Tag: Cruise

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Blogging Geography Travel

My Replacement Cruise

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. So let’s recap. After 24 cruises at sea via Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney – I declared that my 24TH cruise (and 16TH on Carnival) would be my final cruise ever. It was one of my greatest cruises ever on the newest and biggest ship I’d ever been on. (That was 3½ years ago in January 2023.)

Fast forward to 2025, and I was getting that cruise feeling again. Ads in print and on television for American Cruise Lines were increasingly intriguing to me. Research ensued, and during the final week of February 2026 I booked my cruise online on the Ohio River for nearly 5 months later during the latter portion of July 2026.

As I revealed in last week’s #TravelThursday (and to some museum friends a few weeks earlier) – that cruise was cancelled due to emergency drydock repairs that had to be made to the ship that I was booked on. (The ship was repaired within a week down in the Louisiana Bayou, and it resumed its regularly-scheduled voyages on the Ohio River starting with the immediate cruise after the one that I was booked on.)

I was given 3 options to proceed. One of the options was a definite no-go for me – a full refund of my cruise. Nope. I didn’t want my money back. I want to cruise a river. I want to see America. And I want to do so as soon as possible.

The other 2 options were enticing to me for different reasons. One of the options was to rebook on a 16-day / 15-night Grand Ohio Cruise for no additional charge. In other words – nearly double the cruise that I was originally booked on. It was a repositioning cruise at the end of the ship’s Ohio River season in late-August into early-September from Pittsburgh all the way to St. Louis. It would travel the entire length of the Ohio River downstream (981 miles), and then up the Mississippi River a bit (195 miles). YES PLEASE !

The caveat for that is that there must be a single balcony stateroom available on that cruise (which is what I booked for my original cruise). For a couple of days – there was one available. And then there wasn’t.

Oh well – it’s on to the last remaining option, and it’s a good one too. Choose any upcoming 9-day / 8-night cruise anywhere (among 28 ships and 50+ itineraries), and rebook for no additional charge – AND – get 30% off my next cruise after that. YES PLEASE !

I already knew which cruise I wanted to book. It would’ve been my Spring or Summer 2027 cruise that I would’ve booked during the original Ohio River cruise. It’s on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers through Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. It runs between Chattanooga and Nashville (both directions). I’ll be flying in to Chattanooga the day before the cruise. Ports-of-call are Decatur / Huntsville Alabama, Florence Alabama, Savannah Tennessee, Paducah / Grand Rivers Kentucky, and finally Nashville. I’ll be flying out of Nashville. Airfare is included, and American Cruise Lines books the flights based upon my requests.

Incidentally – I plan to use the 30% off my next cruise after that – on the Ohio River cruise in Summer 2027. Starting with next season – it becomes a 10-day / 9-night cruise with an additional port-of-call added. (I believe it’ll be Wheeling West Virginia.)

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at past visits to “The Volunteer State” – Tennessee. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Geography Travel

My Ohio River Cruise

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This post is all about my Ohio River Cruise – that didn’t happen. Starting with this edition I would’ve begun a multiple-week series (probably lasting at least 10 weeks into October) recapping my first-ever river cruise. That’s why I posted about Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania over the past 5 weeks. Those are the 5 states I would’ve visited along the 600-mile journey upstream from Louisville to Pittsburgh.

But something terrible happened early in the morning on Wednesday July 01ST 2026. Reports were vague at first, but then they started leaking out on the Interwebs (mostly on Facebook and Reddit). The front-end of the ship was severely damaged in an accident with a tugboat on the Ohio River between Paducah Kentucky and Evansville Indiana a day before it would’ve arrived in Louisville on July 02ND. Everyone on that New Orleans to Louisville cruise was evacuated off the ship about 20 hours later in Evansville Indiana, and the passenger-less ship eventually made its way back down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Amelia Louisiana for what turned out to be a week of drydock repairs.

The first Louisville to Pittsburgh cruise was immediately cancelled, and that’s when reports began appearing on Facebook about what happened. A few days later the Pittsburgh to Louisville return cruise was officially cancelled. (That was pretty much a given since the ship goes back-and-forth between Louisville and Pittsburgh during much of July and August.)

My cruise was the next cruise after that, and it was officially cancelled on Friday July 10TH 2026 – 8 days prior to when I would’ve boarded in Louisville alongside 140+ other passengers. (I received an E-Mail and text message with instructions to rebook a different cruise or receive a full refund.)

I was actually given 3 options to proceed with the refund being one of them. I didn’t want my money back. I want to cruise a river. The other 2 options were enticing to me for different reasons. I knew which option was my first choice, but would I get it ? I’ll share that with you – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Geography Travel

I’m Going On A Cruise

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. “I’m going on a cruise” – are 5 words I never thought I would say anytime soon. My 24TH and final cruise was back in January 2023 on the Carnival Celebration. It was on the newest and biggest cruise ship I had ever been on, and it was a fantastic Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was the perfect cruise to end on after 31 years. I wrote about it in a 6-part / 6-week series.

