As 2025 draws to a close and 2026 begins, it’s a great time for reflection about travel. Look for two happenings in the world of cruise travel — one tonight on New Year’s Eve and another tomorrow on New Year’s Day.
In addition, keep reading below to view The Meandering Traveler‘s Top 10 blog highlights over the past year. What were some of 2025’s top travel and cruise announcements? What’s ahead in the coming year? What travel tips did this blog offer in 2025?
And third and most importantly, Happy New Year to all our readers and Pavlus Travel‘s valued customers. Best wishes to you, your loved ones and friends in 2026.
(Shown above is Scenic Eclipse, an expedition ship that will host a live New Year’s Eve broadcast by ABC News in Antarctica. Photo copyrighted by Richard Brierley and provided by Scenic.)
New Year’s Eve in Antarctica!
More immediately, though, you might tune into ABC News Live at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. tonight, December 31, 2025. Among its on-site coverage of New Year’s Eve across the globe, the television network will broadcast live from Scenic Cruises‘ expedition ship, Scenic Eclipse, in Antarctica.
The Meandering Traveler first traveled to Antarctica three years ago on a holiday voyage aboard Silversea. Whatever line guests choose, they’ll discover zillions of penguins, snow-covered landscapes, floating icebergs with seals catching a ride, and pure serenity without vestiges of civilization.
This eco-system is often described by guests as heaven on Earth. “It’s definitely an experience of a lifetime, says Shelby Steudle, president, Pavlus Travel.
She continues: “So, why not give us a call to discuss possibilities for a future holiday voyage to Antarctica? Or we can assist with planning a sailing at another time. Whenever you sail, our personal travel planners will plan a fabulous, ‘bucket-list’ vacation to the southern end of the Earth.”
Tournament of Roses Parade
On New Year’s Day, Princess Cruises will “set sail” along the streets of Pasadena, CA, in the New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade. Specifically, the line will field a fantastic Rose Parade float, decorated with more than 300,000 flowers and natural materials.
The float has already been officially christened by Jill Whelan, Princess’ celebration ambassador. She’s better known to many cruise fans as Captain Stubing’s daughter Vicki in the 1970s TV series, “The Love Boat.”
“I name this float Star Princess – may God bless her and all who cruise down Colorado Boulevard on her,” said Whelan. The float’s intricate floral and signature design has been created by Artistic Entertainment Services (AES).
Designed to evoke the awe and wonder of sailing through Alaska’s Inside Passage, the 21-foot-high float celebrates the upcoming 2026 inaugural Alaska season for the new Star Princess.
Depicting Princess’ Sphere-class-ship architecture, the 55-foot-long float will include a depiction of The Dome, a next-generation relaxation/entertainment space and the ship’s sphere-shaped Piazza.
The New Year’s Day parade begins at 8 a.m. Pacific Time (11 a.m. Eastern Time). More than 800,000 spectators will line the 5.5-mile parade route.
More than 28 million TV viewers in the U.S. will also watch live with others tuning in from across the globe. ABC is among the networks with Rose Parade coverage, plus CNN, FOX, NBC, and Great American Family will also have some coverage.
Streaming is available on such platforms as DirecTV, Hulu and others. Be sure to check local listings for timing in your area.
Top Stories of 2025!
Whether you tune into the New Year’s coverage or not, though, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that’s ending. For 2025, here are 10 of our top blogs that resonated with readers.
1. Five New Tauck River Cruises for 2027: Look for five enticing new European river cruises from Tauck in 2027 as well as two new riverboats. The new riverboats are Saudade, a sister ship to Andorinha on Portugal’s Douro River, plus Reverie, a sister ship to Serene on France’s Seine River. And later this year, Tauck will also introduce another option for river cruisers. Look for a six-day river cruise format, offered primarily for shoulder seasons.
