Luxury Hotel Brand Sets Sail in Indonesia
Luxury brand Ayana Hotels is scheduled to launch the world’s largest specially built Phinisi cruise ship this September. Ayana Lako di’a will grace the crystal waters in and around Indonesia’s Komodo Islands. Onboard the 9-bedroom luxury Phinisi, passengers can expect 5-star luxury cabins,
Grape Destinations: A Snootful of Art and Wine
Dreaming….. How often do thoughts of childhood wash over us? How often have these thoughts transported us to a time when everything was a lot easier and laid back ? Fun times, uncomplicated lives, not a care in the world, no gizmos to peer into, great outdoors most of the time, good simple foo
Must Have Waterproof Gear
If you like to swim for exercise, but you’re also a fan of music that keeps you going through the workout, have we got a product for you! The H2O Audio Stream MP3 Player is designed for swimmers with bluetooth technology and a completely waterproof design which offers a full 10 hours of play time
A Week On Board Harmony of the Seas
Everyone wants to live in perfect harmony right? For one whole week that was pretty much what we did. To date we have remained “loyal to Royal” for our family cruises, that’s not to say it wont change, there are many other fantastic cruise lines out there that we cannot wait to ex
Mystery Aboard Saga Sapphire
It’s no mystery that a cruise is a great vacation, but for those aboard Saga Sapphire operated by Saga Cruises, the destination is something to be discovered! Captain Horne’s Mystery Cruise is as unique a cruise as you’ll find because guests have no idea where the ship is going when they step
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 […]
Island Finds: Something to Say
When you think of Bahamian art, what comes to mind? Is it watercolors of curvaceous beaches, swaying palm trees, and jolly market vendors with bountiful baskets of fruit propped between their legs? If it is, think again. A new crop of creatives is turning those sun-drenched stereotypes upside down,
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
Carnival Ship Review: Carnival Horizon
A New Horizon I stepped aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship in the Port of Barcelona on its second-ever voyage, expecting the 3,960-passenger Carnival Horizon to look and feel much like her predecessor, 2016’s Carnival Vista. I figured I knew exactly what to expect. I was wrong. The 133,50
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
