Reports
News, reports and guides from the world of cruising.
121 articles
Viking Glory: A Cruise Ferry for the 21st Century
The large ferry ships of the Baltic Sea meet the highest standards, often turning crossings into mini-cruises. Viking Glory, by Viking Line, is the largest and most modern among them. The shipping company describes it as “one of the most eco-friendly ships in the world” and promises “a world-class experience.” The specialized press calls it […]
Birka Gotland: Mini cruise to Visby
In April 2024, the Birka Gotland returned to active cruise service following a lengthy Covid lay-up, a subsequent change in ownership and a thorough refurbishment. Now jointly owned by Rederi AB Gotland (Visby) and Viking Line (Mariehamn), the former Birka Paradise (2004 – 2013) and Birka Stockholm (2013 – 2019) in her third incarnation regularly […]
Onboard the Queen Victoria for a Mediterranean Cruise
Here we are, ready to embark on a new journey to explore a legendary cruise line renowned for its expertise in transatlantic crossings. But this time, it’s a Mediterranean cruise, featuring a tour of Corsica, Sardinia, and the Italian coast! So begins our adventure with Cunard, a line not widely known to the French or […]
Royal Clipper: A Sailing Experience and Beyond
Anyone who knows how to look beyond the usual clichés about cruising is well aware that this world offers an extremely wide range of products, tailored to different nationalities, vacation styles, budgets, and age groups. Many companies focus on exclusive experiences, while others prioritize onboard innovation. We recently discovered the world of Star Clippers, a […]
On board Viva Two towards the Danube Delta
A river cruise to the east of Europe At kilometer 2,336 – one of the longest river cruises in Europe starts in Passau (Germany). Will we make it to kilometer “0” on the Danube at the Black Sea? That remains to be seen over the next 16 days. This majestic waterway, which flows right across […]
Atlas Ocean Voyages: Intimate Yacht Style Cruises
There are cruise lines that are immediately associated with a specific characteristic—perhaps the size of their ships, the richness of their culinary offerings, or the allure of sailing. For Atlas Ocean Voyages, at least on a personal level, I didn’t have a strong and unique characteristic in mind to attribute to this relatively new brand […]
SH Vega: Luxury meets Expedition
The world of expedition cruising is expanding rapidly. Swan Hellenic is emerging as one of the most innovative and competitive brands in this increasingly important and rapidly evolving segment. Cruising Journal participated several months ago in the launch of SH Diana, the second vessel in the Swan Hellenic fleet, during a splendid event held in […]
Expedition with Passion: Ocean Albatros
On board Ocean Albatros, you discover all the details of a ship class designed for expedition cruising, with careful attention to comfort and the elegance of its venues. It’s true that traveling on an expedition ship without actually engaging in an expedition likely provides only a partial cruise experience. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring this […]
Silver Ray: A Marvel of Modern Maritime Engineering
Recently, we were introduced to the Nova class, and it had already impressed us with its innovations and incredible features that make this project truly unique. What stands out once again, in particular, is the spaciousness available to passengers, the wide range of dining options, and the service provided by an unmatched crew. The construction […]
Luxury River Cruising on board the Riverside Debussy
There is an incredibly luxurious and comfortable way to travel on European rivers, and we recently discovered it aboard the Riverside Debussy, one of the units of the new fleet of Riverside Luxury Cruises on the short vernissage cruise. The decision to incorporate the concept of luxury directly into the name of the new brand […]
Marella Discovery 2 to head East!
