Honeymooning on the Waves

Cruising down the river was always deemed by couples the ultimate romantic date. You can't be much more together alone than when you're separated from the rest of the world by sheets and sheets of water.

But who started the idea of a floating honeymoon is not hard to imagine. As in most wedding traditions, it was probably suggested by the action of the rich and the famous, or the royals who are usually one or the other; and often both.

The newly-wed royals themselves, keen for some intimate privacy, left the palace grounds soon after the wedding. Some showed a suprising lack of imagination. With the whole country at his disposal, Henry V111 chose the same honeymoon spot on three of his marriages. If the late Princess Diana thought there were too many people in her married bed, that seems to go double for that of Henry's.

When going off on their own, the British royals never actually said that they were taking a honeymoon. Rather it was considered a wedding tour. And the means of transport was always the best available at the time.

In the last century it was the train. The Orient Express type of thing. But as private yachts became almost indispensable to anyone who was anyone, sea travel became a romantic option. Not surprising, many couples since then, have made a cruise their favourite honeymooning option also.

The ships at their disposal are many and varied. There are those impressive liners which not only resemble a floating hotel, but literally are floating hotels. Some are up to six stories in height ? or should I say six decks in height ? have bedroom suites with private balconies to remind you, in case you've forgotten, that you're on the sea.

Like high-class hotels, these ships might even have a dress code where passengers are expected to dine in style ? gentlemen in a tuxedo, ladies in an evening gown.

For a less formal getaway, there are smaller ships that carry only several hundred passengers, as opposed to several thousands. On the decks of these, casual clothes will be more appropriate, though even here jeans and working boots might raise eyebrows.

However, whatever ship you choose, whether it's one of England's "Queen" ships, or the USA "Princess" which started the whole business of "Love Boat" romance, you can expect one thing to be of high standard on all sea voyages. Excellent cuisine.

Perhaps it all started with all those mutinies on the high seas. But it seems maritime officialdom has learned to accept that people can put up with a lot of things when isolated on the sea for months at a time, but bad food is not one of them.

Vlady, an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant, is an author of "The Complete Book of Australian Weddings", "The Small Organisation Handbook" and an ebook "Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle!" which you can see on her website http://www.vlady-celebrant.com

monthly home cleaning Glencoe ..

In The News:

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

Honeymooning on the Waves

Marriage & Wedding