Choosing the right shore excursions for you As very recent veterans of a Viking River Cruise and a Viking Ocean Cruise we know that Viking's shore excursions cover a lot of interests. It can be hard to choose when the options all sound so tempting. Here are some of the things we consider when selecting shore excursions. What do you care about and what can you comfortably … [Read more...]
How to get the most enjoyment out of your Viking Ocean Cruise
Making the most of your Viking Ocean Cruise We just completed the Viking Ocean Cruise Viking Homelands itinerary and, as relative newbies to ocean cruises , we learned how to get the most out of our cruise. Or at least we think we did and hope you can benefit from what helped to make our trip so enjoyable. (And not repeat our mistakes.) Choose your shore excursions before … [Read more...]
Kizhi, Russia
A brief history of Kizhi, Russia Kizhi, Russia, on the shore of Lake Onega, has the Kizhi Pogost UNESCO World Heritage Site. The three buildings (2 churches and a bell tower) earned the distinction because of their architecture, how they bear tribute to the carpentry skills of Northern Russians and their harmony with their surroundings. This area of Russian is Keralia and … [Read more...]
The Summer Palace of Catherine the Great
The Summer Palace of Catherine the Great The shore excursion to the summer palace of Catherine the Great took us by surprise on day two of our Waterways of the Tsars cruise with Viking River. Maybe further along in the cruise, when we would have already experienced the opulence of Russia’s Tsars, we would have been more prepared for such a level of autocratic … [Read more...]
Tracing Lewis and Clark’s expedition with UnCruise Adventures
Discover the legacy of Lewis and Clark with UnCruise Tracing Lewis and Clark with UnCruise, via their Expedition of Discovery cruise, was a great way to appreciate the natural beauty and the difficulties the men experienced. Doing so with expert guides, air conditioning and good wines at dinner may have contributed to our degree of difficulty being somewhat less … [Read more...]
What is it like to cruise with Un-Cruise Adventures ?
Cruising with Un-Cruise What is it like to cruise with Un-Cruise Adventures? It's unrushed, uncrowded and unbelievable. Oh wait, that's their tagline. But it's true. (Unlike Coca-Cola who, despite their best intentions, never actually taught the world to sing.) We went on the 7 night Legacy of Discovery cruise from Portland, Oregon and traced some of the foot/canoe … [Read more...]
What to see and where to stay before a cruise from Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, a popular pre-cruise destination Over 3 million people a year leave on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, "The Venice of America". Fort Lauderdale has come quite a ways from its naughty past as a sandy magnet for poorly behaved college students on spring break. Today's Fort Lauderdale is just the right amount of classier, prettier and more cultural. It's sort … [Read more...]
How to plan for a Viking River Cruise
How to plan for a Viking River Cruise (Hint: It's very easy) After you have selected and booked your itinerary you may wonder how to best plan for a Viking River Cruise. Fear not! Although we hear that ocean cruise lines have ways for you to book shore excursions ahead of your cruise as far as we know only Viking River Cruises has this feature available for river cruises. … [Read more...]
Our 2016 travel plans – where and why (so far)
Our 2016 travel plans We have excitedly been pulling our 2016 travel plans together over the last couple months. Admittedly Blonde already went to Panama and Iceland this year but those were trips with friends not "official" blog business. When planning this year's travel we mainly selected places we have never been before. To the extent that we have any other common theme … [Read more...]
How to maintain your fitness while on a European River Cruise
The popularity of European River Cruises European River Cruises have enjoyed a consistent upward demand curve for quite a few years now and many of the dominant players have high numbers of repeat travelers. Blonde and Brunette are enthusiastic river cruise advocates. We have done 4 in a little over a year and have already booked 2 for 2016. Why are European River Cruises … [Read more...]