The first time I walked by it on my Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas cruise, I thought it might be a children’s treasure game. You know, the kind where a gigantic robotic arm reaches down to retrieve a toy from a pile of rewards. Children often expect to get that big expensive toy and usually end up with an unwanted trinket. Read more...

She patiently stares out at sea waiting for a ship to dock. The small white dog was born deaf but somehow sensed when an incoming ship was about a half-mile away. She also had the uncanny ability to determine the dock where the ship would moor.

So, the trivia question has two parts. First, what is the name of this English bull terrier? And second, where is this statue located? Read more...

Celebrity’s newest spectacular ship has the perfect name. Apex. Meaning the highest point, the peak, the summit, the Celebrity Apex is all this and more.

Because of COVID-19, it took 581 days longer than anticipated for the Apex to arrive in U.S. ports. The vessel’s launch was originally planned for late March 2020. Read more...

Hondo Crouch owned two Texas ranches: one between Comfort and Fredericksburg and the other about a half hour away in Sisterdale.

The tiny burg of Luckenbach was smack dab in the middle.

Every evening when Hondo headed home from Fredericksburg to Sisterdale, he would stop halfway in Luckenbach for a cold beer. Read more...

A tractor mishap helped put the career of a renowned bluesman in high gear. If not for the 1946 accident, the world might never have heard of Riley King.

Of course, we got to know him as B.B. King.

“Because of that accident, Riley King left Indianola for Memphis,” said Robert Terrell, Director of Operations for the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.  “Memphis is where he got his nickname and where he became known as ‘The King of the Blues.’” Read more...

Six-year-old Justice loves school and can’t imagine a world in which she would be denied the right to be in a classroom. That’s why the Indianapolis girl has come to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to honor a young Pakistani girl who was almost killed for seeking an education. Read more...

If the last name of the new Carnival Radiance godmother sounds familiar, it probably should. In a celebration of all things fun and family, Carnival Cruise Line christened its newest ship in December in a naming ceremony in Long Beach, California.

The ship’s godmother, Lucille O’Neal, and her son, Carnival Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal, were featured guests at the event. As part of the ceremony, Lucille and Shaquille helped pour champagne atop a traditional ship’s bell officially naming the ship. Read more...

With the catch phrase of “It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere,” Margaritaville will soon take to the seas with a fun new cruise ship, Margaritaville Paradise. The 10-passenger deck, 658-cabin ship will set sail April 30 from the Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahamas Island. Read more...

Dear Friends,

As another year comes to a close, our family at Crown Cruise Vacations is looking upon the holidays and the new year with gratitude for our blessings and the optimism towards exploring new horizons and experiences as the world continues to reopen. Read more...