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We have dealt with Nicci Bettles in organising a trip to NZ. Friendly, helpful service with a good sense of humour as a bonus. Prompt replies to queries via email, text or phone. Helpful advice in sorting our holiday so it suits us. We are happy with our package for 10 days.

Just spoke to a lovely lady called Kay who helped me with everything after being very indecisive with my travel plans. 10minutes later I have got the best flights and trip i could have asked for and even better it was cheaper than anything i could find online!!!WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND GIVING THESE GUYS A CALL BEFORE BOOKING ANYTHING ONLINE AGAIN

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Travel & Cruise Wangaratta is an Australian Travel Agency based in Wangaratta, Victoria. Travel & Cruise Wangaratta is located at 30 Ovens St, Wangaratta VIC 3677, Australia.

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Travel & Cruise Wangaratta is located in Wangaratta Rural City of Victoria state. On the street of Ovens Street and street number is 30. To communicate or ask something with the place, the Phone number is (03) 5722 9600 . You can get more information from their website.

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SEE & DO. ESSENTIALS. CONTACT. Thanks for all your help, you always make our holidays extra special.xx. Beverley Bovell. Thank you Wangaratta branch for your continued help and assistance with my travel needs, You are allways informative and factual with your advice. Ken Marsden. Thank you Travel & Cruise Yarrawonga for organising my sons ...

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+61 3 5722 9600 . Postcode: 3677. Photo gallery--> About Travel Cruise Wangaratta. Travel Cruise Wangaratta is a Australian Travel Agency based in Wangaratta, Victoria. Travel Cruise Wangaratta is located at 30 Ovens St, Wangaratta VIC 3677, Australia, ...

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+61 3 5722 1843 dysongroup.com.au Directions Write a review . Fleur De Lys on Docker Street . Establishment, Travel agency, Real estate agency - Wangaratta, VIC 3677 . Establishment . Travel agency . Real estate agency . 45 Docker Street, Wangaratta, VIC

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• Fleur De Lys on Docker Street Real estate agency | Travel agency 45 Docker St, Wangaratta VIC 3677, Australia
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Home » Travel Guides » Australia » 15 Best Things to Do in Wangaratta (Australia)

15 Best Things to Do in Wangaratta (Australia)

The rural city of Wangaratta is at the foot of the Australian Alps, by the confluence of the King and Ovens Rivers.

Trace the King Valley up into the Alps and you’ll discover vineyards planted with Italian varietals like Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese.

The Ovens Valley meanwhile is the old route of a 19th-century railway, now a rail trail that gives you supreme mountain scenery accompanied by gourmet farms, distillers, cellar doors and craft breweries.

A few minutes out of Wangaratta is Glenrowan, the place where Ned Kelly donned armour plating for his last stand in 1880. Back in town there’s a high-calibre arts and culture district, restaurants steeped in the area’s high-quality produce and peaceful parks shaded by mature trees.

1. Murray to Mountains Rail Trail

Wangaratta is at the start of a 95-kilometre cycling and walking trail, carrying you up to the town of Bright in the Australian Alps.

This is the route of the Bright Railway Line, completed in 1890 and tracking the Ovens Valley for most of its course.

Now the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail is a stunning outdoor experience, mixing beautiful mountainscapes and picture perfect valleys, with endless possibilities for detours at vineyards and gourmet food producers.

As a rail trail the gradients are mostly light, despite the mountainous scenery all around, and the path is sealed for almost the entirety of the route, so you’ll rarely have to contend with traffic.

At Everton station you can also explore a spur taking you to the historic town of Beechworth, which is flush with heritage architecture.

2. Merriwa Park

A real point of pride for Wangaratta is this urban park by the CBD, on the original course of the King River.

In the 1950s the river was diverted using a levee, creating a lagoon in the park attracting ducks and other waterbirds.

There are also towering river red gums throughout Merriwa Park, some that were planted when the park first opened in 1905, and others that have been growing for centuries and support a diversity of wildlife including gliders, possums and owls.

