Revisiting the Paul Gauguin cruise ship in French Polynesia after eighteen years left me with a few key takeaways: Ponant’s acquisition of Paul Gauguin cruise line and ship has had a positive effect. French Polynesia delivers a wonderful experience no matter how you experience it (land or sea). While there

This Sunday, I will be joining an exclusive group of travel industry professionals invited to experience and write about Century Cruises. The event is organized by Century Cruises in collaboration with Travel Weekly and TravelAge West.  I’ve been informed that this will be the largest group of travel professionals visiting

The cruise competition in French Polynesia is heating up with more cruise lines and more ships seemingly entering the market every year. Some are there year-round, others for extended periods, and yet others are passing through.  During a recent trip to French Polynesia on another cruise line, I saw the

Seabourn is aggressively gutting not only the value of the Seabourn Club loyalty program, but its membership. Seabourn Cruise Line has had what was probably the richest loyalty program among the cruise lines. While some benefits have lost their luster as the overall industry-wide cruise product has improved (such as

I decided to sail again with Aurora Expeditions to do what is commonly known as “going on the ice,” and the circumnavigation of Svalbard seems to give me the most time and variety. Ice, Ice..Maybe? While I have been on expeditions in Antarctica, Greenland, and even Svalbard, where ice has

After my 50-day expedition through West Africa, I thought I would be spending my summer in Lake Tahoe. But the adventurer in me grabbed me by the hand and, well, here I am on Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle on another Arctic Expedition.  This time, however, I am not focused on

Aurora Expeditions has just announced that, for a limited time and on a limited number of sailings, starting July 1, 2025, its higher category staterooms and suites for the Antarctica 2025/2026 season will be on sale with either a 40% or 30% discount. If you have been considering an Antarctic

A few months ago, a longtime friend in the cruise industry let me know he was going to work for Century Cruises based in China. The first thing I thought was, “What the heck is he doing?” Well, clearly he knew what he was doing, as this previously unknown to

Let me get right to the bottom line: There are great deals—across the board—on polar expeditions (Arctic and Antarctic). It doesn’t matter if it is luxury or premium, hardcore or easier going. Because of this, NOW is the time to take that first (or second, third, or fourth) visit to