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4 Tips for Pre- and Post-Cruise Extensions

4 Tips for Pre- and Post-Cruise Extensions

Your next cruise vacation shouldn’t just start and stop at the ship’s gangway. Make the most of your holiday by extending your cruise before you board and even after you disembark.Here are some pre- and post-cruise extension moves for every smart cruise traveler.  1. Arrive at least one day earlyThat doesn’t even qualify as a pre-cruise extension. It’s just common sense.We recommend you arrive at minimum of a full day before your cruise is set to embark. Most cruises sail away in the late...


What is 'Wave' and How You Can Save Booking Your Next Cruise Now

What is 'Wave' and How You Can Save Booking Your Next Cruise Now

It couldn’t come at a better time. The thrills of the holidays have passed, and the bills of the gift-giving season are due.The cold weather, cabin fever, and the doldrums of winter are descending. They’ve even named the 3rd Monday in January ‘Blue Monday’ after studies showed it’s the most depressing day of the year. Everyone needs something to look forward to.Welcome, Wave Season It’s the catchy name for the cruise travel equivalent to Black Friday. But instead of just a day,...

What is 'Wave' and How You Can Save Booking Your Next Cruise Now

Virgin Voyages' 'Save Water, Drink Champagne' Easy Button

Virgin Voyages' 'Save Water, Drink Champagne' Easy Button

Oh, and there’s a caviar bar, too.Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages says it’s committed to ‘disrupting’ cruise travel, and that means a twist on one of the luxury cruise standards: champagne and caviar.The cruise line has already shared its ‘ship tease’, with the slogan ‘Save Water, Drink Champagne’ proudly displayed on an outdoor lounge.Now, it’s revealed what that slogan really means to guests, or ‘sailors’ on the Scarlet Lady when she sets sail in Spring 2020. In the rebellious luxe/ music festival...


Why Travelers in the Know are Booking A Douro River Cruise in Portugal

Why Travelers in the Know are Booking A Douro River Cruise in Portugal

Have you taken a river cruise in Europe yet? The 'Big Three' river cruises are the Rhine, the Danube and the Rhone/Saone. You may have heard about cruising on the Seine, even Main and Moselle cruises.But for a little 'off the beaten track' river cruising in Europe, Portugal's Douro river is enjoying its day in the sun. Warm-weather Portugal, in the heart of the Porto wine region's, scenic villages, history and picture-perfect vineyards, is an idyllic spring, summer and fall river cruising destination....

Why Travelers in the Know are Booking A Douro River Cruise in Portugal

3 Things You Have To Do on a Seabourn Cruise to Scandinavia and Scotland

3 Things You Have To Do on a Seabourn Cruise to Scandinavia and Scotland

Cooler climes are some of today's hottest cruise destinations. Add the warmth of Seabourn's ultra-luxury service, boutique-hotel inspired ships, world-class dining and insightful, intriguing shore excursions like Ventures' active explorations, and you've got the perfect formula for discovering gateway northern destinations like Alaska, as well as the uniquely northern-most destinations in Europe.WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE FOR A SHIP TOUR AND HIGLIGHTS OF OUR CRUISE.And here are three essential experiences I discovered you won't want to miss on a cruise of Nordic...


Cycling through the Dutch Countryside on an Avalon Active Shore Excursion

Cycling through the Dutch Countryside on an Avalon Active Shore Excursion

One of the best things about river cruising in Europe is that it takes you into the heart of world-famous cities, charming smaller towns, and even through the countryside that you might not see any other way.  One of the best things about Avalon Waterways' Active shore excursions is that they give you yet another way to explore Europe's best scenery up close – on a bicycle, on foot, by kayak and more.Active shore excursions are one of three styles of...

Cycling through the Dutch Countryside on an Avalon Active Shore Excursion

You Can Celebrate Richard Branson's Birthday With Him on his Adults-Only Cruise Line

You Can Celebrate Richard Branson's Birthday With Him on his Adults-Only Cruise Line

With flamboyant Sir Richard Branson at the helm, the 2020 launch of Virgin Voyages is one of the most anticipated events in travel. The party-loving, trend-setting celebrity entrepreneur promised his latest travel venture would do to cruise what Virgin Air did to flying: rediscover a whole new level of tongue-in-cheek, escape-with-your-friends-to-a-private-party fun. Only this time, at sea. Bookings are now open for the inaugural season of the Scarlet Lady, the first Virgin Voyage ship, in April 2020.  The ship's homeport is a splashy...


Discover Amsterdam's Local Food Scene on this Avalon Waterways Shore Excursion

Discover Amsterdam's Local Food Scene on this Avalon Waterways Shore Excursion

Everyone wants to try 'real' local food when they travel. But we don't always have a real local to point us in the right direction. That's why we loved our Avalon Waterways' culinary tour of the Jordaan, a walking-sipping-snacking tour of the revitalized neighborhood in Amsterdam. It gets you out of the tourist core and into the heart of the Dutch lifestyle the way the locals in the Netherlands really live.  Want to taste the local beer? And the snack the locals order...

Discover Amsterdam's Local Food Scene on this Avalon Waterways Shore Excursion

6 Reasons We Love Seabourn Cruises to Alaska

6 Reasons We Love Seabourn Cruises to Alaska

America's Last Frontier is a destination everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime of travel. Alaska's vast, untouched waters and shores are rich in breathtaking scenery and abundant land and marine wildlife in an unparalleled spectacle of Nature.Cruising along the pristine, emerald coast between British Columbia and Alaska is one of the very best perspectives and ways to experience Alaska's riches.Not just any cruise; here's what makes an Alaska cruise on ultra-luxury Seabourn so special.By: Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/ Host,...


Go Glamping in the Galapagos on the Celebrity Flora

Go Glamping in the Galapagos on the Celebrity Flora

What's better than a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to the Galapagos Islands? Sleeping under the spectacular night skies in one of the most remote places in the world on the deck of a ship that's the height of modern luxury.   The Celebrity Flora is a first for the cruise line, dedicated to exploration of the natural wonder of the Galapagos islands. The ship launches in May, 2019, and is based on the island of Baltra in the Galapagos.   100 privileged guests at a time will...

Go Glamping in the Galapagos on the Celebrity Flora