theme cruises

Baby Boomer Travel Guide: Theme Travel

Published May 4, 2017 | By Clark Norton

The Garden of Earthy Delights, by Hieronymus Bosch

If you have a passionate interest in a particular topic — it could be just about anything — you’re a prime candidate for theme travel.

In my younger days, I was obsessed by the paintings of the 15th-century Flemish fantasist Hieronymus Bosch, and trekked all over Europe attempting to see every one of them; I fell a little short, but had a wonderful time and my dedicated purpose gave my journey added meaning.

I was traveling by myself, but theme travel often involves going with like-minded people who share your passion. Take theme cruises, for instance.

The Lure of Theme Cruises

For six years I wrote a regular theme cruise column for Porthole Cruise Magazine, which chronicled the adventures of folks who are crazy about the most wide-ranging subjects imaginable:

Birding cruises….mah jongg cruises…vegan cruises…vampire cruises…marathon (running)… Continue reading →

Star Wars at Sea: Mingle with Darth and Chewie

Published January 20, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Disney Fantasy, on earth — well, at sea.

While it’s certainly true that subsequent generations have discovered Star Wars, baby boomers were among the first to take the interstellar journey to a galaxy far, far away back in 1977, albeit in the comfort of their local cinema.

Now that Disney has taken over the franchise with the ultra-successful Episode VII (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), the same boomers — and yes, subsequent generations — can awaken to a special “Star Wars Day at Sea” aboard a Disney cruise ship. (Disney cruises, by the way, are geared to adults as well as kids.)

Eight sailings of the appropriately named Disney Fantasy will transport Star Wars fans of any age to a sea far, far away — well, not that far away, but at least out of the… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Beaches, Boat travel, Caribbean, Cruises, Family travel, Film Locations, Islands | Tagged Castaway Cay, Chewbacca, Cozumel, Darth Vader, Disney Fantasy, Grand Cayman, Star Wars, Star Wars Day at Sea, Star Wars theme cruise, Stormtroopers, The Bahamas, theme cruises | Leave a comment

Theme Cruise Columns Win Second Gold Award

Published February 11, 2015 | By Clark Norton

I want to thank the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) for naming me for the second straight year as the Gold Award winner for Best Magazine Travel Series in their annual travel writing competition.

For both 2013 and 2014, three of my theme cruise columns written for Porthole Cruise Magazine took home the Gold.

This year’s series consisted of “Blue Sea, Red Sea,” about political cruises; “Bird is The Word,” about birding cruises; and “Now You Sea It,” about ghost-hunting cruises.

While the Porthole column came to an end earlier this year (with a piece on cat cruises), I had six years of fun writing about 37 different theme cruises covering all kinds of topics — some serious, some wacky, all entertaining.

At some point I’ll be putting out a collection of the columns in eBook form, and will let you know when it’s out.

According to… Continue reading →

Posted in Cruises, Marketing | Tagged NATJA, NATJA Gold Award, Porthole Cruise Magazine, theme cruises | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.