Cruise Destinations - KRCW

Scouting the gems of San Juan

Phil Vettel — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:07:00 PDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — This island offers so many visual treats — gorgeous beaches, rugged hills, beautiful churches and majestic historic forts — that dining becomes a virtual afterthought. A hunk of meat or fish, some sides of mofongo (fried mashed plantains) and mamposteao (rice and beans with other goodies), a stiff rum drink and you're good to go, right?

Cruises: Why sailing to Hawaii may require a foreign port call

By Nancy Kinsey Needham — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:00:00 PDT

Our cruise to Hawaii on the Celebrity Millennium began with saying goodbye to our ship docked in San Diego Harbor and taking a bus ride to Ensenada, Mexico , to meet it again.

A slow — yet energizing — boat to Hawaii

By Karl Zimmermann — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A 14-night round-trip cruise provides a slow-paced excursion but ample time to explore the islands.

LAHAINA, Hawaii — "Here, take this one," Elisa said, lifting an orchid lei from her shoulders and draping it on Laurel's. "Aloha."

A tour that combines Napa's wine country with Alaska's glaciers

By Mary Forgione — Tue, 9 Apr 2013 07:00:00 PDT

Do San Francisco in style before heading out on a Princess cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage.

Daily Deal: $1,000 discount on Danube River cruises this fall

By Mary Forgione — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:10:00 PDT

Virgin Vacations is cutting the price of two Danube River cruises by $1,000 per person for fall sailings.

Trans-Atlantic repositioning cruises offer value this spring

By Georgina Cruz, Special Correspondent — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:08:00 PDT

After their ships have wintered in the Caribbean, many cruise lines deploy some of them to Europe where they spend the summer sailing in the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Baltic. These cruises present a fine opportunity as the repositioning voyages generally visit some off-the-beaten-path ports, offer themed perks such as wine and food festivals, and have attractive pricing (sometimes, in addition to special fares, they feature free or discounted air --ask before you book). Another advantage, since the ships cross slowly it is easier to acclimate to European time zones. A couple of caveats, though: these voyages are longer than the usual seven-night runs and feature a number of days at sea. But if passengers have the time, if they relish the thought of crossing an ocean by ship, and if they enjoy lazy days of blue water sailing, the repositioning cruises cannot be beat. And perhaps the biggest bonus of all: many of these voyages sail from Florida and the East Coast so little or no flying is needed on the way to Europe.

Watery wonder in Turks and Caicos

By Brian E. Clark — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PDT

This group of 40 islands and cays is known for its marine life. Resorts make it easy to get into the swim.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — Sixty feet below the surface of the aquamarine western Atlantic, my 12-year-old daughter, Maddie, glided gently along the reef, her arms crossed in Buddha-like meditation.

Europe and the South Pacific on sale at Paul Gauguin Cruises

By Mary Forgione — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:21:00 PST

At Paul Gauguin Cruises , small is big. The cruise line distinguishes itself by operating two ships far from the mega-ship crowd.

Set sail to explore the Inside Passage on an Alaskan cruise

By Georgina Cruz, Special Correspondent — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:40:00 PST

Its native peoples called it Alyeska, "the Great Land," and no wonder: Alaska has many eye-popping and mind-boggling attributes to richly justify that name. Consider it has 586,000 square miles (equivalent of one-fifth of the lower contiguous 48 states). It has more than 3 million lakes larger than 20 acres, 39 mountain chains with 17 of the 20 tallest peaks in North America, more than 3,000 rivers, 1,800 islands, 100,000 glaciers and a whopping 33,904 miles of coastline.

Portugal: Douro River cruise visits small villages and vineyards

By Mary Forgione — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:30:00 PST

For river cruise fans (and wine fans and flamenco fans), the 108-passenger AmaVida offers a tour of villages and vineyards along Portugal's Douro River that highlights wine tasting, dancing and other cultural activities. The 11-day trip from Kensington Tours starts with two days in Lisbon to explore the capital and then moves on by train to Porto, where the cruise begins.