If you're based in the US like me, June and July are some of the most expensive months to fly internationally, so I think summer is a great time to explore what my own country has to offer.
16.07.2024 - 19:02 / insider.com / Cruises
I took my first cruise in 1977 and have since been on more than 110 ships. I'm in my 90s, and I still love traveling this way.
It's great that more young people are getting on board with cruises, which are surging in popularity. But some newer trends puzzle me.
Above all, I can't get behind flexible dining, which also goes by names like "my time dining," "freestyle dining," and "anytime dining." They're all just a way of saying passengers can eat whenever they want and sit in a new spot with different servers every night.
It's a move away from traditional dining on cruises, where travelers select in advance the daily dinner time they'll have for the duration of their cruise. They're assigned the same table and waitstaff for the whole trip.
Flexible dining sounds ideal for anyone who prefers to set their own pace. But I think that it's better in theory than in practice and that it kills some of the magic of old-school cruises.
Norweigan Cruise Line is credited with creating this category of onboard eating, which it calls freestyle dining.
Related stories
With it, passengers show up to one of its restaurants during operating hours and wait for their party to be led to a table. But though people can eat whenever that doesn't mean they do.
Passengers have routines that carry over onto a ship, and restaurants can get crowded between 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Years ago, my wife and I experienced it firsthand while dining on the Norwegian Wind. After two nights of standing in long lines to try for a 6 p.m. dinner, we started showing up later to try to dodge crowds. I wished we could've just had our desired mealtime locked in, but NCL doesn't do traditional dining.
A few weeks ago, I tried flexible dining again on a different cruise line while sailing with my free-spirited son, who I thought might appreciate the lack of a schedule.
On the first night, at 7 p.m., we found several lines leading into the main dining room. We were asked if we had a reservation. Puzzled, we explained that we didn't need one because we were doing flexible dining.
We were directed to a different line for people without reservations. On the way, we passed the noticeably shorter line for passengers with assigned dining times.
We waited about 20 minutes to be seated. After our meal, we made dinner reservations for the rest of the trip.
While partaking in freestyle dining on the Norwegian Wind, my late wife and I asked to be seated with other people every night so we could see some fresh faces. But that never ended up happening: In our eight days, we ate only with each other.
Though I loved having dinner with my wife, we did so every night at home. At sea, we wanted to expand our world.
I missed sharing tables with strangers, the standard with
If you're based in the US like me, June and July are some of the most expensive months to fly internationally, so I think summer is a great time to explore what my own country has to offer.
Jul 24, 2024 • 9 min read
Another cruise line is about to relaunch after not operating for many months — in a place that typically doesn't get a lot of cruise ships.
Norwegian Cruise Line will call Philadelphia home in 2026, becoming the first cruise line to sail from the city in years.
Solo female travellers are a growing and very attractive market; in fact, 14% of women travel without the company of family, friends or a partner, which translates into habits, needs and expectations, as well as specific tourist services and products. Mabrian and The Data Appeal Company-Almawave Group, analysed the female solo traveller demand worldwide* to identify five key factors that outline the profile of this segment.
Sandals Resorts International invites travelers to feel the vibrant rhythms and stunning ombre blues of the Caribbean Sea with incredible savings across eleven (11) Sandals Resorts and three (3) Beaches Resorts with the “Rhythm and Blues” sale. The limited-time offer rewards guests who want to bask in paradise just a little longer with up to $1,000 in air credit to be enjoyed this summer and through mid 2025 at select resorts. As an added benefit, for a limited time, booking online at sandals.com or beaches.com earns guests an additional $100 off their stay.
Hyatt is close to a deal to buy Standard International, the operator of the upscale The Standard Hotels, according to reports on Thursday.
I'm in my 60s, and I've been fortunate to take over 30 solo cruises over the last 15 years.
When settling on a place to live, cost of living is certainly a factor. But so is the recreation opportunities.
Elfly Group partners with Gotland government to launch zero-emission electric seaplane flights by 2027, enhancing eco travel and regional connectivity.
I'm zooming across Gull Lake in a Malibu Wakesetter 22 LSV powerboat, which I've been told has enough torque to rocket me to the moon. The water is 77 degrees, warmed by a sun that just won't quit. Captain Amanda Nash and instructor Matt Soundy barely look old enough to drink, yet both are skilled wake surfers, excited to show me their TikTok moves. They're living the wet, hot American dream here in central Minnesota: zigzagging across six-foot swells, sucking down root beer floats, and partying every night after work. They're fun gossips too, pointing out the rumored lake homes of Tom Cruise and some med-tech bajillionaire who allegedly imported his own beach sand because the lake sand wasn't “white enough.” I enjoy the chitchat, but I'm here to launch my own wakeboarding career—one of several ways I'm trying to embrace the “lake life” I've heard so much about since moving to Minnesota six years ago. The state is the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” as its license plates proudly attest, but as my New Yorker husband, Andrew, and I learned, that motto rounds the number down: There are actually 11,842, if you want to get persnickety about it.
As the high season kicks off in northern hemisphere tourism destinations, TourReview, the leading review platform for tours and activities, has conducted an in-depth analysis of the latest trends in the sector. This summer promises to be slightly different from the last, as American and Asian tourists begin to fly long haul again, introducing new dynamics to the market.