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Gear Review: Biolite AlpenGlow Laterns Ideal for Travel, Recreation

10/23/2021

By John Roberts
I much prefer life in the outdoors, soaking up the sun and breathing fresh air. That could mean biking, hiking, a trip on a sailboat or just relaxing on the backyard patio at my house in Colorado.
However, when the sun goes down, you don't necessarily have to pack it in. We've been using AlpenGlow laterns from Biolite to accent our patio lighting system, and these cool little lights are both decorative and versatile.
We have a pergola over our patio, and we have strung them with classic white string lights. They provide a nice amount of ambience, and the AlpenGlow laterns add just the right boost so that we can continue to enjoy the evenings outdoors long after darkness arrives.
We were asked to review these compact lights, and we really love them. Not only are they perfect for at-home use like we have been enjoying them this summer, but they also are small and easy to pack for use on backpacking, yachting or camping outings. They also are great lamps for marine activities.

We have two different sizes, the AlpenGlow 500 and the AlpenGlow 250.
Check out these features:

Offer eight lighting modes, including bright red and green -- ideal for marine navigation emergency lighting systems. You can hang the lanterns in your boat cockpit (they have a hook loop) or even set them on the cocktail table for a perfectly lit evening on the water.
Two available sizes and lumen outputs, the AlpenGlow 500 and AlpenGlow 250
AlpenGlow laterns feature ports to serve as a charger for your devices
Runs for five hours on high and 200 hours on low
Has a waterproof rating that protects from splashing waters
Shake to access special lighting modes
Rechargeable 6,400 mAh battery
Modes include Cool and Warm White (Dimmable), Candle Flicker, Single Color, Multicolor and Cycling Color

We use the lanterns by setting them on our patio tables. The lights are adjustable and offering brighter whites or nice soft tones and colors, including pink and purple. We've found that they work well to give light for evenings spent eating, drinking, playing card games and listening to music with friends.

They are easy to use. The shake feature to access the different light modes takes a little time to get used to in order to know just how to make it work for your choice. The button on top is the easier way to go to toggle through all the choices.
The laterns sell for about $60 for the AlpenGlow 250 and $80 for the AlpenGlow 500.

Thanks for reading,
JR

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Cruise Review: MSC Yacht Club on MSC Meraviglia

10/21/2021

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MSC Meraviglia at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas.

By John Roberts
Over a couple decades of cruising, I have tallied more than 90 voyages across all kinds of cruise lines and cruise ships. I have enjoyed them all for the variety of styles and charms that they offered.
I really am simple. I do prefer a balcony but have stayed in interior cabins. Big ships are great for the variety of dining options, large pool decks, spas, fitness center and broad range of entertainment. I especially think the mega-vessels are perfect for friends and family getaways.
The intimacy of a river cruise and intensely fun experiences available on expeditions ships really help you connect as a traveler and explorer in amazing destinations around the world.
I can enjoy the most rustic and austere conditions, and sometimes, I even prefer them.
Like I said, I enjoy all types of cruise travel. But every now and then, it sure is nice to bask in a little luxury and pampering.
We sailed on MSC Cruises' MSC Meraviglia for a weeklong trip in the Bahamas (with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica).
I know what you're thinking. MSC can hardly be considered a luxury cruise line.
True enough.
MSC Meraviglia is definitely a mass-market, budget-friendly mega cruise vessel.
But it also features the MSC Yacht Club. This is a ship-within-a-ship experience that turns the typical big-ship cruise into a next-level experience that will leave you plenty spoiled and craving this type of cruise again and again.
MSC Yacht Club is offered on many MSC ships, and on Meraviglia it is located in a complex spanning Decks 14 to 19 at the front of the ship and only accessible by your key card or a wristband (wearable wireless tech that acts the same as your sea pass card).
This was our first stay in MSC Yacht Club. We had heard a lot about the experience and that people who book these cabins swear by it as the only way to cruise with MSC.
I wanted to give you a look at our week onboard MSC Meraviglia and what it's like to stay in the exclusive MSC Yacht Club.
I'll start by telling you that it makes you feel as if you are having a boutique yacht experience despite being within the confines of a massive cruise ship.
We arrived to Port Miami for our check in, and we soon learned that the ship would be carrying slightly fewer than 1,500 cruisers. That meant the ship felt quite roomy all week, as Meraviglia can carry more than 4,500. These uncrowded cruises have been typical all year as the industry restarts after a long shutdown from the pandemic.
This shutdown cost tens of thousands of people worldwide their jobs and livelihoods. So, it has been refreshing to be able to get back on the ships to enjoy vacation travel and to interact again with the crew who are so grateful to be back at work. This was evident in the early moments when we checked in for the cruise and met our butler Putra at the special MSC Yacht Club check-in lounge at Port Miami.
The special touches associated with staying in the Yacht Club begin right away as you are greeted by friendly agents and MSC staff who offer refreshments and then escort you onto the ship. We had Putra, who we learned is from Indonesia, and MSC Meraviglia's MSC Yacht Club director Robbie help us with our luggage and walk us to our special enclave on the ship.
Our first stop was the Top Sail Lounge for a glass of bubbly before we were shown our suite. Our stateroom was located on Deck 16, port side and was the forward-most cabin. It offered wonderful balcony views for sunrises and sunsets. We were just two decks above the bridge wing. In the MSC Yacht Club complex, Deck 16 is home to the concierge desk and Top Sail Lounge with its bar area, small buffet serving small bites and sweet treats all day and the great views through the windows right at the front of the ship.
We also would come here for a cocktail most nights before dinner while we enjoyed the live piano music.

