When you sign up for the Carnival Rewards program, you will retain your VIFP club status (as of August 31, 2026) through December 31, 2028. Guests who have Diamond Status as of August 31, 2026 will permanently retain their Diamond status. This is an update from Carnival’s original information which stated Diamond guests would retain their status through May of 2032.

If you think that you will book a Carnival Cruise, you will definitely want to sign up for the new Carnival Rewards program so that you do not lose your status for the next 1-1/2 years.

If you’ve received the email from Carnival, please use the link in the email to sign up for the Carnival Rewards program. Your current VIFP number will transfer over to this new program.

If you have not received this email, you can use the following link to sign up for the new program. You will need your current VIFP number if you use this link.

Carnival Rewards Opt-In Enrollment form

So…. How will this new Program Work?

Except for those who have Diamond Status as of August 31, 2026, your status will no longer be a lifetime status. Your status will change every two years based upon the qualification requirements for a specific status. Here is a confusing explanation.

After December 31, 2028, unless you are a lifetime Diamond status guest, your status will change based upon the number of Qualifying Stars you have earned from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028. Carnival is calling this your “Earnings or Qualifying Period.”

Your new status as of January 1,2029  will be your status for 2 years (January 1, 2029 through December 31, 2030). Carnival is calling this your “Enjoyment Period.”

During this period of January 1, 2029 through December 31, 2030, you will be earning Qualifying Stars toward your status for the two-year period of  January 1, 2030 through December 31, 2032.

This two-year qualifying and “Enjoyment” period will continue indefinitely unless Carnival makes changes to the plan in the future.

Unless you have Diamond Status on August 31, 2026 AND enroll in the new Carnival Rewards program, your status will change every two years based upon the number of Qualifying Stars you earn during the prior two years. This can be quite confusing. Trust me, I was confused.

Carnival Rewards is changing a lot about how the way guests earn perks for their loyalty.

To lessen the blow of losing Platinum status every two years, a guest who has Platinum Status as of August 31, 2026 will receive 10,000 stars at the start of every “Earnings or Qualifying Period”. This will give you Gold Status for the upcoming “Enjoyment Period”.

Again, this is confusing. So, let’s use dates.

If you have Platinum Status as of August 31, 2026, you will continue to enjoy Platinum Status benefits through December 31, 2028.

During the Earning/Qualifying period of January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028, you will earn stars for your status beginning January 1, 2029. Carnival will credit your Carnival Rewards account with 10,000 stars at the beginning of this Earning/Qualifying period. Any additional stars you earn during this 2-year period will go towards your qualifying Status for the period starting January 1, 2030.

You will, at the very least, have Gold Status as of January 1, 2030 (Your Enjoyment Period). You will have Platinum Status as of January 1, 2030  if you earn an additional 30,000 stars during the Earning/Qualifying period ending December 31, 2029.

How many stars do you need to earn every two years for a specific status?

Red – 1 to 9,999 stars

Gold – 10,000 to 49,999 stars

Platinum – 50,000 to 99,999 stars

Diamond – 100,000 or more stars

How do you earn Qualifying Stars?

Beginning September 1, 2026, you earn three stars for every $1.00 spent on Carnival purchases. This includes cruise fares, any purchases made pre-board or while sailing as well as purchases with the Carnival credit card. You will also earn 1 Qualifying Star for every casino point earned. The following DO NOT earn points:

• Required Cruise Fees & Expenses
• Government Taxes and Fees
• Fly2Fun air travel booked through Carnival.
• Any purchases in which you used Carnival Rewards Points and Onboard Credits
• Any Carnival-funded Future Cruise Credits (FCCs) that were not purchased by you or purchased prior to September 1, 2026.

Carnival Rewards

What are Qualifying Points?

You will earn three points for every dollar spent (1 point for each casino point). These points are added to your Carnival Rewards account after your cruise is complete. . They are not used for your Qualifying Status. These points are like Carnival bucks that can be used to purchase items before or during a Carnival cruise. This even includes eligible cruise fares if you have enough points.

Unlike the Qualifying Stars, these points do not expire as long as you have either earned or spent points within a 3-year period. If there is no activity in your “points account” for 3 years, the points will expire.

The post Carnival is launching a new Carnival Rewards program to replace its VIFP Club. appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Not only does healthy skin keep you looking younger, longer, but it also helps avoid melanoma and other health conditions later in life. I have multiple people, close to me in my life, who have had to undergo surgery, sometimes major surgery, to stop the spread of skin cancer. Sun safety isn’t the most fun thing to think about when you’re out on the beach, or even spending the day in your garden, but you’ll thank yourself later.

Stick with me and read the rest of the article. I know it’s a bit boring and these days you may have some preconceptions about what I’m going to say, but please have a little faith and give me a chance.

Why Do We Need Protection?

The sun, the bright glowing ball in the sky that you shouldn’t look at, throws off a lot of energy. It gives us heat, which is what allows for liquid water to exist on Earth and is why any of us exist. The sun gives us light, which is the basis for almost all plant life on Earth and how we humans see things. The big old orb also gives us some things that we need to be careful about, and for this article, that means UV light.

Ultraviolet light exists just beyond our visible spectrum, and the UV wavelength contains enough energy that, when it interacts with our skin’s cells, these rays actually cause a burn. Calling it sunburn isn’t just wordplay either, it is a burn just like you get from a heat source. In severe cases, there can be blistering, peeling, even nausea, fever, or chills. If you’ve never been burned that badly, count your lucky stars.

Some people are more sensitive to being burned than others. We all know someone who needs to cake on the goop lest they turn into a human tomato. I am one of these people and although looking like a Scooby-Doo ghost isn’t flattering, I’ll take that over the alternative. Just because you don’t burn easily, though, doesn’t mean that your skin isn’t impacted by UV light. Everyone should take care of their skin to stay healthy.

What’s Should I Do to Stay Safe?

The biggest, simplest, mostiest, hopefully not toastiest thing that you can do to stay safe is sunscreen. Yes, sunscreen, the thing that screens the sun. The effectiveness of sunscreen is measured by SPF, which stands for Sun Protection Factor. This widely known term is simply a quick way to represent how protective the sunscreen is. Essentially, the higher the SPF, the more UV light it blocks.

The lowest recommendation for adequate protection is 30 SPF, but many people, including myself, go with 50 or higher. Which SPF you reach for can be based on your skin’s need and how much UV there is on that day. The level of UV light at any given time is impacted by many variabilities. The strongest variables are location, time of day, and atmospheric elements.

Being closer to the equator, where the sun’s rays hit the atmosphere more directly, increases how much UV light makes it through our planet’s protective layer. During the hours of 12 PM to 3 PM (or 1200 to 1500 hours for our 24-hour clock enhanced friends), the sun’s light strikes most directly and further enhances how much UV reaches the surface. Clearer days allow the most light to reach us, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of safety by clouds because they do not block UV light and you can still be burned on cloudy days.

Anecdotally, several doctors and nurses I know have told me that they see more cases of severe sunburn on cloudy days than sunny ones because people don’t realize they aren’t fully safe.

There are also two types of UV light, UVA and UVB. UVB protection is very important to have because it is 1,000-2,000 times more damaging than UVA. Make sure your sunscreen protects against UVB as well.

What Kind of Sunscreens Are There?

There are two types of sunscreens on the market, traditional sunscreen, which is a chemical based protection, and mineral, which is a mineral based protection. Both types of products have their pros and cons, but both provide protection from UV.v

The more widely known and familiar sunscreen is the chemical-based products. These use chemicals that are absorbed by your skin and then provide protection from UV light. The protection is caused by the chemicals absorbing the energy from UV rays instead of your skin’s cells. Some common active ingredients are: avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate.

Chemical sunscreens are lighter to wear, transparent, and often more water-resistant, meaning they stay on your skin longer when exposed to water. However, their drawbacks can be that some people may experience an allergic reaction, and they take time to become effective, typically about 20 minutes.

Your typical chemical based sunscreen. This is the type that the FDA approved the new sunscreen ingredient for.

Over the years, concerns have also grown about the safety of sunscreens using those chemicals. By design, those chemicals are absorbed into the skin and, inevitably, some of them make their way to your blood stream. While long the term safety or danger of those chemicals has not been conclusively determined many people, including health professionals, advocate for better alternatives.

To the end of safer sunscreens, last week, the FDA approved a new ingredient for sunscreen, bemotrizinol. It’s the first new ingredient to be added to US sunscreen in more than 25 years, but it’s been in use in Europe and Asia for decades. I’m not going to dive into the regulatory hurdles that had stood in the way of this ingredient being used in US sunscreen, but this is widely regarded as a step in the right direction.

The good news is this ingredient will replace the older chemicals and there are significantly fewer concerns over the safety of bemotrizinol than the compounds it replaces. The bad news is that it will likely be a year or more before we see this ingredient hit the shelves of our supermarkets.

This is one of many mineral sunscreens available. These products will not have the new sunscreen ingredient in them.

Mineral sunscreens, which are widely available right now, are the other option. Just like the chemical-based products, these too have pros and cons. Among the pros are being less likely to cause allergic reactions, meaning they are good for sensitive skin, and immediate protection. Since mineral sunscreens work by reflecting UV light, rather than absorbing it, they work as soon as they are put on. The cons are that these products are often thicker, leaving a visible white cast on your skin, and can be harder to apply and feel heavier to wear.

Notably, there are no medical concerns with mineral sunscreens but, on the other hand, they also often are less water resistant than chemical sunscreens. That means that you’ll have to reapply more frequently if you’re in the water.

Most importantly, both types of sunscreens will keep your skin safe in the sun as long as you follow the directions for use.

Reef Safe

Another thing you might see when shopping for sunscreen is “reef-safe”. One thing we know about our sunscreens is that have the potential to damage coral reefs. That damage is principally caused by the chemicals in them. The idea behind “reef-safe” products is that the sunscreen does not contain chemicals that damage reefs and other sea life when it inevitably washes off you.

Be cautious, though, because “reef-safe” or “reef-friendly” are terms that are thrown on a lot of products but are they not regulated. That means that when you are shopping you can’t necessarily trust the label.

Look for titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredients to make sure your sunscreen is as reef safe as possible.

To be sure that any product you use is safe for our aquatic life, you need to look for sunscreen with either of these two active mineral ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Avoiding chemical sunscreens when you go in the water is an important part of keeping all our waterways healthy.

There are quite a few health and environmental organizations that have guides on finding reef safe sunscreen. The Surfrider Foundation recently published their guide on reef friendly sunscreens and it includes links to the scientific studies they reference and I’m always for showing your work.  

What Are Sunscreen Alternatives?

What if you can’t use or don’t want to use sunscreen? Perhaps you have sensitive skin, sensation issues, or something else? What’s the best way to protect yourself from the sun?

The most straightforward answer is to cover up. Umbrellas, parasols, long-sleeves, and big, silly, floppy, hats. That’s the answer.

Now, not all fabrics are equal when it comes to sun protection. You want something tightly woven, and materials that are good at absorbing UV light, which are typically blended or synthetic fabrics. If you want the best protection, you also want a darker, heavier fabric and a loose fit.

