I recently spent a week on the Holland America Line Eurodam, soaking up the sights on a seven-day Alaska cruise in an out of Seattle. We saw magical glaciers and wondrous waterfalls, as well as surprising sunsets. We explored fun towns like Juneau and Ketchikan, and enjoyed some fine food and excellent on-board entertainment Here’s a look at the Eurodam, and at our excursions. And here’s a link to my previously published story on Holland America’s Global Fresh Fish program. EXCURSIONS AND SCENERY Our first chance to explore anything on land was in Juneau. It’s fairly commercial, but we enjoyed Read more
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It’s been a tough year for tourism on Maui, but positive signs are emerging. Virtuoso, a luxury travel agent network that books exclusive vacations around the world, said its sales for Maui resorts are up 4% for the first six months of the year. For the winter holiday or “festive” season, sales are up a whopping 66%. A network spokesperson on Monday, Aug. 12 said that West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year. “Even with the noticeable impacts on tourism to Maui, we Read more
One of the best settings in Hawaii. A sensational sunset ceremony. And a major anniversary. The 23-acre Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa was one of the first resorts on West Maui, and has evolved into one of the top hotels in the state. This year marks its 60th anniversary, the property having opened Jan. 23, 1963. The hotel completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of its lobby in 2020. Guests now enjoy a new lobby bar and café, lounge, and reception area in an open-air setting that brings the ocean air and outdoors in with an expansive lanai and viewing deck, offering Read more
Like many great ideas, this one had a lot of help from a trip to the pub. James Whittle and Tom Caulfield had hardly any experience in rowing, but that didn’t stop them from recently completing an insane, 54-day row boat trip across the Atlantic Ocean in a ship they called Tempest Two. I was lucky enough to catch up to the two British lads recently at Sugar Bay Resort in Barbados, where they were recovering from their ordeal – and trying to make sense out of a return to something like a normal life. “I think I was inspired Read more
