The French luxury cruise line Ponant has confirmed its planned purchase of the Tahiti-based Paul Gauguin Cruises, which will continue to operate as a separate brand. Paul Gauguin Cruises has been sailing the South Pacific since 1997.

Italian officials announced this week that they will start redirecting large cruise ships away from the historic center of the city. These ships will no longer be able to cruise through the Giudecca Canal. As you can see from the picture above, these huge ships are so massive they obliterate the view of this charming city. Locals worry that the wake caused by these massive ships undermines the wooden poles which hold up this city. Others are concerned about the overcrowding these ships bring to Venice. Regardless of your position on these issues, the changes will affect visitors to Venice.

​One of the many joys of cruising is visiting ports I’ve never been to before and discovering incredible places I’d never knew existed. This happened on one of our Azamara cruises out of Venice which included a port stop in Hvar, Croatia. Hvar itself is very interesting, and I’ll write about it in a later post. But what amazed us and captured our hearts was Stari Grad, Croatia. It is a place that should not be missed if you like history and architecture.

The cruise industry is going through a generational change. These changes will affect your cruise experience and you should consider them before choosing your next cruise.

Sometimes a cruise is more than just a vacation. It can be an opportunity to learn more about the world we live in. This cruise is ideal for those who want to learn about and experience the effects of climate change on Antarctica while sailing on Ponant's L'Austral.  Renowned New York Times science writers Henry Fountain and James Gorman will lead lectures and discussion sharing their knowledge of how climate change is affecting Antarctica.

We have several clients who are solo travelers and their biggest frustration with  cruise vacations is having to pay double for a stateroom. As much as they understand cruise lines build their financial models and therefore their pricing based on two passengers per stateroom, it feels like an extra and even unfair charge to many solo travelers. Fortunately, ultra-luxury Silversea cruises is offering a break on select cruises.

​I frequently get asked when the best time is to take a cruise to various ports around the world. The answer is not as easy as you might think. There are a lot of factors that influence the right response.  Let's examine several of these factors and see how they will affect your ultimate cruise decision.

With passport applications now taking 6 - 8 week to complete, more travelers are needing to use passport expediters. For an extra fee, expediters can reduce the wait time from 8 weeks to just days, even overnight.  

Never thought such cruises exist? Well they really do, and they are actually quite popular. Golf cruises allow golf aficionados to enjoy the best of both worlds - golfing and luxury cruising. Azamara Cruises offers several golf oriented cruises each year.  And if you spouse or travel partners don't enjoy golf, there is plenty for them to do too.

While the number of passport applicants is at record levels, staff levels at the State Department's Passport Services office has dropped 14% leading to a 50% increase in the amount of time it now takes to obtain a passport.