If you’re going swimming, you can also consider a water shirt to give you protection that won’t slough off in the waves. I have one and I love it. Mine even has a hood on it to help keep the top of your head safe. There is also clothing that is specifically rated and marketed with UPF, which stands for ultraviolet protection factor.

Wearing clothing for UV protection is my usual approach, because it’s simple and effective. I burn very easily and by wearing a lightweight, long sleeve, UPF rated top, I stay safe, grease free, and cool. But UV rays can be reflected off of surfaces, especially water, glass, and snow. That means that I’ll still use sunscreen on my face and other exposed skin to make sure I’m protected when I’m near those conditions, like when I’m on a boat.

Stay Safe and Get Outside

As I’ve been writing this, I’ve kept in the back of my mind the fact that we humans need the sun. Not just to grow plants or keep us warm, we need to be in sunlight for our health. Being outside in sunlight is what promotes vitamin D production. Somewhat ironically for this article’s focus on health, we specifically need the UVB, the most intense UV light, to make Vitamin D.

While it is absolutely true that we need that sunlight on our skin, the reality is you really don’t need much of that UV. To maintain a healthy level of vitamin D, humans only need about 4-15 minutes a few times a week at midday. That length of time will vary greatly depending on all the factors I mentioned earlier in this article, but it still isn’t very much.

I’m not endorsing any of these products, they are just what I had in my home. Whether you use these or something else, the important thing is that you’re protecting yourself.

Once you’ve got that exposure, which you can get quite easily with a short stroll at lunchtime, you’re good. After that length of time, the important health factor is to take care of your skin. Wearing sunscreen or covering up with clothes is still the best thing to do for your health once you’ve gotten the necessary UV exposure for vitamin D. Even SPF 15 sunscreen protects against skin cancers and precancers. Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma can be reduced by up to 50% through regular use of sunscreen.

In addition to this, it protects against skin aging. Wrinkles, sagging, spots, and “leathery” skin can all come from not protecting yourself. Those undesirable effects can all be reduced through regular, thorough use of sunscreen.

In the end, after you get your dose of vitamin D, it is always advisable to use sunscreen or cover your skin, regardless of age, skin type, or location, anytime that you are out and about in the sun.

The post Safety in The Sun – New Sunscreen Ingredient appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

We’ve sailed Virgin a number of times now, but none of us ever tried out the Splash of Romance package. Which is kinda strange, to be honest. Virgin Voyages’ Splash of Romance is one of the most popular add-ons they offer and we get asked about it all the time by clients. So, on our last voyage with them, I decided to remedy that oversight and try it out.

What is the Splash of Romance Package?

Have you ever wanted literal Cupid, the classical mythological figure, to grace your romantic getaway with a few heart-tipped arrows and some cold-pressed juice? Well, if the answer is yes, I’m sorry to say that there’s no Cupid, but Virgin does have you covered with the cold-pressed juice.

Here’s what’s included in the Splash of Romance package:

• Priority Boarding
• Curated daily cold-pressed juices
• Two 3-Hour Thermal Spa Passes
• A Shake for Champagne
• Exclusive Sail Away Hour
• Sultry bites

The package costs $250 (up from $200 in years past) and only 90 people can purchase it on any voyage. That means that availability is limited and you might not be able to get it if you wait to purchase it later on.

One important thing to note on the price is that if you decide to add Splash of Romance to your trip, the price covers two people, but only one sailor should be selected during the purchasing process. If you select two, it will attempt to charge you for the package twice. Yes, that’s a bit of an odd way to do the checkout, but it’s how it’s properly done in Virgin’s system.

Now that we’ve got the basics established, let’s dive in deeper.

Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance – What you get

Priority Boarding – This allows you to board before most others. RockStars (the people who booked a suite) still get to board before you, but you get to board before all the other standard boarding times. Typically, you’ll board this ship just after guests with Deep Blue Extras board. Deep Blue Extras being the top tier of sailing status with Virgin Voyages loyalty program.

When you have DBE or Splash of Romance, there isn’t a special booking time available to you on the app. Instead, it will show that you have Priority Boarding and list an arrival time of 1:45-2:00.

Curated daily cold-pressed juices – This is pretty self explanatory, but here’s what you do to get it. Each day of your voyage, head up to deck 15 and go to the pool. The bar there is called Gym and Tonic and they serve cold-pressed juices until 11AM each day. You will scan your wrist band and get your juice. Pretty simple.

If you like juices, it’s really tasty!

Two 3-hour Thermal Spa Passes – Down on deck 5, there is a thermal spa. If you buy the Splash of Romance package, you’ll get two passes for three hours at the spa together. I’ll talk more about what the spa is like in a minute.

Shake for Champagne – This is a fun feature! Anytime during the trip, when on the ship, you can open up the Virgin app and literally shake your phone. It will trigger a prompt to appear on screen and you then select “Yes” to receive the champagne. It’s a bottle of Moet and Chandon, which is the partnered champagne brand with Virgin.

This is a significant part of the value proposition to the package because that same bottle would otherwise cost around $105 to purchase on the ship.

Sail Away Hour – On the first day, as you leave your port, Virgin schedules an hour at one of the ship’s bars where you can go and get some complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. There are usually two options for drinks, usually a bubbly and a sangria.

Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance – These are one of the Sultry Bites. Ooohhh, so sultry! (I guess? I don’t know what makes a macaroon sultry. It was tasty though!)

Sultry Bites – When I purchased Splash of Romance, several times during the voyage, someone on the crew came by our cabin with some sweet treats, leaving them for us on the table if we were out. These treats were only available for Splash of Romance guests, so you can’t pick them up anywhere else on the ship. They offered a variety of chocolates and pastries for these bites, and they were meant to be romantic-y types of things. You don’t get to choose what you get, but they do bring them right to you!

As of 2026, there are variations on The Sultry Bites appearing around Virgin’s fleet. It seems that there is a move toward providing a small box of chocolates at the start of the cruise rather than things like the macaroons pictured above. I can only guess that this is easier to control and standardize across the fleet and various suppliers around the world.

Value is Very Subjective

Now that you are familiar with the perks, let’s talk about that value so many people want to know about. Everything that comes with this addon is potentially worth it, but it all depends on what matters to you. Let me explain.

Take the champagne, it’s the second most valuable item in the package at around $105 on board price, but if you don’t like champagne, then it’s worthless to you. If you know someone who likes champagne, it’s possible to bring the bottle home to them in your luggage, but the bottle can be purchased for around $50 in many places, so justifying the champagne as a gift for someone else, doesn’t really make sense.

The same thing applies to the Savory Bites and juices. If you like those things, then they provide value to you, if you don’t like them, then it’s meaningless. I liked them both, but I like sweets and juices. Your enjoyment may vary.

Early boarding is what most people buy Splash of Romance for, which I understand. Typically, people want to get on the ship as soon as possible so they can start enjoying their vacation to the fullest. Personally, I get this mindset. I don’t want to stick around the port town, I want to get on the ship – if I wanted to stay in the city, I would have booked the vacation there instead of the cruise. Lots of folks think that early boarding is all the reason they need to spring for the package. In addition, the people who board soonest tend to have the best luck making reservations for other events like the Grog Walk or one of the very popular shows.

But that doesn’t cover every perk you get, there’s still one I haven’t talked much about.

Thermal Spa

The thermal spa passes are the most divisive among people. If you’ve never been to a thermal spa, I’d say give it a try, because you never know if you like something without trying it! I’ve spent time in thermal spas before, and I enjoy them and I enjoyed what Virgin offered. I didn’t take any pictures though, because that’s a creepy thing to do in a spa, but you can find promotional images on Virgin’s site to give you an idea.

Inside there’s a sauna, a salt room, a mud room, heated marble benches, and hot and cold plunge pools. If you haven’t used these facilities before, staff are happy to give you a tour and explain it as you go. The biggest thing that I don’t think many U.S. folks understand is that these are shared spaces, they aren’t private and just for you. Spa culture isn’t as prevalent in the U.S. as it is in Europe, at least in my experience, so this explains a lot of the confusion I see. Since you will be sharing the area with other guests, wearing a swimsuit is necessary.

There’s also no massage included with Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance. It’s not that they don’t have massage services, they do, it’s just not part of the Splash of Romance package. Some folks think that’s part of what they get and are disappointed when they find out what the package really is. I enjoyed my time in the thermal spa and would do it again. The staff is excellent, and the quality is quite high for a cruise ship.

As the most valuable item in the package, at least monetarily speaking, it’s worth talking about on its own. Purchasing it for two people separately costs between $120 and $160 (the price changes if you are in port or at sea), so out of the $250 price tag of Splash of Romance, this is a big part of it. As a final tip, the spa staff recommends coming on a port day because it’s less busy, but that’s only true as long as it doesn’t rain heavily and cancel all the excursions!

Is Splash of Romance Worth it?

It’s an easy answer for me, yes. But the answer may not be so quick for you.

I can’t say that it really represents a significant bargain. If you purchase the champagne and thermal spa passes separately, you would wind up close to breaking even. The juices push it over the goal line, again, just in monetary terms, but not by much. The Sultry Bites are nice, but they’re not better than all the other already amazing sweets available on the ship, and the Sail Away Hour is fine, but it’s easy to miss it as you’re getting your room set up or getting changed for dinner.

What does it come down to then?

Priority Boarding.

It was always going to be about Priority Boarding, wasn’t it? Yes, it was.

Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance doesn’t represent some sort of great deal, it’s basically pre-puchasing a few things. Priority Boarding is where the value truly lays.

Look, if you want to get on the ship ASAP and you don’t have Deep Blue Extras or a suite, Splash of Romance is made for you. This is really what the package is about, just feeling a little more special on your vacation. It doesn’t represent an amazing deal or some steal of the century thing, it’s just about feeling special.

So, ask yourself, when you take a vacation, do you want to feel special? I know that I do, and that’s why Splash or Romance gets a thumbs-up from me.

The post Virgin Voyages Splash of Romance – Is it worth it? appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Before we get any further into this, I want to make clear from the outset that any businesses I mention here have no relationship with us. If I’m bringing them up it’s because I think people would like what they offer and nothing more, I’m not receiving any commission from them or something like that.

Juneau

Juneau is the capital of Alaska but can only be accessed by sea or air; no roads lead to Juneau. That’s not a joke, there really aren’t any roads that lead into or out of Juneau. Which means that taking a cruise there is probably the best way to visit the town.

If you’re planning a day without excursions in Juneau, you need to consider that Juneau is one of the busiest ports in the state, so expect a lot of cruise ships to be in when you’re there. The good news is that because there are so many tourists that come to the city each day during the cruise season, there’s plenty of infrastructure to entice them.

Right around the port there are a lot of tourist shops. Most of these are going to have the same sort of jewelry, stainless steel Ulus, and T-shirts that you’ll see in any tourist shop, so unless that’s your thing, you can move right past them.

In that area, you can also find the Red Dog Saloon. It’s Juneau’s oldest tourist spot and has a couple of interesting things to see and do. In addition to the ambiance, which plays into the rough and ready theme, they have Wyatt Earp’s gun, which he checked in but never claimed, and a local shot that’s become quite famous. Known as the “Duck Fart”, which is more appetizing than it sounds, it consists of Irish cream, coffee liqueur, and whiskey in equal parts. There’s a walk-up window on the street where you can buy one and not have to wait for table service should you only wish to down the creamy concoction.

