The stars and stripes flutter from the flagpole atop American Queen Voyages’ American Empress. It’s the first clue that this riverboat is a celebration of America, from its friendly and supremely capable all-American crew, dining that showcases some of the country’s best loved dishes and an itinerary that takes us along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, past scenery that inspired a ton of Woody Guthrie songs. I’m aboard the season’s first sailing of this 3,388 grt, 223-passenger …
It’s the 43rd minute of my daily hour-long workout atop an elliptical machine at Oceania Marina’s fitness center and the digital window says I’ve burned 307 calories. If my calculations are correct, my efforts thus far have erased the caloric damage of the two glasses of wine I enjoyed with last night’s dinner. I recall that feast at Jacques’, Oceania Marina’s French restaurant with a menu created by master chef Jacques Pepin: the rich, gravy-drizzled foie gras …
Silversea’s New S.A.L.T. Culinary Program Immerses Guests in Their Destination Until last week when I sailed a segment of Silver Moon’s Panama Canal voyage from Fort Lauderdale, the dishes I most closely associated with Mexico and the Caribbean were things like chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, nachos and other artery-cloggers I’d pluck off the grubby menus of places like Señor Frog’s. Silversea’s Silver Moon has changed all that with S.A.L.T (Sea and Land Taste), an innovative and ambitious …
It didn’t take me very long to appreciate the appeal of a big—okay, massive—cruise ship, particularly for active families. It took me exactly two-days, or the duration of Royal Caribbean’s recent Odyssey of the Seas inaugural and naming event, exclusively for 2,200 press, travel professionals and the line’s most devoted guests. As one passionately devoted to small and mid-size ship cruising, the thought of sailing the Quantum Class Odyssey of the Seas, a 1,138-foot long, 16-deck, 167,704 …
– Covid Restrictions Are Messin’ With My Med The 930-passenger, 47,842 grt Viking Venus, launched in May 2021, sits in the dazzling port of Barcelona. If the stats sound familiar, it’s because Viking Venus is the seventh ship in the series of Viking Ocean’s identical sister ships, each following the same, clean Scandinavian design. If you’ve sailed Viking Ocean before, you’ll feel right at home aboard this latest launch. You’ll instinctively know where Manfredi’s is, how to …
I love Porto, Portugal, where I’m boarding Scenic Azure for a sailing down the Douro River. Bustling cafes border the river’s edge framing a riot of red-rooved pastel-colored buildings that climb high up into the hills surrounding us. Spires of gothic churches and palaces peek out above this colorful panorama and port tasting houses like Sandeman, Calem, Ferreira and Taylor call to us with bold, neon signage that somehow doesn’t seem out of place even against this …
One Unwelcome Guest Can’t Ruin a Spectacular Cruise! “My temperature is 36.6???!!!!” I, a Centigrade-ignorant American, thought I was dead when the digital reading on the temperature scanner at the top of Viking Sky’s gangway registered that number. It was my first encounter with the ship’s highly robust and well-researched schedule of safety protocols. If you followed travel news last week, you know that one guest aboard Viking Sky’s July 10 Iceland navigation tested positive for Covid …
A frosty cocktail at the Ocean Bar. A succulent filet mignon at The Pinnacle Grill. The heady scent of a floral garden wafting through the serene Greenhouse Spa & Salon. Warm smiles and impeccable service. The embrace of soft cotton sheets atop a plush Mariner’s Dream Bed. And, oh! A generous helping of warm, raisin-studded bread & butter pudding floating in a delectable puddle of velvety, vanilla-scented custard sauce. If these words conjure memories of carefree days …
This just might be the year to cruise Alaska…and there you were thinking that the 2021 Alaska cruise season was cancelled! While Canada’s cruise ban effectively locks the big, Vancouver-based ships out of The Last Frontier until 2022, those of us hellbent on cruising Alaska this year not only can do so but they can have a once-in-a-lifetime experience doing it thanks to small, U.S.-based lines like UnCruise Adventures. And we can do so safely with Alaska’s …
Expedition. The word conjures images of rugged, parka-clad explorers scaling treacherous ice-slicked mountains and subsisting for days on rations of trail mix and Snickers. By contrast, my Silver Explorer expedition finds me on a tranquil beach in Madrisky Cay, Venezuela, my feet buried in powder-soft white sand, a clear aqua-blue sea before me and an ice-cold Solera beer in my hand. Nearby, a table is piled high with delicacies like barracuda seviche, seafood shish kabob, the makings …
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