Q&A with Lonely Planet’s Tony Wheeler
Posted October 17, 2009 , comments closedEditor’s Note: A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of catching up with Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet (along with his wife Maureen), at the Viator San Francisco office. Catch up on previous Viator blog posts about the sale of Lonely Planet to the BBC and the Travel Writer’s Dilemma.
If Tony Wheeler didn’t exist, we’d need to invent him. You’ll know Tony if you’ve ever hauled a backpack around the globe with only a fuzzy itinerary (Asia?? why not!) and a money belt stuffed full with everything except money. Along with shoes and toothbrush, the only other required piece of gear was the guidebook.
Inevitably it was a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Tony Wheeler is the co-founder of Lonely Planet (along with his wife, Maureen). Which makes Tony the godfather, granddaddy and don of travel. This is a man who’s set foot in nearly every country on the planet (Iraq? Check. North Korea? Check. East Timor? Check.) This is a man who knows travel.
Tony Wheeler in Afghanistan, at Christ-e-Sharif
His story is legendary. After arriving in Sydney in 1972, after a six month Asia overland trip from Europe, he had 27 cents left in his pockets. After numerous friends asked him for advice on making the same journey, he decided to publish a book. In 1973 Lonely Planet’s first title was published, Across Asia on the Cheap, documenting their trip from London to Australia. In 1975 they published their second title, South-East Asia on a Shoestring.
From those early guidebooks Lonely Planet grew into the world’s largest independent guidebook publisher - more than 500 titles in print, an award-winning website, a respected image library, television programming and video, more than 400 staff in Melbourne, London and Oakland (California). In 2007 the Wheelers sold a majority interest in Lonely Planet to BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the venerable BBC. Tony is still closely involved with the company. In 2009 he hit the road to film segments in Laos and Alaska with a crew from Lonely Planet TV.
Death of the guidebook? Premature
Viator: Is the guidebook dead? Or are reports of its death premature?
Tony Wheeler: The death of print is the wrong way to think of it. Print is everywhere. There are more words being published on paper than ever before. What’s changing is the guidebook - it’s not going to stay on paper for ever. It’s migrating to mobile phones, downloads (have a look at Lonely Planet’s pick-and-mix PDF downloads) and, of course, the internet. So the guidebook is definitely not dead.
Viator: So if the guidebook isn’t quite dead, what is the role of a printed guidebook in 2009?
Tony Wheeler: Think about a destination like Congo and Zaire and - the guidebook itself may be a little outdated - but the maps are helpful. And overall, there are not many guidebooks to Congo, so in that case a guidebook is invaluable.
Another example: Our Cycling in Italy title, it went out of print a few years ago. Now it’s being sold on ebay for $150 a copy. The reason? It’s the perfect format for cycling. You’re not going to duck into an internet cafe while you’re on a long-haul cycling trip. And it’s the same thing when you’re traveling off the grid. Guidebooks are wonderful back-ups. People have been predicting the death of guidebooks for many years, they’re wrong. People love books.
Tony in Iraq
Viator: Travel experts versus group wisdom - is the role of an official “author” still crucial? Or has user-generated content taken over?
Tony Wheeler: Even Zagat’s (which relies on user-submitted reviews) requires experts to pull everything together. Lonely Planet’s own Thorn Tree is another good example. There’s great depth of content on the Thorn Tree - right now a traveler is on the spot in Congo, in Libya, in Tibet, posting to the Thorn Tree - but still there are gaps.
Even if 500 people on TripAdvisor endorse something, it doesn’t mean that the quality hasn’t suffered recently. And that’s where guidebook authors come in. And then there’s Iraq and Afghanistan - only Lonely Planet is sending people there right now.
Viator: What surprises you nowadays about travel, in the way that people travel?
Tony Wheeler: Frankly I’m surprised that people show up in the oddest of places. I took a 4×4 to the most remote corner of Africa, and yet there was a couple traveling the same route by bicycle. Amazing. It’s hard to push the edges of travel now, especially in Europe. I’m also surprised how easy it is to travel now. People in the UK heading to Prague for the weekend, that sort of thing. Travel has maybe become too easy.
Viator:What’s on your travel agenda this year?