We stayed in a spacious suite No. 16001 (video tour below).

Here is what else you can enjoy with the MSC Yacht Club program, in addition to a spacious suite with a balcony and highly attentive butler service:

Top Sail Lounge, a panoramic lounge with sea views, a bar, light snacks, premium drinks, afternoon tea and live music;
Dedicated concierge to book spa treatments and shore excursions and make theater and dining reservations;
MSC Yacht Club Restaurant (exclusive dining room just steps away from your cabin);
Unlimited drinks in all MSC Yacht Club areas and from your in-cabin minibar;
Yacht Club Sun Deck, Pool & Bar (lounge chairs, daybeds, buffet breakfasts and lunches, small swimming pool and a hot tub);
Private beach and the Ocean House experience, with special lunch menu on MSC's private beach Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas (certain itineraries);
MSC Aurea Spa, unlimited access to the Thermal Suite, which offers a range of shower experiences, therapy pools, sauna and steam rooms.

MSC Meraviglia is a large ship that offers plenty of lounges, bars and restaurants throughout gorgeously designed spaces. The centerpiece is the stunning Galleria, a two-deck promenade that features The Dome, an LED ceiling that offers daily animated shows with fun light-and-sound displays.
We loved having lunch at Hola! Tacos and Cantina, a Mexican street tacos-style eatery. We also booked specialty dining at Ocean Cay for seafood delicacies and at Butcher's Cut, the steakhouse on MSC Meraviglia.
We participated in trivia contests every night in Brass Anchor Pub, a lively British pub that is also a great place to watch live music performances or catch a game on the TVs while enjoying a beer or craft cocktail. Of course, we also got in a daily workout at the well-equipped fitness center. Plus, we treated ourselves to a couple of spa treatments (a Balinese massage and a shave treatment for me) and a few trips to the Thermal Suite.
However, most of our time was spent enjoying our time in our suite. Now, about the accommodations and amenities you will enjoy on MSC Meraviglia when staying the MSC Yacht Club: They are awesome!
The whole experience is affordable, too, when compared with other luxury cruise experiences that offer butler service and so many inclusions with your fare.
Your cabin comes with a comfy bed with Egyptian cotton sheets, a memory foam mattress and a pillow menu. It also features premium toiletries.

We had breakfast most mornings at the Yacht Club Sun Deck.

Our butler Putra made our cruise especially delightful with his warm and attentive service with a smile.

From Day 1, when Putra, our butler, showed us to our room and helped us get familiarized with our new home for the week, we knew that we were in good hands and would have a special experience. We're not unfamiliar with butler service, but Putra went the extra mile at every turn, always ready to help with a dinner reservation, escorting us to the lounge for cocktail hours, to the theater for shows and even off the ship for our time ashore.
He also was up early to greet us for breakfast on the Yacht Club Sun Deck and always on call when we wanted to have a meal in our suite (the pizza is the best!). He would come and set up the table, clean up when we were done and always had our mini fridge stocked with our favorite beverages.
For us, though, our experience went beyond the service we received from Putra and all of the others in the MSC Yacht Club. (We had wonderful interactions with about a dozen warm, friendly and highly efficient staffers there.)

We rented a cabana at Ocean Cay and were pampered by Rakesh and his colleagues.

The whole week gave us a fantastic perspective about why we love to travel and cruise so much. It allows us to connect with new people, unplug from the daily pressures or routines and gives us a chance to refresh and rejuvenate our souls.
The past year and a half has been much tougher on some people, and those who rely on the travel and hospitality industry to make livings and support their families have been especially affected. Colleen and I savored the chance to disappear into our retreat during the day and wander out into the main areas of the ship (or not) when certain activities or shows appealed to us. It was actually quite blissful to have a special quiet space, and we really enjoyed getting to know Putra. He is from Ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia, and was just starting his third week back at work. The worldwide cruising shutdown ended this summer, and workers have been excitedly coming back to the ships from their home countries during the restart of operations this summer.
Putra is new to his job as a new butler and extremely proud to have worked his way up to the "famous job" after beginning his career with MSC Cruises more than a decade ago. We appreciated his highly professional work ethic and energetic and personable approach to the job.
He said that he and his colleagues have been so relieved to be able to work again. I told him that we also have learned not to take travel for granted and are so glad that we are able to get to make new friends like him once again.

We visited Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve two times during our cruise, and the first time, we reserved a cabana (extra fee) on the exclusive Yacht Club beach. Yacht Club perks include the beach area and Ocean House, which offers a bar and lounge area, plus a large porch on which to relax, enjoy lunch and bask in the gorgeous ocean views and warm breezes.
With all that's included, MSC Yacht Club is something you have to consider when looking at a cruise with MSC.