Mendenhall Glacier is one of the best sites in Juneau.

If you want something a little more cultured and a little less… Duck Farty… Maybe try the Alaska State Museum. It’s easily walkable by following the waterfront from the cruise terminal. Inside, you’ll find exhibits on local cultural and natural history, even retrospectives from local artists are on display there. You can learn about the native tribes, the history of mining and logging, WWII, and even a climb-aboard sailing ship. It’s a beautiful museum and something that excursion goers often miss.

If you’re up for a bit more of a journey, you can take a taxi out to Mendenhall glacier. About a 20-minute ride from port. Mendenhall is a beautiful glacier with a nice visitor center, and if you’re ambitious, you can hike over to Nugget Falls, which cascades down the mountain just to the right of the glacier. Although the glacier is included in many excursions, you don’t need one to go there and sometimes it can be better when you are on your own because you’ll have more time.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is often called “Alaska’s first city”, not so much because of when it was founded, but rather because of its location. It’s the furthest southeastern major city in Alaska and it’s situated right near the start of the Inside Passage, meaning it’s usually the first stop for a cruise.

The city of Ketchikan has more than 80 totem poles in it and you can scarcely go a block without seeing one. Tucked a little ways back from the waterfront, off of the aptly named Totem Dr. there’s the Totem Heritage Center. It’s a walkable distance from the port, but it’s uphill and might be a bit of a challenge for some people. If you’re willing to take an Uber, the Saxman Totem Park at the nearby Tlingit town of Saxman is another place that centers on totems that is easy to visit.

Ketchikan’s most iconic feature is Creek Street. It’s the perfect place to go when on an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

Nothing is more iconic that in Ketchikan than the famous Creek Street. Boardwalks running alongside Ketchikan Creek are home to dozens of businesses and restaurants. This attraction is really only accessible by foot, which makes it perfect for anyone that doesn’t have an excursion. You should know that a great deal of the waterfront is pay-to-enter, at least on one side of it, but the other side is accessible to the public. If you’re in Ketchikan, take a minute to walk through here, I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Finally, of course, there’s the lumberjack show. If you read my article on excursions in Alaska, you already know I was going to see this show. The reason that it’s showing up here is that you don’t need to book tickets on the ship, you can buy them day of at the door or on their website. Just make sure you don’t miss your ship leaving.

Sitka

The town of Sitka has a long and interesting histo ry involving the Tlingits, Russians, Americans, and was once the capital of Alaska before Juneau replaced it. If you’re coming into Sitka, you’re almost certainly docking at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, which is about 6 miles out from Sitka and there’s functionally no option to walk in. The good news is that they run shuttle buses into the town all day long when ships are in port. The terminal itself is quite lovely and there are a number of vendors that have a shop there.

Once you’re downtown in Sitka, you can walk almost everywhere that you might want to go. If you are looking to see wildlife, I recommend the Alaska Raptor Center which is on the edge of town, but still walkable. They do amazing work and you can see eagles, owls, hawks, and more up close and personal. You may have heard of the Fortress of the Bear which also does rehab work but that is very far outside of town, and one of the things that you can’t realistically walk to.

You can go to the Raptor Center in Sitka even if you’re doing an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

Not far from the Raptor Center, you can explore part of the Tongass Rainforest at the National Historic Park, which has easy to traverse paths, winding underneath the beautiful canopy formed by the towering trees that will surround you. This same place has a totem park with interpretive signs along one of the paths. Not far away from the park, you can check out the Sitka Science Center, which has a small aquarium and touch pools that kids are sure to love.

The downtown area isn’t massive, but it has a lot of interesting shops and other sights. I love supporting local businesses and I really love a local artist’s shop I encountered called Fate Accompli. Not only is the artist’s own art on display for decoration or on pottery, but she also has other local artists with ornaments, jewelry, and more. Stop in there and you’ll find something beautiful and local, which is better than cheap tchotchke.

Skagway

Skagway is one of the smaller towns that you’re likely to visit on an Alaskan Cruise, but the town is certainly built for lots of people. Almost immediately when you reach the town itself, you’ll notice the train, or at least the train tracks. These are part of the White Pass and Yukon Route train that I discussed in my video about Alaskan excursions. But, since this is a video about what to do if you don’t have an excursion, you’re going to step right over those rails on continue into the city.

GO right on by the Skagway train when you’re doing an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

The downtown, which is mostly confined to Broadway, feels and looks just like an old mining town and that’s because it is. The buildings that you see are largely original to the gold rush days and are suitably decorated. If you are want to walk around downtown, it’s easy to spend a few hours browsing through the shops and eating some local fare.

If you’d like a sugary treat, I recommend checking out the fry bread shop, it’s called Klondike Doughboy and it’s on 3^rd ave, just please don’t feed the crows. I love my birdy friends and if you think fried dough isn’t great for us, it’s really not good for them! Should you have worked up a bit of a thirst and are looking for try something with a local flavor, there are two places that serve Sitka Spruce Tip Beer (when it’s in season). Both Klondike Brewing Company and Skagway Brewing Company, serve the unique beverage. However, Skagway Brewing also has a restaurant if you need a bit to eat as well.

For those that are wondering what spruce tip beer tastes like, I would say that it’s similar to a sour. Fortunately, that happens to be my favorite type of beer, so I absolutely loved the pint I had.

Skagway is my favorite town to spend a day in when doing an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

Plenty of folks don’t really care for shopping or crowds, and it can get crowded in the town when five ships are in port, there’s some wonderful hiking that starts right at the waterfront. It’s about a 40-minute walk from the port to the Gold Rush Cemetery. This is the old cemetery for Skagway during its earliest years. Not much further of a walk brings you to Reid Falls, a stunning cascade of water over the mountainside. It’s worth mentioning that you can book a shuttle service to the falls and back from the downtown are for $10 per person if walking isn’t an option for you or if it’s just not something you fancy doing.

Another self-guided sightseeing choice is to rent a bike, including an e-bike. Sockeye Cycle, which is right downtown (like almost everything), has a variety of bicycles that you can pick up for the day. I’m not sure that most people will want to ride up the road out of town, which climbs a mountain, but some people might. I know I watched a few folks do it while I was there. This might be a little bit quicker way to see the cemetery and all of downtown in a day.

Skagway has lots of interesting activities that you can participate in besides hiking and eating. There’s the Skagway Museum and Archives where you can learn about the fascinating history of region. The Red Onion Saloon offers guided tours of the building that was once a brothel but is now a restaurant. You can easily while away time just sitting and relaxing by the stream and waterfront.

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point was created by the local Tlingit town of Hoonah nearby to give cruise ships a place to stop. While it doesn’t have a long history like many of these ports, it does have the distinct advantage of being designed from the ground up to accommodate cruise passengers.

I didn’t know what to expect here and, being completely honest, hearing that a place was designed specifically for cruise ships didn’t inspire confidence in me. However, I am happy to admit when I’m wrong and I was wrong to doubt Icy Strait, because I loved it!

In the complex, which I think is the fairest description of Icy Strait, there are two gondolas. The green one is free and runs from the “wilderness port” to the main area of Icy Strait Point. More than anything, it’s to get cruise ship passengers from the far port to the near port by cutting out the roughly quarter mile walk through the forest, although that walk is quite pretty. The other gondola, the red one, is only available to paid ticket holders and leaves from the wilderness port and goes up, way up, to top of the mountain.

These chili fries are some of the best I’ve had! Icy Strait Point is one of the best places for an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

Some excursions include all-day tickets on the red gondola, but you can also buy tickets day-of. At the top of the mountain is the zip line, which claims to be one of the worlds longest. There are a few small shops, a vendor for make-your-own smores packs, which you cook over an open fire, and a nature hike to the hidden lake, which is breathtaking. Buying tickets to the red gondola costs $55 per person, so it isn’t cheap. I love a nature hike and I love gondolas (kinda weird, I know) so I thought it was worth it, but you might not.  You should also know that if you are scared of heights, riding the gondola might be a challenge for you.

In the main area of Icy Strait Point, there is an adorable boardwalk with a few restaurants and shops. The majority of the shops are run by the local artisans and business owners, so you won’t be shopping at big international companies. There is one big international company there, but it is VERY clearly marked, almost hilariously so.

When visiting, I recommend stopping into one of these eateries I mentioned, grabbing a seat by the water, and trying the reindeer chili or, for the more intestinally abusive among us, the reindeer chili fries. They are amazing.

As for that seat by the water I suggested you grab, well that’s because the absolute best wildlife watching I’ve ever had in Alaska was in Icy Strait Point. Most people will book a whale and bear watching excursion, but just sitting around the harbor gives you some mind-blowing views.

Although the wildlife excursions in Icy Strait are great, you can easily enjoy nature sitting right at a table.

While we were there, I watched dozens of bald eagles catching fish, soaring above us, and preening in the trees over my head. There are humpbacks and orcas that live in the waters right off the shore. You might even see a bear while just sitting there eating your chili.

I really was skeptical of this place, and I experienced it without an excursion, just as I’m describing. Most of the people I talked to that day also had gone in with low expectations and every single one of them remarked how happy there were to be there. It’s worth mentioning that we were the only ship in port that day, which may have colored our perspective, but I think even with another ship in port we would have had a great time.

Victoria

The most common of the Canadian ports for a cruise stop is Victoria. This is not a port that I have personal experience with, however, one of our team members does. Karen, who is part of the Far Far Away Travels team, used to live in Seattle and has spent a fair amount of time in British Columbia. She wrote an entire article on the city that is worth reading if you’d like to get a much more thorough rundown of the activities available.  

The good news for everyone visiting the city is that Victoria is a popular place for people to explore, even without an excursion! Keep in mind that this is a sizeable city with around 400,000 people living in the Greater Victoria area. Even though you don’t need an excursion to do some cool things, you’ll probably need to grab a taxi or Uber.

One of the most popular and famous places you can visit is the Butchart Gardens. It’s about a 30-minute card ride from the cruise port in downtown Vitoria, but looking at these images of the gardens certainly makes me want to visit the next chance I get. Getting to spend any amount of time in a place like this would be worth the taxi over there.

If you’re in Victoria, it’s easy to do the Butchart Gardens on an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

If gardens aren’t your thing, the Royal BC Museum is another option. Their permanent exhibits cover both the cultural history and natural history of the region. The museum is large enough to attract traveling exhibits. Just a few days ago, at least at the time of writing, an exhibit on ancient Egypt opened and will be operating for the duration of the 2026 cruise season.

Perhaps you want to do a little shopping, fortunately, Victoria has you covered there as well. Given the size of the city, there’s all the normal sorts of touristy shopping places, but you may want to make your way down to the Fisherman’s Warf to experience something a little more unusual. At the Warf, you’ll find a floating collection of businesses. I don’t want to oversell it, because it isn’t the largest shopping area you’ll ever see, but there are numerous restaurants, an artisan boutique, and even kayak tours if you have the time and want an excursion after all.

