Cruise

AN ICY ‘DISKO’ PARTY WITH WHALE TAILS IN GREENLAND

Spouting and snorting and flipping its enormous tail, it was almost as though a humpback whale was giving us an escort to his glittering ice cave as it emerged from the waves alongside our boat. Towering walls of ice surrounded us as we entered Disko Bay on a small boat tour from a town clinging to the Greenland coast that’s a whale-watching paradise and whose name Ilulisssat, literally means icebergs in Greenlandic. Titanic chunks of white ice streaked with brilliant blue float everywhere in the water, fed by mountainous glaciers which date back at least to the last ice age 10,000 years ago.

NCL RETURNS TO MAUI

Norwegian Cruse Lines returned to Maui on the weekend. Earlier in August, the cruise line paused its calls to the island, to avoid stressing local resources due to the devastating wildfires in Lahaina on the island’s west side.

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND: Unique cultural experience or tourist trap?

You can visit the world’s biggest penis collection, dance until dawn and take a quick jaunt to an active volcano and a steaming Blue Lagoon. What’s not to love about Iceland’s capital city with its clean, walkable streets of quaint shops painted in vivid colors that could have been imagined by a theme park set designer?

ALASKA, JOURNEYS: Carnival opens more 2025 sailings

With the notion that It’s never too early to plan for an Alaskan adventure, Carnival Cruise Line has unveiled more of its 2025-26 deployment by opening sailings to Alaska from Seattle on two ships: Carnival Spirit and Carnival Luminosa. Several Carnival Journeys cruises aboard the two ships are also open for sale, including a transatlantic

AN INSIDE VIEW OF ANCIENT EPHESUS

I’ve toured the fascinating ruins of ancient Ephesus many times on visits that have spanned more than two decades, and each time I’ve been amazed by how many discoveries are still being made regularly. In fact, less than half of the city that eventually became buried after being abandoned nearly 2,000 years ago has actually been uncovered and cataloged. But the work is continuing.

HERE COMES THE SUN PRINCESS, LARGEST SHIP IN FLEET

Princess Cruises’ largest ship ever – Sun Princess – will make her US debut in October 2024. The ship is the first in the line’s new Sphere class, and will homeport at Port Everglades, Fla. for the winter, following a season of Mediterranean and Europe cruises when she launches in February.

INSIDER TIPS FOR SEEING ISTANBUL’S BIG 5 IN A SINGLE VISIT

Just scanning Istanbul’s minaret-studded skyline on the busy Bosphorus that divides Europe from Asia evokes images of genies and wizards and magical flying carpets. It’s Constantinople, the coveted city that inspired Crusades and Tales of Arabian Nights.

NORWEGIAN VIVA MAKES MAIDEN VOYAGE

Norwegian Cruise Line has welcomed the first guests to sail aboard its new Norwegian Viva, the company’s highly anticipated new ship and second of the Prima Class, as it embarked on its maiden voyage from Venice (Trieste), Italy.

CUNARD REVEALS GOURMET ADDITIONS TO QUEEN ANNE

Double Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux will set the tone for a pub on Cunard’s coming Queen Anne, as well as planning an exclusive gala menu for the Queen’s Grill. Roux will be working alongside Cunard’s culinary development chefs to create a new menu for the Golden Lion pub that will be rolled out fleet wide.

SAILS FOR SALE: MSC opens book on 2024/25 season

MSC Cruises has opened sales for its winter 2024/25 season with more than 150 global sailings now available to book. Six ships will serve the Caribbean Sea, while the MSC World Europe will sail the Mediterranean, and MSC Euribia undertakes a new deployment in the Middle East.

RETAIL ROUND-UP: F1S, Ensemble advisors sailing to success

Canadians are booking cruises again at pre-pandemic levels according to First in Service, which is reporting that two-thirds of its advisors in a recent survey said that demand for the sector has bounced back. Data also reveals that the Mediterranean is top cruise itinerary booked and that luxury and small ship experiences are increasing in popularity.

WORK ON THE WATER: AmaWaterways makes case for digital nomads

On the occasion of Digital Nomad Day today (Aug. 08), AmaWaterways is encouraging remote to “make the world their office.” And to do so, the luxury river cruise line has put a special focus on its 2024 early season cruises, starting in February on the Rhine and Danube rivers.

