Disaster-proofing Travel with Patience is Required Getting there used to be, at least for me, amusing for others as my various travel ordeals seem to entertain.  For many it was an exciting time to enjoy sipping champagne and lie-flat business class seats. But times are different and there is just nothing amusing or joyful about

I don’t have a lot to add to my reflections after my last article. But I do have to add this: I am truly impressed that Windstar – the (now not so) little cruise line that could – is succeeding and doing so in a big way.   With all of the issues in the cruise

Some people are excited about A&K Travel purchasing the old Crystal Cruise ships Some people are skeptical about it Some people are taking a Wait-and-See approach. I am more of the latter two. Let me explain why. (You knew that would be coming.) First, as I have so often repeated, “It is not about the

I depart on Sunday, June 26, 2022, to join Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot – which is a very cool, very high tech, very environmentally responsible, very much luxury, true icebreaker expedition ship for my 14-day Svalbard and High Arctic expedition.  To say that I am excited about this expedition would be an understatement! Yes, I

First impressions matter and both my first…and sustained…impressions of the Windstar Star Pride are excellent.  The thing that has struck me the most is something I was told even before I was ever on the older version of this ship: “It isn’t about the hardware, but the software!”.  The staff and crew on the Star Pride

My first night on Windstar’s Star Pride I dined al fresco at Candles (Windstar’s steakhouse) with some old Windstar/Seabourn friends.  The night started with an amazing sunset, then a perfect veal chop, and then three friends reminiscing  in a restaurant that we hadn’t noticed was now empty of all other guests. It was a great

As always, I look forward to my time aboard the Windstar (formerly Seabourn) triplets; especially now that the three have been truly refit and stretched – which I have discussed often. (You can get a detailed rundown of the extensive work done in this article and by following the links in it:  Windstar Star Breeze Inaugural:

Let’s face it, Goldring Travel has been traveling…and traveling a lot over the past year.  In fact, on June 7, 2022 I am flying to Athens, Greece to join the Windstar Star Pride for its post-stretch and refit nine-day Inaugural. And that is followed by my flying to Ponant’s true luxury expedition ship, Le Commandant

Yes, Seabourn Cruise Line is for sale.  No, it is not my being “anti-Seabourn”. Seema Mody, of CNBC, tweeted today,  Carnival in discussions to sell Seabourn brand to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, per sources. Talks are still ongoing, no deal finalized as of yet. Comes <1 week after Carnival went to the debt market to

The 2022 Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Cruise visiting Turkey, Greece, and Israel on the Windstar Star Legend starts on October 1, 2022, with its exclusive small group limited to no more than 14 guests.  (This is not a “joined at the hip” experience as most of the time you will be free to independently