I won’t belabor the point here any longer, there’s lots to do in this amazing Canadian city. If I’ve intrigued you enough that you want to learn more, check out the article my colleague Karen wrote about visiting Vitoria.

Haines

I have not yet been to Haines, and it is a less frequent stop for Alaskan cruises but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for a tourist to do there, far from it. Little did I know, when I started researching the town, that it has several very interesting and unique places to visit.

First things first, though, there is a shuttle service between the cruise port and the town that you can use at no cost. You can walk from the cruise ship dock into downtown Haines, it isn’t all that far, but the shuttle runs to different points around the area. According to the most recent map I could find (so, double check this when you’re visiting rather than taking my word as gospel), the route will take you to the following places:

First up is the Visitors Center, then the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, which is next to the Hammer Museum (more on that in a moment), followed by several different stops in the downtown area. Next the shuttle goes to Dalton City, which is the real movie set used in the 1991 film White Fang (yes, I’ll say more about that too). After that, the shuttle makes its way to The American Bald Eagle Foundation, and finally Historic Fort Seward.

As you see, there’s a fair number of things to do in Haines but let me tell you a bit more about them.

Haines is a fantastic port for an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

The Hammer Museum is exactly what it sounds like. It is a museum and it’s all about hammers. They claim to be the world’s largest collection of hammers, which I have no reason to doubt when they have thousands of examples on display and thousands more in storage. The small building is filled to the brim with examples of types of hammers, exhibits on the history of the tool, and rare hammers that can’t be found elsewhere. The city highlights that visiting such a different kind of museum is a bragging right unto itself.

At the Dalton City movie set from White Fang, you’ll find the structures from the Disney film. Haines is where the set was built and the filming took place, so they were left here after production wrapped. Today, the “town” remains as an attraction for people to visit.

American Bald Eagle Foundation is a non-profit organization that works towards to conservation of the American Bald Eagle and its habitat. The center is, obviously, in Haines and you can visit it. There you will find educational programs and a few resident birds.

The American Bald Eagle Foundation is a worth place to spend some time when you’re on an Alaskan cruise with no excursions.

The last stop of the shuttle is Historic Fort Seward. Last functional as a US military outpost in 1945, it is now a few remaining buildings and a clearing. What’s more popular to visit is the sculpture garden that was put in place on some of the old ruins of the barracks.

Besides what I’ve described, there’s lots of beautiful waterfront and nature to hike through, so there’s plenty to do at this stop. If you are more inclined to spend some of your day walking, there are several self-guided walking tours that the city has made pamphlets for. There’s one for the downtown area and one for Fort Seward. There’s also a walking tour of the totem poles around the city; that guide tells the stories for the totems and gives you their locations.

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert is a city in British Columbia that appears on the occasional Alaska cruise itinerary. The city has diverse industries and more than 10,000 people living in it. Just like Victoria, I haven’t been there myself so unfortunately I don’t have personal knowledge. However, also just like Victoria, we have people are on our team that are on their way to visit it as I’m recording this, so we will have that personal experience to help guide our clients and all of you.

I’ve heard online chatter, which is to say people complaining that there isn’t much to do in the city, at least within walking distance of the cruise terminal. I’ve spent several hours poring over tourism websites for the city and Google Maps to browse through the city’s streets, taking a virtual tour to see what there is to do.

Only a block or so from the terminal is the Museum of Northern BC. It’s not a very large museum, but it looks lovely from the exhibit pictures they have. The institute covers the geological history and the long cultural history of the area, dating back thousands of years. There’s also an attached art, the Ruth Harvey Art Gallery, which displays rotating works from local and regional artists.

Although Prince Rupert is lighter on things near the port, the Museum of Northern BC is worth your time on an Alaskan cruise with no excursions. Photo credit: Hans-Jürgen Hübnerhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7650323

On the horticultural side of things, the nearby Sunken Gardens offer visitors a gorgeous space to admire nature and, possibly, have lunch. Which brings up another possibility for an activity when in port, simply enjoying a cup of coffee. One of the things that I spotted in my perusing online were several cafés and bakeries in the area.

Aside from these things there are small art galleries, hand crafted gift shops, and some small parks and short hiking trails that can all be walked to fairly easily. There does seem to be some truth to the feelings of tourists that activities near the port are limited.

I want to be crystal clear here, what I found online pointed to an active city, with many restaurants, homes, and supermarkets, all overlooking a stunning landscape. Prince Rupert seems like a lovely place that has tons of things to do – away from the cruise terminal. There are water tours galore, cultural and nature centers, hiking trails, mountain vistas, all within driving distance of the port, but you do have to drive to things.

If you are interested in having a relaxing morning or afternoon and enjoying a walk along the waterfront, browsing some small shops and museums, or having a lovely cup of coffee, you’ll have a nice time. If that’s not something that interests you, then it might be a decent day to stay on the ship and take advantage of the quiet.

The post How To Take An Alaskan Cruise With No Excursions appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Virgin Voyages begins their very first Alaskan season with some very successful approaches.

• Different sorts of entertainment and enrichment activities on the ship.
• Shore excursions were made a little extra special by Virgin’s Shore Things teams.
• Small touches and new approaches make a big difference from other Virgin Sailings and other cruise lines in Alaska.

Could Virgin Voyages Pull Off Alaska?

The Alaskan cruise market is one of the most competitive, in demand, and saturated areas in cruising. When Virgin Voyages announced that they would be delaying the launch of their fourth ship, the Brilliant Lady, to modify it to be able to traverse the Panama Canal, they also said that they would be sailing in Alaska. Fans of the line were immediately excited, yet many remained trepidatious that Virgin, who built their ships for the balmy warmth of the Caribbean and Mediterranean, would handle the colder Alaskan climates well.

Could a line that throws a party like this, ever fit in up in Alaska?

Many pointed out that Virgin’s pools were open air, that Richard’s Rooftop (the small part of the ship reserved exclusively to suite guests) was also exposed to the elements. Virgin Voyage’s famous balcony hammocks were feared to be useless in the Alaskan weather, mostly because of the brisk temperatures. Speculation swirled around what the line could possibly do to stand out in a market swelling with other options. Is it possible to offer something no other line has offered when there are already more than 800 Alaskan sailings each year? Well, I went to find out.

One last thing before we dive in, this is a review. That means that even though we are travel agents, when we took this sailing it was at full price and there were no special benefits that we received. That means that what we experienced was the same that anyone could experience.

Expectations

I’d sailed Virgin Voyages six times before stepping onboard their inaugural Alaskan sailing, including once before on the Brilliant Lady. I’m well familiar with what the line offers. I also want to be clear about what I mean when I say inaugural, since Virgin has muddied the water somewhat. I sailed on an itinerary from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle, WA and that itinerary was the first time Virgin Voyages sailed Alaska, it was not the “Mer-Maiden” Voyage though, that was actually the voyage after mine. Their rationale for this was because the “Mer-Maiden” was the first time they sailed from their home port of Seattle.

The Mer-Maiden was the next sailing after the one I took. So, I was on the first Alaskan voyage for the line, just not the big flashy one.

When crews have never sailed to a region before, it can be a bit of a shakedown voyage. The staff have new menus catered to the region, that means different drinks to concoct, new dishes to prep, and new suppliers and supplies to work with. The crew are also getting used to the behavior of guests in the new region, such as when sailors are leaving their rooms so the house keeping staff can clean up and what activities are popular. Virgin Voyages has a very good reputation for guest service and food quality on their ships, so there’s pressure to perform here.

All in all, my expectations were high, since I’ve had many nice voyages on Virgin, but I was prepared for some hiccups.

The Brilliant Lady Is Different

Since not everyone is up to speed on Virgin Voyages, their ships, and their reputation, it’s worth a quick rundown.

• Virgin has four ships, The Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, and Brilliant Lady. The Brilliant is the most recent addition.
• They’ve got a reputation for great food and drinks.
• Their ships were designed with warm weather in mind – they’ve got balcony hammocks, lots of areas to lay in the sun, and tons of open-air spaces.

The last point has been a significant concern for some sailors thinking about taking Virgin Voyages Alaska.

Virgin Voyages was either thinking ahead or listening to feedback from sailors about concerns with the ship in Alaska. When the Brilliant Lady was delayed, Virgin not only modified the lifeboat mounting to become Panama Canal compliant, they also took the time to make some changes to their outdoor areas.

At the aft on deck 7, at The Dock, the outdoor chairs on The Brilliant Lady have been improved when compared to their counterparts on the other Lady Ships. As many people have noted and commented on, the original wooden deck chairs are extremely heavy, low to the ground, and generally not very comfortable to sit in. The chairs at The Dock on the Brilliant are much more comfortable and easier to sit in. This means better viewing of the gorgeous Alaskan vistas.

On deck 15, the two pools are heated, unlike the other three Virgin ships. They weren’t what many would call warm, but they were comfortable. We, and several others we became friends with, all went in the pool and thought it was quite nice but colder than when in the Caribbean. I’d guess the water temperature was around 70-75˚F (21-24˚C). There also wasn’t anyone really using the pool, so it wasn’t crowded. The folks that we were with were quite happy with the experience. The hot tubs were still hot, just so we’re clear that they are there.

Virgin swapped out some of the towels on deck for blankets. A welcome change and something that I wasn’t expecting them to do.

There were some, online, bemoaning that the pools weren’t enclosed, which is true. Whether that matters to you isn’t for me to say, but it didn’t dissipate my enjoyment. For what it’s worth, in my experience, Alaska isn’t the kind of place you go to enjoy a pool, even on a cruise. Most excursions involve being outside, many involve hiking, and almost all the ports are inside a literal rain forest, so being wet outside isn’t exactly a novel feeling in The Last Frontier.

One deck up, on 16, at the Athletic Club, the Brilliant Lady was updated to have the day bed lounging face outward and for the outer railing to be glass. As I write, the Valiant Lady is being updated to an identical configuration of the day beds on the Brilliant, but the other two ships face inward. Appreciating Hubbard glacier from this space was very easy and relaxed.

At every outdoor area, Virgin Voyages swapped out the stacks of towels for stacks of blankets. Although having outdoor blankets is hardly unique to Virgin, Princess offers blankets for their Movies Under the Stars, it’s something that I’ve not found on some lines in Alaska. Sailing Regent Seven Seas last year in Alaska, for example, they did not offer blankets on the open-air areas. On Virgin Voyages, I spent an hour or so lying comfortably under a blanket by the pool on one of the lounge chairs, it was quite enjoyable.

Cuisine

Virgin Voyages’ eateries are all what the cruise industry has come to call “premium restaurants.” This means that Virgin’s ships have no Main Dining Room, unlike many other cruises. Instead, you’ll eat at one of these dedicated and culinarily themed establishments each night. This has led some repeat customers to complain about the mostly static menus. Fortunately, Virgin has been listening here as well.

In the last year, each of the dining establishments on the ships have added limited time specials in addition to their standard menu. I always take the kitchen up on their short-term offerings and have never been disappointed. Virgin has gone a step further for their Alaskan sailings, though, by offering specific regional dishes on some of their menus.

