Before I boarded my 7-night luxury river cruise in Europe, I was a bit nervous. I was traveling with my mom.

While I of course love my mom, this was her first trip overseas and the most consecutive time we’d spent together in at least a decade. I worried Mom would be stressed, I’d have to do the heavy lifting (literally and figuratively), and maybe we’d drive each other crazy before the week was up.

As it turns out, a river cruise was the perfect way to explore the region and introduce my mom to international travel.

River cruises are growing in popularity, with more than a half-dozen companies offering trips throughout Europe and beyond. Mom and I were cruising with AmaWaterways on a wine-themed Rhine river voyage from the city of Basel in northwest Switzerland, up to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The Enchanting Rhine cruise focused on the enjoyment of wine and exploring destinations through local drinks.

Forget the buffet line packed with tasteless fruit trays and warmed-over hamburgers. In fact, forget everything you thought you knew about cruise ship cuisine.

Today's travelers are following their gut, ushering in a foodie-centric renaissance across the industry. On cruise ships, this has translated into a complete overhaul of dining options across nearly every line you can think of. But some lines have gone above and beyond in their attempts to entice the epicurean traveler.

The 227-passenger vessel is a fully rigged, five-masted tall ship.

Looking for something different for your next cruise? Our latest Cruise Ship Tour, in the carousel above, offers a deck-by-deck look at one of the most unusual passenger vessels afloat: sailing line Star Clippers' Royal Clipper.

Measuring 439 feet long and 54 feet at the beam, the five-masted, fully rigged sailing ship is billed as the largest square-rigger at sea and, as can be seen in the tour, it's a sight to behold. With room for 227 passengers, the 5,000-ton vessel is based on the design for Preussen, a legendary German windjammer built in 1902.

Designed as a research tool for vacationers considering a voyage, the Royal Clipper photo tour -- by veteran cruise writer and ship photographer Peter Knego

Like a Scandinavian version of Chile, Norway's dragon-tail coastline is long, rugged and packed with natural marvels.

Departing year-round from the southern city of Bergen, ships of Norway's Hurtigruten ("express route") service trace this dramatic seaboard north to the remote town of Kirkenes, way beyond the Arctic Circle.

The 2,500-nautical-mile (4,700 kilometers) return journey takes 11 days to complete.

Frequently situated in stunning locations, Norway's coastal cities, towns and villages are situated on fjords kept ice-free by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

Just when you think it's gone for good, they pull it back in.

With apologies to The Godfather's Michael Corleone (yeah, we know the quote isn't quite right), that's the story for a beloved Royal Caribbean ship that will be returning to the line's fleet this year after an eight-year absence.

The Miami-based line over the holidays confirmed that the 2,020-passenger Empress of the Seas would return to the fold to sail short cruises out of the city starting in April.

Unveiled in 1990, the 48,563-ton vessel left the Royal Caribbean fleet in early 2008 and has been sailing ever since for Spanish line Pullmantur. Pullmantur is owned by Royal Caribbean's parent company.

Super swank, top of the line luxury cruise line Regent  Seven Seas just announced that it will be implementing free unlimited w-fi for all suite categories sooner than previously announced, beginning with:

• Seven Seas Navigator on March 17, 2016 during the Celestial Crossing itinerary from Miami to Barcelona
• Seven Seas Voyager on May 2, 2016 during the Mysteries of the Ancients itinerary from Dubai to Barcelona
• Seven Seas Mariner on May 8, 2016 during the Glacial Grandeur itinerary from San Francisco to Vancouver
• Seven Seas Explorer on July 20, 2016 during the Unveiling History itinerary from Monte Carlo to Venice

The free Internet access is available for the duration of the cruise and is accessible in all public spaces and suites. The enhanced amenity makes good on Regent's promise to deliver "the most inclusive experience available, at sea or on land." Nicely done!

Related

• Internet pricing on cruise ships

Holland America Line has announced the 15 winning guest finalists who will compete on the "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" Champions Cruise Jan. 10, 2016, aboard ms Nieuw Amsterdam. Each winner represents one of the ships in Holland America Line's fleet (including the former ms Ryndam and ms Statendam) and was selected via the onboard "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" dance competitions held throughout the past year on every sailing.

The 15 guests and their professional shipboard dance partners will perform and compete in the main show lounge for guests. The winning couple will walk away with the coveted Holland America Line "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" Mirrorball Trophy and title of Holland America Line's "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" Champion.  

"The onboard dance competitions have been fierce this year and we've seen incredible talent among our guests throughout this program," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "These 15 guests rose above the rest to earn their spot on the Champions Cruise, and we look forward to awarding the Mirrorball Trophy to the best of the best at the end of the cruise. Good luck to all of the competitors."

Walter Christen's insight:

If your a fan of the "Dancing with the Stars" TV show. this Holland America theme cruise would be fantastic. I find it very interesting that the contestants are representing the different Holland America cruise ships.

