Tagged: cruising

Norwegian Prima Review: Real Photos, Plus Real Tips for the Ship's Pitfalls

The Norwegian Prima began sailing in the summer of 2022 as the newest style of vessel in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet. In time, this ship's style will dominate NCL's newest…

The Disney Wish Cruise Ship: Our Photos and an Honest Review

The Disney Wish is the fifth custom-built ship to join the Disney Cruise Line fleet, joining the smaller Disney Magic (1998), Disney Wonder (1999), Disney Dream (2011), and Disney…

Cruise Lines Are Now So Understaffed They're Turning Customers Away and Cutting Services

In early 2020, the problem with cruises was people were forbidden to get off them. But now that Covid is more manageable, cruises have a new problem: People can't get on them.Travel…

A Tech Solution to Make Cruising with Food Allergies Safer, Simpler

In what appears to be an industry first, Carnival Cruise Line will be offering customized menus based on food allergies using touch-screen tablets at all dining venues on all…

Celebrity Cruises Is Running a Jaw-Dropping Sale—but Not for Long

Inflation seems to be driving up prices for all types of travel but one: cruises. Case in point: Celebrity Cruises is selling weeklong Alaskan and Caribbean sailings starting at just…

Why Alaska’s Epic—and Affordable—Ferry System Will Be Harder to Use This Summer

Though many travelers think of Alaska as a destination best seen by cruise ship, there are many other ways to visit the so-called Last Frontier. There are even other ways to see the…

The CDC Drops Its Safety Warning: Go Ahead and Cruise!

Lifting two years of warnings about the dangers of cruising in the age of Covid-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped its risk advisory for cruise…

What's Better for Alaska Cruises: Round-Trips or One-Way Voyages?

Let's get this out of the way first: No matter how you see Alaska, you're going to be blown away. Alaska was named for the Aleut word alyeska, which means "great land"—and the Aleuts…

MSC Cruises is Expanding. Allow Its President to Introduce You to the Brand

If you've never heard of MSC Cruises, you're not alone. Though the company is now the third-largest cruise brand in the world, it's still relatively new to the United States market. So…

Masks Go From Required to Recommended on Most Cruise Ships

It's been difficult keeping up with the changing protocols for shipboard vacations. The United States' Centers for Disease Control updated its Program for Cruise Ships Operating in…

This Spring, Catch the Wave of Deals for Solo Travelers

Travel is making a slow comeback, but it hasn't returned fully yet. While tour operators are returning to the trail, demand is taking its sweet time to pick up. Cruise companies are…

The CDC Issues Even Stricter Covid Guidance for Cruise Ships

Much of the world has been easing pandemic restrictions lately, with European countries dropping strict entry requirements and U.S. governor after U.S. governor announcing the end of…

Florida Gov. DeSantis Voided a Vote in Key West, but Cruises Are Respecting It Anyway

On Election Day in November 2020, the people of Key West, Florida, a remote but heavily touristed island in the Gulf of Mexico that's barely 7 square miles in size, went to the polls…

Cruise Ships Aren't Covid Jails Anymore—But They Are Being Refused By Some Ports

When Covid-19 was first going global, its early appearance on cruise ships caught scientists and epidemiologists flat-footed. In the spring of 2020, we still weren't precisely sure how…

Wasted, Away on a Floating Margaritaville: Buffett's Brand Announces a Cruise Ship

It's got a catchy melody, but if you listen closely to the lyric of "Margaritaville," it's clear that it's actually a song of woe—the tale of a man stuck in a tourist trap, getting…

On Cruises, the Hated Muster Drill Is Dying Out. We Love What's Replacing It

The most hated fixture of cruising—the mandatory in-person safety presentation before departure—is becoming a nuisance of the past. Everyone who has cruised in the United States knows…

Do Kids Require Vaccination to Cruise? Here Are the Major Lines' Rules

Now that vaccines are available to children above the age of 4, cruise lines have been left with the conundrum of whether or not to require vaccination of all eligible passengers.…

Odyssey of the Seas: Photo Tour of Royal Caribbean's Cruise Ship

Royal Caribbean is one of the most popular mass-market cruise brands in the world, but that doesn't mean the average customer fully understands its varying levels of custom-built…

This Holiday Season, Cruising May Be the Most Affordable Vacation

Global supply chain woes are increasing the cost of gifts, a return to air travel is causing airfares to balloon from 2020's lows, and rental car rates are rough at the end of…

What's in the New Infrastructure Bill for Travelers? Lots of Great Stuff We Need

Travel in the United States is about to get a lot more safe, convenient, enjoyable, and—possibly—less expensive. And it's all thanks to the just-passed infrastructure bill. Officially…

Princess Cruises Expands Onboard Gambling—To the Entire Ship

According to the North American Foundation for Gambling Addiction Help, 2.6% of adult Americans, or about 10 million people, struggle with a gambling addiction. For them, a Princess…

Italy's Venice Plans to Charge An Entry Fee and Cap Visitors

Of the world's premier travel destinations, Venice may be the one most transformed by this pandemic. The Italian cabinet banned cruise ships in July, sparking headlines worldwide.…

Cruising Is Getting More and More Expensive for Unvaccinated Passengers

Carnival Cruise Line has become the latest major cruise company to announce that passengers who are unvaccinated or do not want to reveal their vaccination status will have to purchase…

Unvaccinated? Royal Caribbean Will Make You Buy Travel Insurance

Royal Caribbean International has added another requirement for unvaccinated cruisers in Florida: They must have travel insurance. Starting August 1, guests who do not volunteer their…

Royal Caribbean Will Charge Unvaccinated Cruisers More And Bar Them From Some Activities

Update, July 1: What follows now applies to Celebrity Cruises as well as its sister line Royal Caribbean. Celebrity has announced that for sailings from Florida, passengers who fail to…