On Board With Alison

I returned home yesterday from a cruise on MSC Magifica with my family. We cruised from Southampton to Zeebrugge, Amsterdam and Hamburg. I had visited Magnifica previously, but just for the day and you need longer than that to enjoy all she has to offer.   Royal Caribbean's Oasis of…

I have worked in the travel industry for many years and I still love reading the trade journals. Often I recognise people in them who I've met over the years and there is always something new to learn about a tour company or a destination. I consider myself to be…

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is due to dock for the first time in Southampton next Wednesday 15th October. Oasis was the largest ship at sea until the launch of her sister ship Allure of the Seas, measuring an extra 2" or 50mm in length! She will be the…

 Let's start with some fun trivia to welcome in the new month. Did you know....... that the only film with October in its title to win an Oscar is "The Hunt For Red October"? Or, that the month of October is not mentioned at all in any of William Shakespeare's…

I am very lucky to live in a house that backs on to a park and so I have a lovely view of trees and open space. There is however one drawback to this...my early morning wake up call from a group of resident crows. This morning they seemed more…

I was chatting to one of my clients today and he told me that he has a wonderful job delivering Ferraris! That sounds good to me as I love driving and  love Italian cars and actually love most things Italian ( including my husband!) Of course we're not all alike…

World Cruise fever is definitely upon us as P&O and Cunard epic journeys for 2016 go on general sale this morning. As I reminded my husband last night to make sure I was up this morning bright and early to secure cabins for my eager customers, we got talking about…

Funchal in Madeira is one of the most beautiful ports on the Atlantic cruise itineraries. [caption id="attachment_817" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mum and I in Funchal[/caption]   A natural harbour, Funchal is surrounded by mountains and enjoys a temperate year-round climate.  The warm weather and volcanic soil are responsible for it's stunning…

Last week I talked about Tenerife as a cruise stop and this week it's the turn of Las Palmas Gran Canaria. So, apart from lovely sunshine and beautiful beaches, what can you do in Gran Canaria for the day?   Las Palmas is over 500 years old and there are…

This week has seen the weather start to cool down in many places and thoughts turn to where we can seek the sunshine elsewhere.  One of the most popular Autumn destinations are the ever-popular Canary Islands. There are several cruise itineraries usually including a selection of these lovely isles, together…