Category: Cruise Ships
Breaking Barriers on the High Seas: The Inspiring Career of Captain Belinda Bennett
Belinda Bennett made history in January 2016 when Windstar Cruises promoted her to captain of MSY Wind Star. It was well earned. She’d begun her maritime career as a deck cadet at age 17 and worked on a variety of ships before joining Windstar Cruises as a second officer in 2005. Not only was Captain…
Born of Death: The Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
By late January 1945, Nazi Germany was on the verge of losing World War II. On the Western Front, its offensive in the Ardennes faile. The Battle of the Bulge was a major Allied victory that saw German forces on the defensive for the rest of the war. On the Eastern Front, the Soviet Union’s…
In Memory of Bug Naked (2016-2024)
On December 27, 2024, Celebrity Cruises’ Captain Kate McCue announced that her famous feline companion Bug Naked had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away the previous day. My heart broke instantly.
Forgotten Hero Ship: The Wreck of La Jenelle
The coast of Oxnard, California was stormy on April 13, 1970. Gale-force winds blew about and rocked the nearly 500-foot cruise ship until her starboard anchor began dragging. There was little that the two crew members aboard could do to stop it. Less than 30 minutes later, the ship grounded itself on nearby Silver Strand…
The Haunting of the QE2
The Queen Mary isn’t the only Cunard ship that’s said to be haunted. It’s said that Queen Elizabeth 2 also has a very healthy amount of ghostly activity. After the ship arrived in Dubai in November 2008, reports of weird activity began emerging. One of the workers aboard QE2 was interviewed by the Daily Mail…
The Top Five Most Beautiful Modern Cruise Ships
I know it’s popular for ocean liner aficionados to hate on cruise ships. I get it. Cruise ships often don’t have the clean, graceful lines of ocean liners. They have a very different look and feel about them. But I love them both…they’re different kinds of ships for different purposes. Are there some ugly cruise…
Cruise Mode: August 2024
Hey there! Long time no see! I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts lately. Life has been nuts since the end of June. Between being incredibly short staffed at work and dealing with some unexpected illnesses, I honestly haven’t had the time or energy to commit to this page. I’m hoping that that’s going…
Floating Pride: The First LGBTQ+ Cruises
I know…gay cruises are something of a stereotype. They’ve been the butt of many jokes over the years (I’m looking at you, Boat Trip). But the truth is that cruises are very popular with the LGBTQ+ community. Nowadays, passengers have a lot more freedom to openly express themselves and their sexuality. Cruise lines are only…
Friends of Dorothy: A Look at LGBTQ+ Meetups on Cruise Ships
If you’ve ever been on a cruise, have you noticed a “Friends of Dorothy” event listed on the daily schedule and wondered what it was? It’s a discreet way of advertising for a LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer/questioning, and more) meetup aboard. Or at least it used to be. Nowadays, “Friends of Dorothy” has…
Cruising Returns to Baltimore
In March, I wrote about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and its potential impact on Baltimore’s cruise operations. The MV Dali (the ship that struck the bridge following power issues) has been finally removed, and cruising officially returned to Charm City on Saturday, May 25 with Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas embarking passengers…