Seabourn “Very Excited” For July Cruise Restart Says President Josh Leibowitz
Following the retirement of longtime Seabourn President Rick Meadows last year, Josh Leibowitz was named the new President of the cruise line and his duties now include oversight of all aspects of the ultra-luxury brand’s operations, including revenue management, deployment and itinerary plan
Norwegian Cruise Line Introduces Norwegian Prima
The new Prima Class ships from Norwegian Cruise Line are on the way! In an announcement this morning, the cruise line released some new details about the very first ship. In an interesting change from the usual, Norwegian Prima will be slightly smaller than the previous Breakaway and Break
Seabourn to Set Sail in July
They say that good things come to those who wait and after a year of pandemic patience GREAT things are happening for lovers of ultra-luxury cruising. Starting in July, Seabourn Cruise Line is resuming cruises with the Seabourn Ovation sailing in Greece and the Sea
St. Kitts Is the Island of Limitless Possibilities
Attitude is everything, just ask the people of St. Kitts. In many respects this laid-back island paradise is your quintessential Caribbean island. It’s a place where beach shack bars grill up fresh caught fish and lobster, where you can see the colorful fisherman boats dotting the horizon in the m
British Virgin Islands’ New Plan to Relax Travel Restrictions
Travel is no longer as risky as it once was, particularly for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, countries all over the world are getting ready to ease travel restrictions for vaccinated travelers. The British Virgin Islands have had one of the strictest sets of travel pro
Choose Your Cruise – April 23, 2021
There was plenty of news this week about cruise lines adding new itineraries to their summer restarts and we couldn’t be more excited! Cruising is on the cusp of returning around the world and even though we still can’t sail from American ports, there are islands in the Caribbean which a
Travelers Should Avoid the Bahamas Says CDC
Cruises are set to return to the Bahamas in a matter of weeks, so of course the CDC issued an upgraded warning for travel to the islands. In an update on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, the organization urges that travelers, both vaccinated and not, avoid all travel t
St. Thomas Prepares For Travel Boom as Cruising Returns
As more and more cruise lines lay out their plans for a return to operation, it means that popular island destinations across the Caribbean are gearing up for tourism as well. It’s been a difficult year for tourism around the world, but there’s hope that cruising’s return can help
St. Thomas, Sophisticated
St. Thomas had a deep-rooted seafaring heritage long before I plied its waters. As a cruise director for many years, I visited the small, quaint island every Tuesday. Twenty-five years later, it has matured into destination adulthood, but in spite of its modernization, the island retains its playful
Holland America Line To Celebrate 25 Years at Half Moon Cay
Private islands are all the rage in cruising lately, but one cruise line has been well ahead of the trend! Holland America Line announced plans to operate seven ships in the Caribbean with calls on Half Moon Cay during the 2022-2023 cruise season in honor of 25 years of cruising to the Bahamian isla
Choose Your Cruise – April 9, 2021
It was a wild week in the cruise industry! First we had a handful of cruise lines announcing new sailing dates from places all over the world. Then we had the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line call the CDC “borderline ridiculous” in an interview with Porthole Cruise Magazine Founder and Edito
St. Maarten Travel Restrictions You Need to Know About
With the news that cruise lines will begin sailing from St. Maarten in just a few months, cruisers all over America are booking their flight to the Caribbean island. However, there are a few important things to know about traveling to St. Maarten because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a rund
The CDC’s Technical Guidance for Cruise Ships Explained
In a classic Friday afternoon news dump, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update to their conditional sail order with a number of new rules cruise lines will have to follow if they want to resume operation. After a week of taking heat from politicians, particularly in Florida
Choose Your Cruise – March 26, 2021
This was a wild week in the cruise industry. CLIA and the CDC went back and forth about the Conditional Sail Order and several more cruise lines have concrete start dates in June cruisers can now book! Since we still can’t sail from American ports, these cruises leave from islands in the Baham
St. Croix Cocktail Hour: Try the Breadfruit Vodka
Serendipity has provided a new take on the old adage, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. On the US Virgin Island of St. Croix it’s become when life gives you breadfruit, make vodka. Watching the short shelf life of ripened breadfruit go to waste on the ground post Hurricane Maria, founder
Saint Lucia Prepares for Summer Cruise Tourism
For the first time in a year, the island of St. Lucia is preparing to welcome back international cruise tourism. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has jumpstarted the return of the cruise industry to Saint Lucia after more than a year of inactivity, naming the island as a port-of-call on a mid-July i
U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Performs Well Despite Pandemic
U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte shared some encouraging tourism numbers about the islands compared to the rest of the Caribbean. While the region as a whole saw a steep decline in visitors since March 2020, the U.S. Virgin Islands credit a smart, sensible publi
Celebrity Cruises Announces June 5th Return
There’s some excellent news to report from Celebrity Cruises this morning! Celebrity President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo announced this morning that the cruise line would return to service on June 5th from St. Maarten on board the recently renovated Celebrity Millennium! Bookings for the 7-nig
Choose Your Cruise – March 12, 2021
It was exactly one year ago today that Princess Cruises and Viking Cruises announced they’d be pausing operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s truly unbelievable but here we are a year later on the cusp of a vaccine that will jumpstart the cruise industry and get everyone back to no
Jamaica Travel Restrictions Get Tighter for Visitors
The Caribbean island of Jamaica tightened up their COVID-19 travel restrictions for visitors, reducing the time frame in which travelers need to get tested for the virus. Currently, Jamaica requires tourists to present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test within 10 days of travel to the
