what a negative nelly. i stopped reading once it became clear this was just a litany of complaints.
I guess chacun à son propre goût for un certain âge.
I have traveled on a number of American Cruise Lines (Pearl Seas) as the ship lecturer, and have always been impressed by the passengers. They seemed much younger to me than the impressions given by Ms. Stewart in this article. I think it was because of their intelligence and curiosity. They were very so full of life and such eager travellers. It was a great pleasure to have been with them.
Next time, take the train?
"Martha was the first tour guide to refer to the Civil War as the “War of Northern Aggression” and to describe Southern gentlewomen hiding the family silver in their hoop skirts. She was not the last." That sentence tells us who is their target demographic. Presumably most were old and white. A tour of racist nostalgia. No thanks. When they celebrate the struggle for emancipation and the heroes who fought for that, maybe I book a cruise.
2
Wow! I'll avoid that one! Yeah, I'm almost 71, but I'm not drooling yet.
As a 14 year old kid, some 50 years ago, crossed the Atlantic from Miami to Rotterdam. Without a doubt the longest 7 days of my life. I was the best of friends with the captain, who normally was put in charge of oil tankers and didn't have to waste his time being polite to some 800 tourists expecting the best (or rather the most) in food, drinks, movies, nuts, and service on demand. He saw this trip as a demotion. I did enjoy exercise classes though, every 9 am, so I could observe all the weak, (sea) sick, fat, and ugly human beings on that ship (800 of them). I became a non-believer during that trip and greatly appreciated airplanes. Be it from Baltimore to Charleston or across the Atlantic, tourist ships are slow death.
1
I like the picture of "Glory" docked at Charleston, it looks like a cheap condo at the beach.
1
Sounds like a foating hospice......absolutely dreadful. The station wagon with a broke AC and 4 kids traveling across country to Yellowstone in July 1965 was charming compared to this. Come to think of it I would give anything to return to that two weeks in my life and stay there forever.
If fortunate enough to have your own boat that can make this trip -- and the time -- do it yourself and take bicycles with you. Take your time, and your binoculars.
2
Brookgreen Gardens would have been the highlight.
1
For intimate reasons, including a Marxist-Leninist revolution in my birth country (Cuba), I have known nothing but instability in my life. I can't help living with this feeling that I am moving to another city, another country --even if I don't move anywhere. I know, irrational.
And then I visited Charleston. Walking the streets, I felt an inexplicable feeling of belonging. For the first time: this was the place where I wanted to live and die.
Maybe it had to do with the French exiles from the Haitian revolution "resting" in the small cemetery within the city. Or the stories I heard about the 19th century families sleeping on the roofs in the hot summers. Or the hurricanes hitting Charleston. Or the waterfront --nothing compared to the over-a-mile long Havana waterfront.
I know it is more than that. And yet, I'm still here, in foreign land --in Cuban Miami.
And then I visited Charleston. Walking the streets, I felt an inexplicable feeling of belonging. For the first time: this was the place where I wanted to live and die.
Maybe it had to do with the French exiles from the Haitian revolution "resting" in the small cemetery within the city. Or the stories I heard about the 19th century families sleeping on the roofs in the hot summers. Or the hurricanes hitting Charleston. Or the waterfront --nothing compared to the over-a-mile long Havana waterfront.
I know it is more than that. And yet, I'm still here, in foreign land --in Cuban Miami.
What a good natured article...so rare for this paper.
5
"I failed to secure even a seat for one at Husk." Husk is great - but there are at least a dozen others of its caliber in the Charleston peninsula; and at least a hundred still that would have been much better than eating at the ship.
1
This trip sounds to me just dreadful. References to drooling and still-frozen cubes of dessert and tour guides called Mouth of the South--a nightmare floating low end nursing home. The boat itself looks like a prison block.
Also, three paragraphs about the writer's newly discovered "uncommon disposition to seasickness" has to be a low point in my lifetime reading of the New York Times.
The places visited, on the other hand, are wonderful, and deserve a better mode of visitation than this. And a write-up by a real travel writer.
