Porthole Cruise and Travel, June 2023

Wyoming Roaming sights outside Yellowstone

Gorilla Goodness on African eco-tours

Alaskan Lip Smackin' biggest state's small eateries

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THE BEST

I believe in “bests”: living my best life, seeking out the best of the best, and, if there’s one thing travel teaches you, it’s making the best of any situation. This issue, I get the great joy of singling out some of the best situations I’ve found in my travels in Porthole ’s annual Editor-in-Chief Awards. Soon, we’ll be opening the ballots for the Readers’ Choice Awards, when thousands of readers vote for the cream of the crop of cruise. The Readers’ Choice Awards belong to all of you, but the Editor-in-Chief Awards are mine — I like to think they’re more like the best-kept secrets of travel. Check out page 28 to see what I mean.

We’ve also got some other bests and bucket-list items in the pages of this Porthole Our Day@Sea ship-review department (on p. 30) covers not one, not two, but three astounding new vessels from MSC Cruises. Each of them has something different to offer a dedicated cruiser, whether it’s the sleek modernity of MSC Euribia, the sophisticated itineraries of MSC World Europa, or the muchanticipated American game-changer of MSC World America

Our Roads & Rails department (on p. 18) offers up the best of the West with a road trip through Wyoming to see the sights outside of Yellowstone, while Teresa Machan’s in-depth feature (on p. 48) takes an entirely different journey, savoring every minute of a slow barge journey out of Venice along Italy’s Po River.

In Shore Leave (on p. 24), we luxuriate in the best of old-fashioned elegance that lives on in Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental Chao Phraya, while Wine & Dine takes to the best food trucks, snack shacks, and down-home diners in Alaska’s port cities (on p. 14). Grant Balfour, Porthole ’s best managing editor, ticks off a bucket-list destination in his feature on encountering the wildlife of Antarctica aboard Quark Expeditions (on p. 38), while in our Good Vibes department, Kate Wickers has a peak experience coming face-to-face with wild gorillas in Central Africa (on p. 58).

For me, the best isn’t any one thing. It’s the choice you make right now out of everything on your horizon. You have my best wishes for many travels to come.

Bill Panoff Publisher bpanoff@ppigroup.com

Here’s to topping up that bucket list with your next great adventure.

The Readers’ Choice Awards belong to all of you, but the Editor-in-Chief Awards are mine —

I like to think they’re more like the best-kept secrets of travel.

FEWER THAN 200 GUESTS ON BOARD

Experience enriching explorations of the North and South Poles guided by an expert expedition team on shore landings and Zodiac safaris. Come closer to wildlife as you navigate pristine environments without disturbing marine life. And it all happens amid an ambiance of relaxed luxury, highly personalized service and always included amenities. CONDÉ

Contributors

Holly Johnson is an award-winning writer who focuses on personal finance, family travel to the Caribbean and Europe. A long-time money nerd, Johnson’s columns have appeared in Bankrate, LendingTree, Travel Pulse and U.S. News & World Report Travel. She and her husband Greg blog at ClubThrifty.com and co-authored Zero Down Your Debt.

Teresa Machan’s worldwide travels have included two coast-to-coast drives in the United States, cross-continent train rides in Australia, and a stint living in Hong Kong. Happiest on, in, or under the water, Teresa relocated from London to Brighton where, on a good day, she can be spotted lapping the waves.

Lisa Maloney is a freelance writer and longtime resident of Anchorage, Alaska. She’s the author of three travel and outdoors guidebooks, including the award-winning “Moon Alaska.” Lisa also served as senior editor at Alaska magazine and founded cometoalaska.net.

Kevin Revolinski grew up reading National Geographic, then lived abroad in Italy, Panama, and Guatemala. He has written and shot photos for Rough Guide guidebooks, Caribbean Travel & Life, Chicago Tribune, and Wisconsin State Journal, and penned a memoir, The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey.

Richard Varr has written for USA Today, AOL Travel, the Dallas Morning News, Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine, Islands, Sydney Morning Herald, Good Sam Club’s Highways, and AAA’s Home & Away Richard also wrote the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Philadelphia & the Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Kate Wickers is a British freelance journalist, novelist, and world traveler. Her work includes travel, culture, and food features for international publications, including The Telegraph, The Scotsman, The Daily Mail, The Australian, Islands, and The Globe & Mail. Her first travel memoir, Shape of a Boy, was published in 2022.

Bill Panoff Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Linda Douthat Associate Publisher/Creative Director

Grant Balfour Managing Editor

Skip Anderson Art Director

Sara Linda Proofreader

Grant Balfour, Alex Darlington, Holly Johnson, Steve Leland, Teresa Machan, Lisa Maloney, Kevin Revolinski, Richard Varr, Kate Wickers C ontributing Writers

Adobe Stock, Alamy Stock Photo, AWL Images, eStock Photo, Grant Balfour, Teresa Machan, Unsplash, Richard Varr Contributing Photographers

Sales Offices

Corporate Headquarters/PPI Group

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Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine ©2023 Porthole Magazine, Inc.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 469066, Escondido, CA 92046.

All rights reserved. Reproduction, either in whole or in part, is forbidden without written permission from the publisher. The magazine assumes no responsibility for the safekeeping or return of unsolicited manuscripts, photography, artwork, or other material. Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine is published six times a year by Porthole Magazine, Inc. It is distributed on a paid basis to subscribers worldwide, including cruisegoers and cruise industry executives. It also is distributed on a controlled-circulation basis. Porthole Magazine Inc. shall not be held liable for claims made in advertisements. Address for all editorial and advertising correspondence: Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine, 1500 West Cypress Creek Road, Suite 403, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309. Phone: (954) 377-7777. Email: bpanoff@ppigroup.com.

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For questions about your current subscription, call toll-free (800) 776-PORT or email porthole@pcspublink.com.

SUMMER OF FUN

Where summer’s warmth shines brighter, burns bolder—new and exciting opportunities for adventure promise to stir the soul. St. Kitts’ lineup of summer events offer the chance to explore and excite, from savoring the region’s cuisine to swaying to live soca and reggae under the moonlight. Indulge your curiosity this summer as you discover the unexpected wonders that St. Kitts has to offer.

VISITSTKITTS.COM

THE PERFECT CRUISE DOCKS HERE. AND HERE. AND HERE.

Stop at any of our ports for unique culture, white sand beaches, turquoise waters, and picturesque towns with shopping and attractions that offer all the Caribbean experiences you’re could ever ask for. visitUSVI.com.

Worlds Beyond

MSC Cruises unveils MSC World Europa with an eye on the fleet of the future.

By Holly Johnson

An Antarctica safari reveals a continent that’s teeming with life.

By Grant Balfour

How

Peace and serenity can’t be rushed on an easygoing barge cruise from Venice to Mantua.

By Teresa Machan

04 Letter from the Publisher

06 Contributors

PLANET PLAYGROUND

14 Wine & Dine

Alakska’s Best Small Eateries

by Lisa Maloney

18 Roads & Rails

A Wyoming drive can take in mountains, prairie, and Buffalo Bill’s legacy.

by Richard Varr

22 Shop Around

Plan your next adventure with a library that brings the world within reach.

24 Shore Leave

The Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok offers guests comfort, discovery, and a long literary legacy on the banks of a mighty river.

by Kevin Revolinski

28 Editor-in-Chief Awards

The most unique travel experiences our globetrotting editor-in-chief has ever discovered.

