MSC Grandiosa on 8/17/2020 became the first ship from the MSC Cruises’ fleet to welcome guests back and the first ship to implement the Company’s health and safety protocol.

MSC Cruises’ flagship departed Genoa, Italy, for its first 7-night cruise in the West Mediterranean. Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton read a book that helped change her life. Although her father couldn’t read or write, he encouraged his children to embrace education and was proud to see his daughter enjoy “book learning.” Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Here comes the American Cruise Lines coach rolling down the road. The road?

Yep, the popular riverboat line has added personalized private coaches for the convenience and safety of passengers. It certainly is easy for American Cruise Lines passengers to identify their special bus when it pulls up. Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

As a young musician, Gregg Allman wolfed down collard greens and barbecue to lend “soul” to his voice. The food story may be a tongue-in-cheek tale but Gregg’s earthy tormented growl is not. Read more...

   By Jackie Sheckler Finch             

The plaster cast of a muscular arm is a sure attention getter at the new Historic New Orleans Collection. Although the facility includes a wealth of historic memorabilia, it was the arm that made me stop. Read more...

A glass vial with the dying breath of famed inventor Thomas Edison.

The maroon chair, still blood stained, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford Theater.

A folding camp bed that General George Washington actually slept in during the Revolutionary War. Read more...

What must the first Aztec Indian been thinking when he or she decided that the abundant agave plant could be used to produce a potent drink. Creative, for sure.

Walking through La Consentida Tequila Museum in Costa Maya, Mexico, we learned the fascinating history of the popular liquor. The museum is within easy walking distance from where ships dock and was part of shore excursions I booked on my Celebrity Equinox cruise. Read more...

George Glenn Jones almost died before he got a chance to live. The family doctor dropped the baby shortly after delivery. The sturdy newborn survived with only a broken arm.

But what a life the country music legend went on to live in that interval between the day he entered this world on Sept. 12, 1930, and the day he left on April 26, 2013. Read more...

She made it look so easy. A few knots here, some stylish tucks there, a loop around the neck. And viola. A beautiful pareo, the sarong-like clothing worn by Polynesian men and women.

Asking for volunteers from our group of cruise ship passengers, the Mama Ruta designer created four different sarong styles. That was quite impressive but what I found even more interesting was how the artists at Mama Ruta’s hand craft the colorful fabrics used to make the pareos. Read more...

Part of the pleasure of cruising is the cuisine. Sometimes we get a chance to enjoy dishes that we may never have tried. Or we welcome old familiar standbys.

On my cruise aboard the S. S. Legacy for UnCruise Adventures, one of our favorites was the cookies that were served every afternoon. Fresh baked and delicious, the cookies always seemed better than the ones I had at home. Read more...