Enchanted Princess Completes Sea Trials
We’re another step closer to sailing on board the newest ship from Princess Cruises! Enchanted Princess successfully completed her sea trials off the coast of Italy. The ship was built by the Fincantieri shipyard where it will return for fine tuning and final touches before being delivere
Florida’s Favorite Micro-cation: Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Freedom to explore isn’t something we’re taking for granted anymore. After a long few months, travel is finally possible again and cruisers couldn’t be happier. Cruise operators have indicated itineraries will be short to begin with, but that’s no problem for 2-night cruise specialist Bahama
Cariloha Bamboo: Comfort, Style and Sustainability
When it comes to being cool and comfortable, the fabrics in your life matter. There are countless fabric-makers who tout their sweat-wicking, antibacterial materials, but did you know there’s an all-natural alternative that works even better? Bamboo from Cariloha. Bamboo has been used by hum
Bar Harbor Bans Cruise Ships Until 2021
Mid-July in Bar Harbor, Maine is usually peak season for cruise ships, but not this year. Tuesday night struck another blow to an already beleaguered industry when the Bar Harbor city council voted to ban cruise ships from visiting through the end of the year. In a last ditch effort to sway the coun
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Unveils Ten-Point Health Plan
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises released their ten-point hygiene and preventative plan for a return to cruising at the end of July 2020. The plan is to restart cruises from Hamburg with their luxury ship, the EUROPA 2, and their expedition ship, the HANSEATIC inspiration, but only at 40% capacity. The plan was
Bar-B-Cruise
A lazy summer day, and the tantalizing aroma of barbecue drifts through the air. Maybe it’s the citrusy scent of fresh-caught salmon squeezed with lemon, or the spiced smoke wafting from baby back ribs. Such normally seasonal pleasures are now, thankfully, everyday cruise delights. Some ocean line
Hurtigruten to Restart 14 of 16 Ships by September
Following up on a successful return to cruising in June, Norwegian expedition cruise line Hurtigruten has announced plans to ramp-up operation through August and September to bring 14 of their 16 ships back into operation. Hurtigruten made headline news on June 16, 2020 when they became the fi
Royal, Norwegian Enter Historic Collaboration
Two of the biggest names in cruise are collaborating for the first time ever on new health and safety standards for the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings are working with leading public health experts to oversee the new protocols and standards aimed at keeping
Costa to Pause Until August 15, 2020
Popular Italian line Costa Cruises has made the difficult decision to pause operation until August 15, 2020. The cruise line also announced the cancellation of all cruises in northern Europe for the remainder of the 2020 summer season. In a press release, Costa explained that the decision to f
First Impressions of Scarlet Lady
Who’s that Lady? For months, Virgin Voyages had been flooding social media channels with carrot-dangling teasers about its mold-breaking Scarlet Lady, the first of four ships being launched by Sir Richard Branson’s fledgling cruise line. There’d be glamorous RockStar suites, a late-sleeper
Choose Your Cruise – July 2, 2020
Happy Independence Day! This July 4th is going to be a little different than most years but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, celebrate our freedom, and of course, book one of these awesome all-American cruises! We have three itineraries for some of the best river cruises America has
Celestyal Cruises to Pause Until 2021
A popular Mediterranean small ship cruise line is pressing pause until 2021. In their announcement this morning, Celestyal Cruises made the difficult decision to pause operation until March 6, 2021 for their entire fleet. The cruise line had plans to return to operation after July 30, 2020, bu
SeaDream Yacht Club Completes First Cruise Back
SeaDream Yacht Club has resumed sailing on SeaDream I, embarking this week on the first of a schedule of 7-day and 12-day Norwegian sailings with itineraries selected by SeaDream founder Atle Brynestad…and, on Saturday, SeaDream 2 joins in the fun! But don’t get too excited yet…these no-doubt
Josh Leibowitz Named President of Seabourn
Seabourn Cruise Line made a major announcement yesterday when they named Josh Leibowitz the new president of the company. Leibowitz joined Carnival Corporation in 2013 as chief strategy officer and was also named senior vice president, Cunard North America in December 2016. In May, lo
Choose Your Cruise – June 26, 2020
Throughout the COVID-19 situation, we’ve been adamant that there’s never been a better time to book a future cruise. With talk of a vaccine coming later this year, life in 2021 or 2022 is going to be business as usual for cruise lines and the world at large. Rather than wait to book your
A Healthy Scarlet Lady Heads Back to Europe
It was a beautiful March morning in Miami when Virgin Voyages’ first ship Scarlet Lady slid gracefully into her berth at PortMiami. The excitement was palpable as the sleek grey and red vessel arrived, despite a warning from the State Department against cruising as COVID-19 was spreading the world
“Cruising” California By Land
What appeared to be a brief pause in cruising at the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown has turned into a wanderlust nightmare. For three months we’ve had our bags packed with fingers crossed, desperately scanning the news for a sign from the travel gods blessing us with an end to the grueling absence
REPORT: Europe to Reopen, But Not For Americans
According to a breaking news report from the New York Times this afternoon, Americans could be barred from entering European Union countries as they begin to reopen due to rising infection rates in several major states. NY Times journalist Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported that along with the United S
American Queen Steamboat Company Partners with Uniworld
When Uniworld Boutique River Cruises cancelled their summer itineraries due to COVID-19, many passengers were left frustrated that their upcoming cruise was no longer. Many had the trip booked long before the global pandemic and were left high and dry when travel restrictions kicked in across the gl
ANTI-SOCIAL DISTANCING? Solo Cruising in the Covid-19 Era
When I think of cruising in the Covid-19 era, the chorus of Eric Carmen’s 1975 pop hit “All By Myself” wafts through my mind because, more often than not, I sail solo. People sail solo for a lot of reasons. Perhaps they’re single, divorced or widowed, or maybe they’re stressed-out bu
