7 Places Not to Miss in Indochina
Two hundred years ago, Europeans started referring to the region between India and China as Indochina.Already, it was recognized as one of the most beautiful, exotic, culturally unique destinations on the planet. With its very strategic position, Indochina was also center-stage in some of the defining conflicts of the 20th century including the Pacific theater of WW2 and the Vietnam War.Fast-forward to today, and the legendary countries of South-East Asia - SEA for short - are magnets for travelers by land and...
Video: The Most Photographed Hotel in the World Celebrates 125 Years
How does a hotel become the most photographed in the world? Many hotels have spectacular architecture, magnificent and dramatic settings... but very few hotel silhouettes define the destination. Fairmont's Chateau Frontenac is to Quebec City what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The hotel not only evokes the grace and elegance of the French castles that inspired it. It is literally the high point of this historic, 400 year old city's UNESCO world heritage site. Although it appears to rise from...
7 Reasons to Cruise Canada and New England on Seabourn
One of the greatest natural spectacles in the world is the unmatched explosion of colorful foliage that takes place in Eastern Canada and the North-Eastern US every autumn. And it's best experienced by cruise ship. Our cruise on the Seabourn Quest navigated the St. Lawrence from Montreal with calls at Quebec City, Canada's Maritime provinces, then along the Eastern Coast. Watch this video for our cruise tour and review.And here are my top 7 reasons you'll want to add a...
5 Reasons To Give An Ovation To Luxury Cruising's Newest Ship
Applause, champagne, and celebration for the Seabourn Ovation. The fifth ship in Seabourn's fleet has her naming ceremony May 11, 2018, officially joining the line's award-winning Odyssey-class ships. The launch of the Ovation is the finale of Seabourn's current expansion plans. Now, the five Seabourn ships: Ovation, Encore, Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey, represent one of the most modern and consistent fleets in ultra-luxury cruising. Like her sister ships, sailing on the Seabourn Ovation is like sailing on a private yacht – but...
Preserving the World's Heritage: One Cruise Line's Partnership with UNESCO
There are over a thousand World Heritage Sites in 167 countries. Places in the world of such extraordinary cultural or natural wonder, that UNESCO has dedicated itself to preserving them for the ages… and travelers dedicate themselves to discovering them for themselves. One cruise line has partnered with UNESCO to help achieve both goals. Seabourn's ultra-luxury cruises sail to all seven continents. It has a unique ability to bring travelers to many of the world's UNESCO treasures. In fact, over 170 designated...
What Happens to Worn-Out Hotel Sheets? A Good News Story
How many times can your hotel sheets be slept in once, then washed, and slept in again before they're too worn to use one more time? We don't know.But we do know that there's now a better end story for used sheets than landfill or being tied together to form an escape route out the back window in a romantic comedy. Westin Hotels has decided that there's more to their famous 'Heavenly Bed' sheets than thread count. In fact, their...
Picture This: The Largest Cruise Ship Ever to Transit the Panama Canal
As you can see, it was a tight fit when the newest mega-ship at sea arrived at one of the man-made wonders of the world in an iconic photo-op for the modern age of cruise travel. On her inaugural sailing from the shipyard where she was built in Germany, towards her homeport of Seattle, the Norwegian Bliss became the largest passenger ship ever to transit the Panama Canal. The nearly 50 mile-long and 12-hour series of locks, canals, and man-made bodies of...
Top 3 Souvenirs from Venice
Venice is not just the 'City of Canals'. It's also always been a city of merchants, and modern Venice is a showcase for iconic Italian craftsmanship and uniquely Venetian works. You'll find the cheap and touristy items right alongside more expensive items that reflect traditional craftsmanship. The Frezzeria not only leads to St. Mark's Square, it's also the city's busiest shopping street. You'll find boutiques as well as souvenirs for yourself and your loved ones. So leave room in your suitcase for...
This Cruise Line has Plenty to Celebrate in Pride Month
San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney, Berlin… Now you can add another destination to celebrate Pride Month: at Sea. Celebrity Cruises held its first Pride party fleet-wide in 2017, wherever its ships were around the world. Now it looks like the cruise line's new tradition of celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion during international Pride Month and festivities is here to stay.2018's Pride Month celebrations on Celebrity cruise ships kicked off on the Celebrity Constellation in Sicily, and on the Celebrity Reflection in...