The Queen Mary sailed the seven seas from 1936 to 1967 and has had a very interesting life both at sea and docked at Long Beach California. The vessel had served in World War II and even accidentally sank one of her escorts the HMS Curacoa. Adolf Hitler even had the equivalent of $25000 bounty on her for anyone who could sink her. She was just about on her way to Japanese scrap merchants in when a bid for her to be parked at Longbeach California was approved. In 1971 she opened to the public as a hotel and tourist attraction and didn’t fare to well. Disney took control of her during the 80’s with plans for turning her and the site into a new theme park which would have been similar to Tokyo’s Disney Sea, this didn’t go a head and a few later owners went bust trying to come up with new plans. Today the Queen Mary open as a hotel and function centre and various tours, there are plans are drawn up to turn the area into a large entertainment complex similar to Universal Studio’s city walk with cafes, small attractions and a tourist precinct. Read the rest of this entry »
The Creole Queen is one of the delights of New Orleans, chugging up the mighty Mississippi bringing back memories of a bygone era, no trip to the city would be complete without a ride on one of the city’s beautiful steamers. The paddle steamer was introduced into service in 1983 and is one of the largest paddle steamers on the river. The vessel is 200 feet long, 40 feet wide and has three decks and can handle 1000 passengers. The Creole Queen is an authentic paddle wheeler she has two 24 foot diameter paddlewheels and is fueled by a diesel electric engine. The interior of the craft is absolutely beautiful bringing all the beauty of the past with some modern comforts. The lovely Victorian draperies and fittings and parquet cypress floors help you step back in time.
Situated in the historic area of Manhattan where Fulton Street meets the East River you will find the South Street Seaport Museum. The seaport is a collection of beautifully restored 19th century commercial building, restored sailing ships and plenty of tourist malls with food, shopping and good night life and one of the best views of the majestic Brooklyn Bridge. One of the more popular vessels to visit is the Peking a Flying P Liner which was a sailing ship of the German F Laeising shipping company which originated in Hamburg. Built in 1911 the ship was made famous by Irving Johnston who filmed onboard the ship as it rounded Cape Horn back in 1929. The ship has been on display at South Street since 1975. Other interesting vessels include the Wavetree which is a 1885 fully rigged cargo ship and the W.O Decker a 1930’s tugboat which sometimes gives the public a chance to board it for strips around New York’s waterways. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s Youtube pick is of the Cunard cruise liner the Queen Victoria. It’s the newest in the Cunard fleet and pretty darn flash judging by the video above. She is the running mate to the RMS Queen Mary 2 and RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (until the QE2 is retired later this year). A sister ship is also planned to be built named the Queen Elizabeth, this is amazing that Cunard will have 3 fairly new luxury liners at sea as it wasn’t long ago many predicted the death of cruise travel. Today cruising has become big business with heaps of new ships launched each year all trying to out do each other.
Cunard’s RMS Queen Elizabeth II is currently sailing though the Magellan Straights of the South American continent on its way to on one of its last voyages. The ship is probably the best know of all ships (except that of the Titanic of course). Launched in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the craft has sailed over 5.5 million nautical miles and carried over 2 million guests. The original cost of building the ship was just over 29 million pounds over 15 times that has been spent in the last 40 years refitting the craft, and it is not over yet. The ship is going to be the centerpiece of a new development in Dubai called Palm Jumeirah and is going to be completely refit to match the original 1960’s decor then become a luxury floating hotel as part of the monstrous palm shaped island entertainment complex. It is expected the ship will be open for business some time in late 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Before the days of cars the river was the lifeblood of the country and just as the Paddle steamer on the Mississippi opened up the USA the paddle steamer also opened up Australia along its mighty Murray River. The Cumberoona at the twin cities of Albury and Wodonga is a unique experience to step back in time an imagine the days the paddlesteamer ruled the trading world and also get to experience the mighty Murray River with its huge river gum trees. The Cumberoona offers trips up the river during from about October to April when the river is high and the cooler moths the craft is docked at Noreuil Park on the river, where it is open for dining and special events including some fantastic jazz and blues nights.
December 7 marks the 66th anniversary of the attack of the US fleet at Pearl Harbor Hawaii by the Japanese. Today Pearl Harbor has been turned into a moving memorial for those who fought and those who lost their lives in this dark period of the world’s history.
The USS Arizona memorial is one of the most visited war sites on the island. Here a simple floating pavilion sits above the final resting place of the vessel and many of the 1177 crew members that perished. A shore based museum also has some moving wartime stories and memorabilia and visitors can also choose to visit the USS Missouri battleship which was the scene of the 1945 surrender.
Hong Kong’s Star Ferry dates back to 1888 and still today is one of the best ways to cross the harbor from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. The 10 – 12 minute journey from Central To Tsim Sha Tsui Service only costs $2.20 HK which works out to to be about an American Quarter a trip. The Star Ferry Company has a fleet of 12 ferries and they carry over 26 million people a year. They have a few different routes and also have a tourist service which stops at Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Wan Chai, and Hung Hom. Read the rest of this entry »
The Murray River bordering Victoria and New South Wales in Australia was once the country’s busiest highway with paddlesteamers shipping cargo up and down the mighty river system. Today the legacy continues with several paddlesteamers still sailing the river today cargo has been replaced with excited tourists. The Emmylou at Echucha is one of the more grand and popular of the vessels. This paddlesteamer dates back to 1906 and was beautifully restored during the 1980’s. She is in fact the only wood fired paddlesteamer in the world that offers overnight cruising. There is nothing more tranquil than standing on Emmylou’s wooden deck listening to the kookaburras, frogs and the spinning water wheel while cruising up the mighty Murray River at a leisurely pace. Read the rest of this entry »
Step back to a bygone era and ride the Star Ferry across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour for an amazingly cheap and fun trip from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. With trips starting at only $2.20 HK each way you can cross one of the world’s most amazing waterways where you will see the skyscrapers of this bustling city and the rugged backdrop of the island’s mountains. The ferry service has been operating for over 100 years with the most popular service being between Central on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon, boat was the only way of crossing the water until the Cross Harbour Tunnel was opened in 1972. There are 12 ferries in service operating on four different routes and over 70,000 people use the services every day.
