And here is the press release.

The Autonomous Cruiser:
The Complete Guide to Cruising For and With Disabled Travellers

Michele Monro

8^th March 2022

The first book to specifically address the needs of the disabled cruiser and their
carers to ensure a stress-free holiday.

Michele Monro has more that 40 years’ experience at sea and 14 as a specialist speaker on a number of cruise lines.

The book is the result of painstaking and thorough research and
includes information on the effects of Brexit and Covid.

Few people know as much about cruising with a disability as Michele Monro. The daughter of much-loved singer, Matt Monro, Michele has spent more than 40 years travelling the world on cruise liners. For the last 14 years she has combined her love of cruising with her work as a specialist speaker for companies including Celebrity, P&O, Fred. Olsen and Royal Caribbean.

In the 1990s Michele was diagnosed with MS. It was then she began to fully appreciate the absence of advice and information about cruise travel with a special need. Michele felt strongly that whilst living with a disability presents a lot of obstacles, a cruise holiday shouldn’t have to be one of them and she began what was to become 3 years of painstaking research covering all the possible details a disabled cruise traveller needs to know.

The Autonomous Cruiser is the result. The most up to date and comprehensive guide available, advising on the whole process of cruising, including: –

• Cruise and port choices, and the accessibly of cruise terminals. A comprehensive section on fly-cruises including airport guides, car park assistance, wheelchair advice, checked luggage, lounges, and delayed and missed departures

• Critical pre-planning information including holiday administration, vaccinations, medication, cabin selection, upgrades, pier transfers, luggage services, drinks packages, specialty dining and online check-in

• Life on board incorporates embarkation, cruise ship etiquette, dining, entertainment, meetings, bridge visits, swimming pools, spa facilities shopping and duty free, photo gallery, onboard savings, ship visits, port calls, tendering, safety, technology at sea and the travel scams to watch out for

• Caregivers, chaperones and service dogs

• A directory outlining the most important disability resources, including accessible shore excursions, dedicated apps, cruise specialists and accessible travel agents

This market first book covers the most common areas of special needs – from those travelling with pre-existing conditions, special dietary considerations, prescriptions and medication, epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities, compromised immune systems, breathing disorders, kidney disease, and visual and hearing impairments to make this the most comprehensive guide to cruising available.

About the author

Michele Monro is the daughter of much-loved singer Matt Monro. She is the author of the internationally bestselling biography of his life The Singers Singer: The Life And Music Of Matt Monro, and released a brand-new album of her father’s work, Stranger in Paradise: The Lost New York Sessions in 2020 which went straight to the No8 spot in the official album charts and stayed in the charts for six months.

Michele is a special interest speaker for a number of cruise lines including Celebrity, P&O, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Cruise and Maritime, Fred. Olsen and Royal Caribbean. She is also writing a series of cruise port guides for disabled passengers to complement The Autonomous Cruiser. When she isn’t cruising, Michele lives in Shropshire.

Unfortunately, there still isn’t any more concrete news on the downloads or the other project we’re working on.  Just in case you missed it last month here are the details of he Capitol downloads that are awaiting release.

The plan is to initially release the 9 original albums

1. This is The Life – Full Album in stereo for the first time digitally from the original US master tape.

2. Here’s To My Lady – Full Album in stereo for the first time digitally from the original US master tape.

3. Invitation to the Movies – Full album mastered from US Stereo masters and UK Stereo masters for the UK recorded tracks. Previous releases have used 3^rd generation dubs of the UK tracks.

4. These Years – Stereo remaster from the original US master tape for the first time in more than 25 years.

5. Invitation to Broadway – Full Album in stereo for the first time digitally from the original US master tape.

6. The Late Late Show – Remastered from Original UK Master tape, without the use of noise reduction for the first time.

7. Todo Pasara (also released with different track order as Alguien Canto) – Mastered from the original mixdown masters for eleven of the twelve tracks for the first time ever. Alguien Canto features in a new Stereo mix

8. En Espana – Also mastered from the original mixdown masters with one track remixed from the original session tape due to damage on the master. “La Estrella Del Sur” and newly added bonus track” Ven Mi Amor” receive first time Stereo mixes

9. We’re Gonna Change The World – First digital release of the full UK version of the LP (released as Close To You in the USA with fewer tracks). Mastered from the original mixdown masters and first-generation US masters for US recorded tracks. Features “Why Can’t I Touch You” as a bonus track which was exclusive to the US Close To You LP

At a later date there will be further releases collecting all the singles, tracks from compilations, rarities and out-takes in one place, plus a little surprise. More updates on that when we get concrete news of their release.