Unforgettable Journeys for Every Generation: Norwegian Cruise Line Redefines Multigenerational Travel Across Europe

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Save up to US$1,500 for a limited time—make memories that span generations aboard NCL's most innovative ships.

In a world where time feels fleeting and connections often fray amidst busy schedules, multigenerational travel is emerging as the new gold standard for meaningful family bonding. Gone are the days of hurried tours and rigid itineraries. Today’s families are seeking shared experiences that transcend generations—where grandparents, parents, and children come together to explore, celebrate, and rediscover each other.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a pioneer in innovative cruise travel, understands this evolving need. With immersive European voyages aboard some of the world’s most groundbreaking ships—including the stunning Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva—NCL is rewriting the rules of family travel by offering seamless, enriching, and exhilarating journeys tailored to all ages.

One Voyage, Endless Memories

Imagine waking up in Rome, dining in Barcelona, and falling asleep to the rhythms of the sea—without ever packing a bag twice. That’s the beauty of cruising Europe with NCL. With itineraries spanning seven to 14 days, families can voyage from the glittering coasts of the Mediterranean to the fairytale ports of Northern Europe—all while enjoying unmatched comfort and convenience.

With nine world-class ships sailing across Europe in 2025, including the state-of-the-art Prima Class vessels, NCL provides families with a dynamic holiday where no one is left out. Every journey becomes a shared story—filled with laughter, discovery, and connection.

Prima & Viva: Ships Designed With Every Generation in Mind

The moment you step aboard Norwegian Prima or Norwegian Viva, it’s clear—these aren’t just cruise ships; they’re destinations in themselves.

Families can race across the sea on the first-ever three-level Speedway racetrack, cool off together at Infinity Beach, or explore a global culinary feast at Indulge Food Hall. Kids and teens disappear into a world of wonder at the Galaxy Pavilion or the Entourage teen lounge, while adults soak in serenity with panoramic views from The Observation Lounge or unwind in the blissful Mandara Spa®.

For those celebrating special milestones, The Haven by Norwegian® offers the ultimate luxury escape. This exclusive, private enclave within the ship includes personal butler service, a dedicated sundeck, and a fine-dining restaurant—perfect for anniversaries, birthdays, or once-in-a-lifetime reunions.

When the sun dips below the horizon, the ship comes alive with theatre game shows, starlit cocktails, and intimate dinners that draw everyone together again. And with no strict schedules or dress codes, every day flows at the rhythm of your family.

Epic Itineraries That Inspire and Delight

Whether you're retracing ancient footsteps or basking in coastal charm, every NCL itinerary is crafted to spark wonder across generations.

Mediterranean Marvels | Norwegian Viva

9-Day Round-trip from Istanbul (Sept 2 or 11, 2025)

Myth meets magic as you cruise through Greece’s most iconic islands—Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes—along with Heraklion, Crete, and more. With sun-kissed villages, rich mythology, and breathtaking landscapes, this is the Mediterranean at its most enchanting.

10-Day Mediterranean Cultural Showcase from Rome (Departs Nov 18, 2025)

Explore 11 stunning ports across Italy, France, and Spain—Florence, Naples, Marseille, Barcelona, Ibiza, Cartagena, Granada, and Seville—before culminating in the timeless charm of Lisbon. This is Europe in full color, taste, and rhythm.

Northern Wonders | Norwegian Prima

10-Day Iceland to London (Departs Sept 4, 2025)

Begin in Reykjavik and sail through Iceland’s wild beauty, Norway’s majestic fjords, and into the heart of Europe via Amsterdam, Bruges, and finally London. Whale watching, chocolate tasting, and storybook towns await.

11-Day Baltic and North Seas Journey (Departs Oct 9, 2025)

From Copenhagen to London, uncover the charm of Helsinki, Tallinn, and Stockholm. Discover Viking legends, stroll through mediaeval town squares, and explore iconic cities like Berlin and Amsterdam—perfect for curious minds of all ages.

More at Sea™: Exceptional Value for Families

With NCL’s More At Sea™ offer, your family can enjoy over US$2,000 in added value per stateroom, including:

Unlimited premium beverages

Specialty dining

Complimentary Wi-Fi

Late port stays and overnight dockings

Award-winning entertainment

And more

Now, for a limited time, guests can save up to US$1,500 on select 2025 European cruises. With demand soaring and departures filling fast, this is your chance to experience the trip of a lifetime—together.

Create the Story You’ll Tell for Years

Whether it's watching a grandchild’s face light up at a Greek temple, dancing as a family under the stars, or simply enjoying breakfast with a sea view, these are the moments that linger.

With Norwegian Cruise Line, multigenerational travel is no longer a logistical challenge—it’s a joy-filled adventure waiting to unfold. Reconnect, recharge, and rediscover Europe with the people who matter most.

