More than 20 years ago, I spent several weeks in Budapest. It was part of a seven-month ad-hoc journey that I made around parts of Eastern Europe, which was then not long out of communism. Every day I spent in Budapest was defined by journeys either alongside or over the river Danube: to go anywhere in that sternly grand city was to encounter the river constantly.

In those weeks more than two decades ago in Budapest, I do not recall seeing one cruise boat on the river. Earlier this year, I returned to the city to join a week-long river cruise that started there, and was to end in Passau, in Germany.

The taxi driver got lost en route from the airport, and so we travelled pretty much the entire length of the Danube from the Pest side, searching for the right dock.

I spent the time staring out the window at a riverside I hardly recognized. It was studded with river cruise boats, docked all the way along. I don’t know why I was surprised. The Rhine was being cruised long before commercial river cruising came to Hungary.

The fun doesn't stop just because the sun has set. That's the idea behind Crystal Cruises' itineraries that will pass by some cities during the day and overnight in key ports, where passengers might take in local entertainment or dine in a top restaurant.

 "Crystal’s itineraries will also intentionally deviate from traditional river cruise routes to avoid congestion of other vessels in port," a company statement said about its itineraries, which will start in March 2017.

Crystal also plans to add more active excursions for passengers who want to explore cities by bicycle or Segway. Passengers also will have access to a tender to seek out more private destinations, an unusual feature for a river ship.

Mother Nature will do one of her best shows in late September and early October, with cruise ships providing views of coastal New England and Canada during the colorful fall foliage display. You'll visit prime leaf-peeping destinations such as Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine and the narrow channels of Quebec's St. Lawrence Seaway, where you'll see colorful leaves on both sides.

Standing at the bow of one of expedition cruising's hardiest ships as it crunches northward through a carpet of ice, Cecilia Donnelly is almost giggly with excitement. And who can blame her.

The steel-reinforced Fram has just arrived at the edge of the Arctic ice cap, and for the moment, at least, the 67-year-old retiree from Riverside, Calif., can lay claim to being one of the northernmost travelers in the world.

"This is fantastic!" Donnelly gushes as the 318-passenger Fram smashes into a car-length ice chunk, sending a shudder through the vessel. "In all my dreams, I never thought I would make it to the edge of the North Pole."

Fantastic, indeed. And an increasingly sought after experience. A growing number of adventurous travelers are signing up for expedition cruises to the realm of ice and polar bears at the top of the planet, prompting expedition cruise operators to offer an ever larger array of Arctic itineraries.

Lee Wachtstetter, an 86-year-old Florida widow, took her daughter's advice. She sold her five-bedroom Fort Lauderdale-area home on 10 acres and became a permanent luxury cruise ship resident after her husband died.

Mama Lee, as she's known aboard the 11-year-old Crystal Serenity, has been living on the 1,070-passenger vessel longer than most of its 655 crewmembers — nearly seven years.

"My husband introduced me to cruising," she recalled. "Mason was a banker and real estate appraiser and taught me to love cruising. During our 50-year marriage we did 89 cruises. I've done nearly a hundred more and 15 world cruises."

The hardest part about cruising is leaving the ship… not because it’s difficult, but because it’s hard to leave the fun. But since that final disembarkation is inevitable, knowing what to expect should make it a bit easier.

The final night on board, you’ll get a detailed list of all charges made on the ship during your vacation. If you didn’t keep up with that during the cruise, check that everything is accurate. Mistakes are rare, but they do happen. Remember that gratuities for cabin stewards and wait staff will be added to your account as well. If there’s a problem with your account, go to Guest Services as soon as possible. There’s always a long line to dispute charges (rarely a cruise line error, but it is possible) or to make final settlement if using a debit card. Be patient.

With its famous pink-sand beaches, turquoise waters and picture-perfect weather, Bermuda is one of the most popular destinations in cruising. And Carnival Cruise Line will provide its guests with a variety of opportunities to visit the island paradise in 2016 with 10 departures that feature at least one overnight docked alongside at historic King’s Wharf.