BEST LIFE

56 Good Vibes

Here’s how travel is building a better tomorrow.

by Alex Darlington

A Rwandan gorilla experience can remind us what it means to be human — and humane.

by Kate Wickers

62 Leland & Sea

This issue, Steve cruises in Indonesia on Aqua Blu

by Steve Leland

66 Sail Away

Cunard Archive Exposition in Liverpool

Crystal Caves, Grand Cayman. This is a creative representation; stepping in the water is not permitted.

dine small EatBig

ALASKA’S BEST SMALL EATERIES

by Lisa Maloney

PEOPLE IN ALASKA TEND TO DRESS FOR COMFORT AND PRACTICALITY: snow pants and sturdy workwear like Carhartts fill our winter wardrobes, while summer brings jeans, sundresses... and Carhartts again. So it’s no surprise that some of our best little restaurants take a similar approach, serving food out of whatever’s practical: food trucks, tidy little cabins, and in one memorable case, a repurposed train depot. But if there’s one thing you’ll learn in a visit to Alaska, it’s that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

SO KEEP READING FOR A SELECTION OF THE BEST SMALL, CASUAL RESTAURANTS IN ALASKA, EACH ONE PUNCHING WELL ABOVE ITS SIZE — AND SOMETIMES, ITS LOOKS — IN TERMS OF THE FOOD THEY SERVE

Chandni Dan/Unsplash

Juneau and Talkeetna

Few small eateries exemplify that "don't judge a book by its cover" spirit as much as Deckhand Dave's, a perennial favorite — and if I may pun freely, a cherished anchor — in downtown Juneau's food-truck park. The deckhand in question is a former commercial fisherman, who still works with commercial fish processors to source the best and freshest seafood — then turn it into tacos that issue forth from the truck, creating a steady stream of elated customers.

We’ve Moved

From Dave's, I hoped to send you to The Salmon Spot — a humble, unassuming hut that usually sits next to the Juneau cruise docks, and was so heavily promoted by shuttle bus drivers that I started out a little suspicious of their quality. But one visit is all it took to convince me that those drivers were right. This place's salmon burgers are unbeatable.

There's just one catch: Unable to secure their usual spot near the cruise docks this year, The Salmon Spot had to relocate... to the inland town of Talkeetna, a hugely popular destination for cruise land excursions. So if your adventures take you there, make sure to stop in and visit the Salmon Spot.

WE ALL SCREAM...

One more thing before we depart Juneau entirely: If you like ice cream, check out Coppa , which has a permanent downtown cafe at 917 Glacier Avenue, but usually has a small ice cream cart stationed near the cruise docks too. The cafe serves a surprisingly good salad too, but ice cream is the big draw.

Find The Salmon Spot at 101 N. Main St. in Talkeetna, or aksalmonspot.com.

Find Deckhand Dave's at 139 S. Franklin St. in Juneau, or deckhanddaves.com.

Coppa's macarons

Deckhand Dave's crew

Halibut ceviche

On to Petersburg

HEADING SOUTH along the Inside Passage to the Norwegian-founded fishing town of Petersburg, another seafood restaurant, Inga's Galley, stands out as one of the best. It's a small, simple hut with outdoor seating scattered around its skirts. But the fresh seafood they serve up in simple, paper-covered baskets? Sublime, and flavorful enough to hold its own against any street-food vendor in the world.

Find Inga's Galley at 104 N. Nordic Drive in Petersburg, or on Facebook.

Even in a fishing town, good food isn't always about fish. That's exemplified at The Salty Pantry, a small standalone restaurant down by the harbor. They focus on artisanal food: creative yet focused, with careful attention to ingredients and preparation. The end result can be anything from sandwiches to enchiladas to empanadas and stuffed portobello mushrooms, plus fresh-baked treats — but it's always good.

Find The Salty Pantry at 14 Harbor Way in Petersburg, or on Facebook.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, NO VISIT TO SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA

is complete without a stop in Homer, the fabled seaside community that's a happy mix of art, fishing, and food. And one of Homer's brightest little dining gems is La Baleine Cafe, a pleasant, breezy little spot with a few seats indoors and a couple picnic tables outside. This cafe is powered by a pair of award-winning local chefs, the power duo of Kirsten and Mandy Dixon. Ingredients at La Baleine tend to be staples — you're more likely to dine on chicken here than caviar. But every single fresh, local, and often-organic ingredient is presented on its own best terms: You get hearty bowls of salmon and root vegetables topped with local greens and wildflowers, robust breakfast skillets, and piping hot sandwiches.

I suppose this — not just La Baleine, but all of it — is rather like the very Alaskan act of going to the opera in Carhartts. If you can't judge Alaskans by the way we dress, you can't judge an eatery by the shape of its walls, either. But please do judge these fine little restaurants on the quality of their food. They can take it!.

Jump to Southcentral

TOURIST TIPS If your cruise brings you to the Southcentral Alaska ports of Seward, this little port has a real lock on creative restaurant buildings. Two of my favorites for casual, quick eats are Zudy's, which serves some of the town's best sandwiches and baked goods out of what used to be an Alaska Railroad train depot; and Resurrect Art, a combination coffee house and art gallery in a converted church. Don't be caught sleeping on Resurrect Art's small but excellent selection of sweet and savory baked goods, which almost always sell out before the end of the day. Especially the chocolate-cherry cookies ... no, wait, my mistake. You don't want those. Leave them all for me.

Find Zudy's at 501 Railway Avenue in Seward, or zudyscafe.com.

Find Resurrect Art at 320 3rd Avenue in Seward, or resurrectart.com.

The Salty Pantry's sirloin burgers ( bacon, Swiss, mushrooms, onions on a housemade brioche bun)

La Baleine Cafe's duck confit fried rice, sautéed with zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower

Awoman sporting a puffy Western skirt and ruffled shirt cuffs sips whiskey at the bar as the tension escalates, moment by moment. “Lay ‘em down nice and easy, nice and slow,” commands a burly sheriff with a thick mustache. “You boys are under arrest.” Gunshots suddenly crackle through the

Yellowstone & Yonder

A Wyoming drive can take in mountains, prairie, and Buffalo Bill’s legacy.

by Richard Varr

stillness – pow pow, pow pow – and two gunslingers drop to the ground. “There’s a reward for these boys,” announces the sheriff. “Five thousand dollars for Butch Cassidy and $10,000 for his partner, dead or alive.”

“Ten thousand dollars!” exclaims the woman. “I should have shot him a long time ago!”

Chuckles erupt from the crowd of seated onlookers as the Wild West shootout ends. The reenactment, its booming gunshots just blanks, takes place every summer night just a few yards from the bronze sculpture of a goateed Buffalo Bill grasping his rifle, seemingly sitting comfortably outside the Irma Hotel in Cody, Wyoming.

Meeteese’s Cowboy Bar & Cafe from 1893

Glenna Haug/Unsplash; Karsten Winegeart/Unsplash

with and your host Bill Panoff We’ve Declared 2023 as

Editor-in-Chief Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine Summerthe of River

Bill

Roads & Rails

Showman’s City

Named for the legendary bison hunter and soldier William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the town is the first stop on my road trip after visiting Yellowstone National Park, coming from the park’s east entrance 52 miles to the west along US 14-16-20. Known as the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway, the road twists through some of the West’s mountainous panoramas, curving along Cody still embraces its Wild West roots. Old Trail Town, for example, has a mix of authentic and relocated Wyoming log cabins. One of the most famous, the 1883 Hole in the Wall Cabin, was once frequented by outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and is still pockmarked with bullet holes.

the Shoshone River’s North Fork and through the Absaroka Mountain Range. Evergreen forests dot the bluffs, some reminding me of massive stone cathedrals with their weathered edges looking like towering spires.

From the shootout reenactments to having the world’s longest-running nightly summertime rodeo,

Buffalo Bill founded the town in 1896 and his presence remains palpable today. He built the landmark hotel and named it “The Irma” after his daughter. Inside, the original cherrywood bar was a gift from England’s Queen Victoria, and locals claim apparitions from its gun-slinging past haunt guest rooms.

A Western Center

The Buffalo Bill Museum, one of the five museums of the world-class Buffalo Bill Center of the West, highlights William Cody’s achievements as a soldier and as the founder of his touring Wild West shows. Looping, grainy film clips feature skits depicting Pony Express riders, Indian attacks on a Deadwood stagecoach, and the battle known as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Artifacts include his Remington rifle, 1872 Congressional Medal of Honor, and his flamboyant coat, fur-lined and fringed in buffalo hide, that he wore in his shows.

“Buffalo Bill was by far the most successful Western performer,” explains Jeremy Johnston, Curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum. “In many ways, the elements of his performances continue to this day through film and television, and back in the early days, even radio shows.”

