Stories

This New Cruise Ship Bar Beat Out Restaurants, Hotels and More to Win “Best Beverage Menu” Award

This New Cruise Ship Bar Beat Out Restaurants, Hotels and More to Win “Best Beverage Menu” Award

Why just have a drink – when you can have a story, too? That’s the premise behind the cruise ship bar menu that’s won out over competitors throughout the world of hospitality. “Best Beverage Menu” was awarded to Holland America Line for its newest bar concept onboard its newest ship at the 2022 VIBE (that’s the Very Important Beverage Executives) conference.That means this bar menu isn’t just the best at sea. The award is open to any venue in the...


Get Refreshed at the Most Fabulous Fountains in Europe this Summer

Get Refreshed at the Most Fabulous Fountains in Europe this Summer

Imagine your ideal European summer escape. Chances are, one of the sounds you hear is the splashing water of a fountain in the town square on a lazy afternoon. From ancient times, communities were built up around their local source of water. Eventually, many European cities then gave their sources of water sculptural and architectural treatments. That transformed them from watering holes… to wondrous waterworks and focal points of the European lifestyle travelers love.There’s nothing quite so refreshing as the...

Get Refreshed at the Most Fabulous Fountains in Europe this Summer

10 Amazing New Museums to Visit in the U.S. in 2022

10 Amazing New Museums to Visit in the U.S. in 2022

From cultural giants like George Lucas and Bob Dylan, to New York’s Broadway or America's mountain peaks, to milestones in Latino and African American heritage – not to mention spellbinding art from the country's past... and future! - across the U.S., museums are having a renaissance, with new openings that reflect some of the most fascinating themes of modern America. Don't forget to add one of these newly-opened museums to your agenda if you’re traveling to any of these U.S....


North American Cruising is Complete: Canada Reopens, Intra-Island Hawaiian Cruises Resume

North American Cruising is Complete: Canada Reopens, Intra-Island Hawaiian Cruises Resume

The return of cruise travel has looked like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Piece by piece, cruise lines have worked out how to resurrect itineraries within the Caribbean, from the U.S. to the Caribbean, between the U.S. and Mexico… you can see the picture. Now at last, with the final two pieces, the puzzle – or rather, the cruise map of North America - is complete. Travellers can now book cruises to the entire continent. Holland America Line’s Konigsdam 1st Ship Back...

North American Cruising is Complete: Canada Reopens, Intra-Island Hawaiian Cruises Resume

5 Places to Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday

5 Places to Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday

Whether or not you loved studying Shakespeare in school, chances are, to this day you regularly hear - and use – lines from his 154 sonnets and 39 plays that are still continuously being staged in theaters around the world, more than any other playwright in any language. That’s not a bad linguistic legacy for someone who was born nearly 500 years ago.Recognize any of these pearls of wisdom? All the words of Shakespeare, who was born April 26, 1564. “To be...


You’ll Love This New Generation of Private Island Resorts

You’ll Love This New Generation of Private Island Resorts

There’s a new generation of private islands. One that creates an environment for guests to vacation their way to becoming their best selves. Scratch any impressions you have of private islands inhabited by music moguls jet-skiing with nude models, royalty sneaking around with other people’s spouses, or tech billionaires popping magnums of champagne.The new private island experience isn’t just about seclusion away from prying eyes. It’s about the ultimate spirit of togetherness with a group of people you value most in the...

You’ll Love This New Generation of Private Island Resorts

The Very First National Park Turns 150

The Very First National Park Turns 150

 It’s not just the first national park in the U.S. It’s the first national park in the world. In March, 1872, American president Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the establishment of Yellowstone National Park to preserve and protect some of the country’s most emblematic scenery and wildlife for future generations. That first national park represented the start of the entire U.S. National Park system. Today, the National Park Service manages 85 million acres of land, comprising 63 National Parks and...


Take Your Romance from Book to the Beach: This Resort Chain’s Partnered with a Romance Novel Publisher

Take Your Romance from Book to the Beach: This Resort Chain’s Partnered with a Romance Novel Publisher

This chain of couples-only Caribbean resorts is serious about helping guests ‘get in the groove’ while on vacation. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Sandals Resorts has launched an ‘Institute of Romance’ to research trends in couples’ relationships with a goal of helping keep the sparks a’ flying. The new trend-house delves into data about modern love, relationships and intimacy… And how they relate to holidays.Through global surveys of paired-up travelers and its past guests, Sandals’ Institute of Romance’s findings will help...

Take Your Romance from Book to the Beach: This Resort Chain’s Partnered with a Romance Novel Publisher

Another Record Broken: Biggest Ship at Sea

Another Record Broken: Biggest Ship at Sea

If you’re a mega-ship fan, you have another entry to add to your cruise travel bucket list. The largest ship at sea has just launched in a feat of engineering, design, and imagination. Royal Caribbean has debuted Wonder of the Seas in Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale. The newest ship in the fleet clocks in at 1118 feet long and 210 feet wide. There are 18 decks for nearly 7000 guests plus 2300 crew members.That makes it the world’s largest cruise ship....


European River Cruise Season Begins! AmaWaterways' Co-Founder Shares Trends and Tips for 2022

European River Cruise Season Begins! AmaWaterways' Co-Founder Shares Trends and Tips for 2022

One of the first signs of spring for travel and cruise lovers like me… isn’t the first tulip or robin. It’s the return of river cruising in Europe. This year especially celebrates a fresh new season, after two pandemic years when many people weren’t traveling to Europe and can’t wait now to return to their favorite European memories and make new ones. Just before the start of the season, I had the chance to meet with one of the founders...

European River Cruise Season Begins! AmaWaterways' Co-Founder Shares Trends and Tips for 2022