When it comes to facilities, there’s an expansive lawn tennis complex, playgrounds for children, a ferny, picnic areas and barbecues.

The King River now flows through the neighbouring Kaluna Park, which is a vital riparian reserve, replenished by natural flooding which draws spectacular birdlife.

3. Warby-Ovens National Park

The steep granite peaks west of Wangaratta are at a transition in the northern Victorian landscape where the uplands give way to the plains of the Riverina.

Warby-Ovens National Park was created in 2010 protecting the namesake ranges and their important stands of red river gums.

You can get here in a few minutes to scramble over giant boulders and make the hike to Salisbury Falls, which is at its best after heavy rain in winter.

A prominent hill in the range is Mount Glenrowan, which was used as a vantage point by Ned Kelly and his gang.

4. King Valley Wine Region

In north-east Victoria you’ll be in a wine growing region that begins just outside Wangaratta and meanders east along the picturesque valley of the King River as far as Alpine National Park.

Vines have been cultivated in the area since the 19th century, but the wine industry really found its feet in the post-war years with Italian immigration when growers realised how well European varietals fared in these soils.

Italian grapes like Sangiovese, Barbera, Pinot Grigio and Nebbiolo are all prominent in King Valley.

Dal Zotto Wines and Pizzini Wines are two famous names nearby in Whitfield, and during your tasting odyssey you should make time for Milawa, which has made a name for its gourmet produce, particularly olives, mustards and cheeses.

5. Ned Kelly Museum & Homestead

The outlaw and gang leader Ned Kelly (1854-1880) is an indelible part of Australian history and continues to arouse fascination more than 140 years after he was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol.

He had his brutal last stand, a bloody shootout with the police in which he and his gang wore improvised armour plating, 15 minutes out of Wangaratta in Glenrowan.

The Ned Kelly Museum is an appropriately kitschy but informative attraction, painting a picture of European colonial life in the 1870s and the dark side of the gold rush.

The interpretive trail leads you through a replica of Kelly’s homestead, while the museum shows off a reproduction of his armour (the original is on show at the State Library of Victoria), as well as artefacts like his death mask.

6. Glenrowan Heritage Siege Precinct

You can take a little walk around Glenrowan, stopping at a succession of places connected to the events of June 1880 and the Kelly gang’s siege with Melbourne troopers.

Kelly’s plan centred on the railway, and an attempt to derail a police train, and you can check out the original stationmaster’s house, the railway platform and the site where Kelly was eventually captured.

It’s interesting to think that many of the mature trees growing around Glenrowan were here in Kelly’s day, not least the “Kelly Copse”, where he is known to have tethered his horse.

Another compelling thing about the siege site is that innumerable ammunition rounds were fired in the action, and every now and again bullets show up in the soil.

7. The Big Ned Kelly Statue

In a country full of “Big Things”, giant novelty statues with a site-specific theme, it’s only right that Glenrowan should have a big Ned.

This is in fact the town’s third big Ned, which might have something to do with Kelly’s controversial status as a folk hero.

The first Big Ned Kelly Statue was pulled down and dumped in the river.

The statue here today, showing Kelly in his armour with gun in hand, was produced by a Sydney-based artist in 1992 and transported in one piece by road.

Made from fibreglass, the piece stands six metres tall and weighs 1.5 tons.

8. Northern Beaches

On the Ovens River in the quiet, northern outskirts of Wangaratta is a reserve covering just over 10 hectares.

This is a place where you can bathe in the river’s cool waters at two sandy beaches on the west bank, Kingfisher Beach and Platypus Beach.

As you might gather from their names there’s a lot of wildlife around the Northern Beaches, and along with the animals mentioned you may come across long-necked turtles, possums, echidnas and bird like grey shrike-thrushes and eastern yellow robins.

The riverside has dense native vegetation made up of river red gums, river tea tree, river bottlebrush and silver wattle, to name a few species.

9. Wangaratta Art Gallery

There’s a small but strong arts and culture precinct on the edge of the CBD, anchored by the modern Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre and the regional gallery, which opened at this striking heritage building in 1987. This is a former Presbyterian church, completed in 1899 and eventually sold off in the 1980s.