Its now an established rite of passage for Marella to send one of its ships to Singapore for the winter to offer their British Clientele, the holiday of a lifetime to places such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, with repositioning trips via the Suez Canal (in normal times) taking in Sri Lanka, India, and Jordan. […]
Azamara Pursuit: the South Africa Intensive Voyage
The race for novelty and exclusivity in the cruise industry has materialized in recent years, especially in the search for increasingly stunning ships, a wider range of onboard services, and extreme experiences, both on board and ashore. The common concept of cruising has always been about visiting as many places as possible, preferably as diverse […]
Ponant: Expedition Cruising a La Francais
PONANT EXPLORES THE GLOBE WITH A DECIDEDLY FRENCH ACCENT Trust the French to create a Cruise Line that takes passengers to the most remote places on earth then returns them to a level of luxury France is famous for. We were privileged to sail on a new itinerary for Ponant aboard Le Dumont-d’Urville, one of […]
Vista’s Maiden Call On New York
In a grand celebration last month, Oceania‘s groundbreaking ship, ‘Vista‘, made her maiden call on New York, leaving Travel professionals and VIP past passengers in awe. As the first of Oceania’s new Allura Class vessels, ‘Vista’ is not just a ship; she’s a floating masterpiece, spanning 791 feet and weighing over 67,000 tons, ready to […]
CFC: Renaissance Makes Its Debut and Impresses
Compagnie Française de Croisières embarked on its journey last summer with its first fleet, Renaissance, showcasing a strong identity and a high-quality product. In a time when, despite the pandemic-induced slowdown, dozens of new ships are launched every year, there’s a new initiative in the cruise market that stands out. It involves reviving beautiful ships, […]
On Crystal Symphony: the return of Crystal Cruises
The news of the return to service of the two vessels of Crystal Cruises had already excited us, knowing the beauty of Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, and their onboard services, which we expected would not undergo profound changes. After a remarkably quick refurbishment, the two ships have finally returned to service, offering a series […]
Viva Two: Diverse Fun “On the River”
“Five Years of Viva Cruises” marks the anniversary that the Düsseldorf-based company celebrates this year. Launched in 2018, Viva Cruises is supported by the Swiss navigation company Scylla – formerly known as Scylla Tours, which is also celebrating a “big birthday” in 2023: the company was founded 50 years ago by the Dutch Reitsma family […]
Stad Amsterdam: Aboard a Special Sailing Ship
The allure of sailing is timeless, transporting us back in memories while also presenting a novel experience within the current cruise landscape. Within the realm of sailing navigation in the cruise industry, Stad Amsterdam is undeniably a unique entity. We had the chance to explore it up close by stepping aboard and engaging with its […]
Silver Nova: A Revolutionary Project
I have been following the Nova Class project for many months now, and I must say that Silversea Cruises and the Royal Caribbean Group had something truly revolutionary in mind from the very beginning. Nowadays, it’s quite challenging to talk about novelty in the world of cruise ships, as we are accustomed to seeing many […]
Swan Hellenic: Let’s Discover SH Diana
SH Diana is the third unit in the Swan Hellenic fleet, inspired by the cultural expedition cruises that have rapidly expanded the fleet to offer increasingly diverse and comprehensive itineraries. The size is that of a medium-sized ship: just over 12 thousand tons, 125 meters long and with a capacity of up to 192 passengers. […]
MSC World Europa: Innovation and Sustainability
MSC World Europa, MSC Cruises‘ first world-class ship, is the most technologically advanced ship in the fleet and the largest LNG-powered cruise ship in the world. Associating such a large, high-tech ship with sustainability may not seem easy at first glance, but in fact MSC World Europa is setting new standards in sustainability and accelerating […]
Le Commandant Charcot: a luxury ice-breaker
This ship is unique. It can effortlessly break polar ice, is powered by LNG and has its own fully-equipped science lab onboard. Her guests meanwhile enjoy the highest level of luxury and sail on what can be regarded as the most spectacular cruise itineraries in the world. Named after Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867 – 1936) who […]
Aida Blu: Traveling on a ship that speaks German
Aida ships have been sailing the Mediterranean for years, so I decided to go on one to see what it means to take a cruise “Made in Germany”! Aida Cruises is part of the Costa Cruises group, but don’t be fooled by the Italian flag at the stern, as this company is dedicated exclusively to […]
Silver Endeavour: the comfort and elegance of Silversea
Let’s discover Silver Endeavour, the latest generation ship for Silversea Cruises expedition, recently added to the fleet and which has helped to increase the offer of polar itineraries for the luxurious cruise line. Silver Endeavour combines the comfort and elegance of Silversea Cruises with the cutting edge of expedition cruising, aboard the latest generation ship, […]