After more than 18 months of hype and teaser photos and an inaugural positioning cruise, the Carnival Vista began a summer of European cruising with a 10-day tour beginning in Barcelona and ending in Spain.

One of the signature strengths of Carnival Cruise Line is its entertainment programs and Camp Oceans kids day camps, the best among family-oriented cruise lines in my humble opinion. The former specifically shines during sea days when boredom is near impossible with activities launching at least every half hour.

So my son and I wondered what would fill our time during the nine port days, an oddity for those used to the Caribbean sailings of the cruise line. Yes, we’d explore shore excursions in some and wander on our own in other ports. But the activities schedule is streamlined by about 80 percent during port days, so what would fill our time?

There's no better way to put your new marriage to the test than by hitting the high seas. And if you think a honeymoon cruise is only for the Hawaiian-shirt-and-crocs-clad crowd, you'd be surprised — there are a number of luxury lines with over-the-top staterooms, Michelin-star-worthy cuisine, world-class spas, and more. Not to mention a cruise itinerary can take you to the hottest cities in the Mediterranean, the sexiest deserted beaches in the Indian Ocean, or the farthest-reaching corners of Antarctica. Here, the top 10 Cruise Lines from our 2016 Honeymoon Awards.

Held in conjunction with the 62nd Sydney Film Festival, the Travelling Film Festival will see passengers enjoy a selection of New Zealand produced films while crossing the Tasman Sea during a 12-night roundtrip from Sydney to New Zealand.

If you're a film buff, this is something you'll want to look into. 

More about Princess Cruises:

https://cruiseable.com/cruise-line/princess-cruises

Background

Cruiseable is a tech startup, cruise discovery tool and travel publication out to make it much easier for people to find, plan and book a great cruise vacation. We have a team of accomplished travel writers and cruise bloggers with the mission of providing independent travel journalism that helps consumers with their travel planning.

Cruise ships have come a long way in the last decade as lines push the boundaries when it comes to size, capacity and thrilling amenities to appeal to a new generation of holidaymakers.

These days, passengers can spend time at sea in a lounge where they are served by robotic bartenders, in a spa where artificial snowflakes fall inside a snow room, or in a planetarium where they are taken on a virtual tour of outer space, and still fail to take advantage of everything on board.

From a cycling track suspended above the upper deck to a bar made of ice, these are some of the best amenities on cruise ships.

Brewmaster Colin Presby, 31, has a job at sea that no one else has ever had.

He does his beer-making at the Red Frog Pub & Brewery on the new, 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista. It is Carnival Cruise Line's largest ship and the first North American ship to have a brewery.

The action takes place in full view in front of passengers at the Caribbean-themed pub's entrance, on the ship's much-trafficked Promenade Deck.

Mixing grain he just milled into boiling water in one of two large, German-made, copper-topped glass kettles, Presby said his goal is to achieve a "wow" from beer-loving cruisers.

I had been looking forward to an upcoming cruise for weeks. But timing is everything, and mine wasn't good. I had a deadline looming as I boarded the ship. I knew I needed to get busy right away or I'd never make my deadline.

Then the on-board Internet crashed, and the prognosis wasn’t good. A shipboard tech in the computer room suggested I disembark and use land-based Internet. "We aren't scheduled to depart for hours," he said. "You probably can get a lot of work done."

As much as I hated leaving so quickly after I'd just arrived, I did so, made my deadline and re-boarded the ship.

I was disheartened. Would I spend the rest of the cruise worried about the Internet or being forced to live without it? Fortunately, no. The ship's connection soon returned, and there were no more problems.

“In our increasingly connected world, it has become incredibly important for travelers to stay connected,” said Thomas P. Ostebo, president and chief executive of Cruise Lines International Assn.

Cruises aren’t just about docking at a beach or an island. American Queen Steamboat Company has a wide variety of themed river cruises to choose from that focus on music, history, politics, wine and liquors and so much more.

Wine connoisseurs will love the ‘Vineyards, Vintages and Varietals’ themed cruises that include meeting local wine makers for tastings along the Washington and Oregon regions. Guests will also enjoy meals made with local wines and activities that educate about America’s Pacific Northwest wine country. There are two November voyages to choose from and two in March, 2017.

We didn't know quite what to expect when we came up with the idea, two months ago, to hold the first Social Sharing Angels Lunch.

JD Lasica / Special to CruiseableFeastly is a social dining startup that lets you share a meal or organize private lunches and dinners.

But we did know that the current way of connecting promising startups with angel investors is pretty lame.

So it was a bit of a surprise that the unanimous verdict from participants was that yesterday's event was, in the words of George Arabian of Steelhead Ventures, "a superb idea that's so much better than the usual speed dating events" that fill the calendars of venture capitalists, angel investors and startup founders.

I haven't written a lot about Cruiseable's fund-raising efforts, given that readers are chiefly interested in our product, tools and services rather than our business model, but it's worth a blog post to capture the positive energy that resulted from yesterday's meetup, in case others want to replicate it.

It may have been the best night's sleep I've ever had. Setting sail aboard the Star Flyer out of Athens in the middle of the night was serene and dreamy.

NASCAR has teamed with Entertainment Cruise Productions to create the first NASCAR-themed cruise featuring Hall of Famers, legendary broadcasters and genuine race cars.

Dubbed “NASCAR: The Cruise,” the themed voyage will take place on the Norwegian Pearl ship and sail through the Caribbean from January 29 through February 3, 2017. The vessel will make stops in Key West, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.

The six-day, five-night sailing will feature legendary drivers like Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace and Bobby Allison, as well as more recent stars such as David Ragan, Mike Wallace and Ken Schrader. The voyage will also feature broadcasters Jeff Hammond, Doug Rice and Brad Gillie, and will be hosted by television analyst and former driver Kyle Petty.

You may never have heard of Florø, Stamsund or Øksfjord. But if you visit them, you'll be very glad you did. They are just three of the 34 ports on the historic and visually stunning Hurtigruten coastal voyage.

A journey with Hurtigruten is unlike any cruise. The ships – they are an intriguing amalgam of cruise liner, ferry and cargo boat – sail up and down the Norwegian coast every day, just as they have done for more than 120 years.

They carry vital goods to isolated hamlets, pick up freshly caught fish and take locals to visit relatives. But a fair proportion of those on board will be travellers eager to admire the breathtaking seascapes on what is arguably the world’s most beautiful voyage.

The ships are nearly always close to the coast, sailing between islands and into slender fjords to hidden villages. It means passengers enjoy incredible vistas, especially in summer when the days barely pause for night. Spring and autumn are also great times to experience this spectacular journey when fares are at their lowest.