Cruises

Scenic Tours launched its newest European river ship, the Scenic Crystal, in April 2012. I sailed a section of the Rhine River on the ship and enjoyed the entire experience, especially the spacious cabins with their innovative balconies that can be transformed into a cozy sun room with the flip of a switch.

Even Americans who have taken a European river cruise may not know much about Scenic Tours. The Australian travel company has done land tours for many years, and introduced river cruises to its portfolio in 2008. Scenic Tours markets its river cruises under the Scenic Cruises name in the USA. Scenic has rapidly expanded its river cruise business, adding six ships in the past five years. The company plans to add another ship, Scenic Jewel, in 2013. All the ships (except the Scenic Emerald, which sails in France) will be retro-fitted to include most of the innovative features found on the Scenic Crystal and Scenic Jewel.

The company has also planned a major change in its cruise fare structure for 2013. In addition to the new builds, Scenic Tours and Scenic Cruises will be the first in the industry to make its river cruises truly all-inclusive. In addition to drinks, transfers, and tips, this all-inclusive policy will include special shore excursion adventures such as an evening tour and dinner at Rastatt Palace in Germany. I love touring palaces, and they look so much more elegant at night! And, who doesn't love a candlelit dinner, followed by a concert in a grand ballroom?

More on the Scenic Crystal

• Scenic Crystal River Ship Tour
• Scenic Crystal Photo Gallery - 36 pictures of river ship
• Interior Common Areas
• Exterior Common Areas
• Dining
• Cabins

Scenic Crystal (c) Linda Garrison

Tipping on a cruise ship has to be one of the most discussed topics about cruising. When do you tip? How much do you tip? Whom do you tip? These questions baffle most travelers, but cruisers are particularly challenged since tips are handled differently than in hotels or restaurants.

Cruise lines either have a no tipping policy, add a suggested tip onto your bill, or provide suggestions to passengers on how much gratuity to give to the staff. It is important to know that on most ships, tips represent a large portion of a crew member's salary, and you need to factor in this cost when planning your cruise. Let's take a look at tipping in general and tipping on cruise ships.

The Flying Dutchman pirate ship from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean used to be one of the first things seen at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island in the Bahamas. Unfortunately, since the ship was a movie prop, the weather took its toll, and the old ship had to be removed. Many fans of Castaway Cay hope it will someday be replaced by a similar ship.

Castaway Cay Photo (c) Linda Garrison

The Seabourn Odyssey is the first in its class of ships for The Yachts of Seabourn. She has two sister ships, the Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest.

The 450-passenger Seabourn Odyssey is over twice as large as the other ships in the Seabourn fleet, but the company has managed to continue the exceptional service, delicious cuisine, and casual onboard atmosphere that past Seabourn cruisers love and expect.

I sailed a 7-day Adriatic cruise itinerary from Venice to Athens on the Seabourn Odyssey and loved everything about the ship. Join me on a tour of the suites, dining venues, and public areas of the Seabourn Odyssey.

Let's take a pictorial tour of the Seabourn Odyssey.

Seabourn Odyssey at Anchor in Fiscardo, Greece (c) Linda Garrison

Cruise ships sailing the western Mediterranan and docked at La Goulette, Tunisia often include a tour of Tunis as a shore excursion option. These tours include a walk around the Medina and one of the enclosed souks (shopping areas).

The city tours also will travel to the Bardo National Museum, which has the world's largest collection of Roman mosaics. Tourists might also choose to visit Sidi Bou Said, a small town near La Goulette and the remains of Carthage.

Tunis Souk (c) Linda Garrison

The Oasis of the Seas has wonderful indoor public areas, but the outside decks really are special and different. Its size allowed the designers to be very creative in their use of the space. And, since the Oasis of the Seas is based year-round in the sunny Caribbean, it makes sense that the cruise ship would have spacious outdoor areas and plenty of activities for guests to enjoy in the sunshine and fresh air.

Two of the most talked about areas are the Boardwalk and Central Park. However, these photos demonstrate some of the many other fascinating outdoor deck areas on the Oasis of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas (c) Linda Garrison

When in Alaska, I took two memorable shore excursions that involved new methods of transportation for me. The first was a helicopter ride over the Juneau Ice Fields and the Mendenhall Glacier, and the second was a float plane ride from Campbell River on Vancouver Island where we delivered the mail to the residents of the some of the outlying islands of coastal British Columbia. Both were exciting activities, and neither was as scary as I feared they would be! We were cruising on the marvelous Seven Seas Mariner, but these two shore excursions are offered by many Alaska cruise ships.

Don't I look like a competent co-pilot in this photo at the right?

Campbell River, BC Photo (c) Linda Garrison

You can't miss Table Mountain when you visit Cape Town. It's the large plateau overlooking the city that can be quickly covered with a table cloth of fog. Cruise ships sailing into Cape Town are treated to a spectacular sight, with the city nestled at the foot of the plateau and the mountains continuing south towards Cape Point. Viewing Cape Town from the summit of Table Mountain provides the ultimate view of the city, its beaches, and Robben Island.

