Over 30 years, Mr. Verdure has built a reputation as the world’s top photographer of cruise ships. When he stepped off the gangplank of the Celebrity Silhouette on March 13, completing his 284th cruise, he found his industry in collapse and himself out of work.

At a time when travel has come to a complete standstill, award-winning photographer Dennis Cox releases the perfect anecdote for cruise-starved readers – a luscious, photography-laden look at all aspects of the worldwide cruise phenomena that defined the last decades.

We may be stuck at home, but our minds and memories can take us anywhere in the world. So I would like to take this opportunity and look back at a memorable getaway from a couple years ago. It was a cruise through the Caribbean and an encounter with some of the most beautiful islands in the world.

The great ship designed for transatlantic crossings is negotiating a heavy Atlantic sea with white caps appearing like melting snow flickering atop curling 20-foot waves. There is muscle in the wind as an enormous stream of strength converges on the ship twisting the light in tight Picasso-like curls.

So yes, of course, the highlights of our Blue Danube River Cruise with Grand Circle Tour Company were the four European capitals we were visiting: Prague, Czech Republic, Vienna, Austria, Bratislava, Slovakia and Budapest, Hungary. But it was the many surprises surrounding the experiences on the ship that truly enhanced the trip.

Researchers have identified the elusive ancient “lost city” of Mahendraparvata, Cambodia for the first time... Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is a holiday celebrated all throughout Mexico where living people honor the dead... Highlighting “go before it’s gone” messaging encourages people to visit endangered destinations and could lead to adverse consequences.

Are you wondering if a cruise holiday is right for you? There are also many hidden benefits of cruising that might surprise you... The airplane cabin of the future will include luggage bins that glow red when they’re full, seats tailored to passenger preferences and seat belts that alert cabin crew when they’re unbuckled, according to Airbus.

Recently my 22-year-old nephew demanded in his own special way for me to name what was my favorite adventure destination. After a bit of hemming and hawing, I finally succumbed, but explained that everyone's concept of favorite is subjective. . Plus bad weather and even your emotional state at that given moment can play with your judgment.

I’ve seen many castles and fortresses on my travels, but none stick in my head like the fortified Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia. If I didn’t actually walk upon its marble streets and touch its historic stone wall for myself, I’d swear it was a modern recreation of another time. 

Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas inspired awe — and many headlines — when it launched in 2009 as the world’s largest cruise ship with 2,742 staterooms, nearly two dozen restaurants, seven neighborhoods, and a Central Park.