seabourn Quest – Part VI (Bergen, Stavanger & The Last Two Culinary Events: Shopping with the Seabourn Chef and A Cheese Tasting)
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Culinary & Cultural (Food & Wine) Cruise
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Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – Preparations and a Plan…Sort Of!
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – Take Off…and A Fresh Perspective
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – Air Travel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Meat!
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – The First 24 Hours and Ihhabela, Brazil
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – The Little Things (Paranagua and Porto Belo, Brazil)
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – Seabourn Quest’s Chef Creates An Incredible Tasting Event
Goldring Travel’s 2013 Food & Wine Cruise – The Event: Montevideo, Uruguay- Caviar, Caviar and Sturgeon
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride
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Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part I
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part II (Perspective)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part III (Storms A Brewing…And A Double Rainbow!)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part IV (Fish & Chips…And A Great Beer)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part V (Cork, Ireland and a Lucky Leprechaun Named Darina Allen)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part VI (A Day at Sea with Special Events…And Then A Most Charming Port )
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part VII (Bordeaux- Day 1)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part VII (Bordeaux- Day 2: Chateau Margaux and Chateau Lynch-Bages)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part VIII (Relaxing and “Basque”ing)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part IX (Shopping With The Chef)
Goldring Travel’s 2012 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Pride – Part X (The Goldring Travel Food & Wine Tasting)
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise – Seabourn Sojourn
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Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part I
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part II
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part III
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part IV
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part V
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part VI
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part VII
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part VIII
Goldring Travel’s 2011 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn – Part IX
Goldring Travel’s 2010 Food & Wine Cruise – Seabourn Odyssey
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2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – The Beginning…Almost.
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – The Beginning…Leaving On A Jet Plane
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Oy, Such Problems!
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Doing So Much and Doing Nothing
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – A Sea Day and Some Thoughts About The Dining Expereiences
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Shopping with the Chef and Sicilian Seafood Experiences
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Malta and Food for Thought
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Pizza or the Wintergarden Suite’s Spa? Let’s Try Both!
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – The Food & Wine Tasting to Die For!
2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey – Finding Pizza and What It Means to “Travel”
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise – Seabourn Spirit
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2009 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Some Pre-Cruise Thoughts and My Plan
Goldring Travel’s Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit 2009 – The Start: It’s All About The Clothes???
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Walking With Wine In Venice
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Finally Onboard…Err, I Mean, Home!
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Split, Croatia: Shopping With the Chef & Chilling Out Seabourn Style
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise – Its About The Fish!
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Meeting Up With The Big Sister & Chef’s Surprises
Goldring Travel’s 2009 Food & Wine Cruise on the Seabourn Spirit – Some Final Thoughts
Goldring Travel’s 2008 Food & Wine Cruise
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Goldring Travel’s 2007 Seabourn Food & Wine Cruise
Seabourn Quest Pre-Inaugural Cruise 2011
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The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part I
The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part II
The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part III
The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part IV
The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part V
The Pre-Inaugural of the Seabourn Quest – Part VI – The Photos!
Seabourn Sojourn Inaugural Cruise (2010)
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Seabourn Sojourn – The Inaugural & Maiden Voyage Travelogue
Seabourn Sojourn – The Inaugural & Maiden Voyage Travelogue – Part II
Seabourn Sojourn – The Inaugural & Maiden Voyage Travelogue – Part III (The Seabourn Sojourn Has Been Delivered!)
Seabourn Sojourn Inaugural and Maiden Voyage – Part VI
Seabourn Sojourn Inaugural and Maiden Voyage – Part XII – Some Videos and Photos
2009 Seabourn Odyssey Inaugural Cruise
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AmaWaterways River Cruises
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Goldring Travel’s 2014 Culinary & Cultural (Food & Wine) Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto
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Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part I
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part II
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part III
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part IV (Georg Breuer Riesling Tasting)
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part VI
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part VII (Bamberg Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting)
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part VIII
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part IX (Food & Wine Tasting on the AmaCerto)
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part X
Goldring Travel’s 2014 Food & Wine River Cruise – AmaWaterways AmaCerto (Amsterdam to Budapest) – Part XI – The Tokaji Wine Tasting
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part VI (Hualien, Taiwan and Okinawa – The Kindness of Strangers)
AmaWaterways AmaLotus – Vietnam & Cambodia
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AmaWaterways Mekong River Cruise – Radio Interview
AMAWaterways’ AmaLotus – 2012 Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part I
AMAWaterways’ AmaLotus – 2012 Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part II
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – 2012 Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part III
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part IV
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part V (Getting There & Day 1: Hanoi)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part VI (Let the Tour Begin!)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part VII (Halong Bay…and A Monk)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part VIII
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part IX (The Ship)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part X (The Egg)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part XI (Happy Pizza)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part XII (The Killing Fields)
AmaWaterways’ AmaLotus – Vietnam, Cambodia and The Mekong River Cruise- Part XIII (Our Last Days)
Review and Reflection of the 2012 AmaWaterways AmaLotus Vietnam and Cambodia Tour and Cruise
Azamara Club Cruises
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Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises – Is it Amazing? Part I
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part II
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part III (Bali and Komodo Island)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part IV (Upscale Meets ????)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part V (Perspectives on Experiencing Developing Ports)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part V (Manila, Philippines – By Day and AzAmazing Evening)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part VII (Doing It On Your Own – Part A – Dontonbori, Osaka)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part VIII (Doing It On Your Own – Part B – Kyoto – Why You Can’t Rely Only On Guidebooks or TripAdvisor!)
