Crystal Cruises makes another move in its sea of changes

After a dozen years carry elite passengers in style around the Mediterranean, Western Europe and the Black Sea, Crystal Cruises is moving Crystal Serenity to North America. The repositioning will take place in 2017 following her “Southern Celebración” World Cruise round-trip from Miami. From there she will sail along the east and west coasts, through Alaska, New England and Eastern Canada, as well as the eastern seaboard into the Caribbean.

Cruising with all-inclusive Regent Seven Seas Cruises is a very comfortable, social experience. You get the luxury of space to hang out sans crowds, lots of perks and fancy accouterments, but it's all on a pleasingly subtle scale — as we learned on a recent cruise in the Mediterranean on the all-suite, all-veranda 700-passenger Seven Seas Mariner.

Guests sailing on Windstar Cruises' Costa Rica & Panama Canal itineraries have a new way to celebrate: The Canal Celebration, a deck side festival, invites guests to experience the sights and sounds of the Panama Canal while enjoying amenities and activities that highlight the Panamanian culture.

New for 2015 and 2016, Windstar guests can enjoy a nighttime passage through the Panama Canal, during which lights illuminate the inner workings of the waterway, during the Canal Celebration. As the ship approaches the first locks in the early evening, a speaker from the Panama Port Authority comes on board to introduce guests to the complex lock system.

As the yacht navigates the passage, guests can drink local beverages, beers, and cocktails from a mobile drink cart while listening to local festive music from various regions around the country.

In the evening, guests can dine on a custom-made Panamanian menu, curated by Windstar’s Executive Chef Michael Sabourin. Upon completion of the passage, guests find in their stateroom a certification of The Order of the Ditch, a Navy tradition that recognizes “sailors” who have passed through the Panama Canal.

Add Def Leppard to the list of rock bands hitting the high seas.

The English group will headline a four-night music cruise that kicks off in Miami on Jan. 21, 2016. The sailing will take place on MSC Cruises' 3,502-passenger MSC Divina.

Hysteria on the High Seas, as the voyage is called, is being billed as a "fantasy camp" for Def Leppard fans and will feature around-the-clock entertainment by Def Leppard as well as more than a dozen other performers including Tom Keifer; Eric Martin (Mr. Big); Ritchie Kotzen; and Kip Winger.

Looking for something out of the ordinary 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 and alluring small ships afloat, upscale line Windstar's Wind Spirit.

As can be seen in the tour, the 148-passenger Wind Spirit is a motor sailing vessel that can operate on both wind and diesel power -- one of three in the six-ship Windstar fleet. Originally built in 1988, it recently received a major makeover in dry dock that brought significantly revamped public spaces and cabins, and it now sails year-round in the South Pacific (a nearly identical sister ship, the Wind Star, operates in the Caribbean and Mediterranean).

It’s not uncommon to book a family cruise one year or more in advance and given the incredible experiences children can have, like learning to juggle, exploring medieval history and creating ocean murals, you’d be wise to book well in advance in order to snap up the best staterooms.

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Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean program for kids has long been a favorite, enabling children ages three to 11 to participate in scavenger hunts, dig for fossils and conduct science experiments on-board the ship.

Carnival’s new Carnival Freedom provides children with various opportunities for on-board learning, including Camp Ocean, a sea-themed camp for kids ages two to 11.

Not only does Norwegian Cruise Line offer Splash Academy (for kids) and Entourage (for teens), but the at-sea Cirque du Jour circus school couldn’t be more popular.

Disney Cruise Line is offering cruises along the coast of Norway on the Disney Magic ... giving families the opportunity to explore fjords, cobblestone streets, local flavors and medieval history.

Princess Cruises' on-board Junior Ranger program educates children about the local environment and wildlife as the ship makes its way through Alaska’s Inner Passage. On cruises to most

Paul Gaugin Cruises offers an Ambassadors of the Environment youth program for kids ages nine to 17, which offers children first-hand opportunities to explore coral reefs, volcanic islands and marine life.

Cruise guests will have a rare opportunity to attend the Festival of Akwasidae in Ghana next March as part of Silversea Cruises’ latest land tour.

Offered as part of a new six-day, pre-cruise ‘Accra & the Ashanti Kingdom’ land tour before Silver Cloud’s 16 March 2016 West Africa voyage, the centuries-old festival is held within the walls of the royal palace in Kumasi. It is presided over by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the 16th ruler of the Ashanti people. During the ceremony, griots tell stories of past Ashanti rulers while drum and ivory horn players accompany traditional dance performances.

“In addition to being an amazing journey, this unique programme provides our guests with the exclusive opportunity to participate in the Akwasidae Festival in Kumasi,” said Darius Mehta, Silversea’s vice president of air and land programmes. “Like all of our overland adventures, this exciting programme has been hand-crafted to enhance our guests' experiences ashore, and to provide them with cultural immersion opportunities that would simply not be possible otherwise.”

I am gazing onto the bright blue Caribbean Sea aboard the luxurious and oh-so-pretty Crystal Symphony cruise ship en route to Willemstad, Curacao.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Crystal long has epitomized gracious living at sea for the seasoned and well-heeled traveler.

With only two ships (for now), Crystal has been voted "World's Best" more than any other cruise line, resort or hotel in history.

Princess Cruises brings the joys of cruising to first-time cruisers with the debut of "Cat's First Cruise", a new web video series featuring Cat Greenleaf, three-time Emmy award winner and host of Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf. The video series serves as a useful resource for vacationers interested in taking their first cruise, by following Greenleaf, a busy professional, wife and mother of two young boys, as they plan and embark on their first cruise aboard Regal Princess. 

Viewers can follow the on-the-go Greenleaf and her family in this engaging 20-part short video series highlighting their Princess cruise experience onboard and ashore from start to finish, including:

• Busy Family, Dream Vacation (Where Do We Begin?)
• Food, Glorious Food
• A Sanctuary For Mom
• Kids Zone
• Date Night
• Come Back New

The family also experiences the local culture of the Caribbean. The series is available to view online here: www.princess.com/come-back-new/cat-greenleaf-first-cruise/.

There’s nothing quite like a cruise to help you unwind. The scented ocean breeze, calming open water and the chance to see several destinations in one holiday, they all have a unique appeal and a cruise can make it a reality. If you have never cruised before then some aspects can seem a little daunting, but here are five things to help you on your way and to keep in mind before you embark on your first holiday at sea.

Looks like Crystal Cruises is serious about being a player in the river cruise market.

The luxury line on Monday said it would have five river vessels in Europe by 2017 -- three more than originally announced just three months ago.

The line also said it would begin river cruise operations in Europe in 2016 -- a year ahead of schedule.

Citing strong interest from consumers and travel agents since the July announcement that it would get into river cruising, Crystal said it has ordered four newly built river ships instead of two for delivery in 2017 from the German shipyard Lloyd Werft.