Of the Alaskan exclusives, my personal favorite was the venison loin at the wake. I’m from a state where our schools and communities actually shut down for the start of deer season. Venison is a staple in our diets and I’ve eaten it my whole life. I can say with certainty that Virgin’s preparation was close to the best I’ve ever tasted. If you like fish, I also wouldn’t miss the roasted cod at Rojo. When I reviewed Rojo last year, I said it was the best of Virgin’s restaurants; their cod only reinforces the skill of that kitchen.

The venison at The Wake was astounding! One of my favorite dishes that Virgin has ever made and an excellent preparation even when compared to restaurants on land.

There are also limited items at the bars. Should you be inclined to partake of some alcohol on your sailing, Virgin has brought a cask of mulled wine aboard! Okay, so I don’t know if they actually have a cask, but they are offering the spiced drink. They also added a Hot Toddy to the drink list. The classic bourbon beverage happens to be one of my favorite cold weather drinks and I thought that they made theirs quite well. Virgin has always used higher quality alcohol than other lines in their cocktails, and they continue to do so with the these beverages.

Virgin Voyages’ Alaskan sailings feature additions to the coffee bars as well. At the Grounds Clubs, the ship’s cafés, I found two limited time espresso drinks, the Salty Sea Otter and the Denali Late. The former is a salted caramel and mocha brew, and the latter is a birch syrup infused latte. Both were delicious, although if you prefer a less sweet coffee, I recommend the Sea Otter as the Denali tended to be slightly more saccharine. That being said, it’s not often you get the chance to have birch syrup, so I would suggest trying it at least once because the taste is unique.

Events and Experiences

I’ve taken quite a few cruises and Virgin Voyages offers what, I think, to be the best entertainment, activities, and events of any line. I made my feelings clear some time back now and it hasn’t changed since then. The new shows on the Brilliant Lady are very popular, including the additional paid dinner shows.

On Virgin Voyages Alaska they are offering some new events and activities as well as speakers. The Happenings Cast is hosting several new events that were very popular with the sailors. The Crack The Crab event was a game show tied into eating crab and it was a massive hit. I personally get quite nervous in games like that, despite how very low stakes it is, so I only observed, but the participants were very invested.

In the evenings while the ship sailed in the Alaska fjords, which is to say the end of port days, there was an outdoor event at The Dock at sunset. As hues of auburn dapple the gold washed sky, one of the Happenings Cast will tell a short story to the assembled crowd. It’s only about 10 minutes total, but then an interesting thing happened each time, the people stuck around. Nearly everyone who came each night, which was usually 75 or more people, gathered together with their blankets and just started talking with each other. It was a wonderful event. I can’t guarantee that will happen with any particular sailing, but it happened with mine.

Virgin Voyages Alaska had a new game for the Happenings cast to host called, Crak The Crab. It was a riot!

Virgin also had a member of the Tlingit tribe on the ship to teach guests about the traditional woodworking techniques of the tribe and share the history of the people. When we were at Hubbard glacier, Virgin brought a naturalist on the ship who spoke over the PA system about what we were seeing around us. They also had mobile drink carts serving coffee and hot chocolate (as well as more adult beverages) on deck 16 while we were at the glacier. Although those sorts of things are the expectation for any cruise that visits Alaska, they are new for Virgin, especially having someone talking on the PA. After all, the line is known for their approach to reduce announcements as much as possible. Virgin, for example, does not have the captain address the ship each morning while most other lines do.

Just like their musical performers, these two guests will change between sailings, and you’ll experience something different from me. The point of mentioning it here is to highlight that Virgin Voyages Alaska is doing things a little differently from their usual approach. There’s even a temporary Happenings Cast member, The Lumberjack. If you read my Alaskan excursion article, you’ll know how much I enjoy lumberjacks! He was only on for a couple days, until we reached Ketchikan, where he got off the ship. How much he’ll be back I don’t know, but it was fun while he was aboard (I just wish I got a picture with him, but there was considerable competition).

Successes

Virgin Voyages Alaska had some truly outstanding things that they do to make your time onboard their ship special. While every line does something a little different for Alaska, Virgin is one of the few adults only cruise lines in the world, so their clientele is slightly different.

What I haven’t mentioned yet in this article are the small touches that they put into their rooms. Each room was equipped with a very soft, plush, fleece blanket. Our Sea Terrace room had two, one each for Nichole and I. Of course they were a red color, but hued closer to maroon than Virgin’s signature scarlet. Not only were they warm enough to make for a cozy bed each night, but they also kept you toasty should you decide to spend time outside on your balcony, like enjoying the hammock, which is something I certainly did.

In the RockStar and Mega RockStar suites (which I didn’t pay for this trip but certainly have in the past), Virgin included not only the blankets but also a pair of Binoculars. The brand and model they chose is, and I swear I had no idea, the exact same ones that I recommended just a matter of weeks ago in my article on What to Pack for Alaska. I asked several suite guests what they thought of the binoculars and they had nothing but praise for them. It seems that my recommendation is a good one.

I wasn’t sure if Virgin Voyages Alaska would make an adaptation to their linens, but they did. There’s nothing amazing about these fleece blankets, but having them at all made a huge difference.

There’s other small touches that made a difference. During our time at Hubbard Glacier, Virgin had mobile hot chocolate and coffee carts on deck 16, which is where most people were observing the glacier. You could also have spiked those beverages if you wished. We also got a sneak preview of what, we confirmed with crew, Virgin is trying to do at Hubbard. They brought a small boat up to the Brilliant Lady for a film crew to get on. That was also a test to see if they could sell that as an excursion! Keep an eye out for that in the future because the camera crew said it was stunning.

Speaking of beverages, something that I hadn’t expected was the included alcohol on several different excursions we went on. It’s not that I have never had alcohol included with an excursion, there are many catamarans in the Caribbean who serve cheap rum drinks while you snorkel, it’s more that I wasn’t expecting it in Alaska and it wasn’t included in other cruise ships that booked them. The only reason that I know that is because when we went to the Lumberjack Show (which you should go to), the announcer specifically stated that guests from our ship were given drink tickets and that other lines weren’t. I can’t say if that will always be the case, but I can say that it’s a lot easier to throw in a free drink as a bonus for booking that excursion if the cruise line has no kids on it.

Some Failures

Not everything is perfect, though, not that I expect it to be but it should be mentioned regardless. Virgin Voyages Alaska had some shortcomings that did impact our trip.

At the top of the article, I mentioned Richard’s Rooftop, the suite guests’ exclusive area of the ship. People worried that it wouldn’t be used much in Alaska given that it’s an open air space and Alaska is, well, not the Caribbean. Since I wasn’t staying in a suite, I didn’t have access to this space but, I can look through the glass partition. What I saw was minimal use, which was what people predicted. I’m not sure what Virgin could do to correct that short of a complete redesign that I don’t think they want to do. The one thing that was in use in the Richard’s Rooftop area was the hot tubs, those remained popular.

The most significant shortcoming is the tender port of Juneau. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the term, a tender port is any port where you are not docked at a pier, but rather you are docked away from shore and need to board a smaller boat to get to shore. There are many places where this is the only way to visit, from small towns like Eastport Maine, to very popular places like Grand Cayman.

Juneau has quite a few shoreside docking places, but it also has many ships that come each day. If your ship is smaller or newer to the rotation, you’re likely going to experience Juneau as a tender port. Virgin’s ships are not small, nor are they particularly large for the cruise industry. They are new to Alaska, however, and that puts them fairly low in the pecking order, thus they are tendering people in.

I don’t know what Virgin Voyages Alaska has going wrong in Juneau with the tendering, but they really do need to sort that out.

The tender situation was rather chaotic for us. On every cruise, people with shore excursions will get priority to take the tender, often staged by groups, before anyone without an excursion will be taken to shore. Even with the grouping and scheduling, we didn’t get to shore until an hour after our tour was supposed to begin. This meant that we lost time on our excursion. We still went on the excursion because it was waiting for all of us from the ship, but we lost an hour. That meant that we didn’t get to whale watch and hike at Mendenhall glacier as much as we should have.

Problems with the tendering don’t seem to be limited to just our cruise either since, as I write this, there are reports coming in about similar issues happening at Juneau once again.

I can’t say for sure what the cause of the delay was, but something wasn’t right that day. Keep this in mind when booking things in Juneau. Also, to be clear, when I say people with an excursion get priority, what I mean is, people with an excursion booked through the cruise line get priority. If you booked an excursion on your own… you will have to wait in the standby line or book the first available slot once tender slot booking is opened up in the Virgin Voyages app. Realistically, if you book an excursion in the morning at Juneau and it isn’t through the cruise line, you aren’t going to make it. You shouldn’t book anything before, at the earliest, 1PM if you’re doing it on your own.

In fact, I would caution you from booking anything on your own in Juneau right now.

Most of the dishes on the Virgin Voyages Alaska sailing we did were excellent… not the Achiote Spiced Salmon from Pink Agave. Maybe skip this one.

That was the only major issue that we ran into, but there are some minor flubs that you should have a heads up about.

• The shows are very popular, so much Virgin is rumored to be bringing back ticketing for them. (That doesn’t mean that they will cost extra, it’s just to control crowd size and eliminate people just waiting in line.) We can’t confirm their plans as of writing, but this is a widespread rumor.
  
  For now, you should know that if you want to see a show, you’ll need to line up early; unless you are sailing as a RockStar, of course.
• When the Lumberjack is on, they aren’t on for very long. I can’t even say this is truly a flub, but Virgin didn’t make it completely clear that he is only on for a couple days of any cruise.
• Pink Agave’s Alaska menu item, the Achiote Spiced Salmon, isn’t great. I love salmon and cook it frequently; I’m no stranger to this fish. The approach here, with the combination of flavors and the cooking technique, just doesn’t work. I would avoid this one and get something else from the menu.

Conclusion

Many fans of Virgin Voyages worried that they would fumble Alaska. They said that the pools won’t be any good, that the ship wouldn’t be fun outside of balmy weather, that Virgin wasn’t designed as a line to sail in cold weather. I can confidently say that all those fears are overblown.

Virgin Voyages Alaska sufficiently altered their approach to sailing to meet the needs and desires of the area. There were many long time Virgins… wait… There were many returning Virgin guests we met on the ship that raved about how much fun they were having. I ended up socializing with people more than I usually do because folks were in a fantastic mood and having fun.

I love Skagway! The owners of the Red Onion put this sign out for our first visit and it’s perfect. I really do love that town.

Yes, Scarlet Night was a little more subdued given that the top deck dance party was moved inside and likely will be for much of the season. That change didn’t dampen people’s spirits, though, as all through Scarlet Night people were spotting whales off the side of the ship and it turned into a mix of dancing and nature watching. That’s not something that I’ve ever seen in the warm waters of the gulf.

I spent hours watching the scenery pass by, warmly wrapped in blankets, curled up in the hammock. There was delicious venison, cod, crab, salmon, and halibut, at every restaurant. The mood was bright and fun, as it always is, but there were opportunities to engage in culture and education that don’t typically happen on Virgin’s sailings.

At the end of the day, I’ve been to Alaska before, but I’ve never had such a good time as this.

