I’m still working on my story about the MSC World Europa cruise ship. In the meantime, here are some highlights of our shore excursions. Our cruise started and finished in Rome. Along the way we stopped in Palermo (Sicily), Malta, Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa. A cruise is a fabulous way to see great sights and cities in Europe, as you unpack your bags once and your “hotel” takes you from city to city. No need to arrive at airports two hours prior to a flight and hope your plane leaves on time, no big security hassles. Here’s a look at Read more
Old man winter doesn’t appear to be finished with Canada just yet. Officials at Toronto Pearson Airport are warning of potential flight delays and cancellations at Canada’s largest airport due to a forecast of heavy snow today (March 22), the third full day of spring. “Toronto Pearson is expecting up to 13 cm of snow to fall at the airport, starting in the early afternoon Friday and continuing through the night,” officials said on the YYZ Twitter/X account. “At the heaviest points of the storm, we could see up to 3 cm of snow per hour at the airport. “Our Read more
Come for the desert. Stay for the museums, fabulous food, great hiking, luxurious hotels, sensational sports, wellness retreats, local wines and more. Arizona Tourism officials made a strategic stop in Toronto last night (March 20) to tout the benefits of Canadian visits to the Grand Canyon State. Arizona had nearly one million Canadian visitors in 2019. The figures for last year aren’t in but they’re not expecting to reach that level for anther year or so. In a one-on-one chat, Joanna Tejeda, Senior Travel Industry Marketing Manager, Arizona Office of Tourism, told me there are a number of great new Read more
It’s officially spring as of 11:06 p.m. Eastern Time today, a time for new beginnings and new travel destinations. With that in mind, here are some of my fave places from the last few years that would make for a nice spring visit. QUIET CARIBBEAN Bequia, pronounced Beckway, this is a fabulous, laid-back Caribbean island that’s part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s about a one-hour ferry ride from Kingstown, St. Vincent, and a pretty ride at that. The Bequia Beach Hotel is a superb place to rest your head. SINGAPORE SHINES This Asian city is a terrific destination, Read more
We were only a few hours into our first day in Rome when it hit me. And we may never travel the same way again. I’m on the road maybe three months a year, but 99.9% of the time my out-of-town stays take place at a hotel. Most are terrific, with comfortable beds, nice amenities and more. But a hotel isn’t made to make you feel like a local. So, when my wife and I recently decided to stay a couple of extra days in Rome prior to a cruise on the MSC World Europa, we opted to get a Read more
MSC Cruises, the world’s third largest cruise line, announced today that it will host the naming ceremony for its newest flagship – MSC World America – on the evening of April 9, 2025 at the company’s new PortMiami terminal. The ceremony will honour MSC Cruises’ investment in Miami and its commitment to the North American market, with the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle and a slate of immersive onboard events highlighting everything Miami’s newest ultramodern ship has to offer. Guests attending the naming ceremony will be among the first to discover a new world of cruising when they set Read more
The latest high-profile problem for Boeing probably won’t hurt the company too badly, an aviation expert says. An external panel flew off on a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft travelling from California to Oregon last Friday. No one was injured, but the incident garnered headlines around the world as the latest in a series of Boeing mishaps. The biggest blow to Boeing lately came when a large “door plug” fell off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane over Oregon in January, subjecting passengers to fierce winds inside the cabin. “I don’t think this panel issue will harm Boeing’s reputation Read more