Evergreen forests dot the bluffs, some reminding me of massive stone cathedrals with their weathered edges looking like towering spires.

Shoshone National Forest

Old Trail Town

Outside Cody

As I drive to tiny Meeteetse, 31 miles south on Highway 120, the landscape transforms into a panorama of hilly prairie with sparse tumbleweeds and sagebrush. Boardwalks shaded by porch roofs line the storefronts of Meeteetse’s one- or two-block town center.

“A lot of people talk about the nostalgia when you walk down the boardwalks and hear the echo of your footsteps,” says Kristen Yoder, a local business owner and former mayoral candidate. “It brings back a time when you would hear the spurs clinking behind you.”

A Hot Stop

I continue southeast on Highway 120 for 52 miles to Thermopolis, the center of town dipping within a valley between earthen red-brown hills. Thermopolis means “hot city” in Greek, and there’s a good reason for that name. Geothermal waters trickle out of Hot Springs State Park where evaporating runoff forms crusty mineral streaks in hues of champagne and dull yellow along the Bighorn River. The park’s Star Plunge attraction consists of two mineral-water swimming pools that heat up to 90 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

Back in Cody, I make one last stop and I’m again reminded of how the Wild West’s presence lingers on today. Rusted Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles fill display cases in the Cody Dug Up Gun Museum. “We have just under 1,400 items,” says museum owner Hans Kurth. “Some

One storefront, the Cowboy Bar & Cafe from 1893, looks like an old saloon. Yet across the street, the Meeteetse Chocolatier specializes in Belgian chocolates and truffles filled with coconut, raspberry, and even jalapeños.

“Meeteetse still has that very Wild West spirit. We just tamed it down a bit and follow some of the rules instead of none,” quips Yoder.

“We say it’s where the New West meets the Old West.”

Thermopolis’ nonprofit Wyoming Dinosaur Center is one of the few museums to have dinosaur dig sites nearby. “Our site is just 10 minutes up the hill, one of three known with footprints and bones, and one of the few allosaurus feeding spots in the world,” explains tour guide and dinosaur expert Brian Fernando. A colossal, longnecked camarasaurus skeleton with both original and replica bones dominates the museum amid a few dozen other fossil reconstructions.

Wyoming Dinosaur Center

Hot Springs State Park

Shop Around

A SPLASH of SUNSHINE

Plan your next adventure from the comfort of your couch — or a convenient beach blanket — with a library that brings the world within reach.

Tip of the Tongue

If you’re itching for your next trip, you might have resfeber, the Swedish word for feverish anticipation for an upcoming voyage. Once you’re there, you might experience komorebi, the Japanese word for dappled sunlight shining through leaves. When you want just the right word, flip through

MORE THAN THE BOYS

SOUTHEAST ASIA

A BOOK TOUR

Lost In Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words From Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders. With one word per illustrated page, it’s not a full dictionary, but it is an invitation to contemplate the magic of language … and to think of something to say the next time you’re underway.

If you’re on a cruise sailing out of Port Everglades, or heading to South Florida for any reason at all, give your trip a boost with Christina Lilly’s thorough guide, 100 Things to Do in Ft. Lauderdale Before You Die She reveals local dining secrets, from guilty pleasures like the amazing handmade flavors for sale at the Dandee Donut Factory to the over-the-top tiki paradise of the Mai Kai. But there’s also a wonderland of special events like the Fort Lauderdale Air Show and opportunities to explore like a Full Moon Kayak Tour or hand-feeding the peacocks at

Located astride the sea lanes linking East and West, this region surrounding the city-state of Singapore is packed with worldchanging stories. Christopher Hale, a documentarist and author, shares some of the best in A Brief History of Singapore and Malaysia: Multiculturalism and Prosperity: The Shared History of Two Southeast Asian Tigers.

It’s recommended reading if you’ve ever been curious about the massive treasure fleet of Zheng He, or how Sir Stamford Raffles — lieutenant governor of a nearby province — came to found the colony of Singapore (and serve as namesake

A book-lover’s dream vacation would be to visit just one of the many fantastic archives in The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries by photographer Massimo Listri and authors Georg Ruppelt and Elisabeth Sladek. Travel in pictures and words to the medieval grandeur of Dublin’s Trinity College Library, home to the gorgeously illuminated Book of Kells and Book of Durrow, and Florence’s Laurentian Library, designed by Michelangelo for the powerful House of Medici. Learn of the turbulent history of Altenburg Abbey in Austria, an imperial Catholic outpost repeatedly destroyed during the European wars of religion. Admire the Gilded Age glory of Manhattan’s Morgan Library & Museum, with its multicolored marble floors and coffered ceilings. Feast your eyes and your mind on the collonaded arches of The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura in Rio de Janeiro, while reading about its rich collection of literature and paintings.

“Breakfast

is a familiar phrase anywhere, but following Christina Lilly’s advice, you and your BFF can take it to a more luxurious level with the Floridian Restaurant’s “Fat Cat” Breakfast For Two featuring strip steaks and Dom Pérignon

Anytime”

Clockwise from top right: Taschen; Edelweiss; Mix and Match Studiostock.adobe.com; Amazon; Doug Jessenstock.adobe.com

Authors in the East

The Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok offers guests comfort, discovery, and a long literary legacy on the banks of a mighty river.

by Kevin Revolinski

Shore Leave

The Chao Phraya River flows opaque and powerful through Bangkok, a working river if there ever was one. Merchant ships once wound their way upstream from the sea to unload coal and take on rice and teak wood, and even today a few bright yellow colonial buildings and a customs house remember East meeting West here in the capital of Thailand. In 1876, along the banks of the river, a humble guesthouse opened and would become the first luxury hotel in what was then the Kingdom of Siam. While it remains one of the premier stays in the City of Angels, the Mandarin Oriental has taken on a curious reputation that puts the “storied” in its history.

Humble Origins

In the late 19th century, a 29-year-old Danish ship captain named Hans Niels Andersen checked into a 20-room hotel with basic accommodations. Having seen modern properties such as E&O and Raffles in other Asian ports, he saw a business opportunity. In 1881, he bought the property and hired an Italian architect to renovate it. At the time, even running water was considered luxurious, and the updated rooms also came with imported furnishings and décor. Electricity, a rarity outside the king’s palace, came to The Oriental a few years after completion; the first lights, held up by Italian bronze statues, are still there, keeping

vigil at night along the riverside. After completion, King Rama V himself visited and found it suitable for special foreign guests of the Grand Palace.

An early guest in 1888, Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, a Polish sailor for the British merchant marine, arrived to take on a captaincy, and Captain Andersen offered him Room 1. We know the sailor now as Joseph Conrad, legendary author of such classics as Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness. And so it was that Conrad became the first on a list he would never know about: a litany of literary guests.

Authors at Large

A translucent ceiling above the central courtyard keeps out the heat and potential mosquitoes that English writer W. Somerset Maugham once groused about as a guest. He was recovering from malaria so probably not in the best of moods. Maugham preferred his martinis made with Tanqueray and Noilly Prat vermouth, served in a glass rinsed with Benedictine. The staff kept track of such things for returning guests — and still do.

Conrad’s room has been incorporated into an eponymous suite, and that original building is now the Authors’ Wing, a part of a larger, modern complex. Even non-guests can take traditional afternoon tea here, nibbling on gorgeous bites and sipping selections from a menu of blends that rivals most restaurants’ wine lists. Rattan chairs and tea tables place guests in cooled elegance before the grand staircase, under the black-andwhite gazes of Thai royalty and a long line of author-guests’ portraits arranged along the arcade: Graham Greene, Norman Mailer, James Michener, Yukio Mishima, Noël Coward, Ian Fleming — the list goes on. More authors came and many of those returned — some frequently. Special suites

now bear the names of the most frequent or long-stay literary occupants. Barbara Cartland — author of more than 700 romance novels, several purportedly written here — had her suite decorated entirely in pink, per her wishes. Her tea set remains in a glass display. The suite’s bird’s-eye river view is hypnotic and the water traffic plays out silently behind the glass, surely functioning as inspiration. Right across the hall is the John le Carré Suite. The writer of spy thrillers worked on his novel The Honorable Schoolboy while he stayed here, with a view mirroring Cartland’s. But even the entry-level Deluxe Premier Rooms have these angles on the river.