The post Virgin Voyages First Alaska Sailing Review – Stunning And Successful appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Please, believe me when I say that these tours are worth it.

Ellis Island Hard Hat Tours

The first thing you need to know about these tours is that their name isn’t playful, they require you to wear a hard hat when on the tour because of the environments you’ll be going through. These tours take you into areas that visitors are otherwise restricted from entering because the buildings are in a state of arrested decay. Tour guides will only take you to safe places in the complex, but they don’t want any unexpected stray piece to fall on your head.

There’s a real reason for protection on Ellis Island Hard Hat Tours.

On the tour, your guide will tell you about the history of the island, the immigrants that came through here, and what the buildings and the people in them did. Principally, the buildings you’ll see are tied to the hospital system that supported the immigration process. There are dormitories, industrial laundry facilities, quarantine buildings, even a surgery theater.

You’ll be part of a small group, which could mean as many as 30, but it could also mean just a handful. The tour we went on had just eight of us. The tours are emotional, giving names and sometimes faces to the real people that came through here. Sometimes their tales end in joy, others end in sorrow, and all journeys took deep courage. Perhaps most surprising of all the things I learned is how compassionate this system was.

I don’t want to imply that there wasn’t plenty of tragedy within the walls of Ellis, but hearing the lengths that the hospital workers went through to care for patients was inspiring. The sometimes terrible realities faced by people and the heart wrenching decisions made by family members is almost unfathomable. The fact that so much empathy existed for them by the staff charged to manage this entire process is admirable.

A Historical Primer On Ellis Island

Although Ellis Island’s immigration building was opened in 1892, its roots date back further in US history. It’s first recorded use was as a military fortification in the 1790s during rising tensions with Britain and France. Since the island’s natural state would have left it submerged at high tide, it’s unlikely that there were earlier permanent human uses. The U.S. military, though, did make good use of Ellis Island and it’s neighbor, which is now known as Liberty Island. They constructed forts on each of them which were important defensive structures in the war of 1812, helping to protect New York harbor. Although little remains of the original fortifications, the Statue of Liberty is constructed on one of them. Fort Wood, completed in 1811, now serves as the pedestal for the statue.

The military uses for the two islands faded following the U.S. Civil War and by 1890 the federal government took over immigration within the country. That same year, Congress ordered the construction of the first federal immigration site on Ellis Island. The fortifications were torn down and the first immigrant stations replaced them. It was completed in 1892 but burned down in 1897, fortunately there were no recorded casualties.

The second immigrant station was opened in 1900 – this time it was built to be fireproof, or at least more fireproof. This is the building that we are familiar with today, although it has been significantly expanded since its original construction. The first expansions included a ferry house, a hospital, and a kitchen with laundry facilities. Later expansions were made to include an contagious-disease ward, greenhouse, and even growing the island itself.

On an Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour, you’ll learn so much more about the history of the site.

Immigration to the island was in the hundreds of thousands per year from it’s opening until the outbreak of the First World War in 1915. During the war, immigration to the island collapsed to tens of thousands. Although immigration rebounded to more than half a million after the war ended, new and highly restrictive immigration laws were passed and brought about and end to the era of mass immigration.

There’s a great deal of important history that I’m glossing over and a great deal more that I haven’t even covered. Afterall, despite my history degree and training, my job, here and now, is not to give a seminar on Ellis and immigration history, despite an intense desire to go on and on about interesting things that you likely didn’t know – like I bet that you haven’t heard about the Black Tom explosion that damaged the immigration station on Ellis and was caused by spies from Germany that set fire to a stockpile of munitions! It was the lar…

I’m being told that I should stop by my editor.

As I was saying, my job is to entice you to travel to interesting places. It’s the job of the guides on the Hard Hat Tours on Ellis Island to tell you all about the fascinating history. Seriously, though, I’m leaving a lot out on purpose because that’s the point of the tour!

Why Should You Take The Tour?

If you care about the preservation of Ellis Island and the facilities on it, you should do one of these tours. The proceeds go to Save Ellis Island, a National Park Service partner whose goal and purpose is to preserve and restore the 29 buildings on the south end of the island. As surprising as it may seem today, most of the island’s facilities were abandoned after its closure in 1954 when it had been serving as a detention facility and military complex once again.

Ellis Island Hard Hat Tours are an activity that fills your soul!

The structures sat there, exposed to the elements for nearly twenty years. During that time, there were multiple proposals to redevelop the island into private use for high rise residential or hotel accommodations. All of those fell through. In the mid-1960s, though, the National Park Service proposed to redevelop the island into a national monument and, although the Johnson administration liked the idea and pursued it, nothing happened during that time. It wasn’t until the 1970s when any renovations began by the NPS and only a hundred or so visitors were allowed on the island each day.

It wasn’t until 1990 that the main building was renovated to the point that it was reopened to visitors. Not long after additional renovations allowed the north side of the building to reopen. The original ferry building was renovated as well and it was opened to visitors in 2007. It took 30 years to reopen three-ish buildings. Yes, they are large buildings, but it was 30 years. There are 29 more buildings on the island that haven’t been restored.

Now, the mission of Save Ellis Island isn’t, necessarily, to restore every building in the same way the main building has been. Right now the mission is to bring the other buildings into a state of arrested decay and preserve them from falling into further disrepair. As you might imagine, that takes a fair amount of time and resources. By taking one of these Hard Hat Tours, you help support that effort. You get to personally help support the preservation of American History, you learn things you never knew, and go to places you never thought you could go.

At least for me, personally, I literally cannot think of anything else I would rather do than those three things.

The post The Beautiful Unrestored History of Ellis Island appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

This is your guide to Virgin Voyages deals. Virgin Voyages is shaking up the cruise industry with its bold new approach. Setting itself apart from traditional cruise lines, Virgin has a strict No-Kids policy, leads the way in environment-friendly cruising, and includes more in the base fare than any similar cruise line. Discover the latest Virgin Voyages deals for an unforgettable cruise experience.

Virgin Voyages continually rolls out an assortment of offers and promotions—some combine, others not. Keeping track of these deals can be complicated. Here’s our up-to-date guide, designed to keep you informed.

Please note: Virgin Voyages deals often include sales on select sailings which only last a few days. They won’t be included in this article.

If you would like to find special group rates, or special individual sales, check out this SubReddit.

Current Primary Virgin Offer

Buy one, get 70% off the second sailor for eligible cabins, XL sea terrace and below to insider cabins.

The current primary promotion is for new booking made until May 28.

This combines with the MNVV use, loyalty offers (see referral bar tab below), Paid in Full discount, resident rates, and military-first responder rates. Lock it in rates do not qualify.

Sail on the any of the four Lady Ships with Virgin Voyages deals.

What’s a Bar Tab? What’s Sailor Loot?

Bar Tab is prepaid credit you have received through a promotion or purchased before the cruise.  It is credit you can spend onboard toward the cost of alcohol, smoothies, mocktails, energy drinks,  specialty coffees and teas, and fresh pressed juice.

Sailor Loot is what is typically called onboard credit or OBC. This money can be spent on bar tab items but can also be spent on shore excursions (if you book them while on board), spa services, extra cost items in the restaurants such as a tomahawk steak, tattoos, room service charges, specialty coffees and teas, mocktails, bingo cards, gambling, onboard events that come with an extra charge, or to purchase items in the gift shops. You can even buy a hammock! Once you have spent your Bar Tab money, they will charge the remaining drinks to your Sailor Loot. When that runs out, they will charge your credit card.

In both cases, if you do not spend it by the end of the trip, you lose it.

This is what you’ll spend bar tab on.

If you wish to purchase more bar tab before the cruise, there are bonuses: Virgin Voyages offer sailors the opportunity to buy a ‘Bar Tab’ before they sail. Bar Tab can be purchased in several ‘chunks’ each with a corresponding bonus if you buy it before the cruise. While Virgin often sells these at the terminal as you board, it is safest to buy it at least a few days before your sailing. Once you are onboard the bonuses are not available.

• $200 Bar Tab: Bonus $25 (12.5% extra)
• $300 Bar Tab: Bonus $50 (16.7% extra)
• $500 Bar Tab: Bonus $100 (20% extra)
• $750 Bar Tab: Bonus $175 (23.3% extra)
• $1000 Bar Tab: Bonus $250 (25% extra)

If you would like to look at bar menus to get an idea of prices, we have put this together (dinner menus too).

Virgin’s Standard Discounted Rates

Virgin has long-standing discounted rates for specific types of sailors. They often don’t combine with other offers but can provide some of the lowest fares. These are not offered on every sailing and usually appear only a few months or weeks before the sailing date.

1. Resident Discount Rates. For any of these rates, you will need to show proof of residency.
   • Florida
   • Georgia
   • Puerto Rico
   • New York
   • New Jersey
   • Connecticut
   • California
   • Oregon
   • Washington
   • Nevada
   • Arizona
   • Mexico
   • Canada
2. U.S. or Canadian First Responders or Active or Retired Military. These include active, veteran, spouses, or surviving spouses of any branch of the military. First responders include firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and police. ID proof will be necessary when checking in at the port.
3. Solo Travelers. Solo travelers often get stuck paying double as cruise lines tend to charge per cabin. Virgin often offers Solo sailor rates at discounted prices. Read more below.

Is this your first time sailing Virgin? Get Free Bar Tab!

Virgin Voyages has a referral program which can get you extra free Bar Tab on your first sailing. Ask us for a referral code BEFORE you book, and you can qualify for a free $150 bar tab on any cabin except for a lock-it-in rate or Mega Rock Star.

This offer does not combine with many other offers.

If you have sailed Virgin before, you can get a referral code link to share with your friends. You can earn $150 free bar tab for every successful referral you make and can spend them on your sailings for up to a year. You can use up to of 2 per sailing for up to $300 free bar tab.

My Next Virgin Voyage Certificates (MNVVs)

There are two kinds of MNVVs, however, Virgin discontinued the older version, which was more generous, so only the new version is regularly available.

We often have new style MNVVs available for our clients’ use. If you’re interested, find our contact us links at the bottom of this article.

My Next Virgin Voyages (MNVV) certificates which can only be purchased while sailing on Virgin. It is what other cruise lines call a future voyage deposit, but Virgin’s is more generous than most. We buy batches when we sail with Virgin so that we can share them with our clients. They can be transferred to another person once, and because they represent such great perks. To use one, you reimburse us the $150 we paid for it, and we use it to make a new booking in your name. The $150 is then applied as payment toward your deposit when we use the certificate.

• If you book a cruise of 4-5 days with your MNVV: You get $150 discount off the price of your cabin and $150 Sailor Loot (On Board Credit)
• If you book a cruise of 6-8 days with your MNVV: You get $200 discount off the price of your cabin and $200 Sailor Loot (On Board Credit)
• If you book a cruise of 9 days or more with your MNVV: You get $250 discount off the price of your cabin and $250 Sailor Loot (On Board Credit)

These certificates only work on a sea terrace (balcony) or better, not a lock-it-in rate. They expire after two years and are non-refundable. If you have one you will not use, we and other travel advisors often reimburse for them for the use of other clients.

Important: Buy these while on board. If you buy them after you sail they usually have the loot but not the discount.

