Weird Wednesday: Thames Town
Visitors to Shanghai are often in awe of the size and scale of the city. With a population of more than 24 million, it’s the largest in China and the 3rd largest by population in the world. The city’s proximity to the ocean (the Chinese characters for Shanghai translate to “upon the sea”
Off Season Cruising, Is It Worth It?
We often get asked, when is the best time to cruise? Most are shocked when I tell them that cruising off-season is one of the best vacations you can take! Not only are they a great way to get a great deal, but there are plenty of other perks, too. Here are some of our […]
TRAVEL TIPS: Gettin’ Salty in Bonaire
The Caribbean is home to over 700 islands. Despite the region being such a popular tourist and vacation destination, there are still some spots that fly under the radar. One of these is Bonaire, the B of the “ABC Islands”. Its closest neighbors are Curaçao and Aruba, with Venezuela only 60 mile
Norwegian Joy Headed Stateside After a Year in China
Norwegian Cruise Line made a splash with the announcement that their ship Norwegian Joy would be built with the Chinese market in mind. However, after just a year of sailing from Chinese ports, the cruise line announced Norwegian Joy would be headed back to the United States for future cruises. The
For Princess Cruises, Bigger is Better
Technology is infiltrating the cruise industry in more ways than just Wi-Fi and all-purpose keycards. The ships themselves are becoming more advanced in terms of the technology found on the bridge, but also in their size and capacity. Princess Cruises is the latest cruise line to place orders with f
A Food Lover’s Guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market
A visit to Seattle, aka The Emerald City, isn’t complete without wandering through the foodie friendly Pike Place Market. You’ll find some excellent eateries here and highly entertaining vendors. In fact, the market’s prime attraction is the wader-clad fisherman in front of a mountain of fish
Virgin Voyages’ Ship Finally Has a Name
Many speculated the first ship in the fleet for Virgin Voyages would harken back to some aspect of Sir Richard Branson’s empire, and they would be be correct. Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, as the ship will be called, is a throwback to one of the first Virgin Airlines planes of the same name. In a [
Cruise Deal of the Week – July 20, 2018
This week’s cruise deal offers big savings on fall foliage cruises from the professionals at Blount Small Ship Adventures. Blount’s Locks, Legends & Canals cruise is now 40% off for select departures August through October 2018. The offer to cruise at a discount with Blount Small Ship Advent
Lindblad Expeditions Announces New Polar Vessel
The push to explore the unexplored is all the rage in cruising these days and one of the biggest names in expedition cruising has a new polar class vessel in the works. Lindblad Expeditions, a leader in expedition cruising to the far ends of the Earth in conjunction with National Geographic, announc
Grape Destinations: Getting Lost in Florence
Bubbles come in handy when you are fashionably late. That was a great lesson learned on a trip I recently took to Tuscany. You and your travel partners are sharing the wheel. On those hills the views are stunning and nobody cares if the GPS is audible, at least. The Winding Roads of Florence I [&hel
Cruising Behind the Scenes
For cruisers fascinated by how ships function as small cities traveling across the oceans, behind-the-scenes tours can be a fascinating look into either the large scale of a mega ship (Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, for example, goes through 60,000 eggs per week! Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 se
48 Hours In: One Dam Fine Town
Amsterdam has always been a seafaring town. It started a thousand years ago as a fishing village on a narrow dammed strip of land surrounded by water and bog. But the town soon expanded with increased trade, and by the 17th century it was the richest port in the world. Amsterdam’s Golden Age was m
Weird Wednesday: Is That Beach Glowing?
Does anything beat a day at the beach? The sun, the waves, the particles of sand you find wedged in strange places months later, what’s not to love? There are some beaches, however, that actually get better once the sun goes down. What is a bioluminescent beach? From Hong Kong to California, biol
Travel Tips: How to Get Adjoining Rooms without Paying Extra
Cruise ships are wonderful vacations for the whole family. However, just like a hotel, it’s often impossible to fit everyone in a single room. Many hotels offer adjoining rooms which make it easy to go from one to the other without ever going out in the hallway. Cruise ships offer similar rooms, b
Must Have Travel Gear: Swimming With Your Phone – Lifeproof Luxury
Replacing a smartphone after it’s been broken or dropped in the water isn’t fun, but LifeProof is changing the way we protect our expensive technology. It’s pretty common to see someone with a phone that’s in rough shape. From cracked screens to water damage, there’s almost no shortage of
St. Kitts Reaches Marquee Port Status with Millionth Visitor
Along with phenomenal weather, the West Indies enjoy a rich history in the Caribbean and as a result, it’s a popular vacation destination for cruise ships and vacationers alike. Tourism is booming for all the islands, but the number of visitors to St. Kitts this year is exceeding expectations. The
Making The Most Of Your Cruise Vacation
Around 27.2 million people are expected to take a cruise vacation in 2018, with the industry showing a consistent rise in passenger numbers since 2009 (a year in which 17.8 million passengers took to the seas). The Cruise Lines International Association’s newest report indicates that one big tren
Nice Rice: The Many Flavors of Indonesian Cuisine
Indonesian cuisine has always been one of my favorites since my first exposure to it on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Why Curaçao you ask….(You did ask didn’t you?). The ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are intrinsically tied to the Netherlands with a strong Dutch profile.
Cruise Connection: Peruvian Perfection
Under normal circumstances, one would be hard pressed to find any commonality between intrepid exploration of the Amazon, luxury cruising, and culinary creativity. Then again, cruising with Aqua Expeditions is anything but common. Scheduling a 4-night sailing out of Iquitos, Peru, on the Aria Amazon
Cruise Deal of the Week – July 12, 2018
Enjoy sunrise over a vista of a thousand pagodas, explore remote temples with expert guides, glide along the majestic waterways of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, and take advantage of a fully a la carte menu of shore excursions. The Strand Cruise is a luxury river cruise ship carrying up to 50 pass