And then I bought a home in Sebring a month later, and I moved in to it a month after that – while still owning my longtime 30-year home in Homestead. And then I retired after almost 39 years with the USAF.

A 25TH cruise was definitely not on my docket.

And then I went on a retirement road-trip in April 2024. It lasted 18 days, and I accumulated 2,800+ miles to and from North Texas. On Day 3 of that road-trip I arrived in Natchez Mississippi for the night, and I ventured downhill on steep Silver Street to alongside the mighty Mississippi River. And that’s when I saw a Viking cruise ship docked on the banks of the river. Lots of passengers were enjoying their port-of-call for the day.

Ever since that moment on April 03RD 2024 I was intrigued about Viking cruise ships, river cruising in general, and how much money I would have to spend to get on one of those cruises to continue my retirement goal of seeing the U.S.A. They are not cheap. Nearly every river cruise (whether it’s here in the U.S.A. or abroad) costs more than nearly every ocean cruise.

I continued my research off-and-on throughout 2024 and 2025. After seeing their magazine and televisions ads I began zoning in on the family-owned American Cruise Lines (#ACL) and their 28 ships operating solely along U.S. rivers, lakes, and coastlines. They offer about 50 different itineraries in 35 states.

I eventually booked what I like to call a “starter cruise”. It’s on the Ohio River. It starts in Louisville Kentucky, and it ends in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 8 days later. (I’ve never been to either city.)

Ports-of-call along the way upstream (with 14 locks and dams) include Madison Indiana, Cincinnati Ohio, and Marietta Ohio. (Cincinnati is the only city I’ve visited, as my family lived there for 6 years during the 2010s.)

I got a really good deal on this cruise – with free airfare from Sarasota-Bradenton (#SRQ) to Louisville, and then from Pittsburgh back to #SRQ. Also – the hotel night before the cruise is complimentary, and I got $1,000 in instant savings when I booked in February. It’s still my most expensive (by far) cruise to date, and it’s on the smallest cruise ship. I’ll be 1 of 150 passengers (if sold out).

I’m following several Facebook groups of #ACL cruisers (past, present, and future), and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. And I know that river cruising – just as ocean cruising – is not for everyone. I’m looking forward to this cruise. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a great time onboard and in each of the ports-of-call. I also have a feeling that I may be enticed to book my next cruise with them (for 2027), so I’m already looking at potential itineraries so that I’m ready in the event that I get a really good deal onboard.

This cruise is later this year, and you’ll know that I’ve returned back home from it once I begin an extended series documenting it all here on #TravelThursday. As for next week – it’s an update on miles driven so far in 2026. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Geography Home Travel

My Neighborhood Is Like A Cruise Ship

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. I did not visit Arcadia Florida last Thursday as I hinted that I may at the end of last week’s edition. I may visit today.

Last Thursday I stayed home and enjoyed a “day off”. Thursday is usually the only day of the week when I don’t have regularly-scheduled events – whether it’s neighborhood, museum, or church – morning, afternoon, or evening. So Thursdays are generally reserved as days of productivity at home (unless I embark on a local road-trip).

A friend of mine recently asked when I’m going on my next cruise (which would be my 25TH since 1991). I have no plans for such a cruise. I have no desires to go on a cruise. I’m settling-in to my retirement lifestyle, and I love what each new day brings. I’m physically and socially active like never before. (Not even close to my longtime Homestead lifestyle).

Besides – my neighborhood is as close to a cruise ship as I can get. We have 248 condos and villas surrounding a big mostly manmade half-mile-long lake in the middle. Each condo and villa has a spectacular elevated view of the lake. The condos and villas are like the cabins and suites on a cruise ship, and we’ve all got views of the sea. My lanai is like a very nice large balcony. I walk around the sidewalk that runs 1.1 miles alongside the lake, and it’s like walking alongside the perimeter of a cruise ship on a low deck with the cool breeze bouncing off the water and onto my face. Our clubhouse is like the small entertainment venue onboard where a lot of the fun events occur – including of course BINGO !

And our wide variety of daily, weekly, and monthly fun events that do occur – including the occasional meals and parties – resemble those of a cruise. I like our Cruise Director. I’m part of her “Fun Squad”.

I can’t imagine spending a couple thousand dollars on a 7 or 8-day Caribbean cruise when I’ve got my forever home that resembles the nicest balcony cabin I’ve ever occupied.

So if I embark on that shore excursion today to Arcadia Florida – then I’ll write about it – next #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2025 Christopher M. Day, CountUp