cruises – anchored & adrift

New York City Sights: Battery Park City

New York City is absolutely impossible to “do” in a weekend. However, with some research beforehand (like visiting my blog, you savvy internetter you) and knowing what kind of NYC experience you want, you can tailor your time for an amazing weekend in the city that never sleeps.

The Battery Park City waterfront offers views like this.

This is the first post of my New York City Sights weekend series. First stop: the summer meets skyline delight, Battery Park City. Battery is located on the west side of Lower Manhattan, right on the waterfront, with a direct view of the Statue of Liberty. Along the waterfront there are walkways, park benches, dining options including a beer garden, dockings for boat tours of NYC, and an events area with extensive grassy areas, perfect for picnics or a lazy day outdoors with a view. The Consulate of Sweden in New York, for example, hosted their 2014 Swedish Midsummer celebrations in Battery Park City, with the very traditional festivities and midsommarstång or maypole contrasting with the skyline behind it. Continue reading “New York City Sights: Battery Park City” →

Destinations, Getting There

4 Trends in the Cruise Industry and Their Impact on Your Onboard Experience

In celebration of finishing my undergraduate career today, I am back in action with a new blog post. I have been waiting for a vacation to write about my vacation (this evening is my minivacation), and with cruise ships positioning themselves for the summer season, I would like to share my thoughts on the cruise industry.

In March I had the opportunity to sail on Princess Cruises’ newest ship, the Royal Princess. Thanks to an extensive travel background in almost all modes of travel, this was my tenth cruise with almost 100 days at sea. My latest cruise experience and supplemental research indicates four key trends for the major cruise lines. Continue reading “4 Trends in the Cruise Industry and Their Impact on Your Onboard Experience” →

Destinations, Getting There

Cruising from Retirement to Real Life

You could say I am a bit of a cruise connoisseur. At the rate I’m going, I will be one of those little old ladies that has racked up months or years’ worth of sea days that you meet at the Captain’s cocktail parties… except super tall and in the midst of young adulthood. The true irony is that I am an expert in retirement and I haven’t started my career yet!

This, dear readers, is one of the many gifts of growing up with retired parents. The way I see it, these cruises are a win-win method of travel for us. My parents revisit places that they have already enjoyed properly, that is, in a much deeper way than a few hours walking about, and I explore them for the first time and make note of where I want to go back. Continue reading “Cruising from Retirement to Real Life” →