the avid cruiser - advice on cruising: personal, passionate, inspired and informative

advice on cruising: personal, passionate, inspired and informative

I began my journalistic career at the age of 32, following the conclusion of my ’sabbatical decade.’ From 1980 through 1990, I bicycled across America, pedaled through Europe and island-hopped the South Pacific.

After backpacking through Bali, bussing through Java, hopping a boat to Singapore and crossing Malaysia to Thailand, I flew into Burma, tramped to Dhaka and endured a 32-hour train ride from calamitous Calcutta to bustling Bombay.

From there, I hopped a plane for Greece and traveled to Switzerland before returning home, where I settled, quite naturally, into a career of travel writing.

I publish a magazine, The Avid Cruiser, http://www.avidcruiser.com/blog

“Your magazine is the best cruise magazine and also one of the best — if not the best — travel magazines I have ever read.”

From 1996 to 2009, I contributed to HEMISPHERES, United Airlines’ award-winning inflight magazine. Until the magazine changed publishers in 2009, I wrote HEMISPHERE’s “Afloat” column.

The North American Travel Journalism Association, awarded my article, Ship Shape, which appeared in the September 2005 issue of Hemispheres, in the category of ‘Best Cruise Writing.’ I also publish C Magazine, a cruise magazine distributed in the Benelux countries, with my business partner in Europe, and I contribute to numerous other publications, including TravelAge West.

I make my home in Asheville, North Carolina and live part of the year near Copenhagen, Denmark.

When in Asheville, I enjoy mountain biking, hiking, lingering in coffee shops and frequent trips to the gorgeous Biltmore Estate.

When in Scandinavia, I enjoy biking, lingering in coffee shops and trying to learn Scandinavian words.

To get home in Scandinavia (from Copenhagen’s International Airport to Helsingborg, Sweden), I go to Hamlet’s Castle and hang a right. No kidding!

My work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and numerous consumer magazines. I am the author of four books, including Remembering Charles Kuralt,’ a biography that Publisher’s Weekly called ‘a sweet and lovely homage, a welcome commemoration.’

But enough about wonderful me. My goal is to provide you with content that engages you and compels you to return often. Thanks for stopping by . . .

Bon Voyage, Ralph Grizzle

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July 30, 2009

Seabourn Odyssey: Team Spirit

You've no doubt heard that the Seabourn Odyssey was not ready for service when it was delivered.

The Italian shipyard missed its deadline and even suggested delaying delivery. But Carnival Corporation, Seabourn's parent company, would not hear of such. To delay would have meant upsetting many passengers who had looked forward to sailing on the new ship.

What happened next is the story you probably have not heard.

"It was amazing," says Gunter Steinbrunner, hotel manager on Seabourn Odyssey. The crew pitched in to do the shipyard's job so that delivery could go on as scheduled.

They cleaned the ship during sea trials, not an easy task when the ship was pitching and rolling. "They just would not stop," Steinbrunner says. "They had so much pride. They wanted the ship to be perfect for delivery."

In fact, there was much more needed than cleaning. When staff walked into one room on deck nine, they found that it was missing carpet.

There was also much that needed to be loaded onto the ship, a task made difficult by the fact that the elevators were not yet functional. The crew members formed a human chain to move items up and along the decks.

Team spirit would be an understatement for the way the Seabourn staff stuck together. One night a shipment was due to arrive at 2:30 in the morning. "We wanted to send some of the crew members home, because they needed to be up the next morning to serve breakfast to some of the guests who were arriving early," Steinbrunner says. "But the crew members refused. They said that as long as the others were there, they would stay too."

Even the company president, Pam Conover, pitched in to help ready the ship. Talk about leadership by example.

To reward the crew, management rented one of the most spectacular villas overlooking the city of Genoa to host dinner and a party. "The company wanted to give them an experience that was equal to the guest experience on Seabourn," Steinbrunner says. "We wanted to make them feel like royalty."