2. Solo Travel is Hot! Top Tips from Pavlus: Demand for solo travel is high. Cruise industry research shows that 12 percent of all cruise guests in 2024 traveled solo, double the 6 percent posted for the previous year. In 2025, Pavlus Travel introduced a strong program to assist solo travelers. The agency will assist consumers with finding the best solo traveler promotions and accommodations available from cruise lines, as well as any value-added perks and amenities.
3. Upper Versus Lower Mississippi Cruises – How do They Differ?: For those seeking a fabulous vacation closer to home, the Mississippi River beckons. Both American Cruise Lines and Viking offer voyages along this storied waterway. But which itinerary — upper or lower — is best for your vacation, based on your interests? What does each offer? We give travel tips for selecting the right itinerary!
More Top Stories of 2025
4. Celebrity River Cruises: First Look at the New River Line: There’s no doubt that river cruising was hot in 2025 and that’s expected to continue strongly into the future. So, readers were excited to learn that a top ocean line, Celebrity Cruises, will launch river cruising in 2027. The line plans some unique facets for river cruises including multiple port calls in a day and overnights in port on some itineraries.
5. Seven Seas Prestige Getting New Restaurant: Creating good news buzz in multiple blogs this past year was Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ newest ship, Seven Seas Prestige. Set to launch in 2026, it’s getting a new-to-brand restaurant, Azure. Another blog also revealed initial renderings of the new ship.
6. Exotic India: New Viking River Region, New Ship, Land & River: Viking already offers voyages across the globe, but it was big news that it’s now heading to India. Sailing the Brahmaputra River, the new, 80-passenger Viking Brahmaputra will debut in late 2027. It will sail a new eight-day river voyage between Guwahati and Nimati Ghat in the northeastern state of Assam. Also, Viking’s new 15-day “Wonders of India” river-and-land itinerary will operate roundtrip from Delhi, India; that includes the cruise plus a fully guided land program.
Other Top Stories of 2025
7. Explora Journeys Unveils New Loyalty Program! Perks Galore: Certainly, loyalty programs offered by travel suppliers were in the news in 2025. Customers were often delighted to find loyalty status matching by big cruise companies across their multiple brands. In addition, Explora Journeys unveiled a new loyalty program with plenty of perks for frequent cruisers.
8. Exciting Cruise News: Azamara, Viking, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea: From new AzAmazing Evenings in 2026 on Azamara to the reprise of Jacques on Oceania Cruises’ new Allura, this blog provided a robust look at five happenings in 2025. Special event fans will find much to entice, for example, with Silversea’s new voyages to such global events as Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix!
9. New AmaWaterways River Cruises on Colombia’s Magdalena River: Another new river cruise region across the globe is Colombia. In early 2025, AmaWaterways began sailing the Magdalena River with its new AmaMagdalena. One plus is that it’s “closer to home” option for North Americans than river cruises in Asia, Egypt or Europe.
10. “Best Travel Agency – Top 15 Perks of the Pavlus Difference: Moving forward, readers who seek a skilled personal travel planner to assist in creating their perfect vacation, can use the contact information below. Need a reason to do so? Definitely read this blog from earlier this year detailing “The Pavlus Difference.”
Important Information from Pavlus Travel
- For information about the best deals, sign up for Pavlus’ email newsletter. It spotlights terrific pricing on a multitude of cruise and travel options. Readers can simply add their email to the sign-up box on the top right corner of the Pavlus Travel website.
- If anything tweaks your interest in this blog above, and you DO have questions about specific pricing, brochures, savings, accommodations, accessible options and so on, please contact us at 800-528-9300.
- Or visit us at Pavlus Travel’s official agency Web site. There, you can “live chat” with us online too!
- This blog site provides “basic, general information” about travel. It’s not staffed by travel advisors.
- Any price examples and included vacation features or amenities mentioned in The Meandering Traveler’s blogs are subject to change. They also don’t represent the full range of options; a travel advisor can assist with additional information.
- Please don’t use the Reply Section below if you are asking for pricing, travel dates, accommodations, brochures or other specific requests. Please use the 800 number or online link.
