Sure, the newest Holland America ship, Koningsdam, charts a new course in entertainment and dining.  With its revolutionary Music Walk venues that keep passengers singing and dancing well into the night, and restaurants like the Culinary Arts Center, Sel de Mer and Tamarind that serve up foods to suit a wide variety of tastes, travelers will thoroughly enjoy this cruise ship. Your health and fitness regimen doesn't take a back seat on Koningsdam, either. I took a cruise on Koningsdam and found several ways the ship works for travelers who like to stay fit. - See more at: inthelooptravel.com

Walter Christen's insight:

Holland America's Koningsdam makes it easy to keep up with your healthy regimen. Whether it is fitness classes, jogging track, healthy food options, or the spa, there are many options available.

One of the first thing I look for when cruising is the walking/jogging track.  I like to keep up with my walking habit. Usually the cruise ships I have been on have a sign that let me know how many times I have to circle the ship to make a mile.

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The cruise industry is chugging ahead in this new year, with an estimated 24 million passengers setting sail.

That's a significant jump from the 15 million passengers a decade ago, according to Cruise Lines International Assn.

Twenty-seven new ocean, river and small ships will hit the water this year. And it's no surprise that while the Caribbean is by far the top destination for cruisers, Australia and Asia are heating up

1. US river cruises - River cruising has exploded in Europe over the last few years, and now American rivers get their turn.

2. Cuba by ship - With the thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations and reopening of embassies, Americans have been flocking to the island nation

3. All inclusive please - Regent Seven Seas Cruises has led the way for years with all-inclusive sailings, and more lines are following suit.

4. Make room for families - Family cabins, such as Royal Caribbean's family junior suite, are always in high demand.

5. Better Wi-Fi - Cruise lines will be upgrading and perfecting their Wi-Fi, but it won't necessarily be free

Walter Christen's insight:

2016 looks to be a banner year for people to cruise. Here is my take.

1. I am very intrigued about a US river cruise. Really have to look into a Viking River Cruise on the Mississippi river for 2017.

2.  Although I would love to cruise to Cuba to experience the culture, I do not see it in my plans for a little while. Maybe next year.

3. I really like what Regent Seven Seas is doing with their all inclusive cruises. One of the reasons I love to cruise is not having to make many money spending decisions while on board. This would make for a even better experience.

4. In the past when we cruises with my children we booked adjoining rooms which worked out well.  On my last cruise, my wife an I were booked into a junior suite that had a king size bed, a pull out couch and a separate small room with bunk beds.  Room slept 6 even though it was just the 2 of us.  Great room and would be great for families with children. There was a lot of extra space and storage areas as well.

5. Great to see that the cruise lines have recognized the importance of high speed internet access.  In this day and age, it is hard to disconnect for more than a few days (although I do like being disconnected). Pricing also seems to be getting better.

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Are you familiar with repositioning cruises?

We certainly had not heard about them until last year when a fellow house sitter traveled from Panama to Portugal and taking a reposition cruise could be a new way of traveling for you!

After downsizing and selling up everything we owned we now travel the world house sitting and writing about our adventures on our baby boomer travel blog. Travel costs are our #1 expense item and we are always looking for travel hacks to maximize our travel dollar and finding discount cruises is one way we do it.

What are repositioning cruises?

Cruise companies reposition their cruise ships from continent to continent to commence the next season e.g. Europe to the Caribbean.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has put some clout behind its new brand, U by Uniworld. The new river cruise line devoted to sailings that target the desires of millennial travelers has just announced that bookings are open. 

“Uniworld has always strived to lead innovation in the river cruise industry and we saw a great opportunity with U by Uniworld to reach an entirely new audience,” said Ellen Bettridge, President & CEO of Uniworld. “River cruising is the best and most comfortable way to experience all that Europe has to offer, in an affordable way, and we’re incredibly proud to create a brand that will broaden the interest in this type of experiential travel.”

Nine adventures are now available for reservations by travelers ages 21 to 45 years old looking for a new experience in 2018. These include journeys on the Rhine, Danube and Seine rivers that feature overnight stays in major cities such as Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam. 

Be aware, you might not be a fan of early booking, but there is no other way if you want to see certain destinations.

Travelers can be divided into few categories: those who plan ahead their vacation and those who prefer to book the last minute deals and always have their suitcases on the go. However when it comes to choosing a cruise, there are few tricks your should be aware of. Some of the destinations and times, like holiday seasons are not available for fast booking and the only way to catch such a cruise is by booking it in advance, like a year. No jokes here:

Holiday cruises

Cruises on new ships

Popular cruise ships

 Short season itineraries

Expedition cruises

Sure, the newest Holland America ship, Koningsdam, charts a new course in entertainment and dining.  

With its revolutionary Music Walk venues that keep passengers singing and dancing well into the night, and restaurants like the Culinary Arts Center, Sel de Mer and Tamarind that serve up foods to suit a wide variety of tastes, travelers will thoroughly enjoy this cruise ship. Your health and fitness regimen doesn't take a back seat on Koningsdam, either. I took a cruise on Koningsdam and found several ways the ship works for travelers who like to stay fit.