THE AQUATIC LIFE: Diving into Celebrity’s Aqua Class

There’s no badge, no secret code, but being in Aqua Class makes you a member of a select club on a Celebrity cruise. And despite its name, you never actually need to get your feet wet to savour the Aqua life.

RIVIERA RIVER CRUISES MEETS DOURO DEMAND

To meet increasing demand from travel advisors and their clients, Riviera River Cruises says it adding a new ship and new itinerary on the Douro River in Portugal and Spain for 2024.

MSC CRUISES BOOSTS ‘FUTURE CRUISE PROGRAM’

MSC Cruises has introduced a new and improved ‘Future Cruise Program’ designed to benefit travel agents and the line’s guests when a customer who had used an agency for their holiday at sea books their next sailing while onboard.

SERENITY NOW: New Crystal makes maiden voyage, plans more ships

Crystal has officially relaunched under the new guardianship of A&K Travel Group, as Crystal Serenity set sail Sunday following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment. The original Crystal cruise line filed for bankruptcy in 2022 and sold off its two ships.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE SANTORINI?

It’s official, Santorini ranks as the most popular tourist destination in Europe, which is destined to make it even more impossibly crowded. “Famous for its golden sunsets, warm temperatures and jaw-dropping scenery, it comes as no surprise that Santorini ranks so highly as a must-visit hotspot,” said British holiday rental company CV Villas (which of course had a vested interest in the study) that ranked Ibiza second and Tenerife third.

ARCTIC DEEP-WATER PORT GETS LUKE-WARM REACTION

The cruise ship with about 1,000 passengers anchored off Nome, too big to squeeze into the tundra city’s tiny port. Its well-heeled tourists had to shimmy into small boats for another ride to shore. It was 2016, and at the time, the cruise ship Serenity was the largest vessel ever to sail through the Northwest Passage.

EXPLORA JOURNEYS SET TO SAIL AUG. 1

After taking delivery of its debut ship EXPLORA 1 last week, Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group, will officially set sail on Aug. 1 after an initial delay. The maiden voyage will depart from Copenhagen, Denmark, for a seven-night sailing to Reykjavik, Iceland, with visits enroute to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, and Kirkwall, Orkney.

THREE SCENIC GROUP SHIPS WILL LUXURIATE IN THE CARIBBEAN

Scenic Group is planning a warm waterfall season with three of its ocean-going yachts – Emerald Azzurra, Emerald Sakara and Scenic Eclipse II – island hopping in Caribbean. It’s a new destination for all three yachts, and there’s a wide variety of itineraries, amenities, and excursions.

AZAMARA RETURNING TO CANADA

Upmarket cruise line Azamara is returning to Canada in 2025 for the first time since 2017 with two brand-new voyages. Marking the cruise line’s return to the country for the first time in more than five (sailing) years due to the pandemic, Azamara’s new sailings will stop in six Canadian ports.

HOLLAND AMERICA BREAKS ALL-TIME SALES RECORD

In a sign of continued strength for cruise travel, Holland America Line says its bookings on July 11 were higher than on any day in the brand’s 150-year history. Booking revenues also broke the line’s single-day record.

CRYSTAL’S NEW LOOK FEATURES FEWER GUESTS, GRANDER SPACES

It’s been a year in the making, now Crystal Cruises is being relaunched with an upgraded look to appeal to long-time fans of the line back and attract a new following of luxury cruisers. From redesigned public spaces and modern guest rooms and suites to refined in-room amenities and exclusive linens designed for royalty, the new Crystal experience will feature contemporary designs from a collection of European partners.

EURO CRUISE TOP ECO RANKINGS: But LNG in question

A niche fleet in Norway is gaining world attention by scoring better than any other cruise line in a global ranking of environmental sustainability. The German environmental organization NABU ranked Havila Voyages in a tie at the top of its cruise ranking for 2023, based on the company’s efforts towards sustainability and reduced carbon emissions.

PONANT WINTER CRUISES A ‘TURNING POINT’ FOR QUEBEC

For the first time, an international cruise ship will sail the waters of the Saint Lawrence in the heart of winter when PONANT’s Commandant Charcot, with some 200 winter activity enthusiasts aboard, will make four 12-night sailings between late January and early March 2025.

HOLLAND AMERICA INTRODUCES NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TOURS

Expanding its reputation for immersive travel experiences, Holland America Line has launched “National Geographic Day Tours” in the Mediterranean. The exclusive shore excursions were developed with National Geographic, a world leader in geography, cartography, and exploration.

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