Not a lot of cruises start or end in Reykjavik, although a growing number of itineraries make this exciting little city a port of call on transatlantic and Northern Europe cruises. Nonetheless, Reykjavik can be an exciting stop over point for many European cruisers via Icelandair. In an effort to increase tourism, the airline which hubs in the island nation offers guests a chance to stopover for up to 7 days at no additional charge. Read more...

We’re all crowded around a long table at the Drumbo base camp. It’s everyone’s first night in Iceland, but if you’d seen the crew together, you might think we were old friends. Our guide, Gulli, is giving us the lowdown about the different types of adventures we’ll be partaking in over the next week. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but this adventure is already giving me the magical moments that I cherish about traveling around the world. The destinations are always amazing, but more often than not, its the people we meet along the way that make all the difference. Read more...

Golfing and cruising are two things that go pretty well together. Think about it, some of the best courses in the world are on islands, and accessible by ship – Bermuda, St. Martin, St. Thomas, to name just a few – and that’s not even considering all the great golf available in the British Isles and elsewhere in the world. In 2014, Celebrity Cruises is teaming up with the TOURAcademy to bring golfers on the high seas with a series of cruises designed to offer guests a chance to play amazing courses, improve their game and have a lot of fun. Read more...

Niagara Falls is well known. Tourists come to see the majesty of these great falls, and people get married in that mist on a daily basis. And although the Falls on the US/Canadian border might be something impressive in its own right, there is a whole country full of awe-inspiring,  gorgeous waterfalls just five hours away by flight. Iceland is an island that is made for water features. Read more...

The Blue Lagoon. It’s become one of Iceland’s biggest tourist destinations and just a few minutes drive from the island’s international airport at Keflavik. The spa is well known for its milky blue waters, rich in silica, minerals and salt, as well as its naturally warm temperature (roughly 100 degrees all the time). But the story that you don’t know about the Blue Lagoon is that the spa/resort was a happy accident. Read more...

Europe. In relative terms, it is not that big. But the number of things for a traveler to see and do is overwhelming.There are ways, however, to maximize what can be seen but without the “hurry up and wait” mentality that can come along with a packed, multi-country itinerary. We think one of the best ways to see the continent is to see it by boat. Not a cruise ship, but a river boat. Much of Europe was built along important rivers, after all. There are tons of benefits to traveling by river, but here’s three really big ones. Read more...

Part of our irregular Dispatches series, Roger uncovers from his 2003 travel diary a most unusual European train ride.

It had been a long trip to Denmark. An overnight train from Paris, and then another five hours from Hamburg. Running a bit tight on funds, I’d eschewed the somewhat tasty train restaurant for a selection of baguette and cheese from a Paris market just before the train left. It was a tiring trip, but still fairly fulfilling. An early morning stroll to stretch my legs aboard the train turned into a chance encounter with a gentleman named George. A minister from the Midwest, he was hiding out. Apparently, his nonsmoking train compartment contained a somewhat crazy French woman, loose with her hands and possessing a complete disregard for smoking policy on the train. Read more...

Cornerstone Health and Wellness of New Jersey and Crown Cruise Vacations are getting together to provide cruisers the chance to get fit with fun and to leave the gym at home with the Sea Fit cruise this October. It’s seven days of relaxing and working out – getting fitness enthusiasts some new tips to bring home to their workout regimens, and giving converts just getting into exercise a chance to develop their own routine aboard the Explorer of the Seas October 13-20. Read more...

A jewel in the middle of the ocean, Bermuda’s pink sand beaches and comfortable weather calls out to travelers far and wide. The water is gorgeous, the beaches are pristine, the golf is world-class. One could be forgiven for thinking that this small island has little left to hide… after all when a place is small enough that motor scooters are preferable to cars for getting around, the best of the island sort of presents itself to visitors, but we’ve found four places that aren’t as well known, but definitely worth a look. Read more...

The dog days of summer may be upon us, and the heat may be keeping us in the shade and seeking the comfort of Air Conditioning, but we’re still itching to get cruising – and fall foliage is closer than you might think. This means that Canada/New England cruise season is coming close, and we thought we’d share one of our favorite destinations heading up the coast of Atlantic Canada, Saint John. Read more...