Goldring Travel Experiences Azamara Club Cruises in Asia – Is it Amazing? Part IX – Reflections
Celebrity Cruises
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Celebrity Century (2011)
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Celebrity Century Cruise 2011 – How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get?
Celebrity Century Cruise 2011 – How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part II
Celebrity Century Cruise 2011 – How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part III
Celebrity Century Cruise 2011 – How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part IV
Celebrity Century Cruise 2011 – How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Some Final Observations and Thoughts
Celebrity Equinox (2009)
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Celebrity Equinox 2009- The Prologue to the Travelogue
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – The Adventure Begins…With a Bump or Two
Celebrity Equinox – Settling In Made Easy
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Luxury Touches …
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Asian Flair …
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Private Tours, Israel …
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Egypt…Impressive and Depressing
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Dining With the Captain …
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – The Last Dinner …
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – What Happens When …
Celebrity Silhouette (2013)
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Celebrity Solstice (2008)
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Celebrity Summit “Solticized” – A Ship Inspection (2012)
Crystal Cruises
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Crystal Serenity – November 2015
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Crystal Serenity – Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part I
Crystal Serenity – Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part II
Crystal Serenity – Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part III
Crystal Serenity – Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part IV (Food & Wine!)
Crystal Symphony – April 2011
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Crystal Symphony – Part I
Crystal Symphony – Part II
Crystal Symphony – Part III
Crystal Symphony – Part IV
Crystal Symphony – Part V
Crystal Symphony – Part VI
Crystal Symphony – Part VII
Crystal Symphony – Part VIII
Crystal Symphony – Part IX
Crystal Symphony – Goldring Travel’s Pacific Exploration of Crystal Cruise’s Luxury Experience – “Reflections”
Cunard
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fathom Impact Travel
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G Adventures – Amazon River Cruise
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Goldring Travel Cruising the Peruvian Amazon With G Adventures – Part I
Goldring Travel Cruising the Peruvian Amazon With G Adventures – Part II
Goldring Travel Cruising the Peruvian Amazon With G Adventures – Part III
Goldring Travel Cruising the Peruvian Amazon With G Adventures – Part IV (What Group Travel Should Really Be About!)
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
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Paul Gauguin
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Princess
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Princess Cruises Doesn’t Treat You Like Royalty; Celebrity Cruises Does! Which is a Better Value for the Upscale Cruise Guest? Part I
Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part II: The Standard Veranda Staterooms
Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part III: Treating You Right From The Start
Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part IV: The Wine Lists Speak Volumes (As Do The Beverage Packages)
Regent
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Royal Caribbean
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SeaDream Yacht Club
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Goldring Travel Cruising on SeaDream Yacht Club – Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part I
Goldring Travel Cruising on SeaDream Yacht Club – Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part II (Getting There, The Stateroom and First Impressions)
Goldring Travel Cruising on SeaDream Yacht Club – Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part III (“You Can’t Teach Five Star Service” and Bonafacio, Corsica)
Goldring Travel Cruising on SeaDream Yacht Club – Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part IV (Calvi, Monaco, Portofino, Porto Azzurro…and Stale Bread)
Goldring Travel Cruising on SeaDream Yacht Club – Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part V (My Last Day…and How The Chef’s Team Makes It Happen)
Silversea
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Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part I
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part II
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part III
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part IV
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part V
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part VI
Silversea Silver Shadow Alaska Cruise Review – Part VII
Taipei, Taiwan – Independent Travel
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Windstar
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