Hurricane Season on the Rhine?

When talking up the benefits of river cruising, we might mention calm waters (compared with ocean waves that can lead to seasickness) or the lack of hurricanes that will wreck your itinerary and drench you with rain. So imagine my surprise, on my first ever river cruise, a Rhine run on Scenic Cruises‘ Scenic Jewel, [...]

River Cruising, African-Style?

Deepest Africa isn’t a place normally associated with cruising. But on a small stretch of the Chobe River, a sometimes mile-wide waterway forming part of the border between Namibia and Botswana, there’s an unexpected and thriving boutique riverboat operation, the elegant, 28-passenger Zambezi Queen.

Snagging a Guinness World Record Isn’t Easy

With a naming ceremony introducing eight new ships in just one day, Viking River Cruises joins an illustrious collection of Guinness World Records’ competitions that includes the fastest half marathon pushing a pram, the highest reverse bungee jump, the largest collection of (air) sick bags – and – the heaviest weight lifted by tongue. As [...]

“Downton Abbey’s” Many Links to Cruising

Even if none of the main characters from the spectacularly popular “Downton Abbey,” part of the PBS’ series Masterpiece, have stepped foot onto a cruise ship gangway, the show still has some surprising connections to cruising. As any fan of the series, which begins its third season premier on January 6, will recall, the original [...]

Pros and Cons of Expedition Cruising

The term “expedition” brings to mind bands of hardy explorers slogging through rugged and hostile environments, munching on hard tack and praying they make it back alive. If your idea of roughing it is a cruise cabin without a balcony, an expedition cruise might be a grueling experience in survival…albeit in a gorgeous, natural setting. [...]

Poll: What River is Your Favorite for Cruising?

It’s not a major surprises the Danube is topping our River Poll, with more than a third of you saying that is your river of choice for 2013. The Rhine comes in a fairly close second, with a quarter of you choosing it. The Seine was a respectable 16 percent, good enough for third place, [...]