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cruising

It’s easy to forget how lucky we are in Toronto. I live a few miles north of Lake Ontario and often weeks go by without my seeing one of the world’s largest lakes. And then I get down there on a perfect night in late spring and admire the light on the water and the brilliant white sailboats bobbing along and the feeling of sun on my face, and I look at the shoreline and say to myself, “I wish I owned a place right over there.” That’s probably not going to happen, and I’m probably never going to own Read more

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MIAMI – A suite with almost 3,000 square feet of interior space. 493 chandeliers. And two original Picasso drawings. And if you asked for a partridge in a pear tree they’d probably get that for you, too. I had the chance recently to tour the Regent Seven Seas Explorer ship. It’s billed as “the most luxurious ship ever built,” and I’m in no position to dispute it. I’ve only been on a handful of cruises, but if there’s a more elegant, refined and beautiful ship on one of the world’s oceans I can’t imagine it. They also have introduced a Read more

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I wrote yesterday that it was a great day to book a flight. Then came news of more great travel deals this morning. On top of what I mentioned yesterday (see below for details), I got a note this morning to say that SATA/Azores Airlines is offering 25% off all flights from Canada to Portugal as a Boxing Day special. The airlines’ web site says the deal is for any route between Canada and Portugal operated by Azores Airlines and SATA Air Açores but does not include interlines/codeshares with other carriers. The sale runs from now until Jan. 4, 2017, Read more

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OTTAWA – Great food. Sleek new hotels. And lively neighborhoods. Ottawa is a city that’s most definitely moving in the right direction. Here are five things you need to do on your next visit. Oh yeah, Ottawa’s legendary Tulip Festival runs May 12-23. PARLIAMENT HILL – I hadn’t visited our nation’s Parliament for at least 20 years. They offer wonderful tours, with fun stories about the history and architecture contrasted with very sobering areas, including the Memorial Chamber near the base of the Peace Tower. A few minutes watching the House of Commons is a fascinating experience, and the main Read more

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A cruise for nudists. Open cruising season in Prince Edward Island. And more ships steaming to China. There’s a ton of news out there for cruise lovers, and I’ve got a roundup of the latest. I also have some details on a world tourism and travel study that ranks the U.S. and Canada as far as world countries goes. First off, or first to take it all off, is news of a new “nakation” for cruise-lovers who want to feel the wind in their face, not to mention other parts of their body. A story the other day in the Read more

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