Hello Betty,

February Foodie Fun and New Adventures

We have just returned from our second Virgin Voyages cruise, which we enjoyed even more than the first. We have now planned another cruise for January 2026 on its newest ship, the Brilliant Lady. We have been able to secure Group Space at smokin’ great rates. We hope you will Join Us! on this or another of these unique ships. The cruise line is proving to be extremely successful as Virgin Voyages has revealed record-breaking revenue and bookings. Following a lucrative Black Friday and holiday season to finish 2024, the cruise line says Wave 2025 is generating the strongest future bookings and revenue growth in its history. It touts a 60% revenue lift year over year and a 40% jump in new bookings. Virgin Voyages' success means they’re offering great prices and amenities for their sailors. Why not contact us today to book your cruise?

Some time ago, we wrote about our fascinating food experience on a Celebrity Cruise at Le Petit Chef. We were enthralled with the projection of the tiny chef gathering ingredients, tossing them on our plates, and preparing each dish. The finished product on the projection was then replaced by the real thing being served to us. A recent Auto Club article included this restaurant and many others exhibiting the array of unique restaurants aboard other cruise lines. Here are a few.

• On the Discovery and Enchanted Princess, try 360: An Extraordinary Experience, a 7-course meal in a dining room with 360-degree LED screens that engages diners’ senses with an immersive 90- to 120-minute journey through the Mediterranean. Each course transports guests to destinations like Santorini and the Amalfi Coast with the region's sights, music, and food, including Greek mezze, Italian burrata, and Spanish charcuterie.

• Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, guests can dine in the Royal Railway. Designed to resemble a luxurious train journey with plush seating, wood paneling, and windows that display scenic views of different landscapes, cruisers can experience what it would be like to travel in a vintage train car at sea on Royal Railway from Royal Caribbean. The menu changes as  diners "stop" at various destinations on their route with food that includes fried green tomatoes, braised short ribs, and baked river trout.

• You might also try Morimoto by Sea by Masaharu Morimoto on Holland America. Offered by Holland America Line on Nieuw Amsterdam and as a pop-up once per cruise at Tamarind Grill or Pinnacle Grill on all other ships. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto brings innovation and the culinary traditions of his native Japan to Morimoto by Sea on Holland America Line cruises. Focusing on fresh fish and seafood, cruisers can pick from a menu of artfully presented dishes that include tuna pizza, lobster pad Thai, crispy whole branzino, ishiyaki buri bop, and Hamachi tacos. Lucky diners may also catch a glimpse of Chef Morimoto himself, occasionally on board for select appearances.

These are but a few of the more sophisticated dining experiences available throughout the cruise industry. What we are witnessing is the realization of most cruise lines that the standard table fare is simply not sufficient to appease the foodie generations.

In an absolutely stunning development, Celebrity Cruises is launching a new brand that will see it navigate the rivers of Europe. It announced Celebrity River Cruises, which will offer premium river cruise itineraries ‘to historic cities on the world’s most iconic rivers. It will initially launch in Europe. The brand has signed an order for 10 river ships to launch in 2027, with reservations opening later this year. “Ships will bring the elevated design of the Edge Series Ocean ships to the river,” according to Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. We say, “WOW!”.

Renewing a passport is now as easy as a click away, at least for some. This week, the State Department, which manages the distribution of passports, announced a new beta test of an online passport renewal program that allows travelers to virtually complete the renewal process. However, only travelers who currently live in the United States and have passports issued between 2009 and 2015 will be able to renew online. Passport holders looking to change their name or date of birth will also not be able to renew online.

Travelers also need to be able to upload their own photos. It's worth noting that once an online application is submitted, a traveler's current passport will be immediately canceled, so those with international travel plans in the near future should not apply. The agency says they do not need travelers to mail their existing passports to them. Renewing a passport online will cost $130, and a credit card is the only acceptable payment method.

Airline Dress Codes? Spirit Airlines decided on the change following several incidents with passengers that raised questions about their clothing. According to Quartz, those incidents included the airline removing a passenger for wearing a crop top and another wearing clothing with explicit language. Spirit, however, isn't the only airline with a dress code for passengers. United Airlines policy states that passengers can be removed from a flight if they are "barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene, or offensive." Delta Air Lines specifically states that passengers can be removed "when the passenger is barefoot" or "when the passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene, or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers," while American Airlines' contract states that its travelers must "dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren’t allowed." 

