And now my Jimmy Awards for Best International Travel Experiences in 2024. I didn’t do a lot of overseas travel, but I did manage trips to Istanbul and Singapore, and our MSC cruise on the World Europe took us to Italy, Malta, Spain and France. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, both in big and small ways. Best Tour: We had a superb tour of Palermo, Sicily with a local guide on our MSC World Europa visit. We admired the beautiful cathedral, nibbled on cannoli the size of a football, and briefly toured a furiously noisy local Read more
cruise ships
Travellers are flocking to cities and small towns in the path of today’s total solar eclipse. Cruise lines are positioning their boats to be in the path of the sun, and airlines are touting routes that will give passengers the best views. A total eclipse will slip across Mexico this afternoon (April 8), and then make its way northwest across Texas and the U.S. Midwest before it hits Niagara Falls, eastern Ontario, southern Quebec and New Brunswick. Folks in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland also could get a great view of an astronomical event most people never get to see. Read more
Choosing a cruise is a very personal experience. Some of us crave serenity, others want non-stop action. Some people like dinners in tuxedos and ball gowns, others (me, me!) want their most casual Jimmy Buffett attire. Some clients want quirky ports of call in southeast Asia, some want to see the great cities of Europe. I recently finished a one-week cruise around the Mediterranean on the posh MSC World Europa, and found it quite amazing. It’s a ship that’s a little tricky to categorize, as it really does offer something for everyone. When I wanted to enjoy a vibrant Broadway 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
As a long-time (50 years this year, wow) journalist, I do occasionally consider the dark side of things. When I see a list of the safest cities in the world to visit, for example, I always wonder who finished at the bottom. That isn’t very nice, I suppose. But I guess it’s human nature. With that in mind, I was delighted to see that a recent study of the most welcoming countries in the world was followed up with a list (from a different source) of the LEAST welcoming nations in Europe. It it may not be very scientific, and Read more
