Our cabin is in a great location ... it seems everything begins at the Empress Deck. So let’s explore a bit. Blue Riband Library We head up the grand staircase to the Atlantic Deck and come to our first room. The Blue Riband LIbrary had a great decor ... very nautical. The windows were lined with ship models ... gee, is that the Normandie? And is that the Queen Mary? There were pieces of art and such that reminded us of the Paradise's them of "Great Ocean Liners of the World." Very fitting and reminiscent of our stay on the Queen Mary. We would find ourselves here often since it was the meeting place for both the Behind the Fun Tour and Chef's Table. Camp Carnival We weren't traveling with any children this time but I ... read more

One of the perks of staying onboard the Queen Mary is early check-in for the cruise right from the Queen Mary ship. Between the hours of 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. we could bring all of our bags to the Engine Room of the Queen Mary and everything would be taken care of. Well, we were still running around the QM and really weren’t in any big hurry because we were enjoying what we were doing and, quite frankly, we were already there ... at the Port. There was a certain relaxation to Embarkation day that came with already being at the Port. So, about 11:15 we decided to take advantage of this perk and hauled our luggage to the Engine Room. The process was simple, but what surprised us was the number of people checking in. ... read more

Being aboard the Queen Mary is really like stepping back in time to that wonderful Art Deco era of the 30s. Not only is the decor rich with originality, but ‘big band swing’ music from the 30s could be heard all over. The ambiance was that great. I love the architecture from this era, it's so beautiful. The simple, linear details really provide a lot of opportunity for the photographer! I was quickly drawn to the elevator banks ... they just don’t make elevators like this anymore. Standing in front of them I couldn’t help but think of all the people ... the famous, the rich, the regal ... who may have passed through these them. We the ventured to the Promenade, which is the place where everything is happening ... well, it would be when ... read more

Aug. 8-14, 2011 - Long Beach, Catalina, Ensenada onboard the Carnival Paradise This would be a cruise of firsts. Our first porthole cabin, our first try at Your Time Dining, our first experience with Chef’s Table, our first Behind the Fun tour and our first cruise together without any children. I’m excited. We booked an ES rate back in April and sent in our FCC (purchased on the Carnival Splendor) for added OBC ... $50 since it’s a short cruise, woo hoo! In the upcoming months we would receive two price drops adding a nice little OBC fund for our adventures. Wow, that’s a lot of acronyms in that sentence. So, for you cruise newbies here’s the key: ES = Early Saver, FCC = Future Cruise Certificate, OBC = Onboard Credit. Sometimes the waiting period from ... read more

My desk is littered with travel guides. There are so many places I want to go! Fortunately, we have a few trips already in the planning stages. My husband, Rod, and I run our own business (it’s a constant nurturing process) and have come to a time where we can begin traveling again in earnest. Being photographers, we are always on the lookout for interesting places to explore ... happily, that leaves the whole world open to us! While we love land tours (and have already done quite a few), our mode of transportation at the moment is by cruise ship. With the offerings at hand today, it seems to be both an economical and effortless way to see a lot of places in a short period of time ... which right now is important to ... read more