In other airline news, Hawaiian Airlines is now serving Japan. Flights from the mainland will connect through Honolulu, Lihue, or Kahului.

We invite you to take a look at the just-announced cruise on the Disney Wonder departing from San Diego on March 21, 2025 (space is at a premium!), or our Alaska cruise August 16 to 23, 2025, roundtrip Seattle, on Holland America’s Eurodam; also review the Caribbean Princess Alaskan Cruisetour with a land tour from August 20 to August 23, and the cruise beginning on August 23.

Finally, we invite you to Join Us! on our Virgin Voyages Caribbean Cruise in January 2026.

So, Where in the World Do You Want to Go?

Betty & Frank Villani

909-980-6040

7-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise

March 21 - 28, 2025

Roundtrip: San Diego

Disney Wonder

Sail on the beautiful Disney Wonder roundtrip from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada.

7 Day Mediterranean Cruise

Athens to Barcelona

May 10 - 17, 2025 or

June 21 - 28, 2025

Sun Princess

Voyage of the Glaciers

Vancouver to Anchorage

July 5 - 12, 2025

Caribbean Princess

Let Princess take you from Vancouver to these stunning Alaskan ports: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Anchorage. Enjoy scenic cruising of Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord.

7 Day Bermuda Cruise

Round Trip : New York

July 6 -13, 2025

Norwegian Getaway

Join Us!

We're off to beautiful Bermuda again and hope you'll Join Us for this amazing cruise from New York. Enjoy 2 nights docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard - our home base as we explore the sites on this spectacular island.

16-Day Scotland & Ireland Tour

Gate 1

July 16, 2025

This incredible tour includes flights, hotels, transfers, 21 meals, sightseeing, and more!

Visit Edinburgh, Aviemore, Glasgow, Belfast, Derry, Galway, Killarney & Dublin

Polynesian Dreams

Honolulu to Papeete

August 1 - 16, 2025

Oceania Regatta

Experience the wonders of Hawaii by visiting Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Kona, and Hilo. Then, sail to French Polynesia and see Papeete, Tahiti and four other South Pacific islands.

7-Day Alaska Explorer Cruise

August 16 - 23, 2025

Roundtrip: Seattle

Holland America Eurodam

Enjoy scenic cruising of Stephen's Passage and Glacier Bay. Visit Juneau, Icy Straight Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Vancouver, British Colombia.

Alaska Cruisetour

August 20 - 30, 2025

Fairbanks to Vancouver

Caribbean Princess

This fabulous cruisetour starts in Fairbanks, then goes on to the Denali and Mt. McKinley Princess lodges. Then, board the Caribbean Princess in Anchorage and visit Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, as well as beautiful scenic cruising.

12 Day British Isles Cruise

with Military Tattoo

Round trip : London (Southampton)

August 13 - 25, 2025

Regal Princess

This cruise includes the world famous Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. Be sure to see this spectacular event as well as these stunning ports:

Southampton (for London), England; Cork, Ireland (Cobh - For Blarney Castle) Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland' Belfast, Northern Ireland' Liverpool, England; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Scotland; Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland; Le Havre (for Paris/Normandy), France; Southampton (for London), England.

Regent Seven Seas Cruise

Lisbon to Barcelona

September 14 - 24, 2025

Seven Seas Voyager

Sail aboard the luxurious Seven Seas Voyager from Lisbon to these beautiful Spanish ports: Seville (Cadiz), Malaga, Cartagena, Alicante, Ibiza, on to Sete, France and disembark in Barcelona.

Cities of Light River Cruise

Prague to Paris

November 19 - 30, 2025

Viking Alsvin

Sail away on the beautiful Viking Alsvin from Prague to Paris, visiting spectacular ports in the Czech Republic, Germany and France.

9-Night Caribbean Cruise

January 23 - February 1, 2026

Roundtrip: Miami

New Ship! - Brilliant Lady

Join Us!

Join Us! on a magical Virgin Voyages Caribbean cruise from Miami to Grand Turk, St. John's (Antigua and Barbuda), St. Kitt's, and San Juan!