Kerrisdale Cruise & Vacation Travel Travel Blog

France has the Eiffel Tower. The U.S. has the Statue of Liberty. But the visual shorthand for Japan is not man-made. It’s Mount Fuji.The Japanese archipelago is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Chains of volcanic mountain ranges form the spine of the Japanese islands, and mountains have assumed immense cultural and spiritual significance over the millennia.Nearly every population center is associated...

You might be on a cruise in the Caribbean before the holidays. Cruising in the Americas – that’s the cruise region for the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America - could begin again in about a month’s time, if significant industry developments this week bear fruit. Testing the Waters in EuropeAny regular reader of our newsletters will know we’ve been following...

France. Italy. Spain. If you’re imagining traveling again to Europe, you’ll have no problem picturing yourself in any of three independent boutique hotels that have just opened in spectacular historic properties. All three belong to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group of over 500 independent and unique hotels in 90 countries. They all have special character and offer themes...

In less than a month, the landscape for Canadian travellers has been transformed.Back in March, the COVID-19 virus was determined to be a ‘known factor’ and so it was no longer covered by regular travel medical insurance policies. Since then, Canadians who have wanted to travel have not had coverage for expenses incurred if they contracted the virus while abroad.All...

The first announcement was a bombshell. Then, like dominoes, they all fell. United Airlines started the landslide when it revealed it was dropping change fees - forever. Why? Air passengers in the US dropped to below 100,000 a day at the peak of the pandemic travel shutdown – recovering to 10 X that number over the last month, which is...

Meet the Luxury, All-Inclusive Expedition Cruise Line Launching during COVID You might call it bucking a trend. Atlas Ocean Voyages is debuting, even during the global pandemic that currently has all cruises put on pause.The new cruise line’s first ship is ahead of schedule to launch in July 2021. World Navigator will be the first of 5 new ships for the new cruise...

As the world prepares to travel again, there’s a huge trend emerging: going small.  We know what the ingredients of travel are going to be in the immediate post-pandemic future of travel: More space. More privacy. More flexibility. The travel industry is rising to the occasion with an innovative sweep of new, and newly-important touring options that make touring with your own...

The kids are back to school (whatever that looks like this year for your nearest and dearest), but on the calendar, summer isn’t quite over – yet. The Autumn Equinox – the first day of Fall – arrives this year on Tuesday September 22, so we still have a couple more weekends of ‘summer’.You may not have done all the...

Silversea has welcomed its first-ever destination-specific ship, the Silver Origin, designed for ultra-luxury expedition sailings in the Galapagos.It’s a good-news, milestone event for the cruise line - and for cruising.The global pandemic shutdown has resulted in a number of scheduled new ships to be delayed or postponed, so the official flag ceremony marking the completion of the Silver Origin will...

Mark dawn in England on June 21st on your calendar. It will be worth or staying up late at night in North America to experience the online broadcast of one of the world’s most famous celebrations of pre-historic spirituality.Summer Solstice is the astrological event that marks the longest day (the most sun) - and the shortest night (the least moon) of...

There’s good news for travel lovers! We are starting to see travel restrictions lifted.Once we do start traveling again, the world of travel will be different.Here are 3 tips for how to prepare yourself to travel again.By: Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/ Host of BestTrip TV  Coming… and GoingIt’s not enough to have a valid passport anymore .These days, you may not...

There may be no dish that evokes cruising more than Baked Alaska.A miracle dessert of warm, caramelized meringue on the outside, still magically full of layers of frozen ice cream on the inside. No one really knows why, but somewhere along the way, it became a classic of traditional cruise culture.Even today, Baked Alaska is often served on celebration, formal...

In some very special places in North America, Mother Nature has found a perfect formula to make dramatic hillside scenery decked out in autumn colors even more breathtaking: she’s added waterfalls.If you’re planning an autumn colors getaway, here are three fantastic falls that will put the icing on the cake of the fall color pictures you’ll want to post on...

When a destination’s nickname is ‘The Rock’, you don’t expect a warm and cozy place. Newfoundland is the eastern most point in North America, the vanguard of the continent where it faces into the North Atlantic waters and winds that once brought Vikings and still bring icebergs to its shores.  In this dramatic setting and tough climate, only the strong survive. Newfoundlanders are...

Challenging times call for fresh-baked cookies. For your COVID-19 #StaySafeStayHome pleasure, a cookie recipe for all the home baking and snacking we hear everyone is enjoying during lock down.Not just any cookie recipe. These are cookies of legend.They are the welcoming treat so many guests of DoubleTree by Hilton look forward to when they check in. Receiving a paper sleeve of...

From breathtaking beaches, up through rainforests and cloud forests, Costa Rica’s terrain rises from the sea to mountain ranges and, like icing on a scenic cake, a string of volcanoes that are evidence of the country’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are over 200 identifiable volcanoes in Costa Rica that date back more than 65 million years....

2020 has been an eventful year, with many firsts for the history books. But 2020 also marks some big anniversaries. Earlier this year, the Allies of World War 2 commemorated the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe, the end of the war against the Nazis. And now, short months later, V-J Day. Another epic moment in the history of the world: the...

Holland America Line Changes the Name of its Newbuild and Designates it the New FlagshipTravel has taken a beating by COVID-19. But there’s one way it’s giving us something to celebrate. Like all cruise lines, Holland American Line has been hit very hard by COVID. HAL has announced its operations are paused through the end of this year.  The company...

Guests left behind when a ship sails away is usually an unfortunate situation no cruise line likes to talk about. But when it happened last week in Naples, cheers rang out around the world. The guests weren’t late, which is usually how guests miss ships. Earlier this summer, Europe-based MSC Cruises had announced its new COVID-era health and safety protocols, developed...

We should be watching the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Olympiad right now. But COVID has changed the history of the Olympics along with so many other features of our lives. Tokyo 2020 retains the name, but the dates have changed.Originally scheduled to take place from July 24th through the second week of August this year, Tokyo 2020 now opens on July...