The best way to explore an off-beat destination

By Erika Hueneke These NYE parties make global headlines for over-the-top pageantry. (Destination NSW) Sydney, Australia More than a million people gather every year to witness Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, and the party starts early: Several free vantage points open as early as 8 a.m. The official festivities kick off at 6:50 p.m. with a display of spraying water courtesy of a fire-fighting tugboat, followed by a traditional Aboriginal welcome and an air show. For revelers with earlier bedtimes, a smaller fireworks show takes place at 9 p.m. The main event happens at the stroke of midnight, when eight tons of fireworks and 100,000 pyrotechnic effects light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Stay: InterContinental Sydney’s Club InterContinental package includes three hours of drinks, canapés, and a cheese buffet, as well as panoramic views of the fireworks from the Club Lounge on the 31 st floor. Las Vegas, Nevada You’d better believe the Entertainment Capi...

Oprah Winfrey. Photo by O, The Oprah Magazine Oprah Winfrey is set to crack the Champagne when the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam launches this December. The media mogul and modern-day renaissance woman will be godmother to Holland America Line’s newest ship, the second in its Pinnacle class. Among the highlights: O’s Reading Room, select “Oprah’s Favorite Things” for sale in the onboard O Shop, and a new program of life-celebrating activities created with O, The Oprah Magazine (available fleetwide by year’s end), including healthy-eating workshops and daily meditation and intention setting. Top photo: Courtesy of Holland America Line.  Save Save

Gliding along the mighty Rhine, river cruisers get an intimate perspective on medieval castles, lush vineyards, and historic villages. But for those also hoping to trace the region’s extensive Jewish roots, Uniworld’s new-for-2018 Rhine itinerary features themed Jewish-heritage excursions at nearly every port. Don’t-miss experiences include visits to Basel’s Great Synagogue, Israel Park, and sites significant to the Zionist movement’s inception; the Museum Judengasse in Frankfurt, featuring the foundations of five homes from Europe’s first Jewish ghetto, Judengasse (Jew’s Alley), and an adjacent Holocaust memorial; Amsterdam’s former Jewish Quarter, where Rembrandt lived – the Dutch painter’s works often depicted local Jewish citizens, and his house, now a museum, is one of the few originals still standing in the area; and Strasbourg’s Old Town to tour the Alsatian Museum’s Jewish collection and model prayer room. Traveling through the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland, cr...

Two weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, a week after Hurricane Irma left her destructive mark on the Caribbean and Florida, and today as Hurricane Maria barrels down, Virtuoso cruise partners continue to assist in relief efforts. “From delivering supplies to impacted areas such as the Caribbean Islands and helping to evacuate stranded tourists and families, cruise line leaders continue to work with officials to best lend their support,” says Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have made aid missions to deliver supplies such as food, ice, animal supplies, water, and clothing, and both lines have made rescue missions to help those stranded in the Caribbean.  The Norwegian Sky rescued more than 900 people in St. Thomas. As part of their ongoing cruise itineraries, many lines will continue to deliver supplies including medical necessities over the next several weeks. And though Royal Caribbean...