River Duchess (Uniworld Boutique River Cruises) - Bucharest to Vienna -16nts. 2012 -

SOUTH AMERICA & ANTARCTICA…spectacular scenery from Rio to Antarctic to the Andes ANTARCTICA (2007) …spectacular scenery from Rio to to Antarctic to the Andes {|} .........Fairsea (Sitmar Cruises) - Amazon River to Fort Lauderdale -18nts -1989 <|>  Rotterdam - (HAL) -Antarctica - Rio de Janeiro - Montevideo - Ushuaia - Valparaiso / Santiago - 21nts - 2007 ===ANTARCTICA (2007) …spectacular scenery from Rio to Antarctic to the Andes {|} .........Rotterdam - December 2007 - 21 days Rio de Janeiro via Buenos Aires to Antarctica and Santiago <> Possibly the only ship that can boast six predecessors bearing the same name dating back to 1872. One of Holland America Line’s most popular ships she was in service with HAL until 1997 and was retired in 2003. With the funnels positioned aft it was ground breaking at that time - now common place. Unlike most cruise ships which are no longer afloat the SS Rotterdam now resides in her namesake port as a floating hotel, rather like the QE2 in Dubai and the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.

PANAMA CANAL… (1983-2004). a cruise that encompasses Mexico and the Caribbean with the a passage between oceans marveling at engineering including a day long transit of the Canal  {|} .........Royal Viking Sea (RVC) 14nts - 1983 <|>Island Princess (PCL) 14nts - 1989 <|> Rotterdam (HAL) 14nts - 1997 <|> Crystal Harmony (CC) - 11nts - 2001 <|> Island Princess (PCL) 15nts - 2004

SOUTH PACIFIC - & Hawaiian cruises - -(1985-2000) islands that many of us read about through stories in our school years {|} .........Oriana (P&O) Sydney - Tonga - Samoa - Fiji - New Hebrides -14nts - 1985   <> Retired (i.e. no longer afloat) - only two ships (1959 & 1995) have shared this name, the recent one sold in 2019 and renamed mv Piano Land  .                                                                                                                                                              Sea Princess  - Vancouver to Honolulu - Maui - Hilo - Kauai - 12nts - 1985 <> Retired (i.e. no longer afloat) - Original launched as the MS Kungsholm for Swedish America Line (now defunct) in 1966 she had two funnels, although for design purposes only one was used, and when P&O purchased her in 1978 this was removed. Vancouverites may remember her during the 2010 Winter Olympics she was used as a floating hotel berthed at Squamish when known as the MONA LISA, the funnel painted with the same image. She had seven names during her career                                                                                                                                               Independence (American Hawaii) Honolulu - Maui - Hilo - Kauai  7nts - 1997   <> Launched in 1951 she was one of just handful of cruise ships registered in the USA. She had a successful 16 years on the New York to Genoa route, but like other liners succumbed to the convenience the jet service. A mixed service followed (including laid up between1969–1974) until in June 1980 she started 7 day cruises around the Hawaiian islands. She was renamed six times (twice as the Independence & Oceanic Independence), retired in 2011 (i.e. no longer afloat) and likely will retain the title of the longest serving American liner                                                                                                           R Four (Renaissance Cruises) Tahiti - Bora Bora - Moorea -Huahine - Raiatea - Tahaa - 15nts - 2000 <O> The distinctive style of the eight Renaissance Cruise 684-passenger ships (named R One through R Eight) offered competitively priced mid-luxury cruises to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean & Greek Islands and Tahitian Islands. An economic decline in developed nations led to the cruise line becoming defunct. Starting in 2002 and progressively though the decade, two new cruise lines were born <> Oceania Cruises (eventually purchased tfour ships) and Azamara Cruises (eventually purchased two ships). In-between Princess Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and Swan Hellenic purchased or chartered the remaining ships. Each ship offered identical interior layouts and decor and it wasn’t until 2016 that these cruises undertook major redesigns.

My career in the travel industry goes way back to September 1968 when I walked up the gangway of my first ocean liner, the ss ORCADES of the Orient Line which had recently merged with the  Peninsula & Orient Steam Navaigation Company, now more popularly known as P&O. Not one to enjoy swings and roundabouts it took a little while to get my sea legs and over the span of fifteen years (1968-1982) I moved from one ocean liner to another ~ ss CHUSAN, ss ORSOVA, ss CANBERRA, ss ORIANA, ss ORONSAY, ss ARCADIA.  --------------------------------------------------------- The last liner I worked on - ss ARCADIA -  finished her sea career at Singapore in 1979 and I then joined Princess Cruises (at that timestill  part of P&O) on the original SUN PRINCESS.  Some of my clients knew her as the SPIRIT OF LONDON ** which in comparison to ocean liners was like a yacht and a lot of fun to work.  The formal image of previous ship passengers changed  from destination voyages to one of  relaxation and a degree of informality that generated the new cruising industry. --------------------------------------------------------- A brief few months aboard the original SEA PRINCESS (erx Kungsholm of Swedish American LineO  and then finally back to the SUN PRINCESS and in 1982  "swallowed the anchor" and began my new life ashore.  (** launched in 1972 and has been renamed several times as Sun Princess / Seaward / Starship Majestic / Southern Cross / Flamenco 1 / New Flamenco and in January 2012 - OCEAN DREAM