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   Hidden away at the top of the ship is an exclusive place reserved for a privileged few.   It is home to the most luxurious, well-appointed and spacious accommodations you’ll find  aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line® ship. Contemporary elegance, personalized service  and privacy combine to create a unique cruising experience. We call it The Haven by  NorwegianTM. You will call it your own personal slice of paradise.   As a guest of The Haven, you’ll have exclusive access to a private enclave—a ship within  a ship. This is where our expertly trained staff attend to your every need. It’s where you  can spend your sea days relaxing in the private beach club ambience of The Haven’s  courtyard or, when in ...

Pacific Aria did not disappoint.   Now it’s a product to suit a certain market – and here in Australia we have plenty of choice of late – for example Celebrity Solstice is in our opinion the most elegant, the Royal Caribbean ships, Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas are LARGE ships, destinations in their own right with plenty of action for families especially with teenagers tempting them with rock climbing, ice skating, surfing and more, and then there is Carnival Spirit & Legend; ideal for families especially younger children with wonderful cabins allowing the whole family to sleep appropriately in one cabin.     The itineraries are also interesting with many 2 – 4 nights around ...

10 October; let the journey begin!! We love to travel a little out of season, end of May early June, end of September, early October, for less crowds and weather that isn’t too hot, and we’re enjoying just that; 17 – 24 degree days, and in all the villages there is room to move and to speak with the locals. First Stop: Corsica The scented island of Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon. was controlled for centuries by Genoa and did not become a region of France until 1768 – the Rugged island is a haven for boaties – it has inviting beaches, but quieter than the French riviera. Bonifacio is a commune at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, ...

29 Jan – Ushuaia This afternoon we boarded the Silver Explorer, received our suite keys and settled in. We sailed from Ushuaia in sunshine and the city looked lovely under the tall mountains. We headed for the Beagle Channel and an imminent crossing of the Drake Passage.   30 Jan – The Northern Drake Passage After leaving the sheltered waters of the Beagle Channel we went right into our first full day at sea sailing across the Drake Passage, more like the Drake Lake, so calm and beautiful with bird life and we hung out the aft with our naturalist and environmentalist Claudia as we learnt more about the birds including the Albatross.   Later we joined Chris for his ...

How privileged I was to head off to Canada, April and still very cold with snow-capped mountains which were simply breath-taking, early in the season I was seeing the country as the locals live it. We started our Canadian sojourn in Victoria, the charming colonial capital of British Columbia with beautiful public buildings overlooking the Scenic Inner Harbour –  this is a beautiful place with an English feel about it, and even though I am not into gardens a must see is Butchart Gardens and the Royal British Columbia Museum. Along the way we had nights in Whistler, Sun Peaks, Jasper National Park and one of the highlights was the Athabasca Columbia Icefield where the  glaciers were majestic; the history behind the glaciers is ...

The Ship   The owner Torstein Hagen wanted his new ocean-going fleet to be stylish and epitomise the very best of Scandinavian design and Star, the first has not disappointed, with 54% guest space ratio, one of the highest at sea, Viking Star is sleek and cosmopolitan. Her promenade deck offers 360 degree views and the chance to walk a mile a day (4 times around).  An all veranda ship scaled to be small enough to get into off the beaten path ports for discovery! No expense has been spared with the appointments in each area, making each one unique and homely with amazingly designed furniture and features of blond wood, white marble, glass and leather , the ship feels ...

Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea and the gateway to Gdansk, which was rebuilt after extensive damage during World War II , and today is widely known as the city of glowing amber and gothic cathedrals. The Old Town is amazing with gothic, renaissance and baroque styles of architecture – the most famous modern day site is the Gate No 2, at the Gdeansk Lenin Shipyards where protesting workers were fired upon by the Communist regime in 1970 lighting a spark that would ultimately lead to Polish independence.

Warnemünde is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock in Mecklenburg, Germany. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow – in a cruising sense it’s the gateway to the city of Berlin, Germany – a 3hr coach drive each way – Berlin was interrupted as a power house by two World Wars and a cold water but today it is on the rise again,. Remnants of the Berlin wall are preserved for posterity at the allied museum which is alongside Checkpoint Charlie.

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager, linked to Malmo in southern Sweden by the Öresund Bridge. Indre By, the central district, contains 18th-century, rococo Frederiksstaden, home to the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace. The city’s center also has the Christiansborg parliament building and the Renaissance Rosenborg Castle, which has a museum of royal artifacts and a popular garden.