Were you one of the lucky ones to see the Northern Lights tonight

When I returned home tonight my husband to be couldnt wait to inform me that there was a possibilty that some fortunate people may catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis in UK skies tonight


He is so lucky to have visited Alaska many times and witnessed this spectacular event, that he has raved on about it for the ten years that we have been together.

So many people book cruises to see the sights and of course to hope to catch a glimpse of this greatest free light show on earth to Alaska or of course towards the northern tip of Europe, so I was excited to think maybe there would be chance for me here sat at home in Redditch.

I trawled through the news reports and he was right the BBC was saying it was a possibility and that this strange phenomena has been caused by a  huge flare has been unleashed by the sun, which should lead to an impressive display of the Northern Lights.

Apparently Northern Ireland was lucky enough to bear witness to this earlier this week so I am keeping my fingers crossed that maybe we may get a glimpse here. If we dont and we are just too far south then I am afraid I will have to revert back to my original plans and sort out a cruise to Alaska.

If you were lucky enough to see something in the skies tonight then please let me know.

Oh No Volcano Troubles or are the press just trying to scare us

To my dread when I was surfing around the internet this afternoon I noticed an article headed volcano eruption warning sparks new travel fears.

Oh my goodness I thought after all the troubles of last year, is something happening and will it affect me and my travellers.

On further reading through the article  which at first glimpse would scare any traveller, we learn that Geologists have warned that Iceland's second biggest volcano may be about to erupt, sparking fears of a repeat of last year's travel chaos.
It hasnt erupted yet and may not erupt at all and if it does the airlines are assuring us that there will not be the same chaos that caused so much misery and upheavel last year.

I do wish that sometimes the press would be less melodramatic about these things, of course it will be a worry if this volcano does erupt, but until they really know whether it is going to or not and if it does the consequences personally I would rather not know.

Will Egypt ever recover from recent violence

The news has been constant over the last week or so reporting every last movement in Egypt following the resent unrest.

So many people travel to Egypt to visit the sites the Port Of Alexandria,The Pyramids and of course the Cairo Museum.

I found it so sad to hear reports that some people had raided the Cairo museum and destroyed some artifacts as well as trying to steal other items and that historical sites were being looted.

Many holidays have been cancelled and of course cruise lines have had to change itineraries to avoid the area.

Of course those booked to travel all through this year are now concerned as to whether their travel plans will continue and at this moment in time none of us can possibly know what will happen in the future and how soon it will be before the trouble has finished.

I dearly hope that there is an end to this soon as who knows what may happen not only to the Egyptian people but to this country filled with so many historical sites and artefacts that once destroyed can never every be replaced.
Egypt relies heavily on its tourist industry and as each day passes they must be losing millions in revenue from visitors from all over the world who want to see the marvels that this fascinating country has to offer.

French Collection an unusual 7 night cruise on the Balmoral

I recently booked some clients on a cruise with Fred Olsen on the Balmoral departing on the 1st August.

I thought I would bring this cruise to your attention because it is uniquely different from most 7 night cruises that depart in the summer from Southampton as normally they head down the western coast of France to Northern Spain and back oryou they travel up to Fjords.

This cruise departs from Southampton and travel to Joan of Arc's famous Rouen where she docks overnight giving you nearly 2 days to explore this interesting area of northern France. I myself lived in this area for a while 10 years ago and we spent many hours wandering through Rouen,which has quaint cobbled streets, lovely pavement cafe's and of course tributes to Joan of Arc. The area also boasts Monet's gardens as well as beautiful countryside.


Next she sets sail for St Malo, then on to the North Western town of Brest with its stunning beaches along the Brittany coastline, finally arriving in L'orient  to enjoy the interceltique festival before she returns back to Southampton.

For anyone that doesnt want to spend too many days at sea and is looking for something just a little different then this may be the cruise for you.

For further information please call me on 08004086115

Cruising the mediterranean - Trevor Macdonalds Secret Mediterranean on ITV

This week I was lucky enough to watch Trevor Macdonalds Secret Mediterranean....what a fabulous program this is for those considering a mediterranean cruise for the first time.

Trevor went to my favorite part of the world the beautiful bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Although this programme has nothing to do with cruising itself, you can see the wonderful scenery and of course get a glimpse of what you can expect to see if you find yourself on a cruise visiting Naples. He visited Naples itself, walked to the top of Mount Vesuvious, gave us glimpses of Pompeii and took a drive along the stunning winding roads of the Amalfi coastline.

Next he was in Barcelona, a place that so far I have not visited. Again he gave us glimpses of what Barcelona has to offer and an insight into Gaudi's  Sagrada Familia, I was fascinated by this building that may take decades to complete.

Finally he was off to Tangier, and although you didnt get to see alot of Tangier itself, we were able to see life beyond the cities and also where the mediterranean finishes and the Atlantic ocean begins.

For anyone who has missed seeing this series then I would recommend trying to catch it when repeats are on and tune in next week for the next installment in Trevors Mediterranean adventures.

Natural Disasters at ports of call what happens if you are due to visit?

Following the recent terrible news of floods in Australia,  and of course today the terrible devastation near Rio De Janeiro and in Sri Lanka obviously this makes some people nervous even if they are thinking of travelling many months ahead.

Our hearts go out to anyone who has lost a loved one or suffered terrible damage to their properties around the world due to these strange weather phenomenons that have happened over recent months.

When Madeira suffered so badly there were so many mixed reports, with the inhabitents being very concerned for their tourist trade and of course Rio, Sri Lanka and Australia will be worrying too.

What was very heartening when Madeira was hit so badly was that although some cruise ships decided not to dock there , there were also some that did as of course where the ships dock or where the excursions visit is not always where there has been any devastation.

For anyone visiting any areas that have suffered badly, then I would say do not panic as things can change so quickly as Madeira proved, and of course if you cannot visit somewhere it will be for your own safety.

Lets hope that these countries do not suffer anymore and that life can get back to normal as soon as possible and for those looking to travel to these countries whether by ship or by airplane that you are not too hasty in changing your plans.

Remember the tour operators and cruise lines will where possible try and get you to visit ports, and will only change things if they feel that they have to which will be for good reason.

A Busy Start to 2011

After all the doom and gloom of the past few weeks with our news packed with tales of woe, snow, flooding, birds dropping out of the sky mysteriously, threats of terrorism and worries of swine flu as well as the state of the economy, to be honest I was not sure how busy we would be in January when I returned to work after the new year.

However I am pleased to report that we are busy busy busy in fact we are busier than this time last year.

This just shows that the cruise industry is still as buoyant as ever and there are so many people who call who are booking cruises for the first time as well as those who have cruised previously.

I am so pleased that I work for a company that takes the time and trouble to ensure that cruise lines keep us up to speed with everything and they have such a rapport with the operators after 27 years in business that training is a priority and where possible we have visits to look around both old and new ships.

Those colleagues who have been in the industry for many years are always happy to share their experiences and we have many staff who have actually worked on board various cruise lines.

It is important when our clients call that we can give them honest opinions as lets face it we want them to return to us and what I am proud that I work with a lovely bunch of people of all ages who all have a wealth of experience in life and cruising/travel.

So often now when we speak to a call centre we do not always get the levels of service that we would expect, as companies do not always invest in their staff to keep a fine balance of age and experience.

We now have more staff  as our business is growing and growing and I am sure that it will continue to grow even more.