Argyll Cruising In Scotland by Robin McKelvie “The Firth of Clyde is Scotland’s seriously underrated secret cruising playground,” smiles Ted Creek, the new owner and skipper of Argyll Cruising’s Splendour, as we ease by the brooding hulk of Holy Isle accompanied by...
Lucy Mary Cruise Review By Robin McKelvie Wildlife guide Indy yells, “minke ahoy!” No sooner have I dashed to port to catch sight of a majestic minke whale feasting amidst a thick mob of seabirds, than Indy excitedly shouts, “sea eagle in the air, starboard side.” I...
Lord of the Highlands Cruise By Robin McKelvie There is nothing quite like cruising Thomas Telford’s utterly unique Caledonian Canal. And there is nothing quite like cruising the island-studded wilds of the Hebrides. The very good news is that anyone can now...
Elizabeth G Review by Robin McKelvie Easing down the pontoon in Oban to board the Elizabeth G we’ve already been on a journey together. More than one. In 2014 I surged out into the deep North Atlantic to St Kilda aboard this converted Norwegian rescue vessel. Then a...
Caledonian Canal Self-Drive Cruising By Robin McKelvie Quite simply there are few waterways in the world as dramatic and grand as Scotland’s Caledonian Canal. Indeed, the term ‘canal’ doesn’t do this epic feat of engineering justice. The Caledonian Canal is an aquatic...
Burgundy Canal Barge Cruise on L’Impressionniste By Robin McKelvie The lock eases open and we glide through the morning mists under an embrace of giant oak trees. A heron startles off ahead; above a red kite scans for prey. As the emerald forests and hills rise, we...
9 Small Ship Scottish Cruises You Should Know About By Ted Scull & Robin McKelvie Scotland is one of the world’s top small-ship cruise destinations. The exceedingly scenic isles off Scotland's west coast are an ideal backdrop for intimate small-ship cruising. Over...
Hebrides Cruising on the Fleur de Lys By Robin McKelvie Update from author Sept 22,2023: "Note that for the 2023 season The Majestic Line acquired the Fleur de Lys and renamed her the Glen Rosa. They have relocated the vessel, in line with their other small ships,...
Nova Spero Cruises the Scottish East Coast By Robin McKelvie. Tell a Scot you plan to cruise the Scottish coast and they will presume you mean the west coast; a littoral served by an ever-growing flotilla of small ships. Nova Spero steers away from the herd though and...
Majestic Line’s Glen Shiel By Robin McKelvie. Eking into the remote bay the dolphins finally leave us, replaced by a brace of soaring sea eagles, arcing in languorous loops as we marvel from far below. Dead ahead awaits a ramble up a mountain path ashore, followed by...
If you can imagine it, we’ve cruised it! With reviews, articles and destination overviews, we’ve got you covered.
Tulip Time Cruise By Katherine Rodeghier After a cold winter, I anxiously await welcoming signs of spring: the first robin, more daylight hours, flowers poking their heads from bulbs growing in slowly warming soil. I especially look for my favorite — tulips — and...
Seatrade Miami Convention 2024 News By Anne Kalosh From newbuilds to a new expedition brand, plenty of small-ship news emerged from cruising's biggest annual B2B event, Seatrade Cruise Global, this month. The Seatrade Miami Convention 2024, with a jam-packed...
Windstar Adding 2 Ships By Ted Scull, with reporting by Anne Kalosh Windstar broke the mold 40 years ago when in 1984 the new firm launched its first of what would be a trio of sleek combination motor sailers. Now, decades later, Windstar is adding a new build, the...
Biking River Cruise With Backroads & AmaWaterways By John Roberts You can have it all as a cycling enthusiast who wants to explore Europe on a highly curated, hassle-free vacation. In fact, I took a river cruise bike tour that combines the best elements of sailing...
7 Alaska Small Ship Cruises By M.T. Schwartzman I took my first cruise to Alaska in 1988 aboard the old Noordam — an ocean-liner-type ship with over 1,200 passengers aboard, which was considered big back in those days. The next year, I boarded my first small-ship...
American Cruise Lines Buys American Queen By Ted Scull. If you are old enough to recall the nightly newscaster Gabriel Heatter, he began his nightly news broadcast with “Good evening everyone, there’s good news tonight.” Indeed, there is great news for those cruisers...
sponsored New UnCruise Itineraries As usual, UnCruise keeps things fresh and exciting! Check out this cool new UnCruise itinerary debuting in 2025, in the Aleutian Islands. New UnCruise Itineraries for 2025 — Aleutian Islands Adventure with Kodiak, Katmai & Kenai...
sponsored Packing Tips For Alaska Cruising With Uncruise Adventures By Heidi Sarna No one does small-ship cruising better than UnCruise Adventures. The leader in small-scale Alaska cruises, the Uncruise fleet carries from 22 to 86 passengers on wide-ranging...
sponsored Overnight River Boat Cruising In Canada This year, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines’ (SLCL) one-of-a-kind small passenger ship, the 64-passenger Canadian Empress, will sail the scenic waters of eastern Canada’s 1000 Islands and the St. Lawrence River for its 44th...
Bar Harbor To Limit Cruise Visitors By Anne Kalosh For many years Bar Harbor, with a year-round population of just 5,500, was Maine's busiest cruise port, handling hundreds of thousands of passengers a season. For some residents, that was too many. Even though the...
Do I Need Travel Insurance? By Heidi Sarna I had a chat with travel advisor Kevin Flink about travel insurance. I met Kevin on a recent UnCruise in Alaska, where we had the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of travel insurance. Kevin knows a lot about insurance...
