What's Your Favorite Travel Brunch

#FoodTravelChat

This Wednesday, #FoodTravelChat, the weekly Twitter chat about Food & Travel, will be featuring "Brunch Around the World" as the topic for the hour long chat that starts at 8 PM ET.


In preparation for the chat, we searched our photo archives and found one of our favorite brunches which was onboard Azamara Journey in the West Indies.  They had quite and extensive menu with many items not found on your typical brunch buffet.

click images to enlarge

Soup Creamy Tomato Basil soup & Spicy Thai Chicken Soup Carving Station Steamship Round of Beef Cold Buffet Veal Galantine with wild mushroom & Shrimp Tower Assorted Smoked Fish Platter & Assorted Cheese Platter Omelette Station Bell peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Ham, Bacon, Tomatoes, Spinach Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Jalapenos, Egg White & Egg Beater Omelette Salad Stations Chilled Salmon Pasta Salad with Lemon Zest, Fruit Salad Tomato Panzanella Salad, Spinach and mushroom Salad with Bacon Mixed Greens with Balsamic Dressing Hot Buffet Roasted Chicken & Mizo Glazed Halibut with Stir fried Vegetables Crispy Duck with Juniper Berry Sauce & Lamb Chops with Rosemary Potatoes Bacon & Sausage, Eggs Benedict, & Eggs Florentine Hash Brown Potatoes ,  Haricot Verts, & Asparagus Pastry Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, & Fruit Tartlet Chocolate Opera Cake & Napoleon Cake

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Thanks to our #foodtravelchat moderators @ant_kneee @ourtastytravels @s_poet82 @ChrisPappinMCC @always5star @BackpackBritts @The_Jenius

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Thankful for ... 
 Seeing Northern Lights & Experiencing New Adventures

Hurtigruten Vesteralen Northern Lights Norway

See our work in progress diary of this very unique winter cruise experience.
Diary Hurtigruten Classic Voyage Bergen


We love Norway, and there isn't a better time to see it than when it is blanketed in snow with Northern Lights casting a glow on us during a crisp winter night. 

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING

Guy Fieri's Pig & Anchor Carnival Magic

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already. Where did 2016 go? As has become my tradition, I'd like to share with you some of the things that I'm thankful for and highlight some of my adventures this year.

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year.

The cruise industry is strong as ever with new ships and added capacity helping to keep prices reasonable for those that plan ahead.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families have taken to the seas.  Indications are that the record discounts offered the past two years will be coming to an end.  In the meantime those discounts have made cruising an even better value, and consequently we have seen a surge in first-time cruisers.

Thankful for ... 
Sailing on Brand New Ships

Cruises Inc., Cruise One, and Dream Vacations will hold the 2016 National Conference on Carnival Vista which just started its inaugural season sailing to Europe and next month will be sailing in the  Caribbean from Miami. Check out this video to see what's in store for us next month.

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about the Carnival Vista.Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Vista is about 10 times that length (1062 feet), holds 3936 passengers (double occupancy) and 1450 crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2016.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Stops in Molde and Kristiansund

Molde

Unlike a traditional cruise where each port of call results in a lengthy stay, MS Vesteralen made several short stops, mainly for passengers and cargo.  Right before dinner we made a brief stop in Molde. We took a few pictures from the open balcony and then went to dinner.  Molde is known as the town of the roses and jazz.

 Kristiansund

The last stop for the evening was a one hour stop in Kristiansund around 10 PM.  Once again, we just captured some of the lights of the city reflecting in the water without disembarking from the ship.  It was possible to take a short walk guided by the tour leader.   We'd stop in Kristiansund again on our return southbound.

This concludes our first full day at sea on Hurtigruten Ms Vesteralen

 

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Molde
Kristiansund Night

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Sailing To Alesund

Hurtigruten Vesteralen - Day 2

Day 2 of our Norwegian Coastal Voyage began with open seating breakfast from 7 - 10 AM.

Each morning the buffet would feature several hot dishes, fruits, meats, and pastries.  One of the featured items on day 2 were crepes.

Sailing to

Alesund

The rest of the morning we were sailing to Alesund which would be our first port of call.  It was raining, so it was good that our excursion in Alesund was indoors at the aquarium.


On this day we ventured into open ocean as we sailed past the West Cape, where the Norwegian Sea opens up to the North Atlantic Ocean. We then set course toward what is often considered to be Norway’s jewel in the crown, Geirangerfjord.

Lunch Buffet

Potatoes was one of the main staples on breakfast and lunch buffets.  Click on any of these pictures to enlarge.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen
Sailing to Alesund

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3 Edible Wonders of Norwegian Fjords

On day 2 we explored the Norwegian Fjords from Alesund to Molde.  Here people live on small farms clinging to the hillside.  Today's dinner menu is a celebration of the edible wonders of the fjords, the fish, the lamb, and the apples from the northernmost commercial apple production in the world.  It is often described as he "Champagne of Apples".


Wonders of Fjords

Bacalao is the Spanish term for codfish but has come to mean the salted and dried cod that is wildly popular on the Iberian Peninsula. The area around Alesund has been a major expoter since the early 17th century but it is only the last century the fish has been prepared and eaten in Norwegian homes, and then often with Spanish or Portuguese inspired recipes.

The main course was Leg of Lamb from Hellesylt, a town near the picturesque Geirangerfjord, with baked vegetables and parsnip puree.

