What is wrong with Homeland security?

At the risk of never been granted a visa to enter the United States I had to ask the question after seeing this story in the news yesterday. How stupid are the American security services? For those of you who didn't see this in the news yesterday, please keep reading, you won't believe it!

Can I wear a kilt on my cruise?

You can if you want to. People do.
I've seen loads of people on a formal night wearing their full tartan regalia proudly boasting how these have been their clan colours for the last four or five hundred years -
Except, sorry, they haven't.

Azuras 2013 world cruise cancelled.

Lets face it who didn't see this coming? A world cruise on a ship this big was always going to be a mistake.
I'm going to generalise a little bit here but the average age of a world cruiser tends to be sixty five plus, (who else but someone that's retired can cruise for a hundred days or more?).
Older cruisers tend to prefer smaller ships, (see, I said I'd be generalising), and P&O have designated the Azura as their largest 'family friendly' ship.
A cancelled cruise was always on the cards.

Ultimate luxury line to host ultimate food experience

It's hard to imagine Crystal cruises getting much better. Now that they've done away with onboard credit and moved to the all inclusive option onboard it would seem to some that they're about as good as they're going to get.
Well, to start with I'm sure that's not true. I've never known a cruise line to just sit back and rest on it's laurels; they're always trying to improve things onboard.
However, any passengers booked on the Crystal Serenity this May leaving Dover are in for an extra special treat.

Are Costa Cruises offering a 30% discount to Concordia survivors?

The internet has been ablaze for the last couple of days over a report that Coast Cruise Lines has offered  cruise passengers onboard the Costa Concordia a 30% discount off their next Costa cruise as compensation for the disaster.
Whilst I don't think Coast have exactly been covering themselves in glory over this incident I'm afraid people that this report is completely false, or nearly so anyway.

Coast Guard audio with Captain Schettino

Anyone who knows me will tell you my political views lean so far to the left that I'm nearly falling over and I'm a firm believer in a free and impartial trial but I have to admit after listening to this recording even I was left thinking what a coward. If a lynch mob had of walked by my house at the time I would have helped them carry the rope!
Let's hope when it finally does go to trial the Italian court system manages to find an unbiased jury.

Tourist attractions in Ceuta

I was looking up a cruise for someone the other when I noticed a city on the itinerary that I'd never seen before. As it was a fairly standard cruise to the Canaries you can imagine this surprised me., I thought I knew all the ports of call in that area.
The more I read about it though, the more interesting it sounded so I decided to put together a little guide for you of "what is there to do in Ceuta" if you ever find yourself there.