Here’s a fun fact: Did you know Holland America has been sailing Alaska before Alaska even become a state — 75 years, to be exact. That was just one thing we learned from Holland America’s president, Gus Antorcha, during a private event onboard Nieuw Amsterdam prior to the start of Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale. The cruise line is celebrating both its 150th anniversary and its alliance with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), announced last …
In the late Eighties, there was a famous commercial for bath products that coined the line, “Calgon, take me away.” That could easily apply to what Princess Cruises has achieved in creating “360,” an immersive and interactive dining experience like no other, where a select group of guests are virtually transported to a tour of European food meccas. Launched last November on Discovery Princess, it debuted on Enchanted Princess in January, and this week, invited media got …
MIAMI BEACH_ “When we set out to find the right godmother for Vista, it was something we took very seriously,” said Frank A. Del Rio, the president of Oceania Cruises. “We wanted to find someone that exemplified everything Oceania stands for.” That honor went to celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, who was on hand to meet media and other invited guests at a reception in her honor at the Soho Beach House in Miami Beach Feb. 24. …
During a recent cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam, a number of guests had gathered around the ship’s cruise director, Gage Griffin. The topic of conversation wasn’t the evening’s entertainment, or when the next bingo or trivia would start. Instead, they were all trying to guess his age. Even Griffin himself acknowledges his youthful appearance. “I could pass for 16,” he says during an interview. Griffin dresses up for The Orange Party In point of fact, he …
DAY 1 As our Uber arrived at Port Everglades’ Terminal 26, Pam and I felt an air of both excitement and anticipation — that feeling you get when you experience a new cruise line for the first time. In front of us was Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam, the second of their Pinnacle-class ships launched in December 2018, with Oprah Winfrey named as the ship’s godmother. We learned it’s actually the sixth iteration of that name, which isn’t …
ABOARD VALIANT LADY_Virgin Voyages recognized top-selling travel advisors with its first-ever First Mate Spectacular Soiree and Golden Ink Awards during a four-night cruise on its newest ship, Valiant Lady, which departed Miami on Jan. 4. Virgin invited the top 100 North American “First Mates” who had the most bookings between Nov. 1, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2022, to a complimentary cruise and celebration of their success. Agents, along with representatives from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) …
As our 10-day holiday “Jungles and Jewels of the American Coast” cruise comes to an end, it’s time to reflect and summarize our overall impressions of our first experience on a Windstar Cruises’ ship – the Star Legend. My topline takeaway: Having taken dozens of cruises, this one ranks right at the top as one of our favorites. Star Legend is one of the six ships in the Windstar fleet — three are motorized (Star Legend is …
Day 8 – Cozumel As our 10-day voyage on Windstar Star Legend hits the home stretch, we are making our way to our last port, Cozumel. Maybe. “Maybe” because Captain Nick has advised high winds and stormy weather have combined to make our arrival uncertain at the moment. We learn all the snorkel and recreation boats on the popular Mexican island have been grounded, and the bars in the terminal have closed as well. It’s not hard …
Day 1 – Port of Miami As we entered the Port of Miami, our driver didn’t believe us when we said our ship was at Terminal E. He insisted there was no ship at Terminal E. Trust us, we said. Sure enough, there it was — sandwiched in between two Carnival megaships was Windstar Cruises Star Legend. With a guest capacity of 312 (there are 240 booked for this cruise), it was more yacht than ship, which …
You may wonder if cruising is fully back. Based on our recent cruise on Sky Princess, we can respond with a resounding “Yes!” Not only was the ship at 100 percent capacity (3,741 guests), but also many of those guests had booked “back-to-back” cruises. Since our cruise spanned the Thanksgiving holiday, Princess, and all of us who love cruising, no doubt have a lot for which to be thankful. Holiday cruises have become something of a tradition …
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