The Ship Less Travelled
Episode 201We're Back — with Thoughts on Azamara and Cunard
🇬🇧
Lorraine McCowatt
Bespoke Cruise Holidays
United Kingdom
🇨🇦
Dave Wentworth
Destination Whatever
Canada / USA
Season 2 has arrived — and we return with rather a lot to say. 🔥
Welcome back to The Ship Less Travelled, where two travel specialists — one in the UK, one in Canada — discuss small ship cruising with the candour and depth that only genuine experience can provide. We never set out to become content creators, and yet here we are: Season 2, a fresh direction, and the same honest perspectives you have come to expect — with two distinct accents still very much in evidence.
So, what have we been doing during the interval?
🇬🇧 Lorraine sailed with Azamara and returns with a thorough assessment — what has changed, what impressed, and what warrants further conversation.
🇨🇦 Dave indulged his passion for maritime history in Dubai, exploring the legendary QE2, now reimagined as a floating hotel. He has, needless to say, formed a view.
We also address a question that deserves a proper answer: why does Cunard earn a place in The Ship Less Travelled's affections? The reputation for formality may be somewhat overstated — and we explain why.
Are these cruise brands as exclusive or intimidating as their reputations suggest? We examine the myths, the reality, and the experience of actually being on board — honestly and without pretension.
And because the best conversations tend to meander in the most rewarding directions, we find ourselves in the 1980s — reflecting on what travel looked, felt, and sounded like then, including a fond word for that other great icon of the era, Concorde.
If you appreciate small ships, informed opinions, and cruising discussed with genuine knowledge and warmth — welcome to Season 2. Do come aboard. 🚢
