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About Roadtripping

Marjie Lambert
Marjie Lambert
E-mail  | |  Bio

Recent Posts

  • Switch to twitter?
  • A bid to restore Ken Kesey's psychedelic bus
  • Road trip dining: breakfast in Pittsburgh
  • Rental car agencies and bogus bills for damages
  • Shuttle Atlantis goes on display June 29
  • A short tour of the Costa Mediterranea
  • 'Madagascar' coming to Busch Gardens
  • Road trip: Grapefruit League's Spring Training
  • Royal Caribbean names 2 new ships
  • Behind the scenes at United/Fort Lauderdale

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More ways to burn off dessert on Royal Princess

Princess
The Royal Princess, which will debut in Europe next June, will have more and bigger fitness facilities, including a two-lane jogging track with outdoor exercise stations, a private aerobics studio with fitness classes, a simulated laser shooting range, and a batting cage — just in case passengers need new ways to rationalize that extra trip through the buffet line or a second dessert.

Princess Cruises announced the design for the fitness facilities Thursday.  Highlights:

—     The jogging track on Deck 18 will have separate lanes for runners and walkers, as well as a new circuit program.

—     The Fitness Center, on Deck 17, will be furnished with treadmills, recumbent bicycles, elliptical machines, strength equipment and free weights — plus ocean views.

—     Classes in the aerobics studio will include body-sculpting boot camp and Chi Ball Yoga, which uses an aromatherapy-scented ball.

—     Sports Central, on decks 18 and 19, will house court games such as basketball and tennis, a portable batting cage, a lawn for bocce ball and croquet, a simulated laser shooting range, and a game lounge.

The 3,600-passenger ship is under construction in Monfalcone, Italy. A sister ship, as yet unnamed, is scheduled to debut in 2014.

Rendering: Princess Cruises

07/20/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ten scariest U.S. airports

What's the scariest airplane landing you ever experienced? If it was in the U.S., chances are it was scary because of weather problems or a mechanical problem or the afraid-of-flying passenger sitting nearby whose fear was contagious. We don't tend to worry much about the airports themselves being a cause for fear.

Maybe we should. Airfarewatchdog.com has compiled a list of the 10 scariest airports in the USA: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Aspen, CO; John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, CA; Midway International Airport, Chicago, IL; Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, Sitka, AK; Yeager Airport, Charleston, WV; San Diego International Airport, San Diego, CA; LaGuardia Airport, New York, NY; Catalina Airport, Avalon, CA; Telluride Regional Airport, Telluride, CO; Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC.

Yikes! Most of us will never have the opportunity to fly into Sitka. But what frequent traveler hasn't flown into LaGuardia or Washington National.

"We really don't want to scare people from flying, so maybe we should call these the most "thrilling" airports to land at. Air travel, mile for mile, is still the safest way to get from place to place, other than, perhaps, your own two feet," George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, said in a press release.

Go here to read the full article, which tells you why each airport might "thrill" you.

07/16/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Queen Elizabeth 2's staterooms will become hotel rooms in Dubai

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Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 made its last cruise in 2008, then the fabled ocean liner was taken into custody by Istithmar World, the Dubai state investment company that had bought the ship and planned to turn it into a permanently anchored luxury hotel.

But Dubai’s economy took a tumble, and the Queen Elizabeth 2, instead of entering rehab, sat idle.

On Monday, Dubai announced its more modest plans for the ship. Its appearance will be kept largely as is, and about 300 existing cabins will serve as guest rooms, probably starting at the end of 2013. Read the full story here.

Photo: The Queen Elizabeth 2 in January 2002. Credit: Stuart Ramson/Cunard.

 

07/03/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Queen of the Mississippi preparing for New Orleans launch

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The Queen of the Mississippi, which will be launched on the Mississippi River in August, arrived at the Port of New Orleans last weekend, where workers are finishing design details and cleaning, and the crew will undergo training.

The Queen sailed to New Orleans from Salisbury, Maryland, after its construction was completed six weeks ahead of schedule at Chesapeake Shipbuilding.

The paddlewheeler, with a capacity of 150 passengers, is the newest and largest in the American Cruise Lines fleet. It will sail itineraries on the Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland rivers.