Also, three paragraphs about the writer's newly discovered "uncommon disposition to seasickness" has to be a low point in my lifetime reading of the New York Times.
The places visited, on the other hand, are wonderful, and deserve a better mode of visitation than this. And a write-up by a real travel writer.
22
Way to use a heteronym in the phonetic pronunciation.
3
Please elucidate, Doc. Them ten-cent college words go right over my non-PhD head,
13
I'm guessing Dr Ben's referring to “BOW-fort”, where Bow can be interpreted as either bow (& arrow) or bow (as in take a bow), so it's particularly unhelpful in describing how to pronounce something.
3
Benjamin, you're not alone. The same thought occurred to me immediately.
1
Is this what we've come to in travel writing? Travel is exciting, interesting, expanding, wonderful even if not always perfect. I lost count of the negative remarks by this writer while she had the privelege of experiencing travel that most people will never realize. If the cruise itself was awful, just let us know and move on. The sights and the people met along the way are to be celebrated! LD71 :D
16
Did you have to write, "Wilmington depressed me"?! My family has a second home there, that I have not yet been to! I guess I need to then feel happier ensconced in this dreary Brooklyn winter!!!
2
Wilmington is wonderful. It's like a smaller Charleston but more egalitarian. I never thought of the trolleys as uncomfortable
And Barefoot Landing, in North Myrtle Beach not Myrtle Beach, is just pure fun---not cheesy.
But anybody who passes up an opportunity to go to Brookgreen Gardens can call herself cultured but isn't!
And Barefoot Landing, in North Myrtle Beach not Myrtle Beach, is just pure fun---not cheesy.
But anybody who passes up an opportunity to go to Brookgreen Gardens can call herself cultured but isn't!
2
Starter Castles. How apt.
A great article on a little appreciated coast once you get past the mega resorts and self absorbed clientele that flock there.
A great article on a little appreciated coast once you get past the mega resorts and self absorbed clientele that flock there.
1
You definitely missed out on Brookgreen Gardens. That place is incredible!
2
I've visited most of these places, and love them. I would suggest that if you HAVE to do this by boat, fine- but all of these destinations are worth a leisurely trip by car-or better yet, by boat at your own relaxed pace. Baltimore, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks- if you have two or three weeks, all of them, and the jewels further South, are well worth your time and effort.
7
These kind of boat trips are great for people who have never been to the area. They're just a quick survey, but they're easy, relaxing, informative and, as the author points out, the fun is in the other passengers. They don't work for people already familiar with the area.
10
There's something about the seasickness parts that we could do without.
7
It's the ageism that got me.
24
My parents' view of life, part of the Greatest Generation, shared by their friends',was quite gracious, lived with humor and fortitude. Enjoyable company!
9
The Wisconsin is a battleship
Walk one block away from where the ship docks and a whole new world opens.
Bring a pair of field glasses and the array of wildlife is astounding
Talk to the folks in the local stores and your education will expand beyond your expectations
I've made the tyrip many times delivering boats;never got tired of it
Walk one block away from where the ship docks and a whole new world opens.
Bring a pair of field glasses and the array of wildlife is astounding
Talk to the folks in the local stores and your education will expand beyond your expectations
I've made the tyrip many times delivering boats;never got tired of it
13
Excellent! How old are YOU, author of this article?
7
I am guessing she is in her early fifties (refers to the ship's demographic as just old enough to be her parents0. I will do this trip by car.
Speaking as a "boomer" myself, they should rename this ship "Past Glory".
Before moving to Wilmington, I had the opportunity to live abroad and travel. I realized to truly experience a city I had to get off the bus, trolley or cruise ship. On Ms. Stewart’s next visit to Wilmington, I would suggest she stay in one of our bed and breakfasts. While she is walking in our historic downtown, enjoying our wonderful restaurants and the Riverwalk, I hope she will take the time to chat with my neighbors and friends. I am confident she will realize we are a friendly, vibrant city with a rich history we enjoy sharing with our visitors.