Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

Cabrillo Monument is a lovely day trip. CABRILLO DISCOVERED LAND WHERE TIDE POOLS NOW ATTRACT VISITORS Cabrillo National Monument and its...

Cookie and Keller take time for a quick cocktail during their guided tour of The Royal Suite on Serenade of the Seas. Would Queen Elizabeth and President Obama join Cookie? WHAT DO THE SIMPLE FOLK DO? LET'S BOOKA ROYAL SUITE TODAY Top penthouses offer luxury. Cookie covets the "Royal" suites. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS, PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER and archives WHY CAN'T I stay in the presidential suite every time I cruise? (Or at least in the palatial owner's suite or the spaci

CRUISE FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD TAKES HUGE EFFORT, METICULOUS PLANNING Dozens of cheese plates in the Serenade's galley will be paired with nuts, crackers and veggies for pretty appetizers. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER These edible appetizers were created for a special party on board. This happy worker prepares peppers for shipboard stir fry. WHEN THE waiter delivers your dinner to a beautifully set cruise table, or the room steward presents you with

It's a sweltering day on stage, he's loaded down with an elaborate costume. The temperature is climbing. He's sweating. It's still act one and the temperature is climbing. But wait. The actor has a brief moment off stage and gets relief from tiny ice packs dropped into his garb. Thanks to clever costumers and seamstresses, the show goes on. The actor is much cooler. This is only one of the little known facts revealed by actor Jeffrey King, who took a couple dozen the

SAMPLE TOP ACTING AT OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, LIVELY CABARET, THEATER, FINE RESTAURANTS, CLASSIC HOTEL, CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE!...

B&Bs, shopping and attractions, including a vintage trolley which will take you around in leisurely and colorful fashion. ONE OF THE town's stand-outs, perhaps its most colorful offering, has put Jacksonville on the map. It's the Britt Festival

St. Patrick's Day delights: corned beef, music and a bucket list with mum

A VISIT AND OVERHEARD CONVERSATION BRING REVELATION OF THE PLACE'S HISTORIC IMPORTANCE With the grandeur of Tara in "Gone with the Wind," Oak Alley's "big house" rests at the end of a grand oak entryway. The view from the second-story balcony at Oak Alley. A docent in period dress guides guests through the living room of Oak Alley. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER PLANTATIONS make me nervous. Revisiting the sorry history of slavery should make one uncomfort

Carnival worldwide -- Rio to New Orleans

Trio of venues about relationships offers home run for buffs of the boards San Diego's gorgeous location between sea and mountains is fertile ground for cutting edge theater. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER SAN DIEGO THEATER's March offerings are as fresh, varied and welcome as our recent weather. Translate coastal sun, imposing skyline and rejuvenating breezes to the stage. You have a hint of the pleasures awaiting theater buffs. Our theaters deliver -- f

Beautifully crafted metal sculptures including elephants, eagles and even a desert jeep with passengers are positioned to suggest roaming the deserts of San Diego County, near our home here in southern California. Outside of the town of Borrego Springs lies Galleta Meadows, inspiration of the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Dennis Avery.

When renting a car abroad, think small and don't be shy

AVOID TROUBLE BY DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING, PHOTOGRAPHING DAMAGE, OBSERVING LOCAL SIGNS Renting a car abroad -- here in Sardinia -- calls for advance planning. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER RENTING A CAR while traveling abroad can be unnerving. Daunting questions arise: What do you do about a bang or a ding noticed before you take the car out of the lot? How will you transcend a language barrier? Do you book at home before you go, or wait and take your cha

The Queen Mary has a long, proud history and was saved from the scrap heap by the city of Long Beach. The revelry aboard the Queen Mary includes vintage dress for special events. WORLD'S ONCE GRANDEST LINER LIVES A LIVELY LIFE IN LONG BEACH Keller and Cookie flank Commodore Hoard on Queen Mary. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER ABOARD the Queen Mary, there's always adventure. If you want to schedule it, you can, on a series of entertaining tours which take in

VISIT TO GRAND DAME SHIP REKINDLES DREAMS OF HER GLORY DAYS The Queen Mary is aglow with lights and a special Diana Exhibit, along with her hotel and dining options. Parties are a Queen Mary tradition; these two "put on the Ritz." STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER IN MY DREAMS , I'm holding my grandmother's white-gloved hand as we enter the reception area of the Queen Mary. It's the 1950s and I'm a little girl. We're setting off on a glamorous Atlantic cro