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

Cruising to fish in the Turks and Caicos

Off Grand Turk, in the Turks and Caicos islands, south of the Bahamas, I went fishing.

Anybody who knows me might wonder about that decision, but the simple truth is that I saw “Light Tackle Fishing” on the shore excursion list during a Caribbean cruise on Holland America’s new Nieuw Amsterdam. I thought, why not? I can tackle some light fishing.

I had fun, thanks partly to the luck of the draw. Six men from a ship of 2,100 passengers showed up to fish. One guy from Indiana brought his own equipment, and four of the guys quickly gathered to talk about their exploits and prowess. I got number 5 for a partner, Tony from New York. Nice guy, fun story-teller, not much of a fisherperson.

New pirate ship bar greets cruisers to Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Make no mistake: The new bar on Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas may look like a pirate ship, but it has never been to sea, and it’s not going anywhere.

The Captain Morgan on the Rocks Island Bar was built from scratch on bedrock, 9 feet below the sand, and those wood planks on the ship’s hull were nailed together – in the fall of 2010.

Riding AquaDuck on a Disney Dream cruise

Like nearly every other passenger on the new Disney Dream cruise ship, I rode the AquaDuck water coaster during a recent preview sailing.

The Duck was fun, wet, and easy. I liked it so much I did it twice.

You sit on a raft similar to an air mattress, with pockets for one or two riders, front and back.

The raft is propelled by jets of water through a tube that drops, twists, turns, and then, ingeniously, glides along a clear, enclosed path above the pool deck so you can wave to your friends and family below – and if they are quick, they can take your picture, above.

The AquaDuck is destined to be the signature activity on the 4,000-passenger Disney Dream, which begins cruising this week on a regular schedule out of Port Canaveral, Fla. The port is about an hour east of Disney World and Orlando.

Disney Dream is christened, cruises from Port Canaveral

Disney Dream christening

 
With fireworks and a Disney cast of hundreds, the new Disney Dream was christened today at Port Canaveral by godmother Jennifer Hudson, who started her singing career aboard a Disney ship.

In Disney extravaganza style, a helicopter picked up a giant bottle said to hold the pixie dust of dreams, and swung it against the Disney Dream's bow, where a real bottle of champagne awaited, setting off a fireworks display.

Later, the Disney Dream headed out to sea for a two-day preview cruise for media and folks in the travel business.

 

Disney ready for cruise line's new Dream ship

Wednesday is a huge day for Disney. The vacation company will introduce a new cruise ship, the first in a decade.

Tomorrow, the Disney Dream will join the Magic and the Wonder, making the mouse house fleet a threesome. Disney will show off the Dream in Port Canaveral, about an hour east of Orlando. And I am excited to take a look at my third Disney ship.

Today, I am in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World to gather a little pixie dust for the Dream ride tomorrow.