Beat and Harmony

The hotel offers much more than just a view, however. A pioneer from the start, The Oriental opened The Bamboo Room, Bangkok’s first jazz bar, in 1953. Today, the place features residencies for the finest regional musicians paired with a significant list of whiskies and gins. An expansion in 1958 brought a 10-floor wing and the city’s first elevator. Mandarin joined the group in 1974, and the newly named Mandarin Oriental added the Riverside Wing in 1976, as well as French fine dining in Le Normandie, now a two-star Michelin restaurant. In 1993, the property created the city’s first hotel spa, a five-star affair set in a converted teak mansion, minutes across the river on the hotel’s private ferry.

A stay here is a quintessential experience of Bangkok and its magical river. In the evening, find yourself dining outside on The Verandah as the sun fades and the lights come up on the boats and the highrises across the Chao Phraya. The heat relents and a breeze sweeps along the terrace and perhaps you order Somerset Maugham’s particular martini. Don’t be surprised if the writing bug catches you..

In 1993, the property created the city’s first hotel spa, a five-star affair set in a converted teak mansion, minutes across the river on the hotel’s private ferry.

Maugham preferred his martinis made with Tanqueray and Noilly Prat vermouth, served in a glass rinsed with Benedictine.

Le Normandie Chef Alain Roux

Authors’ Wing

Main building, 1800s

The first electric lights

Tanqueray martini

Onion soup with black truffle

Fresh baked scones

Le Normandie

Worthy of Rec gnition

THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AWARDS GIVE A SPECIAL HAND TO SOME OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT MAKE A TRAVEL EXPERIENCE SEAMLESS.

by Bill Panoff

Sometimes, the best things in life are invisible. When you’re watching a movie, you don’t want to pay attention to how great the lighting is. You just want to sit back and be taken away by a good story.

A great trip is like a great movie. A seamless train ride from hotel to cruise port can make everything about the whole vacation better … just like a great historical lecturer can change the whole experience of visiting a port. You might see all the same things but they feel different.

So these Editor-in-Chief Awards are like my personal Oscars. I’m recognizing all the things that you might not think about when you start planning your own vacations.

Voting opens soon for our Readers' Choice Awards ... but before you start picking your favorites, take a moment to appreciate some of mine: the travel champions you might not always know!

ON BOARD

• Best Bar at Sea

Blue Eye (Ponant’s Explorer Class)

Best Spa Operator OneSpaWorld

• Best Mobility/Accessibility Provider Special Needs Group

• Best New Restaurant At Sea

Rudi’s Seagrill

Carnival Cruise Line

• Best Speaker Series

Viking Cruises’ Resident Historian program

• Best Short Cruise Margaritaville at Sea

Best Social Media Carnival Cruise Line

• Best Hawaiian Itineraries

Norwegian Cruise Line

• Best South American Itineraries

Oceania Cruises

Best Caribbean Itineraries

R oyal Caribbean International

• Best Alaskan Itineraries Holland America Line

Best Bar at Sea - Blue Eye (Ponant Explorer Class)

Best Hawaiian Itineraries - Norwegian Cruise Line

Clockwise from top left: PONANT / Christophe Dugied; Konstantinstock.adobe.com; Hard Rock Cafe;Jade Mountain; Ketsarinstock.adobe.com; Brightline; Norwegian Cruise Line

ON SHORE

• Best Canadian Port Port of Quebec

• B est U.S. Home Port Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale)

• Best Destination for Active Travelers

Costa Rica

• Best Caribbean Attraction

Good Hope Estate, Jamaica

Best Shore Excursion

MSC Cruises

Sorrento and Pompeii City Tour

• Best Local Food Tour

Silversea’s S.A.L.T. Adventures End of the World Gourmet Experience in Ushuaia, Argentina

• Best Post-Cruise Shopping

Aventura Mall

• Best Alaskan Attraction

Taku Lodge

• Best Caribbean Hotel

Jade Mountain (St. Lucia)

• Best Pre/Post Hotel

Marriott Hotels

• Best Airport Experience

Istanbul Airport (IST)

Best Cruise Port Connector

Brightline

Best Cruise Souvenir

Tortuga Rum Cakes

Best Burger On Land

Legendary® Steak Burger, Hard Rock Café, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Hollywood, Florida)

• Best Caribbean-Here-at-Home Experience

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville

Best Canadian Port - Quebec

Best Burger On Land - Legendary® Steak Burger

Best Caribbean Hotel - Jade Mountain (St. Lucia)

Best Cruise Port Connector - Brightline

Best Destination for Active Travelers - Costa Rica

Worlds Beyond

with an eye on the fleet of the future.

MSC Cruises unveils MSC World Europa

by Holly Johnson

hen MSC Cruises named its newest ship in Doha, Qatar, in November last year, the privately-owned cruise line pulled out all the stops.

The MSC World Europa naming ceremony included an incredible drone show, an impressive fireworks display set against the Doha skyline, and an appearance from a distinguished member of the Qatar royal family, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani.

World Galleria

Most would agree the fanfare was worth it. The trailblazing MSC World Europa is the first vessel among the brand’s new World-class ships. Europa is the first liquified natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel offered by the line, and boasts a range of new features travelers will love. Among them are the tallest dry slide at sea, which spans 11 decks and graces an outdoor grand promenade flanked with staterooms, 13 dining venues, and a family area complete with bumper cars.

Grand Suite Aurea with terrace

You’ll quickly notice that every aspect of Europa is over-the-top.

What You’ll Find on the Newest Ship

Your first step on MSC Cruises’ newest ship is a lot like embarking on any other MSC Cruises vessel, yet you’ll quickly notice that every aspect of Europa is over-the-top. The interior promenade has the same LED dome ceiling found on some other MSC ships, yet with a uniquely modern shape and added design elements, like sparkling chandeliers and spiral staircases on each side. Meanwhile, the outdoor promenade features a built-in lighting system that lets the walls sync with music in an explosion of color and sound.

MSC World Europa offers 19 different stateroom categories in total, seven of which aren’t offered on other MSC ships. Guests can book a Premium Aurea Suite with promenade and ocean views, for example, or an Infinite Ocean View stateroom with a panoramic window that slides open and turns into a glass balustrade.

Top Sail Lounge

The Lanai

Zen Pool

Yacht Club Sundeck

The tallest dry slide at sea spans 11 decks and graces an outdoor grand promenade flanked with staterooms.

Europa is the first liquified natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel offered by the line, and boasts a range of new features travelers will love.

Dining options offer culinary and cocktail experiences you can’t find elsewhere. In addition to the regular restaurants you can expect from MSC Cruises and other lines, MSC World Europa offers a Chef’s Garden Kitchen with a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients and a groundbreaking seafood dining venue called La Pescaderia. Of course, MSC favorites like the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse and Kaito Teppanyaki Grill and Sushi Bar are also on board, along with the street food-inspired Hola! Tacos & Cantina.

Spirits may be where MSC World Europa really shines. The ship boasts its own onboard brewery where craft beers are expertly made from ocean water using advanced desalination techniques. The Elixir Mixology Bar offers an incredible list of signature cocktails, including a full menu of drinks inspired by the Aperol spritz. Cruisers will also find a full-fledged gin bar called The Gin Project, which serves up every gin drink you can think of. For teetotalers (and everyone else), a South Asian-style tea room, a coffee bar, and a juice bar are also offered on board.

While MSC World Europa began its journey in the Middle East with stops in ports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, the ship positioned into the Mediterranean in March 2023. Current 7-night itineraries stop in the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples, and Messina, along with Valletta, Malta; Barcelona; and Marseille.

The ship boasts its own onboard brewery where craft beers are expertly made from ocean water using advanced desalination techniques.