To book your voyage or explore more, contact a travel professional, call:

Hong Kong: +852 800 901 951

Southeast Asia: +65 3165 1680

Visit: www.ncl.com

Terms & conditions apply. “More At Sea™” offer based on balcony stateroom value. Limited availability. Applicable to first and second guests only. Offer valid on select sailings. Visit www.ncl.com for full details.

Shrouded in Shadows: The 7 Cloudiest Cities on Earth Where Sunshine Struggles to Break Through

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In a world obsessed with sunshine and blue skies, there exist cities cloaked beneath a near-perpetual veil of clouds. These places, where the sun is but a fleeting guest, are not mere gloomy outposts—they’re canvases painted in shades of gray, drenched in mist, and filled with a haunting beauty that feels otherworldly. While some travelers chase the light, others find mystique in the murk. From icy northern coasts to equatorial islands and mountainous hinterlands, here are seven of the cloudiest cities in the world, based on long-term sunshine data from World Atlas. Each one is a testament to nature’s ability to blur the line between the ethereal and the earthly.

7. Reykjavík, Iceland

Average sunshine: 1,236 hours per year

In Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, the sun is a rare performer on an otherwise overcast stage. With only about three to four hours of clear skies daily, Reykjavík lives beneath heavy gray clouds for most of the year. The culprit? The North Atlantic Current, which sends warm sea air from the tropics clashing with Arctic winds. The result is a dramatic meteorological battleground of gusty winds, frigid showers, and omnipresent cloud cover. But Reykjavík doesn’t just survive under this brooding sky—it thrives in it, offering a stark, poetic contrast to its fiery geothermal landscapes and ice-blue glacial vistas. It's no wonder this land of fire and ice inspires myths, sagas, and soul-searching solitude.

6. Lima, Peru

Average sunshine: 1,230 hours per year

You might not expect a South American coastal capital to be wrapped in clouds, but Lima defies expectations. Positioned on the Pacific coast and swaddled in high humidity, Lima lives under a thick marine layer, especially during its winter months (June to September). In some stretches, the city sees less than an hour of direct sunlight per day. Yet out of this fog emerges beauty—quite literally. Locals call it cielo de brujas or “sky of witches,” referring to the mesmerizing sunsets that paint the clouds in fiery reds and eerie purples. The darkness here isn’t foreboding—it’s enchanting.

5. Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Average sunshine: 1,176 hours per year

On the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea lies Malabo, Africa’s cloudiest capital. With just a sliver over three hours of daily sunshine, Malabo wears its clouds like a constant shroud. Its tropical location means high humidity, and the long wet season from March to November makes rainy, storm-laden skies the norm. Even in the so-called dry season, the sun fights a losing battle against the marine mists and tropical squalls. But hidden beneath this gray dome is a lush, untamed landscape teeming with biodiversity—a verdant paradise veiled in shadow.

4. Dikson, Russia

Average sunshine: 1,164 hours per year

Dikson isn’t just one of Russia’s cloudiest places—it’s also one of its most remote and extreme. Situated on the frigid edge of the Arctic Ocean, this northern port town is buried under cloud cover about 98% of the time. Add to that the polar night in December and January, when the sun barely rises, and Dikson becomes a true frontier of twilight and tundra. Snowstorms, subzero winds, and haunting silence dominate the landscape. It’s a place where time seems to freeze, both literally and metaphorically—a city at the end of the world.

3. São Joaquim, Brazil

Average sunshine: 1,065 hours per year

Forget the sun-drenched samba stereotypes—São Joaquim paints a very different picture of Brazil. Tucked away in the highlands of southern Brazil, this mountaintop city at over 4,400 feet above sea level is one of the coldest in the country and a cloud magnet. With fewer than three hours of sunlight a day, São Joaquim often sees mist, fog, and even snow—an anomaly in tropical Brazil. The city is shrouded in a quiet mystery, a place where orchards bloom under gray skies and fog curls around old buildings like a secret kept by the mountains.

2. Chongqing, China

Average sunshine: 1,054 hours per year

Chongqing is a megacity buried in mist. Cradled between the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers and nestled in the Sichuan Basin, its geography traps humidity and pollution, forming a permanent dome of haze above the city’s 30 million residents. Chongqing sees an average of just three hours of daily sunshine—less in July, the peak of its steamy summer. Skyscrapers disappear into the low-hanging clouds, while the streets buzz beneath the diffuse, surreal glow of filtered daylight. Chongqing is a vertical labyrinth, at once futuristic and ancient, half-hidden in its own breath.

1. Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Average sunshine: 840 hours per year

Topping the list is Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, where sunlight is more rumor than reality. With just 840 hours of sun annually, the city spends nearly 22 hours each day wrapped in a foggy dreamscape. Sitting in the storm-lashed North Atlantic, where cold air meets warm currents, Tórshavn’s skies are a swirling cauldron of mist, rain, and wind. July brings the densest fog, yet even amid the gray, bursts of brightness can surprise. The weather shifts on a whim here—you might leave a sunbeam behind and walk into a storm just down the road. The landscape is as wild as the weather: grass-roofed cottages, jagged cliffs, and mythic isolation.

