Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Naming another dam cruise ship

As Holland America Line readies to dedicate its newest cruise ship on July 1 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, I was thinking about the names of new cruise ships that give strong hints about the people who choose to vacation at sea and sometimes help us to understand the soul of a cruise line.

I have sailed on Ecstacy, danced on Fascination, bedded down on Fantasy. I have rested on Rhapsody and Radiance, fallen in love on Spirit. I rode the Royal Viking Sea into Leningrad when there was a Leningrad, the Crystal Serenity into Dublin, the Grand Princess out of Istanbul and into Venice, the Tahitian Explorer to Bora Bora.

If ship names say anything about who we are, then people who choose to cruise have changed during the past three decades from passive, pampered class-reachers to a more energetic and egalitarian, though often emotional, lot.

For decades, when cruising was elitist, with fewer ships and a clientele that was mostly wealthy, cruise lines manipulated the name Royal. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, cruise lines were selling a temporary crown to their passengers. Ships either were named royal (Royal, Royal Viking, Royal Caribbean) or royalty  was implied, with Majesty or Crown or position such as the Pacific Princess and Island Princess, where television cameras in the 1980s shot scenes of ordinary people lapping up luxury on the "Love Boat" series.

Then along came the fun ships of  Carnival, and class brows took a dip. On Carnival, we went to a Festival, a Mardi Gras or took a Holiday. Soon, most of the Royals (but thankfully not Royal Caribbean and Princess) abdicated.

The name game changed. Rivals Carnival and Royal Caribbean mined emotions. Carnival hit pay dirt with the Fantasy group and then such wonders as Imagination and Elation. Royal Caribbean snatched Brilliance and Enchantment. Both lines, with a patriotic theme, have shouted Freedom and Liberty. Disney grabbed onto Magic and Wonder. Princess and Norwegian are into gems. Celebrity soon will unearth the new Solstice.

Which brings us to Rotterdam, for the naming ceremony starring Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who will be Godmother of the Eurodam. The ship, which will cruise in Europe this summer, is the largest of Holland America's 14 vessels, but not by much; an additional deck increased the number of cabins by 63.

The Eurodam won't show off a lot of new bells and whistles, either. No rock-climbing walls. No waterpark on deck. Holland America clings to tradition, in style -- and names. All the ships end in dam, so the Dutch laugh that this is just another dam ship.

 

St. Andrews after (or without) the golf

You don't have to pick up a golf club to be delighted by St. Andrews, Scotland.

While St. Andrews, right, is the place that golfers go on pilgrimage to play the Old Course, it is also a bustling seaside and college town, home of Scotland's first university, and a city with a violent history where religions clashed.

You could spend a day wandering the ruins of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, consecrated in 1318, and St. Andrews Castle, which stands on a rocky promontory much worn away by the sea. From a window of the castle, Cardinal David Beaton witnessed the burning of the Protestant reformer George Wishart for the crime of heresy in 1546, and in the same year a party of Reformers murdered Beaton himself inside the castle.

For a more peaceful day, consider a drive to the countryside by the sea.

A local guide, Mike Taylor, booked through the Fairmont Resort, drove me to stone ruins of forts and sanctuaries, hiking paths and old fishing villages where we walked the cobbled streets and sat on stone walls at water's edge.

Crail, left at low tide, and Pittenweem, below, are former fishing villages that today house few fishermen, as the North Sea provides little in the way of a profitable catch.

These days, Scots and English folks from larger cities are buying small townhouses for seaside vacation getaways.

Crail once had one of the largest marketplaces in Europe. Picturesque Pittenweem is a favorite of local painters.

The old fishing village of Anstruther, which gained its royal charter in 1587, is the most gentrified of the seaside towns near St. Andrews. Its wharf, small harbor and stores are clean and manicured, and pleasure boats bob in the water.

Skip the fish and chips

Travelers may know of Anstruther for its highly advertised restaurant in the center of town, the Fish and Chip Shop on the Shore. You will read, especially in Anstruther, that the Fish and Chip Shop is the frequent winner of the Best Chip Shop in Scotland. Says a note on the Anstruther website: "Remember if you are coming in the summer be ready for a long queue,  sometimes two hours, but well worth it." You may wait for a table or line up for takeout and sit along the harbor.

My experience was different from the description on the website. Don't wait in line. It's not worth it. I've had better fish and chips (large french fries) in city diners. The hype here is significantly greater than the food: Too much batter on the fish, and the chips were mushy. Had my wife, Judi Dash, been with me, she would have sent it all back. I scraped off much of the fried fish batter and left most of the chips on my plate.

Then, I went for a long walk along the seashore on a portion of the Fife Coastal Path that covers 90 miles from the Edinburgh area to the Firth of Tay. The path is not difficult, is easy to locate and is a rewarding way to move from village to village. For information: VisitFife. Click on Guide, then Walking.

For more, click GOLF in St. Andrews and the Royal courses of England at TravelMavens.net

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

Scotland: Where golf is a way of life

St. Andrews, Scotland

Playing golf is part of ordinary life in Scotland, where 550 courses tantalize even the most tepid players from the United States. If you are drawn to Scotland's links, be aware that the game here is more serious and more strenuous than the typically casual American Saturday morning jaunt around the country club on a motorized cart.

Any traveler who has heard folks from Scotland describe a difficult uphill trek, with scree, as a "wee stroll," knows that the locals tend to underplay the amount of effort required for outdoor recreation. Golfers from the United States need to bring stamina, a sense of adventure -- and rain gear.

