Colleen is the Editor-in-Chief at Cruise Critic. She considers cruising to be a true passion, having traveled the world by water – from Alaska, the Caribbean and Hawaii, to Europe’s rivers, Antarctica and Africa – on ships of all shapes and sizes. Colleen is regularly quoted as a cruise expert in media outlets across the country, including outlets like The Associated Press, Good Morning America, CNN, FOX Business, CNBC, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure and Skift.
As Americans prepare for Memorial Day weekend, travel expert Hayley Berg, CNBC’s Seema Mody and Cruise Critic editor-in-chief Colleen McDaniel share the five things they would never do when it comes to flights, road trips and cruises.
From traveling with family to discovering their passions, these were the cruise memories, moments and events that stuck with Cruise Critic’s editors over the past year.
When you cruise for a living, it's usually tough to pick just one experience that stands out. This year, though, the moment that still makes me smile months later is one I had on a vacation with AmaWaterways and Backroads. My husband and I took a trip on AmaDolce through the Bordeaux French wine region. Near the end of the cruise, after our team of 16 biked 39 miles from Cadillac to Bordeaux, we arrived to the meeting point before the ship did. By the time AmaDolce showed up, we were dancing and singing our hearts out, wringing all the joy we could from this fantastic wine and biking voyage, that had us pedal a total of 202 miles over the course of a week.