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July 30, 2009

Seabourn Odyssey: Marina Mania

With new concepts often come teething pains. There is a learning process that must be endured in order to achieve perfection.

And so it was today with Seabourn Odyssey's aft marina, where watersports are conducted (but only on certain days when the ship is at anchor).

The problem: Too many people, too little space and too little time. A fair number of the more than 400 passengers on board Seaboard Odyssey this week wanted to experience the watersports marina on the one day of the cruise when the activities were offered.

The narrow time frame, from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., would mean that some passengers would be disappointed. In fact, today's "Seabourn Herald" emphasized that space would be limited.

I'm confident Seabourn will work this out in the coming weeks. Today was only the second time the marina has been used since the vessel's launch. A wider time-frame could possibly remedy the problem, but for now, my advice is to arrive early and sign up right away for the activities you want to experience.

Click here to download:

Seabourn_Odyssey_Marina_Mania.zip (604 KB)

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July 30, 2009

Show Me A River: Join Me August 2 On The Danube River

Still two more days remaining on the Seabourn Odyssey, but I wanted to take a break from the coverage to invite you to join me for a "virtual river cruise" next week on AMAWATERWAYS' new Amacello.

We're sailing from Budapest to Istanbul, but I'll be on board only from Sunday, August 2, departing Budapest, until Wednesday, August 5, when I step off in Belgrade.

Please leave your comments here on the site if you have questions about river cruising, about AMAWATERWAYS or about the new Amacello. I'm happy to oblige.

You can follow along here on avidcruiser.com, but you might also visit Avid Cruiser's sister site, www.rivercruiseadvisor.com.

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July 30, 2009

Seabourn Square

A new concept for Seabourn, conceived by Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison, Seabourn Square.

Seabourn Square combines a coffee shop, library and internet cafe with guest services, destination services and future cruise sales.

Instead of having to stand in line at a counter, guests are greeted and seated for services that replace the traditional purser's desk.

Also at Seabourn Square, an internet cafe with terminals and coffee shop.

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July 29, 2009

Happening Right Now On Seabourn Odyssey

Caviar Apero Party, with caviar (complimentary) and champagne (always complimentary).

Click here to download:

Happening_Right_Now_On_Seabour.zip (398 KB)

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July 29, 2009

Getting Off The Beaten Bath: Detoured In Dubrovnik

If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, then these reveal much about our day in Dubrovnik.

Several ships had disgorged thousands of passengers into the picturesque old town.

I had looked forward to walking the city walls, as I had done years ago, but once I saw the crowds, my only ambition was to get outside the city walls as quickly as possible.

I did just that and began to make my way up the side streets and walkways until I was 15 minutes or so away from the bustle below. I was rewarded with a spectacular view of the old city and the Seabourn Odyssey (left) far below.

I found walkways far from the crowd back in the old town. Where two paths diverged, a local pedestrian, unaccustomed to seeing tourists so far off the beaten path, asked if I needed help. I told him I was trying to get lost — deliberately. He understood and approved. "It's impossible really get lost here," he said. "Dubrovnik is so small.

I found my way back down to toward the old town, but 10 minutes or so before the city wall, I passed a small cafe. The open patio and the frosty glasses of beer were too much to resist. Sometimes to get the best experience possible from a place, it's important to permit yourself to be detoured.

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July 29, 2009

Seabourn Odyssey: For Vanity's Sake

Yes, in answer to one reader's question, there is a vanity with stool in Seabourn Odyssey's Verandah Suites. The area is well-lighted with a large mirror and (European) receptacle with a hair-dryer in the drawer underneath.

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July 29, 2009

In Dubrovnik Today: Luxury Showdown

From left: Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Odyssey and Regent Seven Seas Navigator.

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July 28, 2009

Kotor, Montenegro

One of the most beautiful towns this Avid Cruiser has ever visited. I'll be posting more photos of Kotor and its environs later. For now, enjoy an island just a few minutes from the Old Town center.

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July 28, 2009

Kotor, Montenegro

As seen from Seabourn Odyssey.

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