Tony Wheeler: I wrote a book called Badlands, about traveling to the so-called Axis of Evil (Iraq, North Korea, Iran). I credit the book to George W. Bush. I’ve always been interested in edgy countries and I’d been kicking around the idea of writing something about ‘pariah’ countries. When Mr. Bush produced his ‘Axis of Evil’ list, my first thought was “I’ve got to go there.” So the Evil Axis trio formed the core of my ‘Bad Lands’ and it was no trouble to come up with a half dozen other contenders.
Perhaps surprisingly, I had a great time in all my ‘Bad Lands’ and – apart from a little uneasiness in Afghanistan and Iraq – I was never particularly concerned for my safety. North Korea was easily the weirdest: a place alternating between horror and comedy, a Stalinist theme park, a gulag run by Monty Python.
I’d like to follow that up with a book about “Weird Lands”, countries that have fallen off the rails somehow. Think about Congo - it’s gone steadily backwards since 1958. Or Colombia, which has been ruined by America’s fight against drugs. Somalia, Haiti, there are many off-the-rail countries to choose from.
Viator: Would you share a few of your favorite travel experiences with us?
Tony Wheeler: Last year I visited the cosmonaut training center at Star City outside Moscow, then flew down to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. I had a close-up look at the Soyuz FG launcher the evening before the launch, met with Richard Garriott (game entrepreneur who paid USD $30 million for the ride) and his back up Nik Halick (they were behind glass, in quarantine) and stood at dawn to see the Soyuz crew (followed by an assortment of support crew which even included an orthodox priest). As interesting as the rocket launch was my fellow passengers – our little group of Richard Garriott supporters included Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google, Peter Diamandis of the X Prize, Charles Simonyi, formerly of Microsoft and a 2007 space tourist, and assorted other space tourism followers.
Walking to the Soyuz bus, just before launch
I also have the Planet Wheeler Foundation to keep me busy. Our 2008 projects ranged from building a children’s clinic in Cambodia to funding medical training in Afghanistan. My favorite project in 2008 was the Melbourne Solar System. It’s a 1:1 billion scale model of our Solar System, starting with the Sun – a 1.4 metre diameter bronze orb that weighs 350kg (over 700 lbs). It’s on the waterfront bicycle path that runs along Melbourne’s bayside, starting at the St Kilda Marina. Jump on your bicycle and pedal west, you’ll come to Mercury in just 58 metres, Venus in 108 metres, the Earth (and our moon) in just 150 metres.
Cycling past Jupiter in Melbourne
The reality of course is that Earth is 150 million km from the Sun. After Mars the distances start to stretch. You’ll have pedaled 2.9 km from the Sun before you come to Uranus, at that one to one billion scale the reality is 2,900 million km. Keep going and you’ll have ridden out of St Kilda, past Middle Park and Albert Park and finally, the other side of Port Melbourne, you’ll come to tiny Pluto, 5.9 km from your solar starting point.
-Scott McNeely
5 Reasons to Visit British Columbia that Have Nothing to Do With the Olympics
Posted September 24, 2009 , comments closed5 Reasons to Visit British Columbia that Have Nothing to Do With the Olympics
Even if you’re not a sports nut, you’ve probably heard that the 2010 Winter Olympics are in Vancouver, British Columbia. (This fact has been drilled into your head especially hard if you live in or near British Columbia.)
I don’t doubt that there are people all over the world – people who are not athletes or related to athletes – who’ve been planning their BC trips ever since the Vancouver location was announced. But I’m not an Olympics junkie. So instead of thinking of all the Olympics-related events in and around Vancouver come next February/March, I’m focused on all the exceptionally cool things about BC that people who pay attention only to the games will miss.
To be fair, there are places in British Columbia (especially in the north) that won’t be fun during the games. They’ll be “cool,” but not in the good sense of the word. So while I’m making this a list of great reasons to visit British Columbia that have nothing to do with the Olympics, I’m not suggesting that you should do these things in the dead of winter. That would be silly. Olympics junkies, I suggest you take this list as an open invitation to return to BC next summer.
(Everyone else, make your BC summer travel plans now before the Olympics junkies reserve everything.)
5 Great Reasons to Visit BC (Besides the Olympics)
1. The tourism department kicks ass.
What happens when a city wins an Olympics bid? If they’re smart, they splash out gobs of money on things that’ll last (and serve a purpose) well beyond the games. In addition to things like building the Olympic Village and building or renovating places where the various events will be held, the clever folks at BC Tourism beefed up their services throughout the province.
