Destinations

On the April 29th , I went to San Francisco to do a ship inspection of the Norwegian Pearl. The Pearl 93,000 gross tons, holds 2380 guests and has a crew of 1154. The ship has 13 dining options, with 11 bars, Casino and bowling alley. The Pearl has 2 pools and 6hot tubs, fitness center, Rock Wall and a basketball court than you can play basketball, tennis or even soccer. The ship was spectacular to see! A real beauty!

The exclusive courtyard villas and garden Villas are great for family vacations. The bowling alley was dark and had 4 alleys there is a charge for the bowling, also through out the bowling there beds?? Not sure what that was about? Interesting to say the least.

The pool had a slide and there was lots of room for sunbathing. There is a covered area for kids to swim, no sunburning for the little ones! The dining on Norwegian is freestyle (not my favorite) however, food was not bad. Remember there are 13 dining options!Over all I was impressed with the ship, I would give high marks.

January 13 — February 4, 2009, See the world’s coastal rim in 23 days. Explore the earth’s oldest desert, feel the thunderous roar of Iguazú Falls, cruise around the infamous Cape Horn, and navigate admits vast icebergs to reach “the end of the Earth”. This expedition will take you to the most breathtaking sites on the planet all in the comfort of your own VIP jetliner. This is a one in a life time trip that you will always remember.

The journey begins with a flight from Harrod’s private terminal in London’s Luton Airport. You’ll be flying in a VIP 757 Boeing Jetliner newly configured that hosts only 74 guests. You will reach Madeira Island a spectacular national park with the prefect climate, striking scenery, and even its own unique wine. Choose from the many organized activities that TCS Exeditions provides.

Then it’s off to Burkina Faso where you’ll drive to Tiebele here you’ll experience traditional tribal living and wildlife. Reboard the jet for a day trip to explore Bobo Dioulasso the cultural capital of Burkina Faso featuring brilliant man made and natural sites. Ensuite, Walvis Bay Namibia, a dramatic blend of dunes and ocean. Choose from the many wildlife adventures or an expedition to the ancient Namib Desert.

Next stop Cape town located in a stunning natural setting explore the ocean from up above, see the unique habitat of African penguin colonies, visit fascinating African museums, or take a cable car to summit of Table Mountain. Then jet off to Rio de Janeiro, where you’ll stay in the opulent Copacabana Beach hotel and explore the world famous Tijuca Forest and take a cogwheel train to Corcovado. Then to Buenos Aires where you can visit the capitals European-influenced neighborhoods or the native countryside.

Next its off to Ushuaia the world’s southern most city. Here you’ll embark on a three night luxury cruise around Cape Horn, visiting some of the most untouched and rarely seen locations of the world. The cruise is then followed by a visit to Iguazú Falls. This string of 275 waterfalls is nearly two miles wide creating an everlasting rainbow in the water.

The trip ends with a visit to the engineering marvel the Panama Canal and a stay in a rainforest resort. Ride a tram through the rainforest canopy and enjoy a farewell dinner marking the end to this remarkable and extraordinary trip.

What more wonderful than seas with 1.5 foot swells, clear skies and a broad open decks to relax on between ports-of-call? Nothing!! I just returned from a marvelous six day ‘repositioning’ cruise aboard the SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS, one of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s mid-sized ships. Sailing from Lisbon, Portugal via Gibraltar, Sardinia, Dubrovnik and finishing in Venice, Italy, we got to experience a range of wonderful places to visit. We even had time to relax at sea on two of the days. All guests on board seemed to delight in this extra open time to mingle, laugh, chat and also have a bit of quiet time. It made an excellent balance between sightseeing new places and enjoyment of the ship’s proffered offerings.

On board, there were so many options for all age groups — rock wall climbing, spa treatments, mini-golf, shuffleboard and table tennis, jogging track, dance lessons, as well as special programs for the youngsters aboard with specialized on board counselors provided by the cruise line. Teens had their separate spaces and younger ones a playroom with age appropriate activities.

Throughout the day there was light musical entertainment which all of us enjoyed by the pool. If music wasn’t wished, there were ample other deck areas for quieter activities including snoozing. At night the quality and range of entertainment was excellent — full-fledged dance shows, atrium area duets and quartets, and light entertainment in several smaller club Rooms.

The ship had over 47 different nationalities aboard this sailing which gave many groups opportunities to share life experiences and cultures. The ship is designed to give everyone the option to be super busy to totally relaxed and the choices on the daily activities ‘menu’ left by the cabin stewards were endless and easy to make. All in all — a good time and all too short.