Tagged: cruises

Virgin's New Cruise Line to Be Called Virgin Voyages

The upcoming cruise line from the Virgin Group has a new name.Ever since the venture was announced last year, it's been called Virgin Cruises. But henceforth it shall be known as…

New Rules to Protect Airline Passengers, Bartering for B&Bs in Italy, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's inns, cruise ships, and airlines.* NEW REGULATIONS PROPOSED TO PROTECT AIRLINE PASSENGERS (NPR). The Obama Administration…

Cruise Critic Names Best Ships of the Year

Cruise Critic announced yesterday the winners of its ninth annual Editors' Pick Awards, honoring the best passenger ships sailing the world's oceans and rivers.Carnival Cruise…

TripAdvisor Adopts No-Touching-Animals Policy, Best Cruise Ships Named, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's the latest from the world's airports, cruise ships, and animal preserves. * TRIPADVISOR ADOPTS NO-TOUCHING-WILD-ANIMALS POLICY (The Guardian). As of yesterday, TripAdvisor is no…

Woman Lives on Cruise Ship All Year Round

Recently, our own Arthur Frommer discussed the possibility of seniors ditching the retirement village and moving onto a cruise ship to live full time, 52 weeks a year.If you've…

Nightmare Traffic at LaGuardia, Living on a Cruise Ship, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what's happening today in the world of travel.* NIGHTMARE TRAFFIC AT LAGUARDIA AIRPORT (Village Voice). Traffic around the entrances and exits to LaGuardia Airport was a…

Houston's Abandoned Cruise Terminal, Athens' Abandoned Airport, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Welcome to the working week and to the first day of August. Here's what's happening today in the world of travel.* HOUSTON'S CRUISE PROJECT SINKS FOR GOOD (Houston Chronicle). Looks…

Houston's Cruise Project Sinks for Good

Looks like Houston's hopes of becoming a cruise destination have finally sunk for good.Port of Houston authorities voted last week to seek another use for the city's Bayport…

Boatbound Aims to Be the Airbnb of Boats

A boat rental company called Boatbound, which aims to be the water-based equivalent of home rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO, appears to be catching on.Founded in 2013, the…

Tourism and Terror: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what's happening today in the world of travel.* INTEREST IN TRAVEL INSURANCE SURGES FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACKS (New York Times). Experts in the travel insurance industry say that…

In Ways Large and Small, International Travel Has Become Easier/Harder in Recent Weeks

Here are several of the often-contradictory developments in recent travel news:In ParisA dramatic decline in tourism to Paris, currently down by more than…

Cruise Lines Continue to Cancel Stops in Turkey

Cruise lines—including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruises—continue to cancel stops in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, substituting days at sea or calls…

Disneyland's "Star Wars," Airport Customs, and Other Magical Places: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what happening today in the world of travel.* FUROR OVER NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE'S NEW BEVERAGE POLICY (USA Today). A new beverage policy adopted by Norwegian Cruise Line has…

Furor Over Norwegian Cruise Line's New Beverage Policy

A new beverage policy adopted by Norwegian Cruise Line has kicked up a storm on the internet. Numerous fans and passengers have expressed outrage via social media over a rule banning…

Good News in Air Travel, Bad News in Air Travel, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning! Hope you had a nice holiday weekend. In today's travel roundup, we've got good news and bad news related to air travel. Let's start with the good . . . * COFFEE UPGRADE…

A "Refurbishing" by Carnival Cruises of the Classic 'Queen Mary 2', Has Raised Danger Flags About a Possible Alteration of the Latter's Character

Sculpture aboard the Queen Mary 2, 2013When I first learned that the Queen Mary 2 was going into drydock for several weeks, for a "complete overhaul," a "retro-fitting of…

Tickets to Be Required To Enter Cinque Terre, Italy's Most Overloved Region

From a distance the sight is idyllic: five cliff-hanging fishing villages, their buildings painted colors usually reserved for blush and lemonade, the dazzling blue Mediterranean…

In an Unusual Move, Princess Cruises Develops New Musicals with the Writer of "Wicked" and "Godspell"

There's a Broadway arms race raging in cruise ship entertainment. It started nearly a decade ago when Norwegian mounted a chopped-down version of the lesser-known musical Smokey…

How to Pick the Best Cruise Itinerary

ITINERARIESCOMMON ROUTESHIGHSLOWSAlaska 7-night routes from San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver. You’ll see glaciers, fjords, and plenty of wildlife, especially otters and…

Forget Bringing Your Own Bottles on Carnival

In a move touted as a measure to control contraband alcohol, Carnival Cruise Lines is banning bottled beverages of all kinds at the pier.Bringing your own alcohol aboard a major…

A Modest Proposal: Why Not Simply Dock Those Giant New Cruise Ships to a Fixed Position in Their Port City, Never to Go to Sea?

The publicity machine of Royal Caribbean Cruises is currently churning out all sorts of exciting press releases about their brand-new, 5,500-passenger, mega-ship called…

Some Reflections—Both Hopeful and Dismal—on the Current State of the Cruise Industry

On Quantum of the SeasIn the cruise ship world, January, February, and March are "wave season", the period of their heaviest advance sales when phones are ringing…

Is Last Minute, Spontaneous Travel Now a Thing of the Past? Yes....And No

It’s been a good several years since the airlines offered regular last-minute deals. According to a study of 180 million ticket sales by the Airline Reporting Corporation (the…

Explore the Allure of the Seas On Your Computer

The Ice Rink as seen by Street View, complete with creepy blurred facesToday's latest gimmick: Royal Caribbean has invited Google Street View onto its (current) biggest…

Nickel and Diming at Sea: Extra Charges for On-Board Entertainment

There have been times I've felt that someone should be paying me for sitting through the shows that pass for entertainment onboard some cruise lines. That being said, cruise ship…