Some of their efforts may not last too far beyond the Olympics (like the longer hours at Tourist Information offices, some open until 9pm), but the brand-new TI buildings and top-notch travel guides are, I’d guess, here to stay. As long as you’ve got a branch or two of BC Tourism along your route, there’s almost no need to have a guidebook – they’ve got detailed magazine-like guides for each region of the province, not to mention friendly and helpful staff at each office.
And I’m seriously in love with their slogan, too – “Super, Natural British Columbia.” Well done, advertising people. You nailed it with that one.
2. The people in British Columbia are some of the nicest on the planet.
When I got back from Scotland, I announced that the Scots were the warmest people on earth. And I still think they’re right up there. But I now think they might have some competition from the folks in BC (not counting the dummy in the picture, of course). Given the amount of money BC had clearly spent on their TIs, I actually wondered at some point if every single resident of the province hadn’t been put on some kind of payroll – it’s like they all work for the chamber of commerce.
You don’t have to stand on a street corner holding a map and looking lost, all you have to do is wear a smile and a local is bound to come up and start a conversation with you – and, in the process of just being friendly, dole out some great travel tips as well. British Columbians (I’m guessing here, I have no idea what they call themselves) are proud of the place they call home, and with good reason, but their level of openness was notable.
They make you feel welcome. They make you feel instantly like family. They want you to love BC like they do. And it works.
3. Haida Gwaii. That is all.
Since a stay on the islands of Haida Gwaii was the main purpose of my recent visit to British Columbia, and since it not only didn’t disappoint but exceeded all expectations, I now think it’s a place everyone should go once in their lives. This archipelago off the northern coast of BC (called the Queen Charlotte Islands by most of the world, but Haida Gwaii – meaning “land of the Haida people” – by the people whose opinions, in my opinion, count most) can be challenging to reach, especially by water, and even during the summer. The rewards for those who make the effort, however, are great.
Haida Gwaii may be most famous for the ancient (and slowly disintegrating back into the earth) Haida village sites dotting the islands, one of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But even without a field trip to one of those sites, there are good reasons to spend time on the islands. There’s the excellent Haida Heritage Centre, which features not only superb examples of Haida carving and art from many moons ago but also a carving shed where Haida artists are continually working on new totems. And you don’t have to be a bird watcher to get a kick out of seeing what can only be described as herds of bald eagles and ravens all over the place. I kept wondering why people weren’t more excited about all the bald eagles until I remembered it wasn’t their national bird.
But even beyond the sights and physical things that make Haida Gwaii worth visiting, there’s a peacefulness on the islands – there’s a sense of calm, and the feeling that you’re very far away from, well, everything. It’s the kind of thing that permeates the skin. When you hear over and over again that “such-and-such a place will change you,” you’re bound to scoff (I did). But I get it now, and I firmly believe what I was told a few times before I went myself: Haida Gwaii will change you.
4. The food in British Columbia can be downright fantastic.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I heard “British Columbia” I didn’t immediately think “great cuisine.” (Maybe it’s the word “British” that’s doing the damage.) So imagine my surprise when nearly everywhere I went I was treated to excellent food made with fresh and local ingredients.
Sure, in some places that meant a big plate of fries piled high with battered and fried fish, but it was – and I’m not joking – some of the best fish & chips I’ve had in my life. I didn’t ask how long ago that fish had been breathing (wait, do fish breathe?), but given the proximity much of the province has to water, it couldn’t have been long between that fish’s last breath and when it became my lunch.
In a hand-built cottage-cum-restaurant on Haida Gwaii, I had the best fish chowder on earth and a salad made from stuff that had been picked moments before it was served. In the Okanagan Valley, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to fresh produce, with fruit and veg stands lining the roads, and I don’t need to tell wine lovers about the embarrassment of riches the vineyards in that area produce.
In short, half the time even when you’re expecting typical ho-hum diner food, it turns out to be great. And if you’re seeking out even reasonably good restaurants, you don’t have to look too hard to find pretty wonderful meals.