The Queen will be the second boat doing overnight cruises on the Mississippi River. The renovated American Queen, which debuted in 1995 and is about three times as large as the Queen of the Mississippi, returned to cruising in April after sitting idle for four years.

Photo credit: American Cruise Lines

06/16/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

2 new cruise ships launched in Europe

Carnival breeze
 Carnival Cruise Lines took delivery of the Carnival Breeze on Thursday at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. After spending the summer and early fall sailing Mediterranean cruises, the 130,000-ton ship will become part of the Miami fleet in November and do Caribbean cruises year-round.

The Carnival Breeze, the 24th ship in the line’s fleet, will depart on its inaugural cruise from Venice on Sunday.

The ship will be the first to feature the Thrill Theater, a special effects experience that makes viewers feel as if they’re part of the movie; Bonsai Sushi, a full-service sushi restaurant; Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ; and the poolside Comfort Kitchen.

The photo above shows the Carnival doing sea trials in early May. Credit: CarnivalPR.

MSC DivinaLast week, the MSC Divina was christened in Marseilles, France, by the fleet’s godmother, Sophia Lauren. The ship is MSC’s 12th, and at 139,400 tons, the line's largest. It will sail in Europe initially, but move to Miami in the fall of 2013 for a season of Caribbean cruises. Photo credit: Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises

 

05/31/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Princess Cruises: There's another Gavin MacLeod aboard?

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Here’s a tidbit for fans of The Love Boat:

The TV show has long been associated with Princess Cruises; episodes were frequently filmed on Princess ships. Gavin MacLeod, the actor who played Captain Stubing, is an “ambassador” for the cruise line and represents the company at some events.

But in 2010, another Gavin MacLeod joined the company. This Gavin MacLeod, who is from Inverness, Scotland, is a third officer on Island Princess.

Princess Cruises reports that last week, when Island Princess called at the port of Los Angeles, the two men met on the ship and signed several navigational charts to be auctioned for charity.

“Love, exciting and new. Come Aboard. We're expecting you …” 

 

05/16/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cruise ships: A 'Solsticizing' makeover for the Celebrity Millennium

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It was 12 years ago that Celebrity’s Millennium, the first in its class, was launched. This week, it finished its first significant makeover and with almost $40 million in renovations became the last ship in the Millenium class to be “Solsticized” – a number of elements from the popular Solstice class were added to the older ship.

The work had taken three weeks in dry dock in Grand Bahama. The ship made a brief stop in Miami Saturday before leaving for a Panama Canal transit, and I got a tour.

Among the changes:

New restaurants include Qsine, with its small plates and eclectic menu that guests order on an iPad; Blu, with its healthy but not quite spa cuisine, open only to guests in suites, concierge staterooms and the new “AquaClass” staterooms; Bistro on Five, a casual eatery featuring crepes, paninis, salads and desserts; and the Café al Bacio and Gelateria, offering pastry and gelato.

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Qsine and a selection from the drink menu that is ordered via iPad.

 

 

New bars and lounges include Martini Bar and Crush, a vodka and caviar tasting bar; Michael’s Club, a former cigar bar that has been converted to a craft beer bar; and Cellar Masters, a wine bar.

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Crush, above, is a new vodka and caviar tasting bar.

The ship has 107 new AquaClass spa-inspired staterooms, which have priority access to Blu, a special room service menu, the “shower tower” with extra jets, complimentary access to some spa facilities, and a concierge to make spa appointments.

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The new iLounge, above, is an internet room with Mac iBooks. There is a charge for accessing the Internet, but the ship offers free lessons in using the iBooks.

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One of the more interesting rooms on the Millennium, although it’s not new, is the Olympic dining room, above, a French-influenced alternative restaurant with a $40 fee. The room has some of the original paneling from the RMS Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic.

The Millennium, with a capacity of about 2,000 passengers, is one of Celebrity’s smaller ships. It is headed through the Panama Canal and up the West Coast to Alaska, where it will spend the summer. The Millennium will then sail to Hawaii, the South Pacific and Australia and then to Asia, becoming the first Celebrity ship stationed in Asia.