Since the 2000s the gallery has assembled a noted collection, focusing on textile art, works in wood, small sculpture, pieces relating to north-east Victoria and works by artists of state and national importance.

The collection isn’t on permanent display, but selections are put on show at regular intervals, along with travelling exhibitions.

The gallery also plays host to the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award, the only prize of its kind in Australia.

10. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre

A bold architectural statement, the modern Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre opened by the art gallery in 2009. The auditorium also makes an impact, seating 520, with raked seating that can be pulled back for private functions and conventions.

This is a platform for a diverse menu of live entertainment, from plays to musicals, classical concerts, dance, fun for children, live comedy and a great deal more.

The building has free Wi-Fi, and the in-house cafe, Intermezzo, is open seven days a week for lunch and breakfast, as well as on evenings when there are performances.

11. Wangaratta Visitor Information Centre

The easiest way to get a handle on Wangaratta and the King Valley Region is to pay a visit to the visitor information centre on Murphy Street.

The building, Wangaratta’s historic former library, is a sight of its own, with a pair of pediments held up by Ionic pilasters, flanking a first floor gallery.

As well as being somewhere to get hold of leaflets and brochures, the centre has interesting interpretive displays, and regularly hosts short-term exhibitions connected to the area.

There’s a treasure trove of gift ideas, from handmade fashion to artisanal olive oil, and the helpful staff will be happy to offer any advice to help you get more from your trip.

12. King George V Gardens

Right in the middle of the CBD is a peaceful little park where you can seek some shade and relax in the greenery.

The history of this space has been charted back to the middle of the 1850s when it was a stables for the local police constabulary.

The gardens’ fine old plane trees were planted in the 1860s to offer shade for the market and stockyards base here at the time.

It wasn’t until 1938 that the space was officially declared a park, and you can make the most of picnic tables and a children’s playground.

In 2019 the gardens were spruced up with an upgraded community stage, a new shelter, extra seating and improved landscaping.

13. Hurdle Creek Still

This small batch gin distillery was set up close by in Milawa in 2016. All of Hurdle Creek Still’s products are made and bottled on site, and the triple-distilled base spirit is produced using local grain with a traditional mashing technique.

The juniper and blend of native botanicals, from hops to pink peppercorns, aniseed and citrus, are vapour-infused to ensure subtle and light flavours.

You can call in at the still for a tasting ($7 for 6), which will be free if you make a purchase.

Some picks from the range include the classic Yardarm gin, aniseed gin, cherry gin, grain jenever and other spirits like Yuzu, Pastis and Dark Cacao (chocolate liqueur).

14. Eldorado Dredge Holes

Not far east of Wangaratta, on Reedy Creek, is a giant relic from the gold mining days.

Most of the mining in Eldorado was done with open pits, but the alluvial gold on the creek was hauled up using an immense floating bucket dredge weighting 2,140 tons and drawing the third-most power from Victoria’s State Electricity Grid after Melbourne and Geelong.

The dredge operated between 1936 and 1954, during which time it helped produce over 70,000 tons of gold and just under 1,400 tons of tin concentrate.

Today this massive hunk of machinery rests by the water, just off the Eldorado-Byawatha road.

15. Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues

Every spring, Wangaratta is the setting for one of Victoria’s premier events, now in its fourth decade.

The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues is a three-day event, around late-October or early-November, held at of venues around the city.

There are more than 90 performances and events crammed into the long weekend, counting sets by international musicians, masterclasses and youth jazz workshops.

Some past performers include Freddy Cole, Christian Scott, Jen Shyu, Dutch Tilders and many more.

The festival also comprises the National Jazz Awards, a multidisciplinary prize for artists up to the age of 35.

