By GERRY BARKER

As soon as we learned we would be taking an AmaWaterways “Colors of Provence” wine cruise on the Rhone River in France, the next task became getting there from South Florida. As we looked into flights, a newcomer caught our attention: French bee.

Billed as the “leading affordable, long-haul airline based in Paris,” they had just initiated service from Miami to Orly Airport last December. A direct flight on a budget-friendly carrier? As the British say, that’s “just the ticket.”

Founded in 2016, they expanded service to the United States in 2018, and currently offer flights to Orly from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. Additionally, they fly from San Francisco to Tahiti and from Orly to Reunion Island off the coast of Africa. They are the first airline to exclusively fly Airbus A350s.

​Here’s a recap of our French bee experience:

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(PRESS RELEASE)_Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – August 21, 2022 – Autumn is right around the corner, and MSC Meraviglia is changing course to chase the shifting winds and falling leaves. Today MSC Cruises’ New York-based ship departed on its first sailing to Bermuda, with voyages to Canada and New England to follow next month. Coming off a successful first season homeporting in New York City with sailings to the Bahamas and Florida, these new itineraries will take MSC Meraviglia, the ship for all seasons, to regions renowned for historic architecture, scenic landscapes and leaf-peeping.

Starting today, guests can embark on sailings featuring an extended call in Bermuda. These itineraries include several nights with MSC Meraviglia docked at Heritage Wharf too allow guests ample time to explore the island’s gorgeous pink sand beaches and enjoy excursions like water skiing, windsurfing and bicycling.

(PRESS RELEASE)_​MIAMI – Aug. 11, 2023 – Crystal Symphony, the second Crystal ship to relaunch following Crystal Serenity’s recent return to service, successfully completed sea trials in anticipation of its inaugural cruise from Athens, Greece, on Sept. 1st.
 
Currently in the final stages of an extensive refurbishment at Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, the vessel had a full contingent of officers, technicians and engineers on board who thoroughly tested the ship’s navigation, technical and mechanical systems, and all passed inspection.  Additionally, we have ensured that the fire-resistant panels were certified correctly and are not defective.

(PRESS RELEASE)_Hamburg, Germany (August 18, 2023) – Riverside Luxury Cruises is pleased to announce that on August 16th in the medieval town of Viviers, France, Anouchka Gerlach christened the Riverside Ravel in a festive ceremony ahead of its inaugural sailing on the Rhône River.

This is the second ship to launch for Riverside Luxury Cruises, a Hamburg-based company founded by siblings Anouchka and Gregor Gerlach in late 2022. The Riverside Ravel will tour the Rhône River between Lyon and Arles and similar to Riverside Mozart, who is sailing the Danube this season, will continue to set a new standard in luxury river cruising.  Riverside Ravel will provide guests with exemplary food and beverage, service, excursions, and wellness offerings, in addition to its elegant all-suite accommodations and a butler service for all guests.

"We are delighted that with the launch of Riverside Ravel we can now offer our guests the French way of life. The cuisine is of course tailored to the region, and ashore our crew has prepared a variety of special experiences," said Anouchka Gerlach, co-founder of Riverside Luxury Cruises. Images of the christening ceremony can be found here with credit given to Riverside Luxury Cruises.
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​Now available for bookings, Riverside Luxury Cruises is offering attractive inaugural pricing, competitive commissions (21% on all 2023 sailings) and special introductory FAM rates for travel advisors. Reservations and more information are available by contacting Riverside at [email protected] or www.riverside-cruises/TA.

(PRESS RELEASE)_GALVESTON, Tex., Aug. 17, 2023 – In the spirit of planning ahead, Carnival Cruise Line begins opening its 2025-26 deployment with new sailings from Galveston available for booking today. Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, and the newest ship in the fleet, which is set to debut later this year, Carnival Jubilee are now available for sale with sailings through April 2026.

            “Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and the addition of Carnival Jubilee brings not only an all-new cruise experience and increased capacity – it also gives us the opportunity to freshen our offerings for the other popular ships homeported there, Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze,” said Fred Stein, Carnival’s vice president of revenue planning and deployment. “Building on our strong portfolio of options out of Texas will give our guests in that region great new options as they look ahead and plan for their future vacations.”

(PRESS RELEASE)_​(Miami – August 14, 2023) The first Nova-class ship for Silversea®, Silver Nova℠, embarks on her maiden voyage on August 14, departing Venice, Italy. Sailing on a seven-day roundtrip voyage through the Adriatic, Silver Nova will call in Piran, Slovenia; Zadar, Dubrovnik, Split, and Rovinj in Croatia; and Kotor, Montenegro. One of the most environmentally conscious ultra-luxury cruise ships ever built, Silver Nova is Silversea’s 12th ship and the first to launch this year for Royal Caribbean Group® (NYSE: RCL), becoming the 64th ship in its global fleet. Prior to her departure, executives from Royal Caribbean Group and Silversea hosted a three-day architectural preview for select travel partners and members of the press, sailing roundtrip from Venice.