Elixir Mixology Bar

Chef’s Garden Kitchen

Hola! Tacos and Cantina

Kaito Sushi Bar

Watch Out for MSC Euribia: June 2023

Cruise enthusiasts will also want to keep their eyes out for the brand new MSC Euribia, which will be unveiled during a naming ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2023. This ship will be LNG-powered like MSC World Europa, and will feature an advanced wastewater treatment system that will help protect the marine ecosystem. Notable onboard features will include a stunning promenade with an LED dome (similar to MSC World Europa, MSC Meraviglia, and MSC Bellissima), shopping options, 10

exclusive dining venues, 21 bars and lounges, and five pools. The ship will also feature a large water park that should be one of the most elaborate at sea.

MSC Euribia will sail its inaugural season in Northern Europe with 7-night sailings that include stops in Kiel, Germany, and Copenhagen, Denmark, along with Geiranger, Ålesund, and Flåm in Norway. After that, MSC Euribia will offer 4- and 5-night sailings from Genoa, Italy, with stops in several famous cities along the Mediterranean.

Looking Ahead to MSC World America

MSC Cruises' ambition to take over the U.S. market never ceases, and the line never stops building new ships as a result. In what is perhaps the most anticipated MSC Cruises vessel so far, the travel brand plans to begin sailings on MSC World America in summer 2025.

MSC World America will be the second of MSC Cruises’ World-class ships, and will feature many of the amenities and design elements of MSC World Europa but with more of

a focus on dining and entertainment for the American market. When she comes into service, MSC World America will have 2,600 cabins and 420,000 square feet of public space while measuring 22 decks tall and 150 feet wide.

The sheer size of MSC World America will make it the brand’s largest ship cruising from North America. However, there's no word yet on the exact itineraries the vessel will offer once bookings are open to the public..

FUTURE BUILDS

Clockwise: Nesting black-browed albatross, gentoo penguins, cuddling king penguins, and a sounding humpback whale.

An Antarctica safari reveals a continent that’s teeming with life.

Creatures of

the drake & the bransfield

Creatures of

All penguins are little people wearing tuxedos. This is a truth that no one can deny. But now I can say authoritatively that king penguins are minor nobility at a society function, while gentoos are busy waiters and maitres d’hotel, waddling officiously back to the kitchen while keeping an eye on us outsiders, too informal in our yellow parkas. Human visitors to a penguin colony are paparazzi, while the flightless birds are definitely the stars of the show.

As incontrovertible as this truth might be, it’s one that you can’t really learn from watching nature documentaries or reading about the rare creatures and delicate ecosystem of the southern polar regions. You have to brave the journey to learn it for yourself.

A trip to Antarctica is more in reach than it ever has been before, with well-established expedition lines like Quark Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, and Aurora Expeditions being joined by more luxury-oriented operators like Atlas Ocean Voyages, Silversea, Ponant, and Viking. Regardless of the line, the experience is still on one level as daunting as it was for Ernest Shackleton, even with creature comforts that would put Commandant Jean-Baptiste Charcot (who brought a croissant baker and a hold full of Champagne on his Antarctic voyage) to shame. The sea is still the sea, and the Bransfield Strait and the Drake Passage can be high seas indeed. Yet going past them promises experiences you can’t find anywhere else.

by Grant Balfour

a subjective safari

I boarded Ultramarine, Quark’s newest ship, without any real idea of what I was doing. I thought I knew. I’d been on plenty of ships before. I’d even been on safari — but not a penguin safari. Our route went from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego due east past Las Malvinas to South Georgia Island, then southwest past Elephant Island and across the Bransfield Strait to the Antarctic Peninsula, turning north at the Danco Coast to head across the Drake Passage back to Argentina. Those were the names on the maps.

Fur seals don’t respect names. I learned this as we approached South Georgia Island. There were streamlined black shapes in the water, darting through the bow wake like round-headed dolphins. On the shore, they revealed another side of their personalities.

Fur seals are delinquents. That grace in the waves might as well be the wheelies popped by a onepercenter motorcycle club roaring into their bikerbar’s parking lot.

“Fur seals, especially this time of year, are highly competitive, aggressive, and even the young ones will sneak up behind you and give you a poke,” says Derek Kyostia, one of the marine biologists on Ultramarine’s expedition team. “Elephant seals, on the other hand, are rock sausages.”

That is, they lie there, for the most part as peaceful as stones, except for the occasional rude noise as they snore … and every so often a roar as they rear up to pick a fight with any other rock sausage in easy reach.

We guests are carefully trained to keep at least 6 feet between us and any wildlife. We’re also carefully trained to keep an eye on each other’s backs and make ourselves as intimidating as possible when the wildlife decides to get too close. With penguins, it’s for their protection. With a seal, anything is possible.

In most parts of the world, spotting wild creatures is difficult because the creatures are shy and avoid humans. In the southern polar regions we have to yell and wave our arms to keep them from nuzzling up to us by surprise.

The penguins rubbing elbows … well, flippers … at their black-tie Antarctic gala don’t seem to mind these uncouth seal gatecrashers, despite the fact that penguins sometimes serve as involuntary playthings for surly, hyped-up fur-seal adolescents. The penguins flourish despite the seals among them — and the skuas soaring hungrily overhead.

Skuas are jackals with seagull costumes outside and the hearts of peacocks inside. They want to be

You have to brave the journey to learn it for yourself.

Left: Grant Balfour Right: Quark Expeditions; Grant Balfour

Skuas are jackals with seagull costumes outside and the hearts of peacocks inside. They want to be seen, even as they dive into the crowded heart of the colony seeking an unattended egg, stray chick, or injured partygoer for their next meal.

Jackals sneak subtly through the underbrush to attack. Skuas announce themselves with loud calls, plummet to the ice, then raise their wings like battle flags while hopping up to their target. Maybe they want to intimidate their prey to death.

There’s no privacy in a penguin colony. The breeding colonies of South Georgia are mind-

bending with the sheer number of creatures visible. And audible. And smellable. On the ice of the Antarctic peninsula, colonies are easily spotted from the air because the dapper little folks stain the stark, snowy ground red with their droppings. Everything else for miles is black rock, black seas, and the brilliant white of glacial ice and falling snow.

One of the lessons of an Antarctic expedition cruise is the difference between “remote” and “lonesome.” These rookeries are as densely populated as cities. Humans just don’t get a chance to see them very often.

This page: Quark Expeditions Far Right: Grant Balfour (x2)

Once at the Antarctic Peninsula, calmer waters prevail, allowing closer wildlife encounters by Zodiac.

Tabular iceberg A76a, a chunk of ice twice the area of the city of London, provided a dramatic introduction to an afternoon spent spotting fin whales blowing in the waves.

human warmth

The same seems to be true for the creatures beneath the surface of the dark, icy water. On one sea day, Ultramarine is surrounded by families of humpback whales, mostly visible as small puffs from clusters of blowholes. On another day, we spot a family of fin whales, the second-largest whales in the world, who come close to the ship to see what we’re about. The fins and humpbacks are there for the same reason sei whales, southern right whales, minkes, and even the massive blue whales, Earth’s largest animals, cluster in these waters. They’re all there for the krill. We did not see krill, which are smaller than shrimp and tend to stay hidden in the depths. But we knew they were there in great numbers because the whales had come to the buffet.

Whales are like cruisers, and not just for the shared love of buffet dining. Blue whales can grow to 110 feet in length. By comparison, Ultramarine measures 420 feet. Blue whales can also dive up to 1,000 feet. Ultramarine can’t dive at all, but does have two twin-engine helicopters that take off from the top deck for sightseeing tours.

But mostly, whales love conversation as much as we on board loved talking to each other over meals, or up in the Deck 7 observation lounge-slashnavigation bridge (thoughtfully outfitted with a coffee machine, a full bar, and plenty of binoculars), or after the nightly lectures organized by Shane Evoy, the leader of the expedition team. It’s that team, more than the food (delectable and varied) or the ship (small but exquisitely appointed) that stood out in this voyage. They were cheerful, enthusiastic professionals, with years of outdoors experience or advanced degrees or both, and an eagerness to swap stories about the places we visited and the beings that make them home.

Penguins sometimes serve as involuntary playthings for surly, hyped-up fur-seal adolescents.

