Bus took us to board the American Cruise Line Melody. their newest on the Mississippi.   Watch this 11 min 23 sec video to get a full tour of the boat.   In general: While ships are designed for open, deep-sea navigation, boats are for smaller inland, river or coastal waters. Remember U-boat during the world war, for the German Unterseeboot?  Stands for undersea boat.  So yes, a submarine is a boat. A very large yacht is still a boat. The Melody was actually launched in 2021, measures 269 feet long and 56 feet wide, and is a boat.   Holds up to 180 passengers and has four decks.  Known for large staterooms, with standard rooms of 250 square feet.  The fourth floor has suites, and our room 418 has 405 square feet.   You can read the details here. It is nearly 400 miles from Memphis to New Orleans.  Maybe a 6-hour drive,  Our itinerary, which will take 13 days, or 12 nights, to complete    Frankly, I am surp...

President Donald Trump was in Memphis earlier this week, so he  visited Graceland .  He signed a replica of a guitar Elvis used, which shows a special sticker that links back to Hawaii and a kendo dojo.  We arrived at the Graceland Guest House yesterday, and will stay two nights.  But first, how we got here and our a special tour that normal tourists don't get. Denver is the main and fastest growing hub of United Airlines.   The United Club, though, did not serve much of a breakfast to my liking.  On the flight. I've never seen this before on any flight, but, soon after our flight left the gate, the flight attendants began to serive champagned in the first class section.  Try drinking champagne while taking off!!!  Then later. Got to Memphis, and were picked up by our Graceland hotel shuttle.  There was a reception for cruise passengers staying there, followed by a special tour of Elvis' personnel stuff.. We all wore special gloves so we...

To catch a Christmas European River cruise in 2024, I made two itineraries involving cruises, sailing east from Honolulu to Europe and west from Europe back to Honolulu. Unfortunately, couldn't find a cruise to the West Coast from Honolulu.  Something to do with the Jones Act.  Possible to sail to Vancouver, but no options coming or going during these two itineraries for the Fall and Winter of 2024.  Also, no cruises from the West Coast of North America to Honolulu during this period.  Well, there is one loophole that comes at the end of this posting. So we start with a flight from Honolulu, and the only cruise heading south, then east, was on the Holland America, from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  Thus, beginning in September of 2024. Fly from Honolulu to Vancouver on September 26.  Stay a couple of days at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown. Board the  Nieuw Amsterdam on September 29 for a 21-day cruise . Verandah cabins start at ...