The old style MNVVs cost $300 but provided a $300 discount and added $600 on board credit sailor loot.

There are plenty of “sweet” deals to be had!

There is another type called a “Lasting Glow.” If you missed buying one onboard you can sometimes buy one after you sail but it typically includes only the sailor loot, not the discount. We recommend always buying onboard to get the best value.

Lock-It-In Rates

When these are offered, they are the lowest prices you will see. But they come with many restrictions. The internet is littered with tales of woe from people who booked a lock-it-in rate without understanding the fine print and who later need to cancel or change.

While the rate is good there are serious restrictions to consider before you choose any lock-it-in rate:

• No Cabin Changes: Once assigned, cabin changes are not allowed, this means you could be left with a less desirable cabin such as a noisy cabin. Or, booking a sea terrace, one that has no hammock or has a metal balcony.
• No Date Changes: Cruise date changes are restricted, and no future voyage credit will be provided if you change your cruise date.
• No Refunds: There are no refunds available once booked and  they are not eligible for flexible policies. This means the usual 7 day period to cancel for a full refund does not apply with a lock-it-in rate.
• Unknown Cabin: You might not know your cabin number until you sail, as assignments can occur up to and including the day you sail.
• No Referral Code Bonuses.
• MNVV Restrictions: You can not use a My Next Virgin Voyage Placeholder on Sea Terrace Lock It In Rates (it can be used on Rockstar and Mega Rockstar Lock It In Rates)

If you do decide to book, we strongly suggest purchasing travel insurance from an outside vendor. We have had many clients who had a last-minute health emergency, or who had to cancel due to family illness.

Pay In Full and Save

Paid In Full Discount. If you book a cruise more than a year before sailing, on most sailings you can pay in full and save 10% off the price after port fees and taxes. This does not apply to suites or lock-it-in rates.

Reduced Single Supplement Rates

Solo travelers love Virgin Voyages as the Virgin provides many opportunities for solo meet-ups and activities. Contact us and we’ll tell you which sailings have this discount.

More information

If you’re still wondering about Virgin Voyages or have specific questions, some of our most popular articles might help.

• Virgin Voyages Dining Guide
• Splash of Romance
• Virgin Voyages Fitness
• Scarlet Lady Lucky Lotus
• Sailing as a Mega Rockstar

Of course, if you don’t see the exact question you’re interested in, contact us and we’ll help.

The post Guide to the Best Virgin Voyages Deals – May 2026 Edition appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

What Adults Only Cruise Lines Are There?

There are currently three adults only, or as they sometimes say “kid-free”, cruise lines in the world, which certainly lends a bit of exclusivity to them. Those three lines are, in order of how long they have been adults only, Viking, Virgin Voyages, and Oceania. The last of those only joined the game in January 2026 and, before that, Virgin Voyages only joined in February 2020. Suffice it to say, this is still a small field of players.

Offering up an option for people to sail the seas, and rivers in the case of Viking, without children around has obvious appeal. In fact, there are a growing number of establishments that cater to adults only in the travel world, especially with boutique hotels and B & Bs. I doubt that this segment will ever become dominant in travel, simply because plenty of people want to travel with their kids, but I do expect to see more companies and venues offering this experience.

You may notice that the three cruise lines I listed are higher end experiences, and that does seem to be typical. The ships are smaller, especially Viking’s, and the target clients for these companies are often higher-earning adults that want sophistication and refinement in their experiences, typically meaning luxurious accommodations. In fact, a very popular type of client for these lines are parents with their adult children. It’s commonplace to find families traveling together on these ships, especially for reunions.

Even though each line has the same rule of, no sailors under the age of 18, each one is different in the atmosphere they offer.

Viking

Viking cruises is the largest of these lines, by a long shot. They offer both river and ocean cruises all over the world, so there’s lots of offerings for itineraries. Viking is also the most senior player in adults only cruises and they have the biggest advertising budget, so most people in their target markets have heard of them.

A Viking Cruises River Boat

Onboard, the Viking experience is mostly all-inclusive. There are some alcoholic beverages that will be charged to you should you wish to have them, but they do offer a selection of alcoholic beverages at meals in the restaurants, and these will be included in your ticket. Alcoholic beverages ordered outside of restaurants will be charged to you, but there is a beverage package available for an additional cost to cover these sorts of occurrences.

Wi-Fi is also included in your bookings on Viking, and they even offer a limited selection of included excursions. Another gratis amenity is access to the spa on the ship. The exact offerings in the spa changes from ship to ship over their large fleet, but in general it will have saunas. Since this question gets asked frequently when spas are the topic, no, massages are not included on the ships that offer that service.

The vibe on their ships tends to be, what I would call, reserved and quiet. Viking’s clientele trends older than some other lines and it’s uncommon to find sailors younger than 45-50 on any sailing. The entertainment on board is focused on enrichment, emphasizing science, culture, and history lectures, rather than show tunes or stand-up comedy. The décor is elegant and refined, with glass railings and rich wood surfaces.

We’ve found that the line has excellent customer service and offers more overnight stays in ports as well as longer itineraries than most competitors. If what I’ve described sounds good to you, then Viking might just be the line for you. Given that they offer both ocean and river cruises, that gives them an extra edge that’s hard to beat.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin has made a name for itself on the seas with its target market. They offer a distinctly youthful experience on their ships, emphasizing fitness, top-notch entertainment, and top-tier food. The onboard experience is amazing no matter what cabin you are staying in, whether that be a Sea Terrace or a Mega-Rockstar suite. While Virgin only has four ships, and their itinerary diversity is more limited, they still offer many diverse and excellent options.

Virgin Voyages Top Deck Running Track on Their Adults Only Cruise Ship

Included amenities cover, Wi-Fi, fitness classes, and most beverages. There are no restaurants walled behind an upcharge, every dining establishment is included in your booking – a major departure from every similarly priced cruise line. They do not, however, include the spa like Viking. There are also no included excursions on Virgin, but at a lower price point than Viking, that makes sense.

Most shocking for a cruise line is that there is no drinks package available. The customers on Virgin Voyages seem to prefer it this way and, for what it’s worth, so do I. I rarely encounter overconsumption of alcohol to be a problem on their ships, not that it doesn’t happen but I’ve never seen it become an issue like it can on other lines. Their drinks are also reasonably priced at, what I would call, typical bar prices. The quality of the drinks, though, is unmatched on the ocean and they also offer some of the best mocktails I’ve ever encountered.

The vibe on their ships tends to be youthful. That doesn’t always mean young people, but it does mean people who are young at heart. There are twenty-year-olds and sixty-year-olds sharing the dance floor, having a blast. People are, generally, polite, fun, and diverse, the same goes for the staff. Overall, joyful and relaxed are the best descriptors for Virgin. You can just as easily relax in your Sea Terrace hammock, reading a book, as you can dance the night away at the pool on Scarlet Night.

If that sounds appealing to you, then Virgin Voyages may be the cruise line for you. If you do like the experiences, Virgin brands also have other travel opportunities that may appeal to you, like hotels and airlines, which is quite different.

Oceania

Oceania cruises, as I mentioned above, only very recently joined the adults-only cruise lines. Before January 2026 they were open to all ages which puts a bit of a wrinkle into their new change. To accommodate the passengers that have already booked an Oceania cruise with their young children, they are allowing those bookings to proceed as purchased. That means that, for a while, you will likely still experience kids on the ship, but there likely won’t be many of them. That’s general lack of children is the reason they made the change, most of their customers didn’t travel with kids.

Onboard, Oceania offers a mostly robust basic package. Their standard fare includes specialty dining, Wi-Fi (one per guest), gratuities, soda, specialty coffee and tea, Vero still and sparkling, cold pressed juices, smoothies, gourmet ice cream, free self-serve laundries. It’s worth noting that suite guests get free laundry service. That puts their included amenities somewhere between above Virgin and below Viking.

Oceania Makes A Big Deal Out of Afternoon Tea

They do offer a drinks package as well as a larger upgrade package they call Simply More which includes a drinks package, excursions, airfare, and transfers (transportations from the airport or a hotel to the ship at the start of the cruise and then the same at the end of the cruise).

The vibe on their ships tends towards a country club feel. The Oceania clientele is often in their 40s-60s. The entertainment on board features pianists, classical string quartets, and dynamic vocalists. They also boast of their lecture series, culinary center for cooking classes, and art seminars. Afternoon tea, the classic affair, headlines their activities, which gives you an idea of how important they think it is.

We’ve had clients rave about their time on board and want to sail again immediately. The line is part of NCL, so if you’ve have status with that cruise line they recently opened up so you can status match with NCL to Oceania. Reports are that many NCL sailors are quite happy stepping up to this line with the status match. If what I’ve described sounds good to you, then Oceania might just be the line for you.

Options

These are the only three truly adults-only cruise lines in the world, so if you don’t want to have a single child around you on the ship, you’ll need to pick one of these. However, there are other lines that, while they don’t explicitly ban kids, kids just aren’t very common.

Among these are Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, Silversea, Explora, Seabourn, and Seabourn. More specialized lines, sometimes called expedition cruises, often have few children on them. Lines like HX, Ponant, and Lindblad are all in this more rarified area of cruising and young kinds are just a very uncommon sight.

There’s one common thread among all the lines that don’t allow or don’t frequently have children on them, though, they are more luxury focused. Don’t get me wrong, you can sail Virgin Voyages for a price that’s competitive with RCCL once you factor in what’s included with Virgin against RCCL’s packages to achieve the same thing, but that’s the only listed here line I can say that about.

The truth is, if you want to sail kid-free, you’re going to be looking at a premium experience and a more premium price. That’s not exactly a terrible thing, but price is a factor to consider. That being said, I cannot even count how many times I’ve sat down at breakfast on Virgin and someone says to their dining partner, “I’m so glad that I don’t hear screaming kids.”

The post The Only Adults Only Cruise Lines In The World appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

Hotel room coffee makers are kinda gross, is there a good travel kettle and, if so, what is the best travel kettle?

Wait, what’s the problem?

Hear me out. Hotel room coffee makers are indeed disgusting. Coffee makers are meant to be things that simply heat water and dispense it over coffee. Some of them use pods, some use little discs that go in a tray, and others are just a good ole’ drip coffee maker.

There are videos of people “cooking” chicken in the coffee makers of hotel rooms.

Do. Not. Do. That.

I also like tea, especially in the evenings when I have a little peppermint tea before I go to bed. It’s my ritual. The in-room coffee makers always make the tea taste like coffee and that ruins the tea. Since I’m in the U.S. we don’t typically have kettles in our hotel rooms like many European places do.

It would be nice to get rid of the coffee taste and not worry about the cleanliness of the coffee maker. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of coq au coffee…

What is available?

My search proved that there were only a small number of what I think of as portable kettles. To be qualified as portable, I wanted them to be about the size of a tumbler mug, easily fit in a carry on bag or backpack, and able to boil water. The kettles also had to be made with a stainless steel heating chamber (some models had plastic walls and that is unacceptable).

Those qualities ruled out all but a few “portable” or “travel” kettles and left me with three to trial.