Dessert was "Veiled Farm Girls" which is baked apples served with ice cream.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen
Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Norway's Coastal Kitchen

Treat your taste buds as you sail through one of the most fantastic 'pantries' in the world

Norway

On a Hurtigruten Classic Coastal Voyage through Norway, food is an integral part of the entire experience.

The 12 night voyage stops at about 34 ports of call along Norway's coast. In each port, there is an opportunity to replenish the ship's pantries from local fisherman, farmers, and other suppliers' fresh food supplies.

Utilizing the season’s best ingredients, chefs create either three-course dinners or lavish buffets.

Being a coastal voyage, seafood often dominates the menu, accompanied with fresh vegetables and delicately flavoured sauces. Each dinner ends with traditional desserts, like homemade cakes, puddings, berries, or sorbet. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style.

While you are sleeping in your cabin, after a full day of exploring Norway,local fishermen in Sigerfjord, Vesterålen are about to go get their catch of the day - Arctic char. The deep, salty, cold Arctic Ocean, close to river estuaries with fresh water offers perfect conditions for fishing. Later that afternoon, the fresh catch lies before you, prepared with love by the chefs onboard. It just doesn't get much better than this. As we continue describing our voyage, we'll feature articles about each port of call, including a focus on Norway's Coastal Kitchen.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen

Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Atlantic Sea Park Alesund

Atlanterhavsparken - Ålesund Aquarium

 Atlanterhavsparken is one of northern Europe’s largest saltwater aquariums, an architectural gem integrated into the shoreline. We enjoyed close encounters with some of the rich marine life found in and around the coastal waters of Norway. 

The visit included a spectacular diving show in Norway’s largest aquarium tank, where the fish can be seen being hand-fed by the divers, and a visit to the open-air pool where we saw my favorite exhibit, the resident penguins.

Ålesund Norway 

Our first port of call on our Norway coastal voyage was to this beautiful city, rebuilt in Art Nouveau, after the city fire of 1904. After the visit to Atlanterhavsparken, the tour continued to Mount Aksla, where we admired the view of Ålesund before returning to the quayside.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Atlantic Sea Park

Aksla Viewpoint

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Cruise Lines Salute Veterans

 

Veterans Day 2016

First and foremost, today is the annual observance of Veteran's Day, a day set aside to honor the nation's veterans.   The image in this article was taken at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, on one of our cruises several years ago.    The image of row after row of crosses will never leave me.

Every day we go about our business, and I suspect most of us take our freedom for granted.   It isn't because we aren't caring people, but instead perhaps because we just don't think about it.  So I ask you today to take a moment to reflect on the veterans, living and deceased, for without whose service we wouldn't be the free nation we are today.

We could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present.

 THANK YOU FROM 

A GRATEFUL NATION 

Many cruise lines recognize our troops with special rates.  We've listed a couple offers which you might not be aware of.   Be sure to mention your military service when contacting us so that we can see if there are any rates that you qualify for.  We would be honored to help you plan some R & R.

 

Cruise Line	Veterans Day Offer
Carnival Cruise Line	Saluting our soldiers with exclusive rates on select sailings through 2017! Plus, share your deal with two additional rooms. Destinations include: Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Alaska
Royal Caribbean	Ongoing promotion allows Military, Police  & Fire personnel special discounts on select sailings The Sea is Calling Police, Firefighters, Military

Vote Travel Today

Election Day is Finally Here 

According to Power of Travel Coalition
" Everyone loves travel - vacationing, reconnecting with family, attending a productive business meeting or event - but not everyone realizes travel’s significant economic impact. In 2015, travel generated $2.1 trillion for the U.S. economy, supporting 15.1 million American jobs that cannot be outsourced, which is why we need policies that allow the travel industry to thrive.

Travel is a bipartisan industry. In fact, passage of the Travel Promotion Act was among only a few items that both Democrats and Republicans supported. Vote Travel is not an endorsement of any political candidate or a political party; it’s a vote to get America moving."

Personal Benefits of Travel

What would you think if we told you that vacation travel could have a positive impact on your life?  Would you be more apt to take an annual vacation?

U.S. News & World Report has published an article, Why Travel Is Good For Your Health,which among other benefits, shows how your health can be positively impacted by a vacation.

Think about the last time you took a vacation...  

Before you left for vacation were you stressed over things going on at work, at home, or with the family?   After a couple days of rest and relaxation on the trip, did your stress level decrease?

Do you find yourself eating at irregular times at home because you have other commitments pulling you in different directions?   On your vacation, did you eat on a regular schedule?

Do you mean to exercise while at home, but just don't find the time?   Or are you a couch potato not getting any exercise at all simply because you are too tired to do anything when you get home from the office?   Did you get more exercise, on your trip - while having a good time exploring?

These are just a few items that are covered in this report.   We suggest you read the report to learn more about the personal benefits of vacation travel.

We have been a firm believer of taking time off every year for vacation.   While our son was growing up, we would take a vacation together with him and another one by ourselves each year.   This formula has worked well for us and perhaps it could work for you as well.

As We Head to the Polls Today

There may be local and national candidates that have a positive or negative view on the travel industry.  We encourage you to visit the  Congressional Scorecard  to learn more about the coalition's efforts to expand this industry which will help to Get America Moving again.