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Luxury Cruise ship Tour of Seabourn Quest.

I'm friends with Ralph Grizzle, the Avid Cruiser, and admire his video reports from Silversea, Seabourn and other luxury cruise lines. (Ralph wanted to join Cruiseable as an Advisor but found it might conflict with his existing business relationships.)

This short video takes you on a video tour of Seabourn Quest, which for my money is one of the top five cruise ships in the world. The Quest offers amazing itineraries to Antarctica, South America, the Caribbean and Europe. I would absolutely love to travel aboard Seabourn Quest to Antarctica. Once. Adding this to my bucket list.

Many more photos and information about Seabourn Quest on Cruiseable at: https://cruiseable.com/cruise-line/seabourn/seabourn-quest 

Silversea is rolling out a number of special enrichment experiences for the remainder of 2017 dedicated to opera, ballet, food, wine, bridge play, wellness and learning.

The culturally immersive experiences, curated by the Silversea staff, are designed to both engage and enlighten the luxury cruise line's guests, according to marketing chief Barbara Muckermann.

Here is a preview of what is to come.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be launching a new "Seven Seas Wellness" program on Seven Seas Voyager starting later this month with the goal of enhancing the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of a cruise for its guests. 

The Miami-based luxury cruise line said the new wellness program will be available on seven- to 10-night Mediterranean itineraries on the Seven Seas Voyager from late May through September 2017.

Oceania Cruises made history on Thursday when its ship, Marina, pulled into Sierra Maestra cruise terminal in Havana, Cuba carrying 1,250 guests. Oceania made history as the first major North American cruise brand to sail to Cuba.

On board for the historic event was Bob Binder, co-founder and CEO of Oceania Cruises, and Frank Del Rio, Cuban-born founder of Oceania Cruises and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Once the ship docked, Del Rio addressed international media regarding the inaugural voyage. 

Oceania Cruises has announced that it will be hosting another 180-day world cruise scheduled to depart on March 1, 2019, aboard its sleek ship Insignia.

The Insignia vessel will carry 684 guests during the 180-day world cruise that covers more than 45,000 nautical miles across two oceans, five continents and 16 seas. In addition, passengers will visit 90 fascinating destinations in 36 countries.

For added flexibility, passengers will be able to embark from New York, Miami or Los Angeles.

As the the 2017 “Wave Season” gets into gear (that’s when cruise lines offer attractive savings), Crystal Cruises is riding the crest by expanding its popular “Crystal Clear Choices” promotion, with more than a dozen choice opportunities in 2018.

If you book by March 31, 2017 you can reap savings on nearly six dozen worldwide journeys aboard Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity, Crystal Esprit and Crystal Mozart that cover several global itineraries.  You can also take advantage of three exclusive Crystal Clear Choices  incentives that provide  savings of up to $1,000 per person, air credit of up to $1,100 per person or shipboard credit of up to $1,250 per person.

The special  promotion  is applicable on several of Crystal’s acclaimed travel experiences such as Crystal Serenity’s second Northwest Passage expedition in August 2017 and South America World Cruise segments through April. New additions for 2018  explore Australia, South Pacific, Panama Canal and Caribbean aboard Crystal Symphony; and Southeast Asia, India and Western Europe aboard Crystal Serenity.

Cruise lines have always tried to top themselves, whether it’s with towering ships, luxurious spas, or decadent cuisine. And these companies show no sign of resting on their laurels.

 Their latest vessels up the ante in terms of luxury and forward-thinking design. With interiors by some of the world’s top hospitality designers, including Lauren Rottet and Richmond International, cuisine by Michelin-starred chefs, and boutiques that would be right at home on Madison Avenue, these ships offer five-star amenities as they sail to their ports of call.

 Whether you’re planning a transatlantic voyage or a quick river cruise, these stylish ships offer trips of a lifetime.

     Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Star

     Ponant’s Le Lyrial

     Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas

     Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape

Travelers with an appetite for global flavors will enjoy the introduction of Oceania Cruises’ new evening Tapas Menus. Offered each evening in the Terrace Café, the new menus comprise a distinct and different array of destination-inspired flavors. Guests can choose from an ever-changing selection of crostini, fruit- and vegetable-based salads, rolls, fresh fish, and seafood tapas, crudités and other small dishes artfully presented in tasting spoons and verrines. With more than five-dozen dishes included in the 14 new menus, bon vivants will enjoy spending a relaxing evening in the Terrace Café, sharing small plates, toasting the day’s memories, engaging in sparkling conversation and sharing the breathtaking vistas all around. The Tapas dishes are available every evening of the cruise, in addition to the Terrace Café’s amazing assortment of starters, soups, salads, main courses, carving station, and desserts. “Cuisine and the overall dining experience are such integral parts of the Oceania Cruises’ culture and the fabric of the destinations we visit. We are always looking to provide our guests with unexpected moments of surprise and delight,” stated Bob Binder, president and chief executive office of Oceania Cruises.

Luxury travel brand Cunard partnered with the largest provider of wine and spirits qualifications in the world, WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust), to launch certified wine and spirit courses for its passengers.

The partnership with Cunard is the first time WSET courses will be available to guests on a Transatlantic and round-world cruise line with WSET courses initially available on Queen Mary 2’s westbound Transatlantic crossings and world voyages. Courses are expected to be available on Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth later in 2017.

Guests aboard crossings from Southampton to New York can embark on a 5-day course to achieve WSET Level 1 Award in Wines. The course gives a hands-on introduction to the world of wine in an interactive and relaxed atmosphere for beginners, while covering the basics of wine types and styles through sight, smell, and taste, as well as how to store and serve wine and pair with food.

Currently on its way to Miami, Florida for the first time from the Mediterranean, Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ brand new Seven Seas Explorer is preparing for the Caribbean with a series of Gourmet Explorer Tours.

Beginning in December, the liner, said to be “the most luxurious ship ever built,” will make its North American and Caribbean debut sailing on 10- and 14-night voyages this winter and next spring. Besides the special shore excursions, the ship will also present new courses at its onboard Culinary Arts Kitchen.

The Culinary Arts Kitchen is ideally situated on deck 11 with scenic ocean views and 18 individual cooking stations.

While there’s been lots of buzz about big cruise ships as of late, it’s not just the gargantuan floating palaces of the sea that offer a wonderful cruise experience. In fact, I’d argue that most of the cruisers I meet (myself included) count small ships among their favourite cruise experiences. And one of my favourite small-ship lines is Windstar Cruises.

Based out of Seattle, Windstar has a fleet of six unique ships. Wind Star, Wind Spirit and Wind Surf are all known as “motor-ship-yachts” thanks to their masts of billowing white sails, but decidedly cruise-like on-board amenities. Of the three, Wind Surf is the biggest, with a capacity for 310 guests. Wind Star and Wind Surf are smaller; these identical sister-ships carry just 148 guests apiece.

Windstar also has three “power yachts” — small, luxury cruise ships that the line recently acquired from Seabourn. Known as Star Breeze, Star Legend and Star Pride, these ships have just 212 guests and no sails — but what they lack in sail power, they make up for in terms of lavish accommodations. Suites are, on average, larger aboard these power yachts, which longtime cruisers might remember better under their former names of Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit.

New ships are entering service at a rapid rate this year and one of the most anticipated in the industry, Seabourn Encore, was delivered to Seabourn today during an official handover ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy.

Seabourn Encore joins the fleet of ultra-stylish ships operated by Seabourn that offer all-inclusive fares, exceptional cuisine, seamless service and a chic but not stuff country club-like onboard ambience. 

The ship begins pre-inaugural sailings this Sunday and on Dec. 20 with VIPs, travel writers and a small number of guests as it gets ready for its christening Jan. 7 in Singapore.

Seabourn president Richard Meadows calls Seabourn Encore "a stunning ship that will set a new standard in ultra-luxury cruising."

The 600-passenger, all-balcony-suites Encore will deliver the high levels of personalized service expected by the line's upscale clientele along with a high staff to guest ratio.