Cruises

Story & photos by Liliane Opsomer Inspired by the ocean liners of the 1920s, the Disney Dream, a 128,690-ton, 4,000-passenger vessel is a classic beauty. Equally classic are the entertainment, the delectable food, and the incomparable service. The ship just underwent an extensive enhancement and emerged with some quite impressive new

By Gary Walther On the Europa 2 this past September, bound from Thessaloniki to Istanbul, The Hotel Detective found himself in a sea of superlatives. The Europa 2 offers the highest passenger-space ratio of any cruise ship, a key index of luxury at sea. It has the highest cabin ceilings

By Mary Alice Kellogg “Whenever I find myself growing grim around the mouth, whenever it is damp, drizzly November in my soul… then I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” Whoever said that had a point: sometimes you just need to get out

By Liliane Opsomer Known for their classic early-20th-century vessels, Disney raised expectations when launching the Disney Dream in 2011. I had been a happy customer when sailing on the Disney Magic five years ago and wondered if it was possible to have an even better experience. I knew I was

By Monique Burns From the rugged frontier outpost of Kirkenes, a stone’s throw from the Russian border, south to Bergen, gateway to the western fjords, Norway’s coast stretches some 2,500 miles.  From the North, Norwegian and Barents seas, and from countless fjords, rise hundreds of sun-dappled islands and islets, topped

By Eleanor Berman A cruise beginning in Buenos Aires and ending in Rio sounded like a sure winner, and Samba Rhythms, aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, lived up to its promise The itinerary managed to pack a sampling of some of the best of South America into 12 days:

  By Eleanor Berman I had never been a great fan of cruises—too much food, too little time anywhere used to be my mantra. But itineraries like my recent 14-day sailing on Regent’s Voyager have changed my mind. The ports were irresistible—from Rome to Cinque Terre in Italy, down the

By Ian Keown “This was a wonderful opportunity to get up to speed with my computer skills,” exclaims Boston-based lawyer Jay Grayson, enthusing about his private software lessons — aboard a cruise ship, of all places. For Robert Jayson and Lynne Grayson, having access to computer lessons was an important

by Ian Keown Veteran cruisers who have circumnavigated the atolls of Polynesia and slithered on the ice of Antarctica often scoff at Southeastern Alaska (“the waters are too calm,” “you’re never out of sight of land,” and so on) but one family on a graduation cruise revels in the mix

By Gerrie Summers I used to think of mega cruise ships as floating hotels.  Now a better description would be floating destinations.   With all that is being offered onboard, one doesn’t even have to leave the ship. In fact, a lot of frequent cruisers don’t. What could be better than