Like a lot of travellers, writer Danielle Adams assumed she wasn’t a ‘cruise person.’ Her favourite trips always involved a challenge (like hiking up to Masada in Israel’s Judean Desert before dawn to watch the sunrise). The trouble always made the payoff a bit sweeter, she writes. But when she stepped aboard Virgin’s Scarlet Lady for a luxury cruise, there wasn’t a hardship to be had: from Michelin-star dining to enjoying a euphoric dance party around the pool, the cruising life is easy, fun, and didn’t involve any work. She writes: “Maybe I’ve been working too hard to enjoy myself on vacation, missing the point: It is okay to relax.” Read more.

Also this week: We take a peek at Kingston’s revamped Belvedere hotel, which now has a thermal spa; and check out this Toronto-area ski club, which has quietly maintained wilderness trails for 50 years.

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