The Beauty of Clouded Horizons

In a world that often equates good weather with sunshine, these seven cities defy the narrative. Clouds, after all, are not just atmospheric obstructions—they are sculptors of light, painters of sunsets, and keepers of mystery. From Tórshavn’s fog-wrapped fjords to the volcanic shadows of Reykjavík, these places remind us that beauty can exist—and even thrive—beneath a blanket of gray.

Sometimes, the most powerful stories are told in whispers, not shouts. And in the world’s cloudiest cities, the skies are full of secrets waiting to be felt, not just seen.

Deadly Superstition: DOH Issues Health Warning Against Mercury Use for ‘Kulam’ and ‘Barang’ as EcoWaste Coalition Rings Alarm

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Quezon City, July 1, 2025 — In a groundbreaking public health move that blends science with cultural sensitivity, the Department of Health (DOH) has officially issued a public advisory against the use of toxic mercury as a so-called antidote to witchcraft practices like kulam and barang—a long-overdue response to escalating concerns raised by environmental health advocates and medical professionals.

The warning, released on June 29, directly addresses a dangerous and often misunderstood folk remedy that continues to thrive in the shadows of Filipino belief systems. The practice—fueled by fear, superstition, and online misinformation—has driven many to obtain and use liquid mercury, believing it can repel or neutralize curses or psychic attacks.

But the DOH has made its stance crystal clear: “There is no safe level of mercury in the human body.”

“May mga ebidensya na nagpapatunay na ang mercury poisoning ay nagdudulot ng malubhang epekto sa utak, ugat, bato, at iba pang organ ng katawan,” the DOH warned.

This public advisory marks a significant victory for the EcoWaste Coalition, a prominent environmental and public health watchdog, which had been pushing the government to take action since early this year.

The Mercury Menace: From Ritual to Risk

The belief that mercury can serve as a “pamatay-bisa” or neutralizer of curses has led to disturbing practices—including applying mercury directly to the skin or planting it under the flesh. This isn’t only irrational; it’s potentially lethal.

Mercury is a neurotoxin—a substance so poisonous that even minor exposure can permanently damage the brain, kidneys, nerves, and reproductive organs. Worse, it can vaporize at room temperature, turning into an invisible threat inhaled by unsuspecting household members, including children.

In February 2025, EcoWaste Coalition formally requested the DOH to issue a health warning following online trends and marketplace listings where liquid mercury was being marketed as a “spiritual shield.” Ads claiming mercury could "protect from barang" or "remove spiritual blockages" had proliferated across social media platforms and e-commerce sites, targeting vulnerable individuals desperate for relief from imagined curses.

Quiapo’s Dark Market and the Call for Crackdown

Even before the DOH’s advisory, EcoWaste had flagged this issue to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as early as September 2023, exposing the illegal sale of mercury near Quiapo Church, a site infamous for its open-air markets selling herbal concoctions, talismans, and magical items.

In violation of DENR Administrative Order No. 2019-20—which prohibits mercury’s use in traditional or religious practices—vendors have been discreetly peddling mercury under the guise of “healing” and “protection.” The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in its booklet on Cultural Uses of Mercury, highlights the grave dangers of such practices:

Mercury vapor can linger and harm even future occupants of a space.

Users are often unaware of the chemical’s toxicity.

The risk extends to transport, handling, and accidental spills.

Internet Transactions Act: A Legal Lifeline

EcoWaste is now calling on authorities to fully leverage the newly enforced Internet Transactions Act to dismantle the digital black market for mercury and other banned toxic products. The law, designed to safeguard Filipino consumers in online environments, could become a vital tool in halting the digital spread of pseudoscientific and dangerous goods.

“People should not be lured into using such a highly toxic chemical,” EcoWaste reiterated. “Mercury has no healing properties. It is not a mystical cure. It is a silent killer.”

They are urging the public to report vendors selling mercury or mercury-containing products to the DOH via docbrand@doh.gov.ph or through the DOH Toxicology Specialty Centers, where experts can provide accurate information on mercury’s hazards.

Science Over Superstition: A Wake-Up Call for the Nation

The DOH’s health advisory serves as a clarion call: Belief should never trump biology. In a society where folk medicine continues to occupy space in daily life, it’s crucial to draw the line where health is compromised.

For the EcoWaste Coalition and health-conscious Filipinos, this is more than a policy win—it’s a life-saving declaration. The battle now shifts from issuance to enforcement, from awareness to education, from superstition to science.

As we navigate a world where ancient fears still haunt modern minds, one message echoes loud and clear: mercury is poison—no matter the spell, no matter the curse.

If you suspect mercury poisoning or illegal sales, report immediately to docbrand@doh.gov.ph.

For medical inquiries, call the DOH Toxicology Centers.

Stay informed. Stay safe. Science protects—superstition endangers.