 

05/13/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oceania's Riviera christened in Barcelona

RivieraOceania Cruises’ new ship, the Riviera, was christened Friday morning in Barcelona, by Cat Cora, TV chef and the ship’s godmother, and a 15-liter bottle of Veuve Clicquot that was smashed against the hull.

In a ceremony attended by about 1,300 people, Deacon Ricardo Rodriguez-Martos of Barcelona’s Apostleship of the Sea bestowed the traditional blessings. Frank J. Del Rio, the line’s founder and chairman, and Kunal S. Kamlani, the line’s president, presided over the festivities.

After a short christening cruise, the 1,250-passenger ship will take its maiden voyage from Venice to Athens, then cruise the Mediterranean until November. The Riviera will be part of the Miami winter cruise ship fleet, arriving at the end of November for Caribbean cruises.

The Riviera is a sister ship to Oceania’s Marina, which debuted in January 2011. Like the Marina, the Riviera has an emphasis on gourmet cuisine, with a Jacques Pepin restaurant and the Bon Appetit Culinary Center, which offers hands-on cooking classes.

The line has a total of four ships, including the 684-guest Regatta and Nautica.

 

05/11/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

A week on the American Queen

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Here in Miami, which gets more cruise passengers than any other port in the world, our minds are on ocean cruises. But in the middle of the country, steamboats returned to the Mississippi River last month with the launch of the renovated American Queen. I spent a week on the boat; followers of this blog saw my daily posts from the boat's port calls. Now read my full report here.

05/06/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

American Queen: 'Substantial changes' being made

Christen

(Guests gather on the decks of the American Queen for its christening ceremony Friday afternoon in Memphis.)


Pris2Priscilla Presley broke a bottle of champagne on the bow of the American Queen in Memphis Friday afternoon, and the newly christened steamboat sailed up the Mississippi River, its calliope wailing in farewell.

On board were a new executive chef and a hotel manager and a new contract for a team from the Apollo Group to oversee and train dining and housekeeping staff, a hurriedly arranged response to complaints by guests on two pre-christening cruises about poor dining room service and other issues.

Christopher Kyte, president of Great American Steamboat Co., announced the "substantial changes ... that I believe will greatly elevate the onboard experience" in a letter to guests who disembarked from a New Orleans-to-Memphis cruise Friday morning. "We are grateful to all of you for your patience and good cheer on this, since this crew is trying terribly hard to do their best," Kyte wrote in the letter, which also offered guests a 50 percent discount on another 2012 cruise.

Great American Steamboat had hired about 200 new crew members, many of whom had little or no experience in the jobs they were hired for. Instead, Kyte and CEO Jeff Krida said, they were hired for their friendliness and helpful attitudes.

While many guests praised the staff for exactly those qualities -- in comments to the cruise line as well as to The Miami Herald -- they also complained about slow and haphazard food service and the quality of some food.

"It takes a long period of time for any new crew to gel and work together well," Kyte told the Herald. "The best restaurants tend to have staffs that have been there for years, they can work together almost without words. I think it will take another month before we get to that stage. I don't know how to leapfrog to that point."

Kyte and Krida hope the hiring of Apollo, which provides dining services to two small but high-end cruise cruise lines, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises, will speed the process.

They also noted the hiring of a new executive chef, Eric Aldis, from the Ritz-Carlton in Houston, and a new hotel manager, Malcolm Chapple, from the Seabourn luxury cruise line.

Kyte said Aldis will complement Regina Charboneau, the ship's chef de cuisine. Charboneau, cookbook author and former San Francisco restaurateur, created Southern-themed menus and recipes for the ship but doesn't run the kitchen.

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(At left, in her home in Natchez, Miss., Regina Charboneau talks to American Queen guests about entertaining and preparing food.)

Some of those dishes were not well-executed -- beignets with a cream crawfish sauce were served at room temperature instead of hot, some salads were made with wilted lettuce, pompano baked with julienned vegetables lacked seasoning.

"That is unacceptable. If you have a great recipe, you don't tamper with it," Kyte said. "We have hired a new executive chef who will execute Regina's menu."

04/28/2012 in Off-road travel: Planes, trains and ships | Permalink | Comments (0)

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