For river cruisers in Europe, this will be a year for boning up on stories about Viking gods, goddesses, and heroes. Viking River Cruises, largest of the many companies that operate long and low vessels on the busy rivers of Europe, is introducing six identical boats this year, all named for famed Vikings. You might…
Two months after the Costa Concordia sinking, leaders of some of the world’s major cruise lines spoke in public for the first time last week about the impact of the cruise disaster and the safety record of their industry. At an annual conference and trade show in Miami, the leaders’ moods alternated between uncommonly serious,…
Travelers who loved vacationing on the Carnival Paradise, which once was a cruise ship entirely cigarette smoke free among passengers and crew, have reason to cheer. As 2011 draws toward a close, second-hand smoke at sea is dissipating. With this year’s trend toward prohibiting smoking in cabins and in most gathering spots aboard ships, cruise…
With bargain rates on many cruise ships at $100-$150 a day or less per person, why would a couple on vacation spend $500- $1,000 a day, each, for a cruise? A man is his 50s asked me that question recently at a party. He was concerned also that his wife was about to book him…
As many as 10,000 local townsfolk and formally-attired invited guests watched an extravagant naming ceremony Saturday night in Trieste, Italy, for a new cruise ship, the 3,800-passenger Costa Favolosa. Favolosa, now Costa’s largest vessel, was built near Venice, but it was the first major ship christened in ancient Trieste in 50 years. The event also…
Hello from Germany where I am helping my son and his family of five pack up their house and move all their belongings back to the United States after three years abroad. All is well, or will be totally when the U.S. passport arrives for one-month-old Bethany, who will need it to make her grand…
If you cruise on the new Carnival Magic, what you will see is: Carnival’s first Italian restaurant, first Caribbean pub, first draught beer labeled just for Carnival, first ropes course, a host of family deck games, and three flashy production shows. New interior designs make the ship brighter and more cheerful than its sister Carnival…