To be intrigued by this new luxury cruise itinerary from Viking River Cruises, all you have to do is one thing: enjoy drinking wine. Well, you also have to like traveling to Europe, touring beautiful French wine regions and learning how that little grape transforms into your adult beverage of choice. Dare I say, even if you aren’t a drinker you could still muster some pleasure in simply exploring a celebrated part of the country and its historical landmarks. Crazier things have happened.... Read More
To maintain their status as an innovator in the luxury cruise industry, Silversea is constantly coming up with ways to keep their liners fresh and exciting for their discerning guests. And in case you thought their ships couldn’t get any more lavish, they decided the Silver Cloud could still use a little sprucing up. While docked in Palermo, Italy for the past three weeks, almost every nook and cranny of the liner was renovated including all the suites, dining establishments, and all public areas. Now the Silver Cloud is sailing the seas in style with its contemporary new look.... Read More
Most luxury cruises either automatically include gratuity on a passenger’s tab, or provide a suggested tip amount for each staff member. Prepaid tipping is also increasingly common on cruise ships, though passengers are usually allowed the option of freely adjusting their tipping percentage at the ship’s service desk. Altogether, the average suggested total gratuity ranges between $10 and $17 per passenger, per day, according to Frommer's.... Read More
As if China hasn’t been producing enough goods lately, they are now making their mark on the cruise line industry. HNA Tourism recently founded the first Chinese cruise company to own their own vessel. The ship “Henna,” the mainland’s largest cruise ship ever, is set to make its appearance onto the wild blue yonder January 26, 2013. The ship contains 739 rooms and can hold up to 1,965 passengers. As interest in Asia increases among the world’s traveling elite, HNA Tourism Cruise and Yacht Management President Zhang Hao anticipates that the cruise industry in China will grow rapidly, and he and his company obviously hope to remain at the top of the pyramid. Other foreign cruise companies have offered tours through the mainland for quite some time, but HNA is the first locally owned and ope... Read More
Planning a luxury cruise vacation can be difficult; after all, there are so many choices. Well, American Cruise Lines wants history buffs to choose them, and to entice such a demographic, they recently obtained an antique calliope for their newest ship, Queen of the Mississippi. In case you're not up on your 19th century musical instrument knowledge, it is actually a steam organ. After complete restoration, the calliope will play old favorites for its patriotic passengers to send them on a trip down memory lane—that is assuming they were alive during the late 1800s.... Read More
