Our California Coastal Cruise adventure continues, today in Los Angeles.  The LA basin is surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains, a haze hanging over the cities due to smog!  We actually docked in Long Beach.  There are two ports that cruise lines use to visit or depart from in the LA area.  Long Beach and [...]

Our California Coastal adventure continues with a port-of-call in Los Angeles, the ship actually docked in Long Beach, one of two cruise ports used for LA cruises.  The other cruise ship port is about 4 miles from Long Beach at San Pedro.  Long Beach is the home to the Queen Mary, once the most luxurious [...]

With four ports in four days there is not much time to recover.  Up early and out on a new adventure every day. Second port, San Diego.  The cruise ships dock right in downtown, bows facing the city skyline, hotels, condos, and business buildings right in front of you, frontage road only a hundred feet [...]

What is unique on this Pacific Coastal cruise is the ports-of-call.  Three California cities, one a rarely visited, and two that are usually ports that cruises start or end in, as well as the obligatory foreign port, all in succession, bookended with days at sea. First stop, Santa Barbara, a rare cruise ship port but [...]

When I promote specific group cruises, I am often asked if I will be sailing with the group.  This is not feasible most of the time but when I do, like this week, it's what I call a "CruiseWithOle".   Our group consists of family, close friends, repeat clients, networking business associates and their referrals.  Truly [...]

"I Left My Heart In San Francisco", the iconic song by Tony Bennett came to mind as we prepared to sail from San Francisco.  The song is only temporary because we will be returning in just too short a week. After the fastest check-in in San Francisco ever, we were onboard.  Just as unusual, our [...]

It's been almost a year since my last cruise as well as a blog post related to my travels.  Last November on the Cruise Holidays convention cruise it was just too busy to do a daily blog.  I always intend on blgging while traveling but just never got around to.  This week will be a [...]

Usually when I am cruising or traveling like I am this week I try to do a daily blog related to the activities and experiences during the week.  This is not a normal week.   I am currently on our annual Cruise Holidays convention cruise.  On these convention cruises I attend general sessions, seminars, workshops, even [...]

This week in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area was both fifty shades of red and fifty shades of grey. Our one and only day spent on the beach was fun and relaxing.  We rented what amounted to a mini-cabana.  Between trips into and out of the ocean, our time was spent under the shade of [...]

Welcome to Hollywood.  No, not the lala land and movie star Hollywood.  The east coast version, Hollywood, Florida.  This beach town is adjacent and just south of Ft. Lauderdale.  The major portion of the town; shopping, businesses and residential areas are on the "mainland".  The resorts, condominiums and hotels are located on Hollywood Beach, a [...]