15 Best Things to Do in Wangaratta (Australia):

• Murray to Mountains Rail Trail
• Merriwa Park
• Warby-Ovens National Park
• King Valley Wine Region
• Ned Kelly Museum & Homestead
• Glenrowan Heritage Siege Precinct
• The Big Ned Kelly Statue
• Northern Beaches
• Wangaratta Art Gallery
• Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre
• Wangaratta Visitor Information Centre
• King George V Gardens
• Hurdle Creek Still
• Eldorado Dredge Holes
• Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues

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I Went on a $75,000 Luxury Air Cruise for 22 Days. Here's a Peek Inside the Over-the-Top Travel Experience Unlike Any I've Had Before. I wanted to do something epic to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary with my wife.

By Amanda Breen • Apr 15, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Jim Tobin read a Travel + Leisure article about Safrans du Monde's air cruise offering last year.
• He and his wife took the 22-day Grands Classiques trip; tickets cost $75,000.
• With no planning required and everything taken care of, the experience was stress-free — and one he'd recommend.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jim Tobin, a 57-year-old entrepreneur. Tobin is based in Raleigh, North Carolina and has run a social media marketing agency for 17 years.

I first learned about Safrans du Monde , the luxury French tour operator and travel agency, from an article in Travel + Leisure that came out last spring. When I first saw that article, I sent it to my wife, sort of along the lines of This is ridiculous, who could do this. This is epic but so over the top. We laughed about it and thought how cool it sounded, then sort of forgot about it. Then, about six months later, I realized our 30th wedding anniversary was coming up, and maybe we should do something big because 30 years is a long time she's been suffering with me, and that article came back to mind.

Related: Wealthy Travelers Are Flocking to a New Luxury Cruise Ship With a Rolex Store, Crystal-Infused Water, and a $190 Tasting Menu. See Inside.

I was drawn to it because it's such an interesting and painless way to cross off so many items on your bucket list at once. The trip we went on was the Grands Classiques , so we saw Machu Picchu , Easter Island, the Taj Mahal and so many other iconic places. At one point a few years ago, we looked into getting to Easter Island, and just getting there is no small feat. And that was just one of the stops that you could do on this 22-day excursion. We had been to Sydney twice before because my brother lived in Australia for 15 years, but otherwise all of the destinations were new. Seeing the Taj Mahal was just so impressive and a little surreal to suddenly be there, particularly when we had been in Cambodia the day before, and witnessing that as the sun rose was incredible. It's something I'll never forget. From a destination standpoint, I was also struck by Bora Bora and just how beautiful it was.

Related: The Young Founder Behind a $100 Million Luxury Travel Business

Tickets for our trip cost $75,000. There were 52 passengers total on our vacation, and there was a French-speaking group and an English-speaking group. Our sort of subgroup was about 15 English-speaking people, and we had our own guide who stayed with us the entire time. She was on the plane from day one until the end and took care of everything — from visas and collecting passports before we went to certain destinations to letting us know what was happening next. We had a local guide for just our group who met us at each destination and stayed with us from the time we arrived until they dropped us back at the airport. The ability to have all of these experiences with no planning on our part and very little thinking about what we needed to do — hotels, transportation, meals — was remarkable and stress-free.

Related: People Sold Their Homes to Board a 'Never-Ending' Cruise Around the World. But the Ship Will Never Set Sail — Here's How the Big Dream Sank.

The plane itself had plenty of room; you have your own seat for the entire 22 days. You have the same flight attendants, the same pilots, the same chef. It was a little inverse of a normal trip where the plane flight could be sort of taxing. Getting to the destination was very relaxing , but you did have to hustle a little bit to see things on the ground. My wife and I joked a little bit that it was like the Amazing Race : One morning, we're looking at the Easter Island statues, and that afternoon, we're landing in Tahiti. But they did have a nice break scheduled in French Polynesia. We were there for four days, and it was much less planned, so we could relax a little bit more. There is a lot packed into that trip in a fairly short period of time, and I was grateful that we did it at a point where we still had the energy and mobility to do things like that.

Related: Going on a Family Vacation? This Popular U.S. Destination Is the Most Expensive in the World.