Left: Quark Expeditions

Acacia Johnson; Right: Quark Expeditions

David Merron (x2)

Polar plungers and young emperor penguins alike find ways to adapt to the cold.

One of those stories: On old sailing vessels venturing this far south, crewmen would have trouble sleeping because of the whales. Not from the guilt of hunting them, but because long whalesong conversations would carry through the timbers of the hull and keep the sailors awake at night.

“Sealers and whalers have been drivers of discovery,” says Dr. Mikolaj Golachowski, another expedition leader and research scientist who, before working for Quark, served as leader of the 32nd Polish Antarctic Expedition. On this trip, Miko (as he asked to be known) slid comfortably from biological expert to mission historian, sharing fascinating facts that added a deeper context to each of our stops. After we toured the “flensing plan” at Grytviken — the open-air factory where millions of whales met their untimely ends 100 years ago — he pointed out that petroleum and plastics were originally produced as substitutes for whale oil and baleen. Now, they’re the chemicals that industrial culture relies on (and the main sources of pollution on the planet). The first satellites, he says, were lubricated with sperm oil.

The oil rendered from whaling might have technically been a renewable resource, and caused less pollution than fossil fuels do today, but it came with an environmental price we’re still paying. Whale populations have only barely begun to rebound.

The balancing act of life near the poles was constantly brought home to those of us on the voyage, not just by lecturers like Kyostia, Golachowski, or even Dr. Liliana Schönberger, the team ornithologist. Every mile of the voyage, we were followed by what she called “the tube noses” — the family of acrobatic birds that include pintado petrels (mottled and maneuvering), prions (tiny and darting), and sooty albatrosses.

Schönberger shared their names and life cycles, but it’s only by locking eyes with a sooty albatross gliding elegantly off the ship’s rail that one can really learn what these seabirds are. Tirelessly soaring mile after mile, these visions in gray are spirits of the cold; more than surfers eternally balanced on invisible waves, they are the mist made solid. They can’t really be described in words. You have to see them for yourself..

One of the lessons of an Antarctic expedition cruise is the difference between “remote” and “lonesome.” These rookeries are as densely populated as cities.

Left: Quark ExpeditionsAcacia Johnson, Antoine Lamielle Right: Burt Saunders

Fur seal and sooty albatross.

King penguins on South Georgia Island.

Torre di Sant’Andrea, Chioggia, Venice

Left: Julian Gazzard

/ Alamy Stock Photo Right : Teresa Machan

Peace and serenity can’t be rushed on an easygoing barge cruise from Venice to Mantua.

How Slowly We Po

By Teresa Machan

As I watched herons flit between trees from the sun deck of our Italian river barge, La Bella Vita, it was impossible not to embrace the Italian art of la dolce far niente, or “finding pleasure in doing nothing.” Listening to the water’s gentle churn, I pondered that it was in Italy, too, that the “slow food” movement was born. It encouraged people to re-think their whole approach to cooking and eating. From that kernel evolved another concept — that of “slow travel.”

Rotunda Foschini in Ferrara

Why Go Slow

Slow travel invites us to see more by seeing less — a concept that finds a well-fitting glove in the gentle ebb and flow of barge cruising. For some, river ships are still considered “large.” River ships tend to follow arterial waterways routes such as the Danube, Rhine, and Mississippi, whereas hotel barges — which carry anywhere from six to 20 passengers — follow tributaries, waterways, and canals that are simply too small for a 70-plus passenger ship.

Barges, which cruise less than 70 miles per week at around 3 kilometers (less than 2 miles) per hour, offer a way of sharing a more intimate holiday on the water with family or friends without having to lift a finger. A small “house party” atmosphere can make them a good choice for solo travellers, and the boats can be chartered for special occasions. On La Bella Vita, the dress code was informal and the atmosphere relaxed.

A Different Italy

During our 5-day cruise through the Italian countryside to the lakeside city of Mantua, we saw very little river traffic and no other passenger ships. Leaving Venice, the barge cruises on the Venetian lagoon, skirts Lombardy and EmiliaRomagna, and spends time in the Po Delta Nature Reserve. One of Europe’s most important wetland areas, the Po Delta provides a habitat for greater flamingos, marsh warblers, terns, spoonbills, white stalks, marsh harriers, curlews, and avocets. I kept my eyes peeled on the littoral zone — the lush shoreline — for the chestnut hues of the ferruginous duck and the rare purple heron.

This was slow travel at its best. To put this into perspective, we would spend four days cruising from Venice to Mantua — a drive which takes just two and a half hours. And what we would’ve missed....

An embarkation at the heart of Venice is a bonus, especially now that larger ships dock outside the city’s historical heart. The focus on this itinerary is not on La Serenissima, however, but the islands and fishing ports of the lagoon. On our first evening, La Bella Vita cruised to the lace-making island of Burano. We overnighted there, enjoying the island after most visitors had left.

Before leaving the Venetian lagoon we would also call at the busy fishing port of Chioggia, 500 years older than Venice and criss-crossed by canals, and the island of Pellestrina, which forms a natural land barrier between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. There, I wheeled one of the barge’s bicycles ashore and cycled past brightly painted houses and welltended gardens before rejoining the group at Bar Gelateria Laguna for welcome drinks. Sunset aperitifs and homemade ice cream, scooped from cylindrical metal churns, were on Captain Rudi.

Most passengers were new to barge cruising. American passengers from Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, New York, and Florida made up the majority, with a handful of guests from Australia and England. Three retired couples, friends since college, came as a group looking for a relaxing holiday in more intimate surroundings. Passengers found an easy bonhomie that quickly extended to our all-Italian crew led by Rudi and guest host, Ilaria.

Purple heron

La Bella Vita

I cycled past brightly painted houses and welltended gardens before rejoining the group at Bar Gelateria Laguna for welcome drinks.

Sunset aperitif on Pellestrina

Left clockwise: Martin Grimmstock.adobe.com; Teresa Machan; European Waterways; Teresa Machan

Right: PhotoFVG/AWL Images Ltd.

Chioggia, Venice

La dolce far niente, or “finding pleasure in doing nothing.”

Life on the River

Complementing the guided insight into Renaissance, Roman, Etruscan, and Byzantine influences in Adria, Ferrara, and Mantua were memorable exclusive experiences such as wine tasting and dinner at a countryside villa. At Villa WidmannBorletti, a former monastic complex with an ancient cellar, we toured the gardens and sampled several of the renowned estate-grown vintages.

One evening, from our mooring in Taglio di Po, Ilaria drove us the short distance to a former hunting lodge, Tenuta Ca’Zen, where we enjoyed a private tour of the gardens and chapel of the 17th-century former hunting lodge by its AngloIrish owner, Maria Adelaide Avanzo. Over glasses of prosecco and canapes in a garden speckled with fairy lights, Maria told us that the English poet Lord Byron would rendezvous here with his young lover, Contessa Teresa Gamba. Cities like Rome, Florence, and Sienna dominate Italy’s cultural firmament but the Po and its tributaries link several lesser-known cities once renowned for their wealth, prominence, and powerful ruling families. It’s a historical legacy writ large in moated castles, medieval walled towns, cathedrals, and decadent palaces filled with precious art. Daily escorted tours were led by local guides keen to impart their expertise. In the UNESCO World Heritage city of Ferrara, the moated Estensi castle is one of few in Europe to be surrounded by water, which is conveyed from the Po via a network of underground pipes. The town’s theater, built in the 18th century, is one of the most beautiful in Italy and has a spectacular rotunda designed by Antonio Foschini.

In the Etruscan city of Adria, we met our guide at the Archaeological Museum. Between the third and second millennium BCE, the Polesine was geographically pivotal for trade between Europe and the cities of the Mediterranean. Adria, with its access to the Po Plain and the Alpine passes, became an important trading center for the Greeks.

Among the museum’s thousands of extraordinary exhibits are exquisite jewelry items, Greek ceramics and funeral accoutrements (including cups, bowls, glazed perfume holders dating from the fifth to the seventh century BCE), and Etruscan bronzes.