5. There’s an even better view around the corner from the one you just gushed over.
The trip that recently brought me through BC was a road trip I took with my mother – a trip that had been talked about and loosely planned for years. My mother’s a good photographer, but I’m convinced one of the reasons she brought me along was as the trip’s “official photographer,” so she could just point at something and say, “Oh, take a picture of that, please.” Which she did. And which I was happy to do.
But perhaps my favorite moments as the “official photographer” came during our drives from one place to another, along often recently-paved and nearly-empty highways tucked between impossibly and ruggedly beautiful vistas, when one of us would sigh at the loveliness of the view. Such a declaration was dangerous, as it was typically followed by a sudden decrease in speed as the driver would flick on the hazard lights and pull over to the side of the road (these were highways, remember) so I could jump out of the car and take pictures.
It became somewhat comical – especially because (and here we are, getting to the title of this item finally) there was inevitably something more stunning and photo-worthy just around the corner from the view that had, moments before, been the prettiest thing ever. And yes, we’d screech to a halt again and hop out of the car for more pictures.
As a side note, remember #2 above, the thing about the super-nice locals? One late-night photo-op caused a driver coming in the opposite direction to zip across four lanes of the highway (all empty, mind you) to pull over beside us and find out if we were okay. “Yes, fine thanks, just taking pictures of all the pretty.” I said, sheepishly.
But wait, there’s more…
I’m barely scratching the surface here when it comes to all the reasons to visit British Columbia. I haven’t mentioned all the cool islands around Vancouver Island, or the already-well-known cities like Victoria, or the excellent BC Ferries, or the portion of the Inside Passage that isn’t Alaska. I’m leaving out Smithers, the town name I always had to say with my best “Simpsons” impression and which then proved to be more gorgeous than funny, and Prince Rupert, which was not only perfectly adorable but was also where I had the best coffee of the entire trip.
In short, although I’m only recently back from my sojourn north, I’m already trying to figure out a reason to plan a return trip. Which is what you should be doing – Olympics or no.
>> If you’re planning a trip, be sure to check out the official BC Tourism website, as it’s nearly as wonderful as BC itself. And before you ask, no – BC Tourism had nothing to do with my trip or this article. I went to British Columbia on an honest-to-goodness vacation, told almost no one that I’m a travel writer, didn’t ask for (or get) discounts in exchange for anything, and haven’t contacted BC Tourism since I got home. I simply loved it up there and was treated amazingly well, simply because I was a visitor with an interest in BC.
About the Author
Jessica Spiegel is a staff writer at BootsnAll who typically only gushes with this much enthusiasm about Italy (for evidence, just check the pages of the Italy travel guide she writes for BnA), but who found so much to love about British Columbia that she’s eager to share it with others.
all photos in this article by Jessica Spiegel & may not be used without permission
US Airlines: Still in the woods, but out of the ‘defaulting on debt covenants’ woods
Posted , comments closed- Meltdown 101: Is airline slump leveling off?
- Airlines waiting for business traveler to return
- Airlines' survival determined by liquidity
- In the airline industry, failure isn't an option, it's a necessity
- As revenues suffer, US hotel industry is likely to report new cost cuts
- United Airlines and other US carriers cope with a cash squeeze.
- Alaska and JetBlue are good, but customers' overall satisfaction with airlines falls
- Despite crisis Paris Air Show will go on
Sep 24, 2009
They couldn’t have known it at the time, but United Airlines and other U.S. carriers were dealt a lucky break last year when an oil shock made it appear they were headed for bankruptcy.
Overseas rivals, who were shielded from stratospheric fuel costs and the collapse of the U.S. dollar at the time, are now months behind the U.S. airline industry in dealing with the aftereffects of the global economic crisis that started as fuel prices fell, analysts said.
International carriers such as Germany’s Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are starting to lay off workers and trim routes as it becomes evident that lucrative international business flying will be depressed for the foreseeable future.
But U.S. airlines are ahead of the game as a result of the steep cuts that carriers started to enact by early summer 2008, when oil seemed headed to $200 a barrel, analysts said.
“It prepared the legacy carriers to dramatically lower costs more than they would have otherwise, and it probably kept a couple of them out of bankruptcy,” said Vaughn Cordle, a former airline pilot who is managing partner and chief analyst for AirlineForecasts.