As a longtime avoider of mega cruise ships, I had a lot of assumptions going into my first large-ship cruise. It would be crowded, I thought. I would be incapacitated by seasickness. My only dining choices would be sub-par buffets. Realizing I was floating on a raft of preconceptions before even leaving port, I spoke with some fellow cruise-ship avoiders to develop a list of common reasons people don’t cruise. Once onboard, I set out to prove each of these cruise ship myths right or wrong. Here’s what I found.

Are you cruise line dedicated? Do you find yourself taking cruises on only one brand because that’s the brand you started with and are happy with the brand? Does the thought of straying and trying another cruise line scare you? Maybe just a little bit? Don’t worry… you’re not alone. Many people start out with a cruise line and find themselves, shall we say, infatuated with the cruise line. If it was their introduction to cruising, they will probably always have a very strong tie to the cruise line and even to a particular ship. Why would they ever want to try out another cruise line when they are so happy right where they are. Is cruise line dedication and sticking to one brand a good or bad idea?

I’ve mentioned “Velveeta syndrome” before on my blog and I’ll mention it again. If left to his own devices, my husband would eat exactly how he ate in college. Give him a brick of Velveeta, macaroni, and a microwave, and he’d be set for lunch and dinner for at least a week (hopefully more!). Let’s just say that he wasn’t always as adventurous as he is now. I introduced sushi, Indian food, and vegetarianism to him among other things, including cruising. Now he is the one to suggest something different when I sometimes fall into a rut.

But if you are madly in love with your current cruise line, why would you want to try a new one? Perhaps it makes you realize that there are other options besides the first one you chose. You might decide your first cruise line was a great introduction to cruising, but your tastes have advanced to something new. Or the new cruise line might only reaffirm your love for your original cruise line and why you should never stray again. If you never try another cruise line, how will you ever really know that your first is your one and only?

Sometimes, a good cruise is like a visit from an old friend. That’s the case for me this week as I cruise aboard Holland America Line’s gracious 1,916-guest Westerdam to the splendid Mexican Riviera on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

I’ve been cruising to the Mexican Riviera for over a decade now. I’ve also been sailing with Holland America for the past eleven years, having amassed two-star Mariner status with the line long before I’d ever begun writing about cruising and cruise ships as a career. Both line and destination have changed in the intervening years. Fortunately, that change has been for the better.

A decade ago, the Mexican Riviera was overloaded with cruise ships. It wasn’t uncommon to have three – sometimes four – ships calling on Puerto Vallarta on a single day. Prices were low, the weather was hot, and for many cruisers on the West Coast, a voyage to the Mexican Riviera was one of the most cost-effective cruises they could take.

When thinking about where you want to go to escape the winter blues, why not take a cruise? 

“Aside from the chance to escape to tropical destinations on a floating vacation, there are plenty of other enticements to cruise in December, January and February,” reports U.S. News and World Report’s Tanner Callais. 

One reason to consider a winter cruise is the price. 

__Q: Last November, my wife and I and another couple took a Viking cruise, Portraits of Southern France, on the Saône and Rhone rivers. Of the seven nights of the cruise, we spent six tied to a dock because of high water caused by abnormally heavy rain the week before. We were bused to most of the places we were supposed to visit.

I looked online and discovered this was a frequent problem, and this ship often did not cruise for the seven promised days. I also spoke to a crew member, who admitted, quietly, that it happened at least 50 percent of the time.

When I contacted Viking after returning home, they offered us about $240 each toward another cruise. After paying almost $7,000, that is unacceptable. We booked a Viking cruise because we believed it would offer us an exceptional journey through southern France. Instead, we spent six days tied to a dock and had two-hour rides on a bus. Could you help us secure more substantial compensation? —Paul B., Vero Beach, Florida__

A: As I said to Paul in our initial reply, we don’t usually pursue river-cruise cases that are affected by high or low water levels. This is true even when they become, in many ways, bus tours. We know cruise lines are not obligated to offer compensation when they must change itineraries for reasons outside their control.

“If I can do it, you can do it.”  That’s been my motto since I began traveling as a career and passion 15 years ago.  I’ve experienced all kinds of travel from Luxury 5 star resorts to hiking to remote villages in Vietnam to spending the night on a frozen lake with no tent just a sleeping bag.

I like luxury travel. Who wouldn’t?  What I don’t like is that most travelers can’t afford it.  But there are travel companies that make luxury accessible and that’s what brought me to Carnival Cruise Lines

Luxury is not just champagne service and 5 to 800 count sheets.  For me luxury is time.  Being able to spend time with your children, grandchildren, best friends since high school-you name it.  That’s why I love a cruise.  It gets many over-scheduled and under-rested people together and allows them to simply focus on being in the moment with the ones they love (and possibly finishing that novel that’s been sitting on your bedside table for 6 months).  You don’t have to worry about where you are going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner or how you are going to get from point A to B..