Royal Caribbean Increases the Daily Fee Used to Tip Staff
Posted on 12/29/2017, 12:00 AM
For the third time in three years, Royal Caribbean Cruises is hiking up its "automatic gratuity"—the term for the service fee that lines recommend each passenger pays per day during a cruise. They make this recommendation by automatically adding the tip to your bill. To raise or lower the amount—or strike it altogether for those who prefer to tip housekeeping staff, restaurant servers, and other ...
U.S. Government Makes It Harder for Americans to Visit Cuba
Posted on 11/08/2017, 9:30 PM
Travel to Cuba gets tougher for Americans this week. New rules released by the Trump Administration ban most independent travel to the island, requiring visitors from the U.S. to rely on authorized "people-to-people" tour companies instead. That's a return to the way things were before President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015. In June of this year, his successor an...
Kids Won't Be Allowed on Virgin's Cruise Line
Posted on 11/07/2017, 10:00 PM
When Virgin Voyages launches its first cruise in 2020, you can be sure of one thing: There won't be any kids on board. At a keel-laying ceremony last week, company CEO Tom McAlpin announced that bookings from passengers under 18 will not be accepted so that the ship can supply a "more elevated and premium experience," reports Travel Weekly. The move, dubbed "Adult by Design," is part of an in...
The Cruise Industry Goes All Out to Claim Caribbean Ports Have Recovered
Posted on 10/20/2017, 5:15 PM
When did you last see an ad for land-based resorts in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands? You probably haven’t. The damage to beaches and roads leading to some of those properties seems too significant to overcome concerns about them. While such major Caribbean islands as Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia, and others have suffered no damage at all from the recent hurricanes, Puerto R...
Same-Sex Couples Can Now Get Married on Celebrity Cruises
Posted on 10/13/2017, 12:00 PM
Celebrity Cruises will soon begin offering legal weddings for same-sex couples aboard ships in international waters, the company announced on October 11 (which, not coincidentally, was National Coming Out Day). The move was made possible by a ruling in Malta, where the majority of the Miami-based line's ships are registered. The legally binding ceremonies will be performed by the fleet's captains...
If You Crave a Caribbean Vacation, Many Areas Escaped Storm Damage: A List
Posted on 10/10/2017, 4:45 PM
This coming winter, many thousands of Americans will agonize over whether they can enjoy tropical vacations in the Caribbean of the sort they once knew. Should they even bother to apply for reservations in an area broadly damaged by hurricanes? Fortunately, a majority of these famed islands was either unaffected by storms or else so moderately damaged that they can be restored and repaired...
Norwegian Cruise Line Drinks Package Now the Priciest at Sea
Posted on 10/05/2017, 10:00 PM
Norwegian Cruise Line has raised the price of its Ultimate Beverage package, covering all alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks that a passenger consumes while on board the ship (except drinks priced higher than $15, which have to be purchased separately). Up from a previous fee of $79 per day—and, as recently as 2014, $54 per day—the package now costs $89 per passenger, per day. But with a "serv...
Dubrovnik Mayor Wants to Reduce the Number of Cruise Passengers in His City
Posted on 08/18/2017, 12:00 AM
If the new mayor of Dubrovnik gets his way, far fewer cruise passengers will be pouring into that Croatian city on the Adriatic coast. According to media reports, Mato Frankovic, who was elected mayor earlier this summer, says he's in favor of reducing the daily limit of cruisers by half, from 8,000 to 4,000 visitors. Owing largely to its striking Old Town—a medieval walled city featured promin...
Vacation in One of the Less Popular Destinations This Summer for a Fine Travel Experience
Where should you travel this summer? Off the beaten path, says Arthur Frommer.