Of course, U.S. airlines still aren’t flying clear of the economic turmoil that followed Wall Street’s meltdown, analysts said. But benefits from their restructuring are starting to become evident in data released this week by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Chicago-based United Airlines, which cut its workforce more deeply than most of its peers, has seen dramatic improvement in its cost structure, federal data show.
United, a unit of UAL Corp. and the nation’s third-largest carrier, cut 5,600 full-time workers, or 11% of its workforce, in the 12 months preceding July 2009. Northwest Airlines Corp. was the only carrier to cut a larger percentage of workers — 12.5% — as it was absorbed by merger partner Delta Air Lines Inc.
United’s unit costs, a measure of how much it pays to fly passengers, dropped 22% to 12.2 cents per seat mile during the second quarter of 2009, the lowest among network carriers.
The bad news for United: Its revenue, once the highest in the industry, tumbled in proportion to its costs and is now among the lowest of large carriers. Still, United reported a positive operating margin of 4.3% in the second quarter and an operating profit of $172 million, its first such gains in more than a year, BTS data show.
The seven largest U.S. carriers reported an average negative operating margin of 0.5%, according to BTS. That’s not exactly robust, although it is a big improvement from the collective 6.3% negative margin the carriers reported during the year-earlier period.
The improved results have sent U.S. airline shares soaring since early July, but analysts caution that a full rebound for U.S. carriers won’t occur until 2010 at the earliest.
“They’ve been poised [to rebound] for years,” said Roger King, an airline analyst at CreditSights Inc., noting that carriers have cut tens of billions of dollars since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks without achieving strong earnings. “They’re still hurting on fuel, and there’s nothing they can do about that. They’re hurting on the global economy, and there’s nothing they can do about that.”
Business travel revenue, a key driver of profit, was down 35% to 40% in July for carriers around the world, the International Air Transport Assn. estimates. The trade group estimates that carriers globally will lose $11 billion in 2009.
“They’re still in the woods,” said Cordle of U.S. carriers. “But they’re out of the ‘defaulting on debt covenants’ woods.”
Friends of the Earth grades 10 major cruise ship lines
Posted September 18, 2009 , comments closed- Bigger is better for new cruise ships
- World's worst airports to sleep in
- Cruising off the beaten path
- Micky Arison: Cruise prices have bottomed
- Boost in booking levels reported by cruise lines
- Cruise lines weigh tougher response to pirate threat near Somalia
- Bargain cruises and brand-new ships
- Vago calls for debate over arming cruise ships
Sep 18, 2009
An environmental group released its report card Wednesday on how well cruise ship companies operating in American waters are doing to reduce pollution, and not one received an overall grade of “A.”
Friends of the Earth graded 10 major cruise ship lines, including some of the biggest names in the business, such as Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival received a “D-minus.”
The report issued the highest grade — a “B”— to Holland America Line. Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises also scored relatively well, each getting a “B-minus.”
The lowest grades —”Fs” — went to Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises also scored poorly.
Cunard Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises received about average grades.
“Typically, cruise ship passengers are attracted to cruise vacations with pictures of pristine waters and promises of unspoiled scenery and abundant wildlife, but these passengers are never told that their vacations could leave a dirty mark on the places they visit,” said Marcie Keever, who spearheaded the “Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card.”
Cruise Lines International Association, a group representing 24 cruise lines, castigated the report, calling it arbitrary, flawed and ignoring “the fact that our cruise lines comply with and in most cases exceed all applicable environmental regulations.”
“It is regrettable that Friends of the Earth authors such misinformation when in fact this industry has made tremendous progress in the past several years in advancing technology and developing programs that go a long way in protecting the environment,” the association said in a statement.
Friends of the Earth graded the cruise lines on three categories: sewage treatment, air pollution reduction and water quality compliance in Alaska waters. It also issued a simple pass/fail grade for each line’s accessiblity to environmental information.
The group said Florida, which has some of the least stringent laws preventing cruise ship pollution, also has the top three cruise ship departure ports: Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale.
Alaska and California have taken the strongest stance nationally against cruise ship pollution, the group said.
Keever said some of the cruise lines have been working to make its ships less polluting, especially in the area of sewage treatment. Holland America, Norwegian, Cunard and Celebrity received high marks for having advanced sewage treatment aboard their ships.
Carnival and Disney received “Fs” for sewage treatment.