From April through November 2016, guests can embark on five different Carnival ships departing from six convenient U.S. homeports offering itineraries ranging from five to eight days — making 2016 one of the cruise line’s most robust Bermuda programs ever.

What will the cabins be like on what's being billed as the most luxurious cruise ship ever? See for yourself with a scroll through the photo tour above, which offers a first look at the accommodations planned for luxury line Regent Seven Seas' next ship, Seven Seas Explorer.

USA TODAY on Tuesday got a sneak peak at mock-ups of the cabins planned for the 750-passenger vessel at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy where it is under construction.

Scheduled to debut in July 2016, the Seven Seas Explorer will have the highest ratio of space to passengers in the history of cruising, and Regent is promising to set a new benchmark in luxury cruising with the ship.

Locals will tell you the Cayman Islands offer the best scuba diving in the Caribbean. Given the triumvirate of islands boasts a unique dive site for every single day of the year – and this isn’t just marketing speak – it’s easy to believe them.

Already a go-to destination for stingray spotting and dramatic drop-offs, this British Overseas Territory also offers some superb wreck dives within a pirate’s ahoy from the shore. The Caymans’ vibrant reefs are also something of a success story. With the Caribbean thought to have lost a staggering 80 percent of its coral in recent years, largely due to the effects of global warming, a 2013 study found Cayman coral health had bounced back to levels not seen since 1999.

While every diver has their favourites, we’ve scoped out seven of our own top spots to strap on a tank and dive in.

Travel bible Lonely Planet has revealed its Ultimate Travelist in a new book, ranking the top 500 sights in the world as chosen by their expert travel correspondents – y’know, the people who actually write those books you desperately reach for in each new city you visit. The definitive list offers many of the expected “must visit” spots spliced in with a few hidden gems.

The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia were the “undisputed champion” to take the crown, beating out our own Great Barrier Reef in second place and Peru’s Machu Picchu in third.

Along with our famed reef, Australia took out two other spots in the top 20. The Twelve Apostles on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road took out 12th place and – in perhaps a surprising entry –  Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art took out spot number 20. Lonely Planet says that MONA is “sexy, provocative, disturbing and deeply engaging. Don’t miss it!”

For travelers who've been thinking about a holiday on a river cruise ship, come 2016 Avalon Waterways will have seven Christmas cruises, including the 17-day Christmastime Zurich to Budapest cruise on the Avalon Tranquility II (priced from $4,589 and departing Dec. 3, 2016). It will sail not one, not two, but three rivers in Europe: Danube, Main and Rhine. Along the way, passengers will be taking in all the quintessential sights, scents and delights of Central Europe during the holidays. On view are traditional Black Forest houses with their long sloping roofs; Strasbourg’s Christmas market, which dates back to 1570; an ice rink set up at the foot of Heidelberg Castle; Bamberg’s nativity scenes built by local citizens and exhibited throughout the town; and Nuremberg’s Old Town, illuminated with festive lights and decorations.

For those travelers opting for shorter holiday trips, Avalon is offering itineraries that range from five to 13 days in 2016. A fan favorite for the holidays is the 8-day Christmas in the Heart of Germany on the Avalon Tranquility II (priced from $1,773). If Prague decked out for the holidays is on your bucket list, try the 12-day Christmastime Zurich to Prague (priced from $2,898).

For more information

As always, for more information contact your Cruiseable travel advocate. 

I recently had the chance to experience a 5 star European river cruise for the first time and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Stepping aboard the ‘Space-Ship’ like boat that was docked in Amsterdam, I was about to glide through Amsterdam’s remarkable network of canals, in river cruising luxury – if you want to explore European destinations at a gentle pace, river cruising is certainly one of the best ways to do this. Imagine yourself sipping sparkling champagne, whilst listening to nothing but the calm, gentle sounds of the river lapping against the bows.

River boat cruising is becoming more and more popular. The cruise lines such as Viking Cruise Line have been upping their game to appeal to a greater audience.  What a perfect way to explore a region or country where you only have to unpack once.  The ships are smaller and more intimate with personalized service and the food is what you would expect of a Luxury cruise line..