It's not an inexpensive trip, but when you look at the value provided, it's completely worth it. The logistics of getting to these places are very difficult when you fly on commercial airlines and have to make various connections. So logistically, it was so much easier. It was so much more pleasant not having to think about all of the planning and just be well taken care of the entire time. It made it both more cost-efficient and more enjoyable when you add up all the things you got to see.

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MSC Cruises' Latest Sale Has Voyages Starting at $179 — When to Book

The sale is running until April 18.

Courtesy of MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is offering monumental savings on sailings to warm weather destinations starting at less than $200 per person.

The sale, which was extended and must be booked by April 18, offers cruises starting at just $179 per person, according to MSC. The sale rate is based on double occupancy and does not include the taxes, fees, or port expenses.

Travelers who take advantage of this deeply-discounted rate can sail on three and four night journeys from Miami for just $179, or from Orlando starting at just $189, MSC shared with Travel + Leisure .

“It’s a great opportunity, whether you’re curious about cruising for the first time or you’re an avid cruiser looking to book your next sailing,” Koreen McNutt, the senior vice president and commercial sales officer for MSC Cruises USA, told T+L. “These quick getaways let guests discover everything we have to offer from world-class onboard entertainment and outstanding family programming to a variety of delicious dining venues and wonderful amenities. Plus, these short cruises all visit our private island in The Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, with beautiful white-sand beaches and pristine water brimming with vibrant marine life.” 

The sale also includes MSC’s cruises from Galveston , which the company plans to introduce as its newest homeport in the United States in 2025. The cruise line expects to sail 7-night trips to Mexico and Central America on the MSC Seascape out of Galveston, which start at just $459 per person during the sale.

In addition, MSC is offering savings on its newest ship, the MSC World America , which the company plans to launch next year complete with a thrilling over-water swing ride, 13 different restaurants, an 11-deck-high dry slide, and more. Cruises on this ship start at just $649 per person as part of the sale.

“Cruising offers an unbeatable value proposition for vacations and we’re offering more itinerary options from a larger selection of embarkation ports than ever before, which makes it even easier for more people to discover what MSC Cruises is all about,” McNutt added.

Beyond the cruise fare, MSC is offering the option for travelers to add a drink package and Wi-FI to their booking starting at just $329.

Travel | Alaska is ready for another record-breaking…

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Travel | trump returns to court as jury selection enters second day in his hush money criminal trial, travel | alaska is ready for another record-breaking cruise season.

Alaska is home to more than 30,000 grizzlies, but the state’s cruise industry is experiencing anything but a bear market as momentum of last year’s record-breaking season is expected to continue in 2024.

The most-visited Alaskan port, Juneau set a new mark a year ago with 1.65 million passengers descending on the capital city during cruise season, which generally runs from April to late October. That figure from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce is a Denali-sized jump of 30 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

Coinciding with Alaska’s 65th anniversary of statehood, the upcoming cruise season appears to be just as robust, with 19 cruise lines sending 43 ships to the Last Frontier. Kicking things off for the second straight year is the 4,008-passenger Norwegian Bliss, which docked in rustic Skagway last week. With four mainstream-category ships homeported in either Seattle or Vancouver, Norwegian Cruise Line  has nearly 100 more after that.

Two competing companies have staked out even larger claims in this modern-day, maritime Alaskan gold rush. Holland America Line is sending seven premium-class ships for 141 total cruises. And at the top of the totem pole is Princess Cruises , which is celebrating its 55th year in these waters with seven premium ships sharing 158 departures.

Not counting grand voyages with itineraries so rich they make a visit to Alaska seem more like a pit stop, this cruise season will see more than 800 trips of mostly seven to 10 days starting or ending on this side of the Pacific. Where they’re all going is a destination rich in unparalleled wilderness, wildlife and native culture. In other words, bucket list stuff.

“Alaska is one of those places that draws you in and sets the hook right away,” said Kristi Switzer, destination marketing manager for Travel Juneau. “Visitors come for the otherworldly experience of being in the presence of glaciers and fjords, seeing whales and bears and finding the balance of Alaska Native cultural heritage with the rustic sophistication found in the capital city.”

