by Lew Toulmin (First of two parts)

Tell your friends and relations that your next vacation is cruising a French canal on an upscale hotel barge and you are sure to get some envious glances, but does the reality match the myth?

That was the question my wife, Susan, and I had before cruising down the Burgundy Canal aboard the Horizon II, Aug. 2-8, 2009, as guests of French Country Waterways (Box 2195, Duxbury, MA 02331; 800/222-1236, www.fcwl.com).

Our cruise was from...

For years the cruise industry was a sellers’ market, with more eager passengers than cabins. But with the global economic crisis, many passengers are staying home, the cruising fleet is overbuilt and sellers are desperate for your business. This is good news if you can afford to go cruising, and at some of the discounts available you may be surprised how cheap it is.

In this column, I’ll describe how to research your cruise and some of the unusual discounts available. Throughout I...

by Lew Toulmin

The American Canadian Caribbean Line has its long name on the sides of some of the shortest ships in the cruising fleet. But ACCL is not short on hospitality, good food, great staff, interesting history or fascinating destinations.

In this article I will describe the line and its ships and outline the line’s international destinations, though my experience with ACCL is based on a cruise I took up the Intracoastal Waterway on the US Eastern Seaboard aboard the...