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The cruise line Anteros Cruises announced that it will be the first to cater exclusively to the LGBT market. While its website doesn’t reveal much information, it does offer a form to fill out to submit if you’re interested in signing up for one of its voyages on its intimate 400-passenger luxury liner in April 2017 that will sail from Barcelona and Athens’s port Piraeus in summer and fall with Mediterranean itineraries ranging from five to 14 days.

Winter itineraries will focus on the Caribbean with cruises from St. Maarten and Colón, Panama. The cruises will offer the usual shore excursions along with special sightseeing options geared specifically for the LGBT crowd.

Gourmet dining at sea just keeps getting better and better. Like a perfect wine-pairing at a Michelin-star restaurant, award-winning Windstar Cruises has partnered with the James Beard Foundation to serve elevated culinary experiences aboard three 2016 themed cruises to France, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The James Beard Foundation Collection will offer a trio of bespoke small-ship sailings catering to food and wine aficionados, and guiding passengers to the best culinary experiences at each port.

“It’s very important to us to expose our guests to local culture and cuisine throughout their time on board, creating a more intimate connection to the world around them,” said Hans Birkholz, Windstar Cruises’ chief executive officer. “Our new James Beard Foundation Collection takes Windstar’s commitment to local food culture a step further and is perfect for any traveler who approaches a new city with their next meal in mind.”

The 2016 James Beard Foundation Collection by Windstar itineraries includes three sailings with two itineraries. Embarking on April 24, 2016, the eight-day “Culinary & Wine Delights of Southern Spain & Morocco” sails on Wind Surf from Lisbon to Barcelona, docking in Tangier, Morocco, and Málaga, Granada, Cartagena, Ibiza, and Tarragona, Spain. On June 10 and August 9, 2016 the 10-day “Culinary & Wine Delights of Spain & France” cruise aboard Star Legend, sails from Dublin to Lisbon in June. The reverse occurs in August with ports including Saint-Malo, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux in France, Gijon and El Ferrol in Spain, and Porto in Portugal.

A luxury cruise renaissance is on its way as Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises all expand their operations from now into 2018 and beyond.

Crystal Cruises

No single line in the group is growing as much as Crystal Cruises as the company, recently purchased by Genting Hong Kong, prepares to introduce entirely new brands and new ships. Until now, the line has consisted primarily of two ships, but now it has three new Exclusive-class vessels on order. Illustrating the magnitude of the company’s growth is Genting HK’s decision to buy the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Germany where they will be built.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

As for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, the luxury line is coming out with the new Seven Seas Explorer, which the line is calling "the most luxurious ship ever built,” on July 20, 2016. Onboard will be an impressive set of decadent features including 375 total suites, sporting the largest verandas in the cruise industry, the crème de la crème of which will be a 3,975-square-foot, two-room Regent Suite situated at the top front of the ship with its own spa and Vista Garden glass-enclosed observation area

Seabourn Cruise Line

Later in 2016, Seabourn Cruise Line’s newest Seabourn Encore will set sail with an inaugural itinerary scheduled for January 2017. The more intimate 600-guest luxury liner will be just 40,350-gross-tons in size and feature a second sister ship, the Seabourn Ovation, to be introduced in 2018. Both are based on the country-club style Odyssey-class vessels with one extra deck and expanded public areas this time around.

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As cruise lines continually compete to appeal to new customers, dining remains forever in the spotlight, and one of the biggest differentiators in play are partnerships with celebrity chefs, from Guy Fieri to Nobu.

This year in 2015, Norwegian Cruise Line’s collaboration with Geoffrey Zakarian ended, but they added Jose Garces on the new Norwegian Escape. Also, Seabourn Cruise Line picked up Thomas Keller, and Princess Cruises signed Curtis Stone.

Throwing its hat into the ring of private Caribbean island destinations is MSC Cruises with the newly announced Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (rendered above) set to open in December 2017. The opening will coincide with the launch of the line’s upcoming MSC Seaside to be based year-round in the Caribbean, roundtrip from Miami, Florida. 

The project was officially launched yesterday on Dec. 16 in the Bahamian capital of Nassau where Prime Minister Perry Christie and MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago signed a 100-year lease agreement, allowing the line to occupy and develop the island. Vago said, “this is a natural progression for our company, which is growing very rapidly, and we are thrilled about providing this totally new experience for our guests in the Caribbean.”

MSC will invest approximately $200 million in the project to make the one-time sand-extraction station a world-class regional attraction. The cay will be developed over the next two years in conjunction with the Bahamian government and ecologists into a paradise with many fun experiences and 11,400 feet worth of fine beachfront. Plans include the planting of 80 indigenous Caribbean trees, grasses, flowers and shrubs and construction of a Bahamian village, restaurants, bars, shops and an arrival center and gazebo.