Although Switzer recommends visits lasting several days instead of several hours, the city’s destination evangelist hopes that a partial day in Juneau and each major Alaskan cruise port will have 1.5 million passengers wanting more.

“This magical corner of the world has so much to offer beyond being a checkmark on people’s bucket lists,” she said.

Alaska is a checkmark for about three-quarters of all passengers headed there, according to the Alaska Tourism Industry Association, and the same can be said for two ships this season.

Starting with a six-day sail out of Vancouver on May 11, the namesake of Celebrity Cruises ’ popular Edge class will make its Alaskan debut with weeklong roundtrips from Seattle through Sept. 13. The 2,918-passenger vessel features a unique “outside-in” architecture that provides more floor-to-ceiling glass on the exterior and expanded outdoor spaces to soak up the Alaskan coastlines.

Edge will be joined by a pair of fleet mates for the season, albeit Summit’s seven-day roundtrips are turnarounds out of Anchorage or Vancouver, and Solstice’s weeklong jaunts are solely based in the British Columbian seaport. Celebrity, a premier-category cruise line has 57 departures to Alaska scheduled this year.

The other new recruit is Silver Nova, the youngest Silversea Cruises  ship in the luxury fleet to ever service Alaska. Capped at 728 guests, Silver Nova was launched last year and has the goods to do justice to a dreamlike place that captures the imagination of wilderness lovers and history buffs.

“Silver Nova is the ideal ship for Alaska cruising,” said company spokesman Brad Ball. “Her innovative design, which incorporates an unprecedented 4,000 square meters of glass, immerses guests into the incredible scenery of Alaska from virtually all venues and suites, with far-reaching views at every turn.”

The ship’s reimagined pool deck, which overlooks the water on her starboard side, and all-new outdoor venues — the Dusk Bar and the Marquee — allows unique openness to view spectacular Alaskan glaciers and wildlife. Those who want to experience an older and smaller Evolution-class Silversea vessel can book the Silver Muse, which also will sail mostly seven- to 14-day trips between Anchorage and Vancouver.

Because nearly every Alaskan cruise includes the staples — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage and Denali with a land add-on — some cruise lines like to shake things up with unique itineraries.

Holland America has a roundtrip that makes it easy to visit the 49th and 50th states without a long flight. A new “Glaciers & Volcanos: Alaska to Hawaii” cruise, part of the premium line’s Legendary Voyages collection of journeys from 25 to 59 days, departs on Aug. 31 from Seattle or Sept. 1 from Vancouver aboard the 1,916-passenger Westerdam. The nearly four-weeklong itinerary includes seldomly visited Kodiak and Dutch Harbor before heading down to the tropics to make four calls to three Hawaiian islands.

Seabourn  strives to offer a more tasteful Alaskan cruise and not only because it’s an ultra-luxury cruise line. “Caviar on the Ice” is a savory and swanky soiree on every Alaskan voyage, and when the 450-passenger Odyssey is in Sitka, a town originally built by Russian traders in the early 1800s, Seabourn guests can enjoy a culinary adventure that includes a scenic drive to a taproom for a sampling of local brews and a few eateries to try Siberian-rooted pelmeni dumplings and a hot dog made with caribou that the locals call “reindeer dawgs.” Sorry, vegetarians and friends of Santa, but Blitzen on a bun is da bomb.

Disney Cruise Line  is sending its 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder out of Vancouver for 15 week-long roundtrips, one five-day spin leaving on July 24 and an extended nine-day voyage on July 15.

Other cruise lines showing passengers a whale of a time in Alaska include Crystal, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Lindblad/National Geographic, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas and Viking.

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Already planning to see the next solar eclipse in 2026? What travelers need to know.

Umbraphiles feeling the post-eclipse blues should start checking the expiration date on their passports.

The next total solar eclipse is set to happen on Aug. 12, 2026, over Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small part of Portugal, according to NASA . 

In North America, only a partial eclipse will be visible, so if April’s event made you an eclipse chaser and you want to see totality, you’ll need to head overseas.

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Here’s what you’ll need to know before packing your bags:

Do you need a passport or visa for the best destination?