Unhurried Pleasures

That evening, we dined on polenta del Polesine with mushrooms and smoked ricotta, sea-bass lasagne, and a surprisingly good torta cioxota (radicchio cake). Chef Andrea cooked delicious four-course meals (always a cheese course) that were prepared with fresh local ingredients and served with a flourish. Regional specialities including mussels, clams, truffles, pumpkin, radicchio, and asparagus found their way onto menus.

With 10 seats set around two long tables, mealtimes were social affairs with mealtime hosts Isabella and Francesca bringing another essential ingredient to the table: warm, genuine hospitality.

A personal highlight was our last city, Mantua, fringed by three artificial lakes and ruled for 400 years by the Gonzaga family. Their seat, the extraordinary 500-room Palazzo Ducale, was designed as a “city palace” with roads, an adjoining castle, and an interior suspended garden. Room after frescoed room is filled with inlaid marble floors, ornate ceilings, and a giddying stash of precious paintings. On the final morning, I was on deck just after dawn. A wisp of mist hung above the water. Swans pecked at a pancake of waterlilies. Soon, the horizon was flooded with soft mauves, giving way to bands of orange. Autumn’s mellow fruitfulness was working its magic and life felt blissfully slow..

Room after frescoed room is filled with inlaid marble floors, ornate ceilings, and a giddying stash of precious paintings.

Estensi Castle Radicchio cake

Frescoes by Giulio Romano at Palazzo Ducale

Left: Alina Pinotti/Unsplash Right clockwise: Teresa Machan; alessandrogiamstock.adobe.com; Teresa Machan (x2)

Always a cheese course

Good Vibes Around the World

Here’s how travel is building a better tomorrow.

By Alex Darlington

Phantoms Make History

Viking Cruises has proved itself to be more than simply a world-class cruise line. The company’s expedition team has just published its first scientific paper. And the research couldn’t be more exciting.

The paper is a detailed report on the awe-inspiring Stygiomedusa gigantea, informally referred to as “the giant phantom jellyfish.”

Although the immense, 30-foot creatures were first observed in 1910 in the Antarctic Peninsula, there have been only 126 documented encounters with the mysterious scyphozoans since.

The Viking scientists made their eye-opening observations last year from the line’s specially designed submersibles.

“It’s incredible that we know so little about such large marine creatures,” says lead author Daniel Moore. “However, now we have the means to make regular observations at greater depths than previously possible.”

The scientific paper, which appears in the Norwegian Polar Institute journal Polar Research, is the first ever published by a cruise line.

Pretty, Precious Planet

A cruise-focused retailer, a jewelry company, and an environmental clean-up organization have partnered to bring the world a line of bracelets, rings, and other accessories that is destined to both beautify our lives and help save our precious Earth.

The handcrafted items are created from Dune Jewelry’s sand and earth elements combined with recycled plastic pulled from the seas by 4Ocean.

So far, 4Ocean has removed more than 25 million pounds of plastic waste from the world’s oceans.

“Our collaboration with 4Ocean continues to build momentum and is becoming more impactful every day,” says Dune Jewelry CEO Holly Daniels Christensen.

The Dune X 4Ocean Sustainable line is sold worldwide in Infinity Jewelry’s retail outlets.

Quebec Cruises Greener

The Port of Quebec continues to make the cruise industry more environmentally sustainable through an ongoing Quebec International Cruise Forum. The forum draws ideas from a variety of sources. It brings together citizen

groups, members of the maritime industry, representatives of the tourism sector, and various elected officials for the purpose of improving cruising’s sustainable development.

In the fourth installment of the event, the Quebec Port Authority disclosed that they’ll be conducting a study on cruise-ship shore power

that will evaluate the costs and feasibility of reducing greenhouse gasses by allowing parked ships to plug into local electricity.

“Since the first forum, held in 2014, we have developed a unique model in Quebec City,” said Port Authority CEO Mario Girard. “We consult, talk to each other and come up with win-win solutions.”

4Ocean has removed more than 25 million pounds of plastic waste from the world’s oceans.

Walking with Mountain Gorillas

A Rwandan gorilla experience can remind us what it means to be human — and humane.

by Kate Wickers

e pick our way through purple-flowering fields planted with Irish potatoes and the daisy-like pyrethrum, grown to make a natural insecticide, until we reach the mist-draped Volcanoes National Park in northwest Rwanda. We pause here to receive a mountain-gorilla briefing.

“Before we enter the park to track the gorillas, we must learn a little of their language,” national park ranger Christophe tells us. “If you want to reassure a gorilla, the sound you make is ‘mm mer.’ Let us all try.” The eight of us (the maximum number of tourists in one group) have a go. The “mm” should be short, the “mer” longer, like the softest of lamb bleats, and both are to be delivered in a low tone. More advice follows: to make yourself submissive by crouching down if a silverback or blackback (young alpha male) approaches, to talk in low voices, to make no sudden movements, and turn the flash of your camera off. My heart pumps both with excitement and in coping with the altitude of 2,500 feet, as I follow Christophe along a single-file track flanked by thick vegetation. Ahead, I hear the swish of a machete as a tracker cuts away bamboo and giant nettles that would otherwise impede our progress. According to a 2019 census, there are around 1,063 mountain gorillas left in the wild, with 604 residing within Volcanoes National Park, a string of dormant volcanoes that make up the Virunga Massif, shared by Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and another 459 in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

My first glimpse of the Muhoza gorilla group comes when a juvenile swings Tarzan-like from a vine before us. Soon, a female emerges from the ferns with an infant on her back that peers over the top of his mother’s head to lock huge round brown eyes with mine. “Stay calm, let her pass,” Christophe tells me.

The rule is to stay 7 to 10 meters (20 to 30 feet) away for the gorillas, but on steep, narrow paths this isn’t always possible. She passes within a hairbreadth, followed by a young male that gives the bottom of my trousers a cheeky pull as he runs by. We find muscly silverback Marambo, leader of the family, lying on his stomach in a clearing with chin resting on immense leathery hands, while a female grooms through his rich, thick, silver hair. Stepping gingerly into what feels like a royal court, no one utters a word. Here, we are in the presence of nobility and being granted an audience with Marambo feels like the greatest of wildlife honors.

I’m travelling with Volcanoes Safaris, pioneered by founder Praveen Moman, a signatory of the UN Kinshasa Declaration on Saving the Great Apes who is celebrating 25 years of responsible wildlife ecotourism in Rwanda and Uganda. Owner of four luxury lodges — one in Rwanda, three in Uganda, with another to open later this year — Moman’s take on luxury travel is that subtlety is key. No question that the lodges are exceptionally stylish, with an Afro-shabby-chic design reflecting the local culture and landscape, and an emphasis on using handmade traditional furnishings. But he’s also big on minimizing environmental impact.

Rainwater is collected, wastewater recycled, solar power harnessed, single-use plastic avoided, and 85 percent of the lodge staff come from local communities. The food is fantastic and the wines fine, but the real luxury comes in the small touches: a fire lit in the hearth of my suite; a hot-water

Bwindi Lodge, overlooking the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

The lounge at Virunga Lodge

Virunga Lodge

bottle discovered within my mosquito net–draped bed; and a lullaby sung in national language Kinyarwanda outside my window each morning as an alarm call.

From here, I cross the border and travel by jeep for 5 hours to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the southwest of Uganda, home to a further 459 mountain gorillas, and where the going is a little tougher. It’s a knee-crunching climb in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi’s thick, primordial forest to meet the 10-strong Orozugo family led by 20-year-old silverback Bakwate, who is lying flat on his back with his feet up. Nearby, two juveniles tumble through the grasses, flashing their teeth in mock combat. The trackers cut a path through dense, thorny brambles and a tangle of vines to where three females are feeding on stems and leaves, while the youngest member of the group, at just one year, clumsily beats his chest.

The real luxury comes in the small touches: a fire lit in the hearth of my suite; a hot-water bottle discovered within my mosquito net–draped bed; and a lullaby sung in national language Kinyarwanda outside my window each morning as an alarm call.

