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A Day at Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:38:12 +0000

A spring river cruise in the Netherlands is a colorful cruise experience.

The tulips and other bulb flowers are spectacular, and the traditional Dutch windmills and quaint villages are fascinating and picturesque. The best place to see a variety of spring bulb flowers in Holland is at Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam.

I've enjoyed two spring "tulip cruises" on European river vessels. I sailed on a Tulip Time cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium, sailing on the beautiful AMAWaterways Amalegro river ship. I also sailed a Dutch journey on the Viking Europe way back in 2002, the date of the last Floriade, a huge horticultural show held once every decade in the Netherlands. (Can't believe it's been TEN years!) On both tulip cruises, we spent a day at Keukenhof, which really gets you in the mood for spring!

In addition to AMAWaterways and Viking River Cruises, many other river cruise lines feature springtime tulip cruises, including Avalon Waterways, Grand Circle, Tauck, and Uniworld.

Keukenhof Spring Flower Photos

Tulip Picture (c) Linda Garrison

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A Day at Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 08:38:12.

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About.com Reader's Choice Awards - Vote Now for Your Favorites!

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:15:28 +0000

Voting is now open for the 2012 About.com Reader's Choice Awards.

The nominations closed last week, and the finalists have been chosen. These finalists represent reader's favorites in hundreds of categories across the network, and you can now vote once each day in all categories.

This year, the About.com Travel Channel has many categories, and we have three categories with cruise-related finalists.

Click on the links below to vote for your favorite. You can vote once each day from February 22 through March 21. When you vote, you will be asked to login using your e-mail address or About.com forum login. This information will only be used to keep the voting fair, and you won't be receiving any unwanted newsletters or other communication from About.com. So, feel free to vote for all your favorites once each day over the next month!

Winners will be announced on March 30.

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About.com Reader's Choice Awards - Vote Now for Your Favorites! originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 08:15:28.

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Avalon Tranquility - European River Cruise Ship

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:22:31 +0000

The Avalon Tranquility is a European river vessel sailing the Moselle, Rhine, Danube, and Main Rivers for Avalon Waterways.

This profile and description of the vessel was compiled from a "Central European Experience" cruise tour with Avalon Waterways that included two nights in a Paris hotel; a ride on the high-speed TGV train from Paris to Metz; a seven-night Moselle, Rhine, and Main River cruise on the Avalon Tranquility; and two nights in a Prague hotel. This was a marvelous way to see parts of central Europe, and the cruise tour was well-organized, fun, and educational.

Avalon Tranquility - European River Vessel Profile and Tour

Avalon Tranquility on the Moselle River in Bernkastel, Germany (c) Linda Garrison

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Avalon Tranquility - European River Cruise Ship originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 08:22:31.

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Carnaval Samba Parade in Rio de Janeiro - Mardi Gras Celebrations

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:24:54 +0000

The annual Samba Parade at the Sambodromo in Rio is one of the world's greatest shows.

If you love singing, dancing, floats, and Latin music, you will love the Samba Parade! Held the Sunday and Monday nights preceding Lent, the Samba Parade tops off Rio de Janeiro's annual Carnaval.

I attended Carnaval in Rio while on a 14-day South American cruise on Celebrity Cruises' Infinity roundtrip to Rio from Buenos Aires. It was a wonderful cruise, and the Samba Parade was certainly the highlight of all the shoreside events. Many cruise ships sailing in South America overnight in Rio de Janeiro to allow passengers to enjoy the Samba Parade and the other Carnaval events. It's certainly a great way to see one of the world's greatest parties!

Samba Parade in Rio Photo (c) Linda Garrison

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Carnaval Samba Parade in Rio de Janeiro - Mardi Gras Celebrations originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 08:24:54.

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Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:51:43 +0000

Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted is just one of many things to see in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands when your cruise ship is in port.

Three Days in Singapore

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:25:05 +0000

Singapore is one of the cleanest, neatest cities in the world.

In addition, the hot, humid city streets are lined with beautiful trees, providing good shade and helping keep the temperatures down (a little). It's a great city to visit before or after an Asia cruise.