Table Mountain in Cape Town (c) Linda Garrison

Happy Mother's Day! If you are looking for a special treat for your mom, why not plan a cruise with her? Since cruises offer activities for all ages and interests, cruises make wonderful multi-generational vacations.

My mother and I took our first cruise together to the Mediterranean in April 2000, and since then we have sailed Australia, the South Pacific, China, Japan, Europe, South America, Africa, SE Asia, Alaska, and the Caribbean together. We have built some lifetime memories that I will always cherish. Isn't this a great photo of our family (my brother, sister-in-law, mom, and I) enjoying lunch ashore in Florence, Italy? (We left Ronnie the About Fishing Guide at home for this Mother's Day cruise.)
Cruising with Mom

Florence Family Photo (c) Linda Garrison

At a gala ceremony outdoors on the dock, Oceania Cruises christened its newest ship, the m/s Riviera, yesterday in Barcelona. The ship's godmother is Chef Cat Cora, the restaurateur, humanitarian, author, and co-host of Bravo's new "Around the World in 80 Plates" television show. The new ship sparkling in the sunshine served as a perfect backdrop for the outdoor event. As the nearly 1,300 guests entered the area, they were provided with a Spanish fan, which came in handy in the afternoon sun. While we waited for the event to start, Spanish guitarists and acrobats entertained us.

Leslie Jon, the cruise director of the m/s Riviera, served as the master of ceremony. A duet of "Barcelona" performed by Soprano Alina Furman and Tenor Giorgio Olmo and a flamenco dance company set a festive atmosphere for the ceremony. The national anthems of the U.S. and Spain followed after the entertainment.

The first speakers on the program were the president of the Port of Barcelona and the Mayor of the city of Barcelona. The representative of the port of Barcelona spoke of the huge growth in Barcelona cruise ship traffic over the past several years. He noted that about 800 cruise ships with over 2.6 million passengers would stopover in Barcelona this year, making it the fourth busiest cruise ship port in the world. He was followed by the Mayor of Barcelona, who also touched on the growth of Bareclona tourism. In 1992, the year Barcelona held the Olympics, the city welcomed about one million tourists. In 2012, the city expects over 8 million tourists, with about one third of them arriving on a cruise ship.

Kunal S. Kamlani, President and COO of Oceania Cruises, spoke about the cruise line and its ships. I had very current, personal experience with Oceania, having embarked on the Riviera in Monte Carlo five days before the christening, and was very impressed with how smoothly the ship's operations were running. If I hadn't known we were the first passengers onboard, I would have thought the ship had been sailing for months. The interior and exterior common areas are pristine and very elegant. The service is friendly and attentive without being overly obsequious. The food has been uniformly excellent. This preview cruise is packed with travel agents, media, and other travel partners--not usually an easy crowd to please. Yet, I haven't heard any real complaints from a single guest.

Mr. Kamlani introduced Frank Del Rio, the cruise line's founder and chairman. He explained that "tradition and a little superstition" brought Oceania back to Barcelona for the christening of the Riviera. The cruise line's first ship, Regatta, was also named in Barcelona. This fascinating city will be the European homeport for Riviera's first cruise season, another good reason to name the ship there.

Mr. Del Rio spoke of the success of his company since its beginning in 2002 and recognized several of those who contributed to this success. He told us earlier in the week that the Riviera had 727 changes from Marina, Riviera's sister ship launched early in 2011. Most of these changes are very small and won't be noticed by cruise travelers sailing on both ships. However, making even these small changes demonstrates that the cruise line listens to the guests' feedback.

Captain Luca Manzi, master of the Riviera, spoke of the hard work and dedication of the staff in readying the ship for this launch. I'm sure others in the crowd were as touched as I was to see many of them proudly standing on the ship's balconies and on the walkways around the pier.

Finally, the big moment arrived. Deacon Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos of the Barcelona's Apostleship of the Sea bestowed the traditional blessings on the Riviera. Godmother Cat Cora briefly spoke of how delighted she was to have been chosen as the Riviera's godmother. She officially named the ship, pulled a large silver lever, and a 15-liter (about 4 gallons) Nebuchadnezzar of Champagne (weighing over 200 pounds), custom-made by Veuve Clicquot, broke against the ship's hull to commemorate its naming. Large cannons spewed red and yellow (the colors of Spain) confetti over the guests, and it swirled in the ocean breeze. What a marvelous moment!

More on the Riviera

The christening cruise I was on embarked in Monte Carlo and will disembark in Venice. Following this christening cruise, Riviera begins a 10-day maiden voyage from Venice to Athens, departing on May 16, 2012. From May 16 through November 29, 2012, she will offer a total of 20 Mediterranean voyages, calling at ports in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Turkey as well as Israel, Croatia, Cyprus, Montenegro, Morocco and Monaco, with maiden calls in Cephalonia (Argostoli), Motril (Granada) and the Canary Islands.

I'll be adding more information and photos of the Riviera to this site over the next few weeks. Now, it's time to go enjoy myself outdoors on the deck of this gorgeous new addition to the Oceania fleet!

More on the Riviera Christening from Oceania Cruises

Find and Book an Oceania Cruise on the Marina Using Kayak

Champagne Bottle Breaks Against the Hull of the Riviera to Commemorate its Naming (c) Linda Garrison