“He’s showing off,” Wilbur, our ranger guide, tells us. “He’s saying, look at me! See how strong I am!” We’re all so mesmerised by the baby’s antics that we don’t notice that Bakwate has stirred until he dashes up to us with a heart-stopping gallop, the glossy saddle of silver on his back bristling. We offer a hasty “mm mer,” while dropping to a crouch, but there’s no need for concern. He is already stealthily climbing a tree that drips in Spanish moss to feast upon the highest, choicest leaves. As I gaze up through the confetto of leaves caused by Bakwate’s weighty ascent, I’m reminded of gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey’s words: “When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.” It’s clear that the continuation of sensitive, responsible gorilla tourism (smallgroup visits for one hour, once a day to each gorilla family) is key to Bakwate’s future, and it's been a privilege to play a small part..

Kate travelled as a guest of Volcanoes Safaris. www.volcanoessafaris.com. Gorilla-tracking permits cost $1500 in Rwanda and $700 in Uganda. The fee goes toward conservation work, research, paying national park staff, and supporting local communities.

Traditional Rwandan ballet called The Intore

Dominant male, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Female with baby

Clockwise: Volcanoes Safaris; gudkovandreystock.adobe.com (x2)

On it.

Ending racial injustice requires all of us to work together and take real action.

What can you do to help?

Educate yourself about the history of American racism, privilege and what it means to be anti-racist. Educate yourself about the history of American racism, privilege and what it means to be anti-racist.

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As we pried the lid off our post-pandemic bucket of travel dreams, the off-the-radar destination of Raja Ampat rose to the top. When we mentioned the region to our friends as our next adventure, puzzled looks gave way to, “Where and what is that?”

Part of Indonesia’s Southwest Papua province, this exotic archipelago of over 1,500 small islands, shoals, and cays straddles the equator just off the northwest tip of the big island of Papua and New Guinea. Containing the richest marine biodiversity on Earth and ranked as one of the world’s top-10 dive sites, it’s no wonder that this isolated aquatic wonderland beckons to those with a penchant for Mother Nature’s beauty, above and below the surface. Sailing through the mosaic of islands you’ll never share the seas with the large cruise ships found in the Caribbean. Nor will you find mega-resorts brimming with tourists. Niche cruise operator Aqua Expeditions glides through this unspoiled sanctuary with their 30-passenger yacht Aqua Blu. The cruise is a weeklong expedition into paradise, with curated excursion experiences and creative cuisine.

The ABCs of an Aqua Blu Cruise

Steve Leland wanders the world in style. Now, he’s cruising Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

by Steve Leland

Ready, Jetset, Go

Reaching the embarkation port requires planning a flight through Jakarta, Indonesia, with a connecting flight to Sorong in the east, but the effort is mitigated by the incredible experience on board. The smiling face of cruise guide Kaz meeting us at the airport launched the feeling of personalized pampering from the crew.

After our jet lag-induced 4:00 a.m. wake-up, a soothing soak in the Jacuzzi with cappuccino in hand served as a front-row seat to a cinematic sunrise. Anticipation ran high and a roster brimming with diverse daily activities went well above expectations.

With Aqua Blu anchored just off Mioskon Island, snorkelers and divers were able to experience some of the best underwater exploration in the world at two different dive sites. Weighing anchor in the late morning, the yacht sailed to Wallace Passage and guide Jamar delivered a presentation on the fascinating marine life of the region. In the afternoon, kayaks were deployed; we took on the role of intrepid explorers paddling through lush mangrove islands, eyes peeled for cockatoos and the Papuan hornbill.

Mornings in these equatorial regions possessed a certain charm and indelible memories were made as we snorkeled and scuba dove at Cape Kri, a site that holds the record for the most species of fish (374) encountered on a single dive.

As daylight faded each evening, the Sundowner cocktail-andcanapé event on deck became a staple activity, but it was extra special as we departed aboard the yacht’s twin RIB boats for an afternoon cruise through an idyllic lagoon. Fully stocked with wine, beer, and snacks, they were lashed together to drift effortlessly for the spectacle of a blazing sunset.

Day Three found us visiting an authentic pearl farm to learn the process of raising the oysters that create this treasure. Snorkeling and diving was over the reef of Edie’s Black Forest and the day culminated on a deserted beach for swimming, paddleboarding, or simply enjoying paradise with cocktails and snacks.

Hide and Seek

If you were to google Raja Ampat, odds are that the iconic image of the Wayag Islands would appear. Towering mounds of

karst formations flush with green vegetation and surrounded by a labyrinth of lagoons — these are unquestionably a sight that will remain etched in your mind forever. Kayaking through the turquoise waterways created photographic magic … an Instagram post of a lifetime. Encouraged by a presentation on manta rays by the ever-smiling guide Refly, we headed out on Day Six to observe the activity of an underwater manta-cleaning station. These magnificent creatures with wingspans of 8-10 feet travel long distances to come to this specific site to be cleaned of parasites by ever-willing fish. The cruise would not have been complete without peering into the culture of the local population. A visit to the island community of Arborek provided an intriguing glimpse into the everyday lives of the indigenous people. Small tribal colonies like this are surrounded by the sea and locals rely on fishing as the primary occupation.

Our final day on board was a fitting grand finale. A predawn trek took us up a mountain trail to a camouflaged hideout where we waited for daybreak to witness the elaborate dance of red birds of paradise, the flashy males flaunting their bright red-andyellow plumage.

Towering mounds of karst formations flush with green vegetation and surrounded by a labyrinth of lagoons ... Kayaking through the turquoise waterways created photographic magic … an Instagram post of a lifetime.

Our afternoon was no less stimulating; we boarded river canoes for an upriver journey and a short hike through the jungle to the Blue River. We jumped in and floated effortlessly down the brilliant, sky-blue waterway, all of us surrounded by a virtual garden of Eden for a session of spirited joy.

Red Rover, Send Us On Over

Aqua Blu features 15 individually designed staterooms elegantly furnished with contemporary luxury in mind. A soft palette of ivory, gray, and gold trimmed with light-grained wood and gleaming chrome adorns the yacht’s interiors and outdoor social space, with a roominess that contributes to the feeling of a jetset lifestyle.

There’s no need to be a yacht aficionado to appreciate a sun deck that sets the stage for food and drink under the stars. Reflect on the day while relaxing in wrap-around sofas, comfortable lounge beds, or the warmth of the Jacuzzi. An outdoor workout space encourages active pursuits while a spa, TV room, and library pleases more sedate personalities.

Leland & Sea

Inclusive amenities extend to complimentary diving, snorkeling, excursions, WiFi, and laundry, plus free-flowing wine and beer with meals.

Meals can be served alfresco or in the vessel’s main dining room with menus that reflect the area’s abundant seafood, fresh fruit, and other produce. Exquisite dishes representing the cuisines of the region have been orchestrated by Chef Benjamin Cross.

Although breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style in the Sky Lounge, it’s the evening meals that showcase the brand’s culinary skills. Dishes are served family-style around a gigantic round table, allowing guests to sample each of the items on the menu. A typical dinner might start with a fresh tuna ceviche, followed by regional salad and capped off with grilled Indonesian prawns, a shortrib beef rendang, or steamed grouper.

Inclusive amenities extend to complimentary diving, snorkeling, excursions, WiFi, and laundry, plus freeflowing wine and beer with meals. It’s barefoot comfort with a dose of chic.

Owner and founder Francesco Galli Zugaro had a vision to develop intimate expedition cruising, and that vision comes to fruition throughout the entire Aqua Expeditions fleet. The recently launched yacht Aqua Mare hosts expeditions through the Galápagos Islands. River expeditions aboard Aqua Mekong sail the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, while Aqua Nera and Amazon Aria explore the wilds of the Amazon. Aqua Blu repositions to Bali in May and sails weeklong cruises to the Komodo Islands throughout the summer months..

Photo © David Schrichte

Victoria Gallery & Museum

Exactly a mile from the Cavern Club, and only a mile and a half from the cruise port, stands the University of Liverpool’s collection showcasing wonders of science and art. This year, they’re hosting “Travel in Style – Iconic Cunard Advertising in the 1920s and 1930s,” an exhibition commemorating the luxury line that, more than any cultural institution (except maybe one, yeah, yeah, yeah), put Liverpool on the map.