…France *Photo: Elysa Leonard Samantha & Elysa exploring the citadel of Carcassone. *Photo: Elysa Leonard It is also reportedly the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom and the similarities are…
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…crew would pick up fresh fruits, vegetables, and, wine at this lock. Photo: Elysa Leonard The arty “lawn” of a lock keeper. * Photo: Elysa LeonardMy favorite was Ecluse de…
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Caribbean Scuba Diving + Island Windjammers Cruise. By Elysa Leonard. Excited and ready for an adventure, I left my land-locked home in the suburbs of Washington DC., and flew, via…
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Sea of Cortez Cruise By Elysa Leonard. When I signed up for Windstar’s “Searching for the Sea of Cortez” cruise aboard the Star Legend, sailing from San Diego, California to…
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…des Saintes, where I would spend a gorgeous morning scuba diving. More on that later as well! Elysa and her new friend Eric. * Photo: Elysa Leonard Quirky Cruise is…
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…ship, and a heck of a lot cheaper. READ Part 1 of Elysa‘s Island Windjammer Caribbean Adventure here. The three-mast Vela is a beauty alright! * Photo: Elysa Matsen Leonard…
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…— to make sure you don’t miss a thing…” READ THE REVIEW: Enjoy Elysa‘s full review of her six days aboard Esperance. Elysa and her daughter on Esperance. * Photo:…
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…in magazines and newspapers including CNN Traveller, The Daily Telegraph, Times, The Australian and The Straits Times. On Twitter @robinmckelvie and @scotcruises, Instagram @travelwriterinakilt and @scotcruises. Elysa Leonard 1. Bonaire….
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…Caribbean. RELATED: Taking Windstar to French Polynesia, here’s our review. Beautiful Tahaa in the Society Islands. * Photo: Windstar 4. Island Windjammers Elysa Leonard, another first-time cruiser, sailed to many…
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…away…” REVIEW: The 6-pax French canal barge Esperance is reviewed by first-timer Elysa Leonard in her story “My French Love Affair.” “The kitchen was tiny and we were amazed by…
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By Elysa Leonard We’ve got big news from one of our favorite small-ship cruise lines, Island Windjammers (IWJ). Known by many as “the island girls,” IWJ’s 26-pax classic clipper ship…
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…Dana Freeman Reviews her Caribbean Cruise on Windstar’s Star Breeze. RELATED: A review of Windstar in the Sea of Cortez from Elysa Leonard. RELATED: Circumnavigating Iceland on Windstar’s Star Pride;…
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…Scuba Diving. by Elysa Leonard Happy hour is a big thing and drinks on deck are a favored pastime for many; you’re free to bring aboard your favorite spirits or…
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…for a journey that includes visits to Mountshannon, Terryglass, Shannonbridge, Athlone and finally Glasson. RELATED: Cruising the canals of France aboard the Esperance. by Elysa Leonard Why Go? Barging is…
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…Cortez. by Elysa Leonard. Don’t miss great articles, reviews, news & tips about small-ship cruising, SUBSCRIBE to QuirkyCruise.com for updates and special offers! © This article is protected…
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…by to enter the dock in January. RELATED: The Star Legend in the Sea Cortez before her Stretch. by Elysa Leonard. Don’t miss great articles, reviews, news & tips about…
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…Fully crewed and all-inclusive, Island Windjammers fares include all meals and drinks (beer, wine, cocktails). RELATED: Writer Elysa Leonard reviews her Vela cruise in the Caribbean. For Island Windjammer bookings,…
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…revive freighting in a modest way. * Photo: Karl Zimmermann RELATED: Heidi reviews her week aboard the 12-pax Luciole on the Nivernais Canal. RELATED: The Esperance is reviewed by Elysa…
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…Judi Cohen But there was so much more to see including the views from our drive towards Mont Royal, the 20-storey high mural of poet and Canadian music legend Leonard…
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HEIDI SARNA
I'm up to 78 countries and 110+ cruises worldwide, and it's the small ship journeys that I love writing about most. And so QuirkyCruise.com was born, an excellent research tool for planning your own unforgettable small ship trip.
THEODORE W. SCULLI have traveled between all continents by sea and cruised along three dozen rivers. Ships and travel are in my blood, and so is writing. My journeys have translated into many books and many hundreds of articles.
More...If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.
Uncommon Journeys In New York & Canada By Rail & River Boat By Peter Knego Uncommon Journeys, also known as Train Holidays, has been offering curated cruise tours for decades, often combining the best elements of land, sea and rail to provide a unique...
Canadian Empress 1000 Islands Cruise Review By Heidi Sarna One chilly afternoon, after spending some time alone up on the Sun Deck admiring the scenery of the 1000 Islands, I paused and peered through the lounge’s etched glass doors. I could see (and hear!) that just...
Costa Rica UnCruise Adventures By Heidi Sarna I had a chat with Captain Dan Blanchard, Owner & CEO of UnCruise, to ask him all about his upcoming new 7-night Costa Rica itineraries. Dan loves getting his feet wet (and ours!) in some of the most beautiful natural...
Viking & American Cruise Lines Mississippi Comparison By Aaron Saunders River cruises span nearly every corner of the globe. While the term often conjures images of European castles and storied capitals, North American travelers have an equally compelling option...
Viking Christmas Markets Cruise By Donna Heiderstadt I’m a big fan of the European capitals located along the Danube River — notably Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; and Bratislava, Slovakia — and I’ve visited them several times, always in spring or fall when...
America Cruise Lines Alaska Review By Tracey Teo A black bear at Alaska’s Tongass National Forest perched statue-like on a boulder overlooking Anan Creek, and I watched curiously through my binoculars to see what he would do next. I didn’t have to wait long. Suddenly,...
Antarctica Cruise Tips By John Roberts Today, there are more cruise lines and more ships offering exciting expeditions to Antarctica than ever. I’m talking about getting down to the peninsula and to the Antarctic continent for actual landings and other adventurous...
New Atlas Ocean Voyages Ship By Charles Kipps Given its reputation for polar expedition cruising, it seemed fitting that on the day Atlas Ocean Voyages chose to make a major announcement in New York City the temperature would be 13 degrees with a wind chill of seven....
New River Cruise Ships for 2026 & 2027 By Anne Kalosh River cruises are booming, and for good reason. They offer everything we at QuirkyCruise love about small-ship travel. They take you to the heart of destinations — European capitals or major wine regions, tiny...
Douro River Cruise Review By Heidi Sarna Joyfully wandering around hilly Porto, a colorful old city built on the steep banks of Portugal's Douro River where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, after flowing some 500 miles from north-central Spain, I was smitten by this...
Wilderness Legacy Cruise Ship Review By Peter Knego (Photo Above: The handsome Wilderness Legacy, shown at anchor near Le Conte Glacier, was built in 1984 as a replica Chesapeake Bay coastal steamer. * Credit: Peter Knego) After no less than a dozen Alaska cruises on...
