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

Norwegian Getaway and SeaDream, sailing the same sea, very differently

Two recent Caribbean voyages, aboard SeaDream I and Norwegian Getaway,  could not have been more different.

One week, cruising aboard a 112-passenger SeaDream yacht was like being a private guest at an intimate, fashionable house party. Energetic, highly trained crew were at beck and call as we floated from small ports to anchorages off such islands as St. Barts and Isle des Saintes.

SeaDream I in the Caribbean

One afternoon, a bartender, spurned in his attempts to pour me a drink to accompany my reading, offered instead to remove a smudge from my glasses. From his pocket he pulled a small bottle, spritzing and wiping with glee.

During a second week at sea, Norwegian Getaway, which carries some 4,000 passengers on cruises out of Miami, was abuzz from mornings until deep into the evenings, as vacationers streamed in and out of restaurants, lounges and entertainment venues.

New Disney parade shines with Fantasyland characters

I am a sucker for a big, colorful parade with lots of music, especially if Disney builds it.

On my way to an appointment recently at Disney World near Orlando, I arrived early so I could see the newest of the daily shows in the Magic Kingdom -- the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade.

The Princess Garden rolls down Main Street

As usual, the Disney extravaganza was spectacular. 

Life in remote villages of the Upper Amazon of Peru

One of the highlights of a riverboat tour in the Upper Amazon was the opportunity to visit remote villages that sit beside the many rivers in the Pacaya-Samiria government reserve near Iquitos, Peru.  

A boy in Urarina, Peru, said he speared these fish in the waters of the Upper Amazon (Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

During daytime village visits, our small tour group from Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic, off the riverboat Delfin II, seldom met any of the male residents.

“Out working,” said our guide, Juan Luis.

Daytime villagers mostly were young people, children and babies, and teenage mothers.

In Urarina, they gathered to greet us in a covered concrete meeting space in the center of the village.

Cruising the Upper Amazon of Peru

Anaconda, piranha and king toads, oh my!

One day, on a cushy fall river cruise in the Upper Amazon Basin, our 10-passenger, motorized skiff was exploring tributaries, and tributaries of tributaries.

Rudy Flores with machete (All Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

Each sliver of water was smaller than the former, until we plunged into a jungle path clogged with vines, rotting logs, trees with twisting roots, weeds, and tall grasses.

Our guide, Rudy Flores, was pointing out species of birds, buzzing insects, and the occasional three-toed sloth. Then, deep into the doubtful waterway, our motor conked out.

“What’s under us?” I asked.

 “Anaconda,” he said, “lots of anaconda.”