Browsing: Cruise

Many years ago, cruising was only for the rich and famous. Sumptuously furnished ocean liners traversed the oceans of the world while gorgeously dressed, wealthy individuals sipped champagne and mulled over how best to spend their millions. This is definitely not the case any longer.

Pretty much anyone can cruise now – today, thousands of people are traversing those same oceans, swilling tropical drinks with a little umbrella in it and trying to forget that

Read More

Traveling today can take all kinds of twists and turns from unexpected delays to problems with airfares. Wouldn’t it be great if you had your own travel assistant who would advise you of the best way to resolve the issue and seek out helpful information for you? Well, that’s exactly what a travel app can do. Once you start looking for travel apps you will find there are dozens upon dozens to look through in

Read More

If you have never visited New England, as we hadn’t, a cruise of the area is the best way to visit and really enjoy your trip. And the Islands of New England cruise on the Grande Caribe from Blount Small Ship Adventures is the best cruise to take. One of the most wonderful things about cruising is that you can take your cozy, comfortable cabin along with you on your travels! Unpack once, then spend …

Read More

     We recently spent a week “gunkholing” around the islands of British Columbia on the Safari Quest yacht with Un-Cruise Adventures. Gunkholing is a boating term that refers to a type of cruising in shallow or shoal water, moving from place to place, and often spending the night in quiet coves. Gunkholers seek out quiet and isolated anchorages instead of crowded marinas. With cabins for 22 passengers and several crew members, the Safari Quest yacht

Read More

Recently, my spouse and I found ourselves at the epicenter of a masterfully orchestrated convergence of three great loves – music, cruises, and of course, each other. The venue was a premium class cruise ship full of dedicated music lovers and a dozen well-known jazz virtuosos. Living in this magical sweet spot of almost continuous concerts, seminars and socializing for seven days proved to be a life changing experience.

First the backstory – 

Music-themed cruises …

Read More

I received an invitation to visit an all-inclusive resort the other day and I carefully saved that email as I thought why, yes, I would love to visit an all-inclusive resort. Because they are completely wonderful in every way.

Located in beautiful, tropical locations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, all-inclusive resorts are often described as a cruise on land and it has been my experience that they are very much like that. When …

Read More

Think a cruise is a problem-free, no-hassle vacation? Think again. While the recent accident with the Costs Concordia was an extremely rare occurrence, cruises are ruined for people every day for varying reasons.

As with any uncharted waters, danger lurks below the surface. The websites may advertise smooth sailing — after all, they’re flashy websites created by the marketing department — but as a travel professional, I have had many cruises go down the drain.…

Read More

Strewn like three bright, emerald colored jewels in the Caribbean Sea, the three U.S. Virgin Islands of St. John, St. Croix and St.Thomas provide a variety of activities for the tourists who stream off the cruise ships daily. Watersports, shopping for duty-free items, or just lounging around on the beautiful beaches are all possibilities.

But we were there to snorkel.

The crystal-clear water of the many coves and inlets of St. Thomas provide the perfect …

Read More

Most of the bases for cruising have already been covered: We know how to keep your floating vacation afloat, how to find the best ships for singles, how to survive a cruise with Norwalk virus and how to cruise with the kids. But, as recent news stories have warned us, there may be a dark side to cruising for those who are not prepared.

Terry Riley, Ph.D., author of the book Travel Can Be Murder

Read More

Is it really possible that less is more? If you are talking about small ship and niche cruising, the answer is a definitive “Yes!” Whether you want to cruise on a tall-masted ship, sail the Amazon, visit small, secluded islands or see Antarctica up close and personal, niche cruising offers a fantastic alternative to mega-liner cruise ships. Because most niche cruise lines are operated by smaller companies, their itineraries and even their existence is often …

Read More

I lolled back in my pool side lounge chair, opened my eyes, glanced out at the navy blue strip of ocean I could view through the railing slipping silently past as we cruised to our next gorgeous Caribbean port, and lazily mulled over whether to apply more sunscreen, move into the shade, or possibly just go visit the soft serve ice cream dispenser.

Then I checked out what my girlfriends were doing. One was deeply …

Read More

Santa Catalina Island is a slice of tropical life nested in Southern California. Once you arrive in Avalon, you can forget all your worries and play as if you’ve landed in the Caribbean.

You will find Catalina Island listed as a stop for a number of cruise ships on their way to Mexico from Los Angeles or San Diego. It is also just a short ferry ride from the Southern California ports of Marina Del …

Read More

The popular image of cruising is a modern, mass market ship filled with literally thousands of people freighted from one familiar port-of-call to the next; not so eco-cruising. As the name implies, eco-cruising is all about the exploration of nature and the environment from the vantage point of the earth’s oceans, seas and rivers. The expanding appeal of environmental tourism in general and eco-cruising in particular is evident in the great number of options a …

Read More

Holidays have become all about the destination, not the journey. We cram ourselves into an airplane, jet off for a couple of weeks in a different culture, and often return more exhausted than when we went away. Maybe that’s because we’re forgetting that life is a journey, not a destination.

Yet in today’s fast-paced, instant-access world, there are still amazing journeys to be had if you take a trip on a freighter ship. Deep within …

Read More