The first kettle is from a company called Nicewell. It was the smallest of the bunch, but the most pleasing to the eye. The next was from balbali (yes, it’s lower case) which was the largest of them but also the most utilitarian. Last is the Conyee which came in the middle of the sizes and also had a small cloth bag to protect it, which was a nice touch.

Here’s a few stated specs and features comparing them.

* The model changes, but it does have color options.

As you can see, these kettles are all pretty straightforward and don’t come with a lot of extra features. I also will take a moment to explain the grades of stainless steel. All processed metals have different grades to them with each grade being for a different application. These grades are not necessarily indicative of quality, they are to indicate the intended use case. Stainless steel grades 304 and 316 are both food safe and used in cooking products but 316 is more resistant to corrosion, specifically the type of corrosion from salt water.

Testing Parameters

To find the best travel kettle I needed to test these three candidates and see how they performed in the task of heating water. To do so, I devised a testing environment that gave consistent conditions to observe performance. I also used my personal electric kettle to create a standard to compare against.

Here are the conditions:

• Time how long it takes to heat cold tap water at two different temperatures. First at 175°F setting, then at the boil/212°F.
• Each timed test will use 300ml of water.
• Temperature accuracy will also be measured by temping the water once it is poured into the mug. Temperature is taken using a food grade thermometer and the water will be poured into a warm mug.
• The test at each temperature will performed twice, chilling the kettle with cold water in between.

To answer questions that I anticipate some of you may ask, here are my answers.

Why use a warmed up mug? Because warming a cup is common practice for both coffee and tea drinkers. I recommend that you try warming your mug at home. Just fill your mug with hot tap water and let it sit to absorb the heat while the coffee finishes.

What is the rationale for 300ml? That is a volume the all the kettles could hold and it is slightly more than one U.S. cup and about the right volume for a large ceramic mug or small tumbler mug.

Could the Conyee be the best travel kettle?

Why measure the temperature after pouring? Because the tea or coffee brewed with the water should be made in a separate mug or another vessel. You should not brew the tea or coffee in the kettle as that will stain and corrode the material.

Did you temp the tap water? No, because you cannot precisely control the temp of the tap water in the real world and I wanted to replicate that fact.

Is there a reason for the use of Fahrenheit? Yes, because that is what the kettles are programmed with. 175°F becomes 79.5°C and 212°F is, you guessed it, 100°C.

Are 175°F and 212°F chosen for a particular reason? Absolutely, those are two of the most common brewing temps for hot beverages and will likely be used most often.

Did you actually have a food grade thermometer already? Yes.

Why? I have my own espresso machine after spending years as a barista and I use the thermometer for steaming milk and occasional candy making.

Being a barista didn’t cause you hate making lattes? Weirdly, no.

Results

The baseline of my tests from the home kettle was made with a Cuisinart model, specifically this one. I quite like it and have been using it for years. It may not be as stylish as some other electric kettles, and more expensive, but the performance and simple to use features make it superior to anything else I’ve had. Here is how it performed:

Here is how the travel kettles performed:

* The thermos never achieved the target temperature in this run and I ended it at 4:45. In the second test I let it continue and it did, finally, arrive at the temperature after 9 minutes.

Conclusions

Right out of the gate I want to make clear that I never expected the Cuisinart and the various travel kettles to perform at the same level. That shouldn’t surprise anyone that a dedicated countertop kettle outperforms the small travel ones. I included it so that people could have a baseline when comparing these travel kettles to kettles that you might be used to.

There’s another element that I expected, which is the measured temperatures being less than the target temp. Most kettles like this have a thermostat that is designed to turn the heat plate off once it detects the target temp. Most of the thermostats are on the bottom of the kettle since that is the part that will always have water on it, no matter the volume of water being heated. The water nearest the heat plate will always be hotter than the water higher up in the chamber, meaning that the water isn’t evenly heated when it turns off. Some models continue to run for a few seconds after the target temp is reached to make sure all the water is that temperature, but these models here do not seem to do that.

That isn’t the only reason the measured temp will be lower. There are other factors, such as the mug absorbing some of the heat as well as energy loss to the air. These things cannot be accounted for with a thermostat. However, poorly calibrated thermostats could also play a part, which is what I am suspecting happened with some of these.

The balbali didn’t quite measure up to be the best travel kettle.

The results made clear that there is a problem with the balbali at 175°F. The components seem to be poorly calibrated for that temperature. During testing it appeared as though the heating element would turn off prematurely. I actually ran the test 5 times and only once did it heat up the 175°F at the time I expected, which was around 5 minutes. Every other time it took 9 minutes or longer.

What’s bizarre is that the balbali heated to boiling the fastest of the three travel kettles. Obviously the fact that it has the largest heating element helps with that and it makes the 175°F issue all the more frustrating.

Nicewell, conversely, was very consistent with the temperature. Job well done to whoever calibrated that kettle! It did, however take a while to reach 175°F, which doesn’t surprise me much because it had the smallest heating element.

The Conyee heated faster than the other two models to 175°F, but it also didn’t come anywhere near 175°F in the actual temp. I suspect that is because the thermostat being used is poorly calibrated. It also didn’t even break 200°F when set to boil/212, which furthers my suspicion regarding calibration.

Something else that isn’t conveyed with the data is that the Conyee seems to be a model that any seller can purchase. I saw many listings with nearly identical models to this one on Amazon. That’s not to say it’s bad, but it likely didn’t have the same thought put into it as the other two models, particularly the Nicewell which I cannot find any similar models to online.

The Winner?

I’m picking the Nicewell and here’s why. There’s a level of design and engineering that went into this that I simply don’t see in the other two. It’s stylish, very portable, and consistent to an extreme. These are all things that matter to me. I’m willing to take the slightly longer heating times in exchange for reliability.

The Nicewell is the best travel kettle!

The balbali clearly had calibration issues, but it did heat quickly to boil. It also has the largest volume so if you have a larger mug or tumbler, or perhaps if you are making tea for two, it will out perform the others. The increased size may turn some people off given that it will be more of a hassle to carry around. The Nicewell fits easily into a backpack or side pocket, the balbali… not so much. That means that you’ll have to give it more consideration in your packing. Between the size and the calibration, it’s just not quite what I have in mind, but it still could perform quite well for your needs and, I’ll be completely honest, when I travel with Nichole, I’ll probably bring the balbali because of the volume.

The Conyee, I would pick last. It never reached the target temps, by large margins, and it seems to be something that you can buy from dozens of different sellers. Does it work? Yes, but that’s about it. The one advantage it has is that it’s the cheapest, after that it’s getting beat in every regard.

If you’re interested in other travel gear reviews, check out my article on The Best Travel Humidifier.

The post The Best Travel Kettles appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.

“To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available, we are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come.”

Following this message, they ceased all operations, leaving 277 flights on that day alone cancelled and the passengers stranded where they were.

Wall Street Journal first reported this turn of events was likely only the afternoon before, so the sudden shuttering caught a lot of people off guard.

In response, most major airlines have put out special offers and discounted rates to the people affected by the closure.

So now that Spirit is gone, how exactly did we get here?

Spirit Airlines Financial Issues

Spirit Airlines began its life as, believe it or not, Clipper Trucking Company in 1964. They appear to have been quite successful as by 1974, just ten years later, the company changed its name to Ground Air Transfer and then, only nine years after that, they changed their name again. In 1983, the company started flying as Charter One Airlines, which eventually changed its name, again, to Spirit Airlines in May of 1992.

Its business model was to offer very basic flights at ultra-low fares. Of course, as many people know, they would also throw in fees for any possible add-ons should you choose to buy them. This model let them undercut the larger players in the industry, even as those airlines merged and became more monopolistic in their markets.

As Spirit Airlines Shuts Down, a look back at when they started. By Aero Icarus from Zürich,

The next 28 years saw the airline grow consistently. At their peak, the carrier was the 7^th largest in the US. However, they ran into serious trouble during the COVID pandemic in 2020 when global travel ground to a halt. Although they, like their competitors in the industry, received financial aid in the Coronavirus Air, Relief and Economic Security Act, otherwise known as CARES, instability for the airline still followed the pandemic.

Beginning in February of 2022, there were several attempts by both Frontier and JetBlue to acquire Spirit Airlines. The first proposal came from Frontier Airlines, which offered a mix of cash and stock for $2.9 billion to Spirit’s shareholders. In April of the same year, JetBlue offered an all-cash deal worth $3.6 billion.

Both of these offers were initially rejected by Spirit’s shareholders. JetBlue was the first to be turned away in May of 2022, then came the rejection of Frontier in July of that year. In rejecting JetBlue, Spirit indicated that it believed that the Justice Department would reject the deal on the basis that it was anticompetitive. However, the rejection of Frontier seems to be a little more… simple. Spirit decided to reconsider JetBlue’s offer and accept it.

The warning that Spirit gave about the acquisition being challenged proved to be quite prescient, though, because it was. Over the next, nearly, two years the DOJ challenged the purchase and by March of 2024, JetBlue ended their efforts to acquire Spirit. In January of 2024, a judge blocked the takeover attempt writing in the decisions that the deal was anticompetitive. By November of that year, Spirit declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Only a few months later, in January of 2025, Frontier Airlines once again offered to purchase Spirit. The offer was for $2.1 billion in cash and stock but, unlike last time Spirit did not reject the offer. However, nothing seems to have ever come from this offer nor the negotiations.

Spirit completed their bankruptcy and restructuring that began in November 2024, in March but by August of 2025 they entered bankruptcy again.

The Final Nail

The final nail in the coffin for Spirit came in February 2026 when the United States and Israel engaged in a joint attack of Iran leading to the shutting down of the Strait of Hormuz. With the critical waterway shut down, gas and oil prices have continued to climb rapidly, affecting industries all over the world, including air travel. As you’ve likely heard, there’s a jet fuel shortage hitting Europe now, causing many airlines to cancel flights and consolidate schedules.

The shortage of fuel shot the price skyrocketing. These increases in costs pushed the flagging Spirit Airlines to the edge. In April of 2026, just last month, Spirit was seeking a government bailout to keep from collapsing. On May 1^st, those bailout negotiations with the Trump administration fell apart and less than 24 hours later they announced the complete shuttering of operations.

Spirit Airlines specifically cited the Iran War and the spiking fuel costs as the reason for its shutdown.

Conclusion

There were thousands of passengers left stranded by this closure, and I can only imagine how much luggage will forever remain lost. We are likely to see the fallout of this for years to come. There are now thousands of staff that are out of a job, and billions of dollars’ worth of equipment that is now sitting unused. There are also fewer options for consumers to choose for their travel.

I’m not sure why Spirit couldn’t come out of the pandemic with any amount of stability. There was a travel boom that sprung forth from lockdown being lifted, they just didn’t seem to be able to fully capitalize on it. By the time you’re reading this, most stranded passengers are likely already home or have sorted out their return plans.

On a personal note, to all of the staff that are now searching for what to do next, you have my empathy. I know all too well what it’s like to have your job unexpectedly taken from you. I wish you all the best in finding your next job or step in life.

*Image Credit: Acroterion – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163002246

The post Spirit Airlines Shuts Down appeared first on Far Far Away Travels.