On Board With Alison

My colleague Marie and I travelled down to Dover last Friday to spend a few hours on board Seabourn Quest.   This was my second time on board a Seabourn ship as I visited Seabourn Sojourn in Southampton last year. What surprised me the first time was the understated elegance…

Ok, so I'm sorry I mentioned the "C" word but ....Selfridges has opened it's Christmas shop with ONLY 142 shopping days left till the big day!!     Personally, whilst I'm all for being organised, the thought of buying tinsel and crackers in August is not one I relish. It…

I recently wrote about genuine holiday complaints including one from an irate customer of a well-known UK tour operator who complained that there was no egg slicer in her apartment! This must have caused such great distress that they felt the need to write and complain.   So... what could…

Having a sort out the other day I came across a genuine list of guests' complaints to a very well known high street travel agency I spent many years working for. It made me chuckle and I hope you do too.... 1. "I think it should be explained in the…

Cruising is one of the easiest way of holidaying and making new friends if travelling on your own. Lots of people happily travel alone every time, but if you're new to this, maybe if your circumstances have changed, it can still be daunting to take that first step. It may…

Today my youngest child sits her last university exam which therefore means it's her last day there. She has done very well already as she has a graduate position lined up with a company in London and so soon she will begin her career. Milestones in our lives come and…

When you look at a map of the major cities in Australia, it is no wonder that "down under" is the world's fastest growing cruise market. All the cities are on the coast and so naturally a perfect itinerary to tour and explore by sea. If , like me you…

Last Thursday, my colleague Marie and I were invited to have lunch on board MSC Orchestra in Dover. It was the sort of English morning where really the only sensible thing to do is go back to bed but we battled through the torrential rain strong wind and thick fog…

Four years ago I cruised around the British Isles on Fred Olsen's Balmoral and decided that there are many beautiful places in the UK that have yet to be discovered by me and this bank holiday weekend I managed to see one small area of my previously un-chartered territory... Bristol.…

Thursday will be May 1st or May Day as it's more popularly known. To many of us, it's a sign of the start of summer as our gardens begin to bloom. There is also the lovely bonus of a bank holiday on the first Monday of the month and so…