To those who haven’t been watching, there’s been a sea change in suggested dress codes, and what is considered acceptable attire, on board an ever expanding list of today’s cruise lines. Harken back to the days of ocean travel, when every passenger was expected to be “dressed to the nines” “in all their finery” every evening [...]

Ever since travel by cruise ship evolved into “cruising”, as we know it today, there have been hundreds of thousands of words written, as helpful information, explaining what you “need to know before you go”.  It’s unlikely you’ll store this week’s Blog entry in that category. Rather I’ll be approaching this subject from a slightly [...]

In these still tough economic times there’s few people who don’t look to get excellent value for each and every dollar they spend.  And this holds true, even for those who can afford a vacation. People cruise for a variety of reasons, but I believe the majority do so for a combination of travel, adventure [...]

While I always prefer to head to my port of embarkation a night prior to sailing,  there are some are some ports of embarkation/disembarkation where more than an overnight visit is a must. #1 on my list of incredible cities which scream out for a visit of more than just a few hours is New York City.  [...]

Flying  PHX (Phoenix Sky Harbor) to YYC (Calgary International) direct non-stop; flying time 2:38 minutes. It sounds simple and easy enough, right? Admittedly, I am a pathetic flier. Even before the various security measures were (necessarily) put in place I was a terrible, white knuckle, flier.  And naturally, with all the heavens lined up against [...]

A few weeks ago, here on my Blog, I was lobbying to become the first male Godfather of a ship (ignore the obvious fact in that sentence, that in order to be a godfather, I’d have to be a male). But a much more critical need for my very special services in regard to the [...]

A very significant portion of the cruise industry these days view their target audience to be families.  It’s rather obvious if you look at their marketing, as well as all of the new activities and amenities being placed on new ships the last few years. When schools are out of session, whether spring break, Christmas [...]

In 2013 Princess Cruise Line will debut it’s newest cruise ship; Royal Princess. At 141,000 gross tons, and capable of carrying 3800 passengers, she will in fact be the 3rd ship to carry the name Royal Princess. The MV Artania carried the name proudly from 1984-2005. Then the MV Adonia carried the name from 2007-2011, [...]

At least in terms of “Caribbean cruising”, the main stream contemporary cruise lines have always felt their #1 competition came from sea-side all inclusive land based resorts. The most definitive advantage that cruise ships continue to have over land based resorts is they float, and move people from port to port. Passengers on cruise ships travel, [...]

You’ll have to forgive the sensationalistic headline. I don’t really believe that sexism is rampant throughout the cruise industry. But…I do think the value of the feminine side of cruising is extensively overblown.  Cruise ships are commonly referred to as “she”, yet there is no good reason for doing so; other than that’s the way it [...]