Waking up knowing I'm going on a cruise that day always feels great.  Interestingly, knowing the ship wasn't scheduled to set sail until 7:00pm made things feel a bit less rushed, even though 4:00pm sailings out of South Florida give us plenty of time to get to the ship ahead of schedule.  We had some breakfast, double-checked our packing list (we don't need a repeat of this day) and got into a Lyft to head to the port around 1:00pm.

This Saturday (July 7) we'll be setting sail and enjoying seven nights in the Caribbean while bringing all the details to you.  What makes this particularly exciting for us is that like our November sailing on Holland America, we're trying out a cruise line that is completely new to us: MSC Seaside.  To add to the excitement, we're scheduled to sail to a couple of ports that we've not visited in many years.  

Over the years cruise ships have become bigger and bigger - bringing attention and fanfare with every superlative.  On the news, on social media, and in ads it seems cruise lines are constantly trying to "out-build" each other.  While there is no doubt that many consumers are excited about these giant vessels, did you know that they don't represent the majority of new ships?  Let's talk about why mega-ships are so popular, and what the average new cruise ship size actually is.  

Passengers traveling with many cruise lines enjoy White Pass Scenic Railway when visiting Alaska, but now the largest cruise company in the world will own it.  This week Carnival Corporation & plc announced they are purchasing TWC Enterprises Limited's White Pass & Yukon Route division in Skagway, Alaska.

Could pain at the pump extend to your next cruise?  This week, oil prices closed at $65 a barrel, and we have to wonder if cruise lines will soon begin charging fuel supplements as they have in the past.  About ten years ago operators of cruise ships and airlines had a big problem: the rising price of fuel.  To solve it, they started passing unexpectedly high fuel costs along to guests in the form of “fuel supplements.”  Even though it’s been years since cruise passengers were charged any of these fees, the option for lines to do this never went away, and we have a hunch you may soon be throwing in some gas money for the next time your ship commences bunkering operations...

From sea to shining sea, Celebrity Cruises and parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd continue to promote equality and inclusivity, and this year they hosted their second annual Pride Party at Sea.  Olympian figure skaters Johnny Weir and Adam Rippon were on hand as ambassadors at this week's festivities during Pride Month.

Travel insurance can be a great way to protect against the "what ifs" on your next cruise.  Like any insurance, the policy is useless if it doesn't cover the circumstance you're looking to account for.  All too often, we read about people unhappy with a policy because they simply assumed the policy covered specific circumstances, instead of fully understanding what they were buying.  Are you covered if you can't make it to your cruise?  What if you need to leave half-way through your cruise?  How much will it cost to go to a doctor on the ship, or in another country?  Let's look at some of the questions you should ask when looking into an insurance policy, and chip-away at some common misconceptions. 

Virgin Voyages has teased the world with their intriguing adults-only ships, creative events, and of course, unconventional names (sailors rather than passengers, for example).  What they hadn’t shared however, was what the spaces on their ships might look like…until now.  Let’s dive in to see not only what we can expect to see when they start sailing in 2020, but also, what those spaces mean for cru sailors, including an area that looks like it will excite guests while terrifying Virgin’s risk management team – and maybe cellphone insurers...

Many cruise lines are offering sailings with stops in Cuba, and now, Carnival Cruise Lines is expanding their offering to include stops in Havana from Charleston and other East Coast homeports.  This represents a significant increase in options, especially for those looking to sail out of Charleston, where options had previously been somewhat limited.

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) recently revealed that they've been working with DeCurtis Corporation to develop a new technology platform known as "Cruise Freedom™" in an effort that they hope, "meaningfully enhances the guest experience from the moment of booking throughout [guests] Norwegian cruise."