5 Tips to Make a Cruise the Perfect Family Vacation
If you're trying to come up with the perfect family vacation for the holidays, time to think about cruising.Whether you are new to cruising or a seasoned sailing family, here are 5 tips to ensure every member of the family has a fun, memorable… and relaxing holiday.By: Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/ Host and cruise expert, BestTrip.TV1. Location, location, location. Pick your family cruise destination first, and make sure every family member will have something to be excited about. A cruise is one of...
Video: Play for a Day on Holland America Line's Caribbean Private Island
Think only the super rich and celebrities get the privileges of private islands?Guests aboard Holland America Line cruises in the Eastern Caribbean can get a taste of private island lifestyle too.HAL's private island is Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, and it's the featured port of call on the Oprah Winfrey Girls' Getaway cruise.BestTrip.TV has already been to this fantasy private island port of call, to share some of its highlights with you.Can you picture yourself there, too?
5 Little-Known Facts about Africa's 'Big Five' Animals
'Safari'. It's a Swahili word simply meaning 'journey'. But for travel lovers, the word 'safari' ignites our imaginations of exploring vast Sub-Saharan landscapes and encountering majestic creatures in their natural environment .Africa's 'Big Five' list dates from a time when human/animal encounters ended badly for the animal. The Big Five were the hardest to hunt on foot and therefore the most valued trophies.Today, the Big Five remain essential African animal encounters on safari to capture through your camera lens. Here are some things you...
Top 10 Reasons to Travel to Croatia
From an isolated backwater behind the Iron Curtain, Croatia has transformed itself into Eastern Europe's 'Riviera'. Sun worshippers discovered the miles of sunny, pristine beaches and dramatic cliffs of the Dalmatian coast.Other tourism followed for ancient and historic monuments, including UNESCO world heritage sites and even some communist concrete architecture, spellbinding natural beauty featuring islands, waterfalls, and mountains, and the good life of good wine, good food, and a more relaxed atmosphere than other busier – and more expensive – European...
America's Tallest Monument Park Transformed in Time for One of Nation's Biggest 4th July Parties
The view 630 feet above St. Louis from the top of its defining monument has changed after an immense, multi-year, $380-million renovation to the city's Gateway Arch National Park .The 1965 Gateway Arch became a global architectural icon and helped cement Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen's position as one of the masters of American mid-century design. The striking, modernist monument to the westward expansion of the United States is the world's tallest stainless steel arch, the tallest man-made monument in the United...
This Cruise Line has Plenty to Celebrate in Pride Month
San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney, Berlin… Now you can add another destination to celebrate Pride Month: at Sea. Celebrity Cruises held its first Pride party fleet-wide in 2017, wherever its ships were around the world. Now it looks like the cruise line's new tradition of celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion during international Pride Month and festivities is here to stay.2018's Pride Month celebrations on Celebrity cruise ships kicked off on the Celebrity Constellation in Sicily, and on the Celebrity Reflection in...
Video: Meet the Wine Maker in the 'Tuscany of Austria' on the Danube
There's a magical stretch of the Danube river that some call the 'Tuscany of Austria'.Hills rise in the mist above the Wachau valley, and for 25 miles between fairy tale towns of ornate, pastel colored historic buildings, wineries line the river banks and hillsides.The 'Wachau Cultural Landscape' - its architectural and agricultural heritage - are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbey in the town of Melk, Durnstein, where English King Richard the Lion-Heart was held captive en route from...
Crystal River Cruises Changing the European River Cruise Landscape with Another River 'Yacht'
Following in the symphonic footsteps of the other members of the Crystal River Cruise fleet, the new Crystal Debussy evokes traditional European culture in a tribute to the great musical composer. The river cruise experience by Crystal, on the other hand, is a whole new approach . The Crystal Debussy is the 5th Crystal river 'yacht', joining Crystal Mozart, Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler, and Crystal Ravel. They've been arriving on the European river cruise scene at a dizzying pace, as devotees...
Picture This: The Largest Cruise Ship Ever to Transit the Panama Canal
As you can see, it was a tight fit when the newest mega-ship at sea arrived at one of the man-made wonders of the world in an iconic photo-op for the modern age of cruise travel. On her inaugural sailing from the shipyard where she was built in Germany, towards her homeport of Seattle, the Norwegian Bliss became the largest passenger ship ever to transit the Panama Canal. The nearly 50 mile-long and 12-hour series of locks, canals, and man-made bodies of...
Video: The World's Largest Spring Flower Garden - in Full Bloom on a Tulip-Time River Cruise!
They call it 'The Garden of Europe', and it's open for only 8 short weeks every spring. The spectacular Keukenhof garden in the Netherlands is said to be the largest spring flower garden in the world – and it's the highlight of our Avalon Tulip Time river cruise. BestTrip.TV filmed this once-a-year explosion of color of blooming tulips, surrounded by some of the famous Dutch tulip fields. We were there and even we thought it was too incredible to be real! Garden...