By Simon and Susan Veness It’s undoubtedly true to say that there are always good reasons to take a cruise, but the start of a new decade is definitely a time to take stock, look ahead and anticipate some exciting developments in the maritime world. The past 10 years have seen steady growth in cruising in […]
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Santa Simon & Susan’s Christmas Cruise Presents
Okay, so we are only a few days away from Saint Nick’s annual ramble around the world and the night children look forward to pretty much all year, but how about the cruise world? What Christmas presents would it like if Pere Noel delivered his goods to businesses? You can be sure it would wish, […]
British Travel Awards – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Imagine our disgust. There we were enjoying our usual breakfast of a hard-boiled egg and kippers (for him) and a croissant with Harrods marmalade (her), when up popped a message in our Inbox marked ‘British Travel Awards Winners!’ We thought a little gentle information would help the digestion, but what we saw was enough to […]
The Delights of a Christmas Cruise!
It’s undoubtedly a thought that has crossed everyone’s minds – wouldn’t Christmas be great if you didn’t have to do all that faffing around with cooking, cleaning and decorating; without, you know, all the hassle? Well, we are here this week to tell you there is one sure-fire way to enjoy all the festivities without […]
Best Places To Celebrate Halloween On A Cruise!
When it comes to maritime celebrations, there are plenty to choose from. The obvious one to highlight is the famous Crossing The Line ceremony for passengers on any ship passing across the equator. Equally, Christmas is a great time to be at sea, with every vessel breaking out its festive finery for a truly nautical […]
Cruise Gratuities – What Are They & How Do They Work?
If there is one subject that has caused the cruise world most angst and recrimination in recent years, it is the G-word (or the T-word, if you prefer ‘tips’ to ‘gratuities’). This thorny issue rears its head periodically as it does the rounds on social media, and, occasionally, in the national press. At face value […]
10 New Cruise Ships For 2020
By Simon & Susan Veness Here at Veness Towers, we like to look ahead as much as possible, partly because looking back gives us a crick in the neck but also because we hate to see how much of the year has already passed (especially as the Christmas adverts are already on TV). It’s a […]
The Best Voluntourism Cruises
It was a simple but stark photograph that caught our eye this week. Just a cruise ship captain picking up trash on a beach in Indonesia. The photo came courtesy of specialist small-ship operator Variety Cruises, and it highlighted a very real and growing area of interest for the cruising industry, namely helping to do […]
We Need An Alternative To Alternative Dining!
Okay, we couldn’t let this one pass without comment. As much as we agree with our good friends (and proper journalists) Susan and Simon on most things, their blog about the Top 10 Alternative Dining options at sea cannot pass without comment. Not by us, anyway. Now, don’t get us wrong. We are all for […]
Top 10 Alternative Dining Restaurants At Sea
By Simon & Susan Veness No-one can truly put their finger on the Who or When of this issue, but it’s largely a moot point. The fact is, alternative dining restaurants have become an established fact of cruising in the past 15 years or so, and we are all the better for it. In reality, […]
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EUROPA 2 – Try it, you WILL love it!
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MS Europa 2 Review
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David Smith: Thank you for your kind words, Ursula - hopefully,...
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Ursula Higgs: I am 69 years old so not the market this ship is a...
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Johan Strydom: We have sailed on the Symphony of the Seas in 2019...
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R. E. Blouin: You really need to look up Albert Ballin. He was ...
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JV: Could not agree more. Cruised with Regent last Ju...
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Simon Veness: Many thanks for your comment. We will definitely b...