By Gina Storey
It is the season ….. for ship launches!
Late October saw me heading to Florida of the christening of the new Oceania ship The Allura. What a lovely cruise ship!
The day before I wrote this column I was on Sydney harbour for the launch of the new Aurora Douglas Mawson expedition ship!
When you sail out of Miami it seems essential to explore the Art Deco district of South Miami Beach – this area was long a no go zone in the 70s and 80s and now has undergone a facelift to be the ‘it place’ to stay.
We had a few nights at the lovely Ritz Carlton Hotel, taking an architectural walking tour of the art deco buildings and brunching at Betsy’s – an iconic destination not to be missed.
We visited wonderful art galleries and explored the Miami Design District … a haven for public art works and chic shopping.
Hiring a convertible BMW saw us stopping at “Gator Bites” for lunch in the Everglades – a funny shed on the side of the road serving not only alligator burgers but delicious “shrimp” (American for giant prawns) tacos.
After an exhilarating airboat ride through the swamp lands we continued down the road crossing bridge after bridge linking the tiny islands of the Florida Keys.
Sleepy small towns and crystal clear waters we wound our way to Isla Bella, a delightful hotel looking out to see with white sandy beaches, herons stalking in the shallows and a lid back southern USA feel.
Driving further down the keys we arrived at Key West, made famous by Hemmingway, this pretty township has colourful clap board houses and seemingly a pub on every corner.
Hemmingway’s house was fascinating, however the history of the Little White House was also fascinating.
Several presidents have used this retreat to consider the workings of state, from Harry S Truman to Bill Clinton, they have all used this delightful home as a refuge from the business of Washington DC.
Then we were off to the Bahamas on the Allura.
This delightful ship is capped at a maximum 1200 guests.
There is a wide selection of restaurants on board and claiming to have the finest cuisine at sea’, I can highly recommend the Oceania fleet for the food lovers amongst us.
The crew were a joy, they were happy and helpful.
There are lots of things to do on board including a wellness focus and we thoroughly enjoyed our few days at sea.
Cabins are comfortable and the décor modern and relaxing.
I haven’t sailed on the sister ship Vista however I gather she is delightful too. Oceania are visiting Australia this summer – be sure not to miss a sailing.
There is probably no finer harbour in the world than Sydney.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Aurora Expedition’s brand new vessel The Douglas Mawson.
Explore the extremities of our world on this high tech, yet casual atmosphere ship.
Be fascinated on your excursions by Zodiac as you venture through Antarctica, The Arctic, small remote islands and off the beaten track destinations.
The naturalist guides share their passion and knowledge of the area you are travelling.
With a maximum 154 passengers you will soon get to know like minded travellers.
Join the citizen science program, relax in the library and scan the horizon for icebergs , penguins and whales from the observation lounge or jump in the hot tub after a polar plunge!
Watch out for your Travelling Places calendar which will be delivered to your letter box any day! Next year you may be one of the local photographers chosen to feature! See you in the New Year !