Disney, with two ships and two under construction, could score better on sewage treatment next year because it has promised to make upgrades on all its ships, Keever said. The company announced last week that for the first time it would begin offering tours in Alaska beginning in 2010.
Keever said the technology is in place for cruise ship companies to meet Alaska’s stringent environmental laws — a claim disputed by Alaska Cruise Association president John Binkley. He has said cruise lines would be happy to adopt affordable new technology to meet Alaska’s tougher standards if it were available, but there is nothing that is reliable.
Binkley was not available for comment Wednesday.
In 2008, 12 of the 20 ships allowed to discharge in Alaska waters received violations, mostly for ammonia and heavy metals, Keever said. The fact that eight ships had no violations shows it can be done, she said.
The 10 cruise lines received lower grades for reducing air pollution. Seven out of the 10 cruise lines received “Fs.” Only Princess received a high grade.
Princess has spent millions to reduce emissions from its cruise ships, Keever said.
The company invested $4.7 million in the Juneau port so that ships tying up there can plug into shore-based power instead of running their own engines to provide power to passengers and crew. The company also has invested $1.7 million to upgrade the Seattle port. Keever said nine of Princess’ 17 ships are equipped with electrical plug-ins.
The Los Angeles port later this year is expected to have shore-based power at its cruise ship terminal, she said.
Without the power upgrade at the ports and the retrofitting of the ships, cruise ships are forced to burn bunker fuel while in port, a “dirty-burning” fuel that is 1,000 to 2,000 times dirtier than diesel truck fuel, Keever said.
Cruise ships also can be equipped to burn marine distillate, a cleaner-burning fuel than bunker fuel, Keever said. California recently required all ocean going vessels, including cruise ships, to burn the cleaner fuel within 24 miles of shore.
Princess Cruises… 5 Important Points!
Posted July 22, 2009 , add a comment
The Princess Cruises offers all of the main facilities that Princess is noted for, plus some new innovations. These include the, fantastic shows each evening, dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and performing street entertainers. The larger cruise liners in the Princess Cruises fleet carry more than three thousand passengers, with a vast number of balcony staterooms and mini-suites. There will be a great experience while waking in the morning, go out to your private balcony and take in the fresh sea air. If you have few glasses of juices with you, you will definitely enjoy more. There are many things to consider before embarking on a Princess cruise adventure. First you need to be clear on what you want from this type of vacation so you can easily search for available trips and packages. 1. Destination is one of the first things to decide on before getting down to details. A Princess Cruise offers so many interesting destinations to choose from and the most popular ones are South America, Europe, Canada, New England, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Panama Canal, Hawaii, Tahiti, South Pacific, Mexican Riviera, Alaska and World Cruise. 2. Duration is another factor that you need to decide on. There are short cruises that only run for five days. For first timers though, it is recommended that you choose a longer trip to maximize the activities that you can do. There are trips that last for 6 to 8 days, 9 to 15 days, and schedules for 16 days up too. For tour duration, most tours run for 3 to 4 to 6 days or more. Relative to this, you would also need to think about the travel sequence. You can choose to cruise first before the tour or the other way around. 3. Just like any other holiday trips, there are documents that need to be prepared when going on a Princess cruise. You need to have your travel certification, permits, visa/s or passports on hand to avoid any hitches during the trip. Your travel agency can further advise you on other essential documents that you should not forget to bring. 4. Are you combining your cruise with another travel itinerary? Or is it the only travel activity that you’re going to do? Whichever, it pays to learn about the embarkation ports so you can plan for other things including delays, land and air transfers and stopovers. Embarkation ports for these trips include Acapulco in Mexico, Athens in Greece, Bangkok in Thailand, Barbados, Beijing in China, Cape Town in South Africa, Ft. Lauderdale in Florida, Honolulu in Hawaii, London in England, Manaus in Brazil, New Orleans in Louisiana, Osaka in Japan, Quebec City in Quebec, Rome in Italy, San Juan in Puerto Rico, Seattle in Washington, Sydney in Australia, Venice in Italy, Anchorage in Alaska, Auckland in New Zealand, Barcelona in Spain, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Copenhagen in Denmark, Galveston in Texas and Lima in Peru among many others. 5. The fleet must be considered too. All princesses are magnificent ships but they offer different opportunities as far as amenities, activities and experiences to be had are concerned. Read the detailed description for each ship and make your choice.