The path of totality for the 2026 eclipse mostly goes through places Americans can travel visa-free with their passport, so long as they’re planning to stay for less than 90 days.

Spain, Portugal, Iceland and Greenland all allow visa-free tourist travel for U.S. passport holders.

Spain, Portugal and Iceland are also members of the Schengen Area, which allows for visa-free travel in much of Europe, meaning if you decide to make a multi-country trip out of your eclipse adventure, you won’t need to clear customs if you’re coming from much of the rest of Europe, either.

One major change for travelers to Europe from the U.S., however, is that electronic preauthorization will become a requirement beginning in mid-2025. The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) requirement will apply to all four open countries in the path of totality. 

Depending on the state of the Ukraine war, travel to Russia may or may not be an option for most Americans by 2026, so it’s unclear what the paperwork requirements will be by then.

Is it better to see it from the beach?

Beaches can be a great place to see the eclipse because there are few natural obstacles blocking observers’ views of the sky. The 2026 path of totality passes over beaches on Spain’s northern and southeastern coasts, as well as over islands in the Mediterranean Sea including Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. The eclipse will also pass over coastal areas in Greenland and Iceland, according to the National Solar Observatory . 

Cruising Altitude: What it was like to see the eclipse from a plane

Will there be eclipse cruises or flights?

Almost certainly, although most operators have not announced specific plans yet. 

Cruise lines will also offer more viewing opportunities. Princess Cruises “has created a bespoke itinerary aboard Sky Princess to position the ship near Spain on that date,” according to a spokesperson for the line. The cruise will open for bookings on Princess’s website on May 23.

Cunard Line has sailings on its Queen Mary 2 , Queen Victoria and Queen Anne vessels that will put passengers in prime spots to watch .

'The ship can move': Why you should watch next solar eclipses from a cruise ship

Holland America Line is also planning multiple sailings around the event, though details are still to be announced. “Guests have reacted positively to our 2024 eclipse cruises and with the next full eclipse in 2026 we plan to have three sailings in Europe that will align with the path of the eclipse,” Paul Grigsby, the line's vice president of Deployment & Itinerary Planning, previously told USA TODAY in an email.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Already planning to see the next solar eclipse in 2026? What travelers need to know.

Cruise ship dancer allegedly possessed and distributed child pornography, feds say

A cruise ship dancer was arrested on child pornography charges.

Law enforcement accused Jamaal Wade of possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material from at least mid-August through late January, according to a criminal complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Matthew Deragon.

Wade, at one point, sent eight videos of children as young as 2 engaging in sexual acts with adults to another user on Telegram, claiming to have “‘way more,’” according to the document filed on April 8.

The user described Wade as a professional dancer living in Washington Heights, New York, in an interview with the FBI. The person said they had exchanged child sexual abuse material with Wade and watched it together in Wade’s home.

An FBI covert employee used the person’s account to communicate with another Telegram user, also believed to be Wade, who sent them a sexually explicit video involving a male minor. Wade allegedly said the boy was 11 or 12 and said he had “‘a ton of videos,’” the complaint said. He later sent eight other videos to the covert employee.

Wade had worked as a dancer on cruise ships and was employed on one at the time of the investigation. The document does not specify which ship he was working on. He allegedly told the covert employee that he “brought his ‘collection’ of CSAM materials on board the ship,” the complaint said.

He is charged with one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Case proceedings were moved from the Southern District of Florida to the Southern District of New York.

Robert Berube, an attorney who represented Wade in Florida, said in an email that he “will either retain counsel or have an attorney appointed to represent him” in New York. Another attorney for Wade was not yet listed.

Sexual assault on cruises: Alleged assaults rose last year, according to federal data

Law enforcement also reviewed records showing that Wade had been arrested for molesting an 11-year-old boy in Detroit, Michigan, in 2020, according to the complaint.

The news comes after two Disney Cruise Line crew members were arrested on child pornography charges in January. Federal authorities also said in December that a Celebrity Cruises crew member admitted to molesting children at an onboard youth center.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

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