The public game of golf here began in the 16th century, and golf still is played in concert with the capricious elements of nature: Golfers walk, carrying or pulling their own clubs across hilly and potted pastures. Often, they compete in swirling winds mixed with rain drifting off the North Sea. Golfers trudge on, grateful for the privilege of hitting the ball with their well worn sticks, counting every stroke in the battle. This style of play fits the attitude of many of the folks who live in Scotland.

That might explain, at least in part, the story of Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587), a golfer who was chastised by the Church for teeing off on the links only a few days after the murder of her second husband, the scheming Lord Darnley. She was supposed to be in mourning. Perhaps she found solace on the golf course.

At right is the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole of the Old Course at St. Andrews. (Photo by Ed Stone/GoGolfandTravel.com)

Using St. Andrews as a hub

Some 20 courses lie within 30 minutes of downtown St. Andrews, where the famed Old Course begins. It is one of seven courses owned by the people of St. Andrews. (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded here in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the rules of golf worldwide, except in the United States.)

The Old Course is closed most Sundays, when it becomes a place for townsfolk to walk and picnic. For other courses, click on St. Andrews Golf and Golf Scotland.

On a Sunday, I joined Gary Slatter, director of golf at the Fairmont Resort, and his wife Carolyn for a game on the Fairmont's Torrance links course that sits on a hill within sight of the medieval town of St. Andrews.

The 18th green of the Torrance course and the Fairmont clubhouse. Carnoustie is across the bay. (Photo by Molyneaux)

Slatter, who once played on the professional tour, carried his clubs. Carolyn and I used pull carts. The Torrance is an easy walk, though a difficult play around roughs thick with tall grass. Most holes have views of Tay Estuary that leads to the North Sea and some spy on St. Andrews' new Castle Course.

On Fairmont's adjacent Devlon course, quietly equipped with motorized buggies for the American market, fairways are wider than the Torrence but the roughs are rougher.

Local golfers say that 90 percent of the putts go straight. Slatter says 80 percent, but it's a good guide.

You could play 54 holes a day

"Some people come to Scotland to play all the name courses," said Slatter. "It can be more fun -- and economical -- to play each course twice. Most courses have a second play for 5-10 pounds, so you can play 36 holes for about 100 pounds (or about $200)," he said. "If you wanted, you could play 54 holes a day."

The Fairmont offers top resort accommodations, restaurants and fine views of the sea and town of St. Andrews (best from rooms on the second floor). The hotel bar is a gathering place for golfers and other travelers. The resort offers easy access to hiking paths and back roads for bicycling.

Be prepared, too, for the matter-of-factness that drives the Scottish wit.

When I was playing Gleneagles, a championship course in Scotland's central Perthshire countryside, I hired a caddy for an 18-hole walk over and around some serious hills. My caddy, a wiry, ruddy faced man of few words, said he was 75 years old. After several strenuous climbs, I made the mistake of saying that I felt a little odd as a younger man hiring an older man to carry my clubs, I suggested lightheartedly that the roles might naturally be reversed, that I should be carrying his clubs.

The caddy was having none of it.

"I'll be carrying clubs long after you're dead," he said.

MORE GOLF, St. Andrews and the Royal courses of England at TravelMavens.net

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

Worth Clicking: Cruise tips, updates on ships

In the wake of bad economic news and increasing fuel surcharges by cruise lines, Cruise Critic editor Carolyn Spencer Brown finds some good news for cruisers, including impressive new ships about to debut.

Glimpses of Celebrity's new Solstice

CruiseCritic.com offers a good look at the Celebrity Solstice, certain to be one of the hot ships of 2008 when it begins cruising in November. The Solstice, first of a new class of ships from Celebrity, will sport a glass blowing show, right, and cruising's first Lawn Club, with real grass and a bocce ball court.

Designs on the Carnival Splendor

Stairs and lobbies on the new Carnival Splendor, due to begin cruises in July in Europe, are pink, copper, silver and black, says interior designer Joe Farcus.

Why a good cruise goes bad

Paul Motter, editor of the website CruiseMates.com, says there are two reasons why people make simple mistakes that can ruin their vacations: The questions we never think to ask; and the things we know we should do, but neglect due to over-confidence. Motter offers a practical checklist of things that cause a good cruise vacation to go bad.

Playing Golf on England's Royals, Scotland's Old Course

If you are an amateur golfer who loves to play championship courses, England and Scotland have dozens of them.

At a time when many of the top tournament courses in the United States are difficult, if not impossible, to get to play because of their exclusivity, the best courses of England and Scotland are open.

Keep that in mind as you watch the British Open July 17-22 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

I played Royal Birkdale on a vacation trip in the fall of 2007 that also included Royal Lytham & St. Annes and Royal Liverpool, all within an hour's drive of Liverpool, England. I also played the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.

Pictured at right are pot bunkers guarding a green at Royal Liverpool.

As an amateur golfer who sometimes labors to break 100, I felt blessed to walk the fairways of some of the world's best courses.

Yes, English pounds come at a high price these days, as the exchange rate pushes golf fees at some courses to over $250, but other championship venues, while not Royal, are available for as little as $70.

You don't just show up in England; you arrange a tee time through a tour operator or through a special Web site, England's Golf Coast. You can book tee times and accommodations, including the clubhouse at Lytham, where the weekday package of about $330 includes golf, three meals and accommodations in the Course and Dormy House.

MORE OF THIS STORY, MORE GOLF at TravelMavens.net

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.