Top posts on the TravelMavenBlog:
•Crossing Lake Michigan on the Badger ferry from Ludington to Wisconsin
•Penguins, elephant seals star on a cruise expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia Island, Arctic waters
•Cruising Iceland, the Island of Fire and Ice
•Masked, Vaxxed, Patience Tested, A Return to Sea on Star Breeze
•Sky Princess crew use OceanMedallion to make cruise service more personal
• Snazzy restaurants, go-kart track, ‘Kinky Boots’ highlight life aboard new Norwegian Encore
•My rugged White Island tour in New Zealand was dangerous, and I was warned
•Sailing on the Sea Cloud with the rich and famous, since the 1930s
•Once a busy trade route, cruising on the Upper Rhine now offers history without crowds
Mississippi River cruising on the American Duchess
Chefs pair Dom Perignon vintage champagnes with six-courses on two Oceania ships
On Carnival Horizon
This cruise ship's elevators may be smarter than you
North America's first ship with smart lifts // Guy Fieri barbecue and smokehouse joint // Dr. Seuss WaterWorks
Most American of cruise lines won't return to Europe any time soon
Trend watch:
• As river vessels and ocean ships add oodles of special shore excursions and active tours, set aside pre-trip planning time for more research to target experiences that are right for you
On Royal Clipper
Cruising to small islands in the Caribbean, with 42 sails unfurled
Cruising on Seabourn's newest ships
Caviar on the beach in the Persian Gulf (right). Working out, dodging calories, stretching willpower on luxury Seabourn Encore headed to Dubai
On the lookout for pirates in the Arabian Sea
Cruising Alaska
Bears, icebergs await in the wilds
Book early as small group adventures sell out
Ferries to smaller port towns:
Pitch a tent, roll out your sleeping bag or book a bunkbed on Alaska's Marine Highway
Delightful July 4 in Petersburg
Watch the log rolling, herring toss and Fools on Spools
Cruising Cuba
Cruising Cuba for the first time, exploring cities and seacoast
People-to-people travel to Havana, food and music, Hemingway, and talking about life
Sailing, cruising to Cuba’s Bay of Pigs and Trinidad
Dancing and music on the Isle of Juventud, where Castro once was imprisoned
Cruising in China
A gruntled American cruises in a sea of Chinese on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas
Ovation moves its homeport with the seasons in a grand circle, including Tianjin (Beijing’s seaport), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney, Australia. Cruises cater to Chinese passengers when the ship sails from China.
Eating well on a foodie tour in Hong Kong
On Carnival Vista
Vista cruises the Caribbean from Miami
On Harmony of the Seas
Wows abound on high-decibel Harmony, Royal Caribbean's newest ship in Florida.
Make sure to book your activities before you leave home, especially for the exciting new shows.
On Holland America's Koningsdam
Dining, entertainment, and contemporary design highlight HAL's newest ship.
Koningsdam hits a high note on cruises out of South Florida
On Seven Seas Explorer
Sailing the Seven Seas on Regent's most luxurious cruise ship in the world
On Oceania's Sirena
Refurbished R cruise ships R as classy as ever
Oceania's smallish Sirena shines after $50 million upgrade
Certain to be a big hit with cruisers who like to eat well — a theme throughout Oceania ships — is the lunch-only Bistro created for Sirena by chef Jacques Pepin, and served daily in the main dining room.
On Avalon Myanmar
Meandering the Irrawaddy on an eye-opening cruise in Myanmar (Burma) from Bhamo to Bagan. Above, monks line up beside the Irrawaddy for breakfast, compliments of the Avalon Waterways riverboat crew.
On Emerald Dawn
Incongruities from Bucharest to Budapest on the Lower Danube River // Vlad the Impaler, inspiration for Count Dracula, is remembered at Snagov Monastery’s 15th-century Romanian Orthodox Church
Big, big cruise ships:
New York's Anthem, Miami's Escape
Norwegian, Royal Caribbean take different tacks on eating, drinking, entertainment
Suite life on Silver Spirit
In the Dominican Republic
New port, Amber Cove, ready for 350,000 Carnival Corp cruisers to untapped north coast // Fathom will bring cruisers on a working vacation, also to Cuba
On Queen Mary 2
Crossing the Atlantic in unaccustomed style // Cunard celebrates 175 years // Bring black tie, party dresses for formal dinners // Grand arrival in New York
On Viking Star
Newfangled ship // Sophisticated Europe cruises // Snow flakes in spa // Vikings on Bayeux Tapestry
Star Breezing in the Med
Windstar expands its fleet for summers in Europe, winters in the Caribbean //
Foodies shop with sea chefs in port markets
Hunting for ancestors
Exploring family origins on a Europeran river cruise, following my Viking DNA to a castle in France
On Aranui 3 in the South Pacific
On Avalon Tapestry II
On Crystal Symphony
A headhunter in Borneo, chilling laws in Brunei, bogus bump at the Equator
Downtown Las Vegas
On Viking Forseti
France truffle hunting highlights Bordeaux river cruise
Cruising Bordeaux’s rivers, with wine and cheese of course
What's free and notso
On Regal Princess
Tying the knot, a Love Boat wedding with several generations and some celebrities aboard
On Quantum of the Seas
High tech time. Remember your first computer, your first smart phone? Royal Caribbean’s revolutionary new Quantum of the Seas, cruising out of New Jersey, is the first smart ship.
More on Quantum, Royal Caribbean's new Dynamic Dining
Cruise blogs from the Travel Maven
When lunch is a welcome cruise excursion
Dining in Iceland, France, Sicily, New Zealand, and Portland, Maine
On Windstar's Star Pride
On Norwegian Getaway and On SeaDream
Sailing the same sea, very differently
Travel agents know
On 'The Love Boat' Memories from the Pacific Princess and the Television show that put cruising on the map
In Australia, New Zealand Cruising Down Under
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Mavens' reports from special cruise ports, shore excursions
What's new at sea
News and tips about ships, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America, Seabourn, Disney, Azamara, Oceania, Cunard, river boats of Europe and Southeast Asia. Cove balcony cabins on Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic. Disney's Enchanted art. Reposition across the Atlantic. Get a Passport.
Ziplining on Oasis of the Seas
DESTINATIONS PAGES, In the United States, and around the world. Plan a Florida vacation. Germany and Berlin. Singapore. Australia and New Zealand. China's Shanghai, Beijing. Explore with Travel Maven Dave Houser at Grytviken, rusting away near Antarctica, and Mount Athos Greece.
BEST AT TRAVEL REPORTING, Lowell Thomas journalism competition winners, Travel websites Travel blogs