I visited Singapore at the end of a fascinating journey from Hong Kong to Singapore on the Crystal Symphony. Traveling in Asia always challenges the senses, and this itinerary featured two of the great cities of the world, along with stopovers in Vietnam and Bangkok, which was like traveling to another world from my home in rural Georgia, if not another dimension!

Singapore (c) Linda Garrison

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Three Days in Singapore originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 08:25:05.

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Argentine Ranch Barbecue and Show - Buenos Aires Cruise Ship Shore Excursion

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:48:16 +0000

A day at a ranch in Argentina is a great way to see gauchos in action and to partake of some of that wonderful Argentine beef.

If you have a day in Buenos Aires while on your cruise to South America, you might want to visit the Estancia Santa Susana, which is only about 70 km from Buenos Aires. It's a fun day!

Argentine Gauchos (c) Linda Garrison

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Argentine Ranch Barbecue and Show - Buenos Aires Cruise Ship Shore Excursion originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 08:48:16.

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Grand Circle Russian Waterways M/S Rossia Ship Tour

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:15:00 +0000

Cruising the Russian waterways between St. Petersburg and Moscow is a great cruise tour, and I thoroughly enjoyed my sailing on the Grand Circle M/S Rossia river ship.

Grand Circle targets its cruises and tours to the over-50 American traveler, and the company does an excellent job of both educating and entertaining this growing age group. After 16 days in Russia, I came away with some marvelous memories of its cities and countryside. The Grand Circle team greatly facilitated our learning and discovery process, and we all learned much more about this mysterious country than we ever could have done independently.

Personally, I also came away from this cruise with an appreciation of why Grand Circle Travel has so many loyal customers who return time after time to their cruises and tours. This article focuses on the M/S Rossia--its cabins, common areas, outdoor decks, dining, and onboard activities.
Grand Circle Russian Waterways M/S Rossia Ship Tour

Grand Circle Travel M/S Rossia Photo (c) Linda Garrison

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Grand Circle Russian Waterways M/S Rossia Ship Tour originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 08:15:00.

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Celebrity Solstice - Cruise Ship Profile and Tour

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:10:03 +0000

The Celebrity Cruise Lines' Celebrity Solstice is one of the most exciting and innovative new large cruise ships launched in the past decade.

She was the first of five in a series of sister ships to be built for Celebrity over the next several years, which is good news for all of us who love this ship. The Celebrity Equinox joined the fleet in the summer of 2009, and the Celebrity Eclipse was launched in April 2010, followed by the Celebrity Silhouette in 2011 and the Celebrity Reflection in 2012.

I sailed on the Solstice for a two-day preview cruise and attended her christening in November 2008. I was on the beautiful ship again two years later for a 7-day cruise to the western Caribbean, which gave me the opportunity to try more of the dining options on the Celebrity Solstice and to explore the ship more thoroughly. This profile of the ship has links to over 100 photos of the interior and exterior areas of the Celebrity Solstice.
Celebrity Solstice Cruise Ship Profile and Tour

Celebrity Solstice Photo Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

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Celebrity Solstice - Cruise Ship Profile and Tour originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 08:10:03.

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What is a Norovirus, and Why do People get Sick on Cruise Ships?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:10:28 +0000

No one likes to get sick when traveling, and cruise ships and other confined spaces like schools and offices seem to be particularly susceptible to the norovirus, a nasty stomach bug. This quick-onset illness seems to be most prevalent in the winter months, but norovirus can strike at any time.

Most people are concerned about what they can do to help prevent this bug that can quickly ruin a cruise vacation. The best thing to do is to wash your hands frequently, and cruise ships now have alcohol hand wash stations at the entrance to the restaurants and the gangway. This measure seems to have cut down on the number of outbreaks the past few years. However, there are other things you should know about noroviruses.

Information from the CDC on the Norovirus

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What is a Norovirus, and Why do People get Sick on Cruise Ships? originally appeared on About.com Cruises on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 04:10:28.

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