Category — Blog Posts

By Arthur Balin, Assistant Sales Manager and Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Peru is a beautiful country with a little bit of everything – rainforests, deserts, mountains and lakes. The beautiful landscape I found there on my trip in 2010 served as a wonderful backdrop to the history of this incredible nation that was once the center of the Incan Empire. [Read more →]

By Viviane Temchine, Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

South America presents a seamlessly blended array of exotic locales, great nightlife, lush rainforests, snowy mountain ranges, stunning waterfalls, tropical beaches, windswept plains, modern urban cities and the remains of lost civilizations at every turn.

Cruising through South America offers the experience of a lifetime with exciting ports of call like Rio de Janeiro and Santiago. Just remember that the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. When it’s cold in December, January and February up north… it’s summer in South America and peak cruise season.  Here are some highlights of what to expect on a typical South American cruise: [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

For most people a cruise means a lot of fun in the sun. Days are spent on beaches, lying poolside and exploring the great outdoors. But while you enjoy the outdoors and all your cruise has to offer, there are a few simple things to do to make sure you don’t come back looking like a lobster. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

One of the reasons most Western Caribbean cruises stop in Cozumel, Mexico is because it has the most beautiful coastline. But the beauty doesn’t stop at the shore, it extends under the turquoise waters that surround the island.

Suggested Itinerary: 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

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Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is constructing an extensive water park to be featured on the Norwegian Breakaway. This water park will include five giant slides, a designated kids play area, two pools, four hot tubs and a bar and grill. The water park is in addition to a three-story sports complex that will feature a ropes course, full basketball court and miniature golf course. [Read more →]

By Gloria Hanson, Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

From the time you board a river cruise, you begin a journey like no other. The ships are small and intimate, your scenery changes constantly and the easy access to the inner areas of towns and villages make river cruising an ideal way to enjoy a multi-destination adventure.

In the last five years, river cruise travel has grown up to 60% annually according to the Travel Trade reports. As a matter of fact, some river cruise companies are growing at double digit rates. Considering the rapid growth of river cruising, maybe it’s time to ask if river cruising is right for you…

Why Choose a River Cruise Adventure?

River cruises are ideal for first time and experienced travelers alike – it’s simply the best way to see many of the world’s most fascinating destinations. It’s a trip of a lifetime at a relaxed pace where you never miss a moment. You get to see places that you could not possibly get to on an ocean cruise. As a river cruise passenger, you also get in depth exposure to the rich culture and history of each town you visit. You enter into the heart of the city and get off your floating hotel just steps from historic sites and sought after landmarks. Since you dock so close to the city center (in most cases), you see the true culture and get a real epicurean delight with authentic foods and wine from the region you are in. [Read more →]

By Sherry Jefferson, Senior Cruise Consultant, The Cruise Web.

Last month I wrote about the advantages of small-ship cruising and this month, in a similar vein, I wanted to share my very recent (and very first) river cruise experience with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.

I left on March 22nd to spend two days in Amsterdam prior to the March 25th sailing of the new SS Antoinette from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. The SS Antoinette is one of the new long ships and this was to be her first sailing of the season going from Amsterdam to Basel for the Castles Along the Rhine tour, but more about that later.

I arrived in Amsterdam to beautiful sunny mild weather and looked forward to seeing as much as possible in the two days there.  I was fortunate to secure a ride to the pier which is about a 30 minutes from the airport and had the opportunity to tour the other river ships docked there.  I then took a cab to the hotel and then set off to see the sites.  Amsterdam is very lively and everyone rides bikes there.  I’ve never seen so many bike riders anywhere, it was amazing.  [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web, Inc.

Everyone wants that special souvenir from their trip. Sometimes souvenirs are the $1 key chains at the t-shirt shop on an Alaskan cruise and sometimes they can be the thousand dollar jewels from Cartier on a river cruise in France or original artwork from a local artist on a South American cruise in Argentina. Whatever it is, you want to get the best deal you possibly can. [Read more →]

By The Cruise Web Inc.

Spring time is the best time for nature lovers to get out of their gardens and explore some of the world’s best gardens. We’ve listed the top five gardens with the cruises that will take you there. So put down those pruning shears and pick up your camera.

1. Keukenhof Gardens – A trip to the Netherlands is not complete without a trip to this 79-acre jewel. With over 7 million bulbs planted each year, the experience dazzles. This is the place to see tulips in all their glory, but the garden is only open from March until May.

Suggested Cruise to Visit: Tulip Time river cruise from Zürich to Vienna with Avalon Waterways

2. Singapore Botanic Gardens – This tropical garden offers visitors a lush and welcoming environment with some stunning flowers, like the more than 1,000 species of orchids. The grounds also feature a healing garden with a collection of plants that have been used as medicine. In the morning it’s not uncommon to spot a yoga or tai chi class.

Suggested Cruise to Visit: Singapore to Vietnam and Hong Kong with Azamara Club Cruises

3. Kew Gardens (a.k.a. The Royal Botanic Gardens) – Once a summer getaway for King Henry VII, the garden is nearly 300 acres and has the largest living plant collection in the world. This spring, over 500,ooo,ooo bulbs will be blooming and the staff will be putting on special tours of the spring flowers.

Suggested Cruise to Visit: Transatlantic cruise on Cunard from New York to Southampton in England

4. Seychelles National Botanical Garden – This island, located off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, has flora and fauna everywhere, but in this garden you can find Coco de Mer trees which produce a fruit used in Cantonese cooking. The garden also features giant sea turtles and fruit bats.

Suggested Cruise to Visit: Capetown to Singapore with Oceania Cruises

5. Versailles – Outside the decadently designed Versailles palace in France is a garden to match. The garden is large and well manicured to this day. The lawn is molded into intricate shapes and the topiaries have no leaf out of place. The garden even features a canal King Louis used for gondola rides.

Suggested Cruise to Visit: Paris to Nuremberg with Uniworld Cruises

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By The Cruise Web, Inc.

What is the key sign of spring?

Is it the  spike in temperatures? Having more hours of sunlight? The chirping of blue birds? Nope. The true sign that spring is here is the blooming of flowers like the cherry blossoms, the tulips and the daffodils.

And this year, 2012, is a special year for flowers. Floriade, the ultimate flower festival, which only happens once every 10 years,  is going on right now in the Netherlands. The show covers 163 acres with 1.8 million bulb flowers, 5,000 rose bushes and 3,000 trees. Floriade is a celebration of flowers, gardening and nature and seeks to educate people on the importance of  the environment.  One exhibit even allows visitors to do the work of bees using scanning devices to digitally collect pollen. Floriade features exhibits from 35 different countries along with cultural programs from dancers, singers and theater troupes.

But you have to act fast to make sure you can be a part of this once-in-a-decade event which runs from April 5 to October 7, 2012. The best way to take in the sights of Floriade is to visit via a river cruise.  River cruise operators Uniworld and Avalon Waterways have created special itineraries to take advantage of this amazing and rare event. Keep reading for the details. [Read more →]