Thanks for reading,
JR

Video Feature: Tour of MSC Cruises Private Island in the Bahamas

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Luxury Cruise Line Silversea Reveals Innovative Wellness Program

10/20/2021

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Images courtesy of Silversea Cruises

By John Roberts
Silversea Cruises, one of the world's top luxury travel experiences, announced what we think is a fascinating new wellness program, Otium. The program will launch on Silversea's new ship Silver Dawn, which debuts in spring 2022.
Otium takes inspiration from the leisurely nature of the ancient Roman lifestyle, and the experience on Silver Dawn serves as a sort of tribute to the cruise line's Italian heritage. In Roman culture, Otium -- the opposite of negotium, the absence of leisure -- was a period of time dedicated to wellness and relaxation, in which people bathed, conversed, sung, theorized, ate and drank.
Several cruise lines offer some type of wellness programs, but Otium encourages balanced indulgence, pampering and pleasure over sacrifice and delayed gratification. Otium is built on the principles that wellness should be a natural, enjoyable part of the day; that living well and being well are not mutually exclusive; and that wellness need not be a solitary, silent experience but rather a social pursuit best enjoyed with fellow cruisers.
"Silversea has long excelled at enabling guests to travel deeper in luxury" says Barbara Muckermann, chief commercial officer of Silversea Cruises. "While the immersive aspect of our offering is easy to convey, the luxuriousness of our product can often seem intangible: guests really need to see it -- to live it -- to fully appreciate it.
"Otium is unlike any other wellness program . . . and will weave a tapestry of unprecedented comfort around our guests. It will revolve around instant gratification, extending the luxurious pampering for which Silversea is famous to different areas of the ship, from guests' suites to the redesigned spa area and beyond. Otium will transform the way guests relax and enjoy their personal space. It will be an elevation of our already high levels of comfort."
The program provides a customized wellness journey throughout Silver Dawn, including in some of the most spacious suites at sea. It features a curated range of treatments in the reimagined spa. Let's have a look at some of the top experiences you can expect from Otium on Silver Dawn:

Otium Sleeping
Cruisers spend at least a third of their time in bed, so the Otium wellness program begins with a great night's sleep. You get the finest Egyptian cotton linens, produced in Italy by ambassadors of premium artisanship. Aboard Silver Dawn, passengers in every suite category will also benefit from a special mattress, designed exclusively for Silversea for the ultimate sleep experience. The pillow menu has been expanded to include customizable down and feather blends, memory foam, firm down and improved down alternatives.

Otium Balcony
The program features the first dedicated balcony experience at sea. Otium encourages travelers to slow down and enjoy the breathtaking views of the calming seas, the beautiful horizon and everything cruising offers. You can tailor the experience to match the climate, whether cruising in cold- or warm-water regions. In cool conditions -- such as Antarctica, the Arctic or the Russian Far East -- Silversea offers a warm cashmere blanket, a selection of delectable appetizers and the first hot chocolate menu at sea. When sunbathing in warmer climates -- from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and beyond --you'll stay cool with refreshing body mists, luxurious sun creams, delicious cocktails and gourmet bites.

Otium Comfort Food
Silversea's culinary offering already is among the most luxurious at sea, with a range of fine restaurants on each ship, sustainable caviar, Champagne on-demand 24/7, one of the largest complimentary wine lists at sea and a vast range of signature delicacies. With Otium, Silversea is enhancing its food and drink offerings. Perhaps the most enriching aspect of the program is the addition of an in-suite comfort food menu, available 24 hours. Signature dishes on the comfort food menu range from lobster and caviar in brioche rolls to a selection of gourmet popcorn and other options that incorporate premium ingredients.

Otium Bathing
Otium even extends to suite bathrooms. Every suite category on Silver Dawn will offer you the use of both a walk-in shower and a bath, in some of the most spacious bathrooms at sea. The bathing experience, prepared by Silversea's butlers, allows cruisers to indulge in a multisensory soak for complete relaxation. The experience includes plush Otium bathrobes, exclusive bath salts and soothing candle lights. You can unwind to the playlist of your choice from a curated music menu, all while savoring a range of delicacies, including caviar canapes, chocolate truffles and champagne.

Otium Spa
Silver Dawn features a diverse menu of treatments, designed by wellness experts for optimum relaxation. As well as enjoying relaxing massages and a range of other treatments, you can unwind and socialize in the spa's thermal areas with a glass of Champagne or signature snacks -- enriched with trademark ingredients, from caviar to truffles.

Sounds like an amazing experience and just the type of luxurious and relaxing cruise to rejuvenate the soul. What do you think about it? Is this something that appeals to you?
Let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading.
Travel fit! Travel happy! Travel often!
JR

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Gear Review: Biolite AlpenGlow Laterns Ideal for Travel, Recreation

Cruise Review: MSC Yacht Club on MSC Meraviglia

Video Feature: Tour of MSC Cruises Private Island in the Bahamas

Luxury Cruise Line Silversea Reveals Innovative Wellness Program

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