When I recently decided to take a short cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem from New York I pictured myself singing karoke or throwing money away in a slot machine.  Plus, having a lovely meal at Cagney’s, one of the best features of “Freestyle Cruising”, was certainly an enticement.
Instead, I became a convert of [...]

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If you’re considering a cruise vacation in 2010, it’s time to take a look at trends and changes that may affect the destination and ship you choose and how much you’ll pay. Here are five important trends to to help you find a terrific deal on the ship and cruising region of your [...]

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Seasickness does exist and is probably the primary reason people avoid cruises. The best definition of what mal de mer is comes from the U.S. Coast Guard: “Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting signals from the areas of the body that detect motion. This conflict typically results in motion sickness.”
It’s important to keep [...]

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I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!  Here are my cruise tips for saving wear and tear on body and soul.  I’d love to get a few tips from you as well.  And, because air travel is so unpredictable, several tips are especially important and noted as a NEW RULE
1.  To arrive with wrinkle-free clothing [...]

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In 15 years of writing about the cruise industry, the number one question I get repeatedly is “How can I take alcohol aboard a cruise ship?”  Pre-9/11, it wasn’t much of a challenge.  But like other areas of the travel industry, cruising was affected by the event.  Since cruise lines were practically giving the ship away [...]

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While lounging on deck in Fort Lauderdale waiting for my cruise to depart, I had the chance to chat with the mother of a woman who had been married aboard the ship an hour earlier. She reported that the wedding was simply wonderful and her only regret was that her other daughter insisted on a [...]

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With each ship entering service, cruise lines introduce new features in an attempt to meet the changing needs of cruisers. However, nothing exceeds dining in terms of radical change and innovation.
A decade ago you had to take a pricey luxury vessel carrying fewer than 700 passengers to find single, open seating [...]

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Here’s a scenario many cruisers can relate to: you’re eager to take a seagoing vacation aboard the ship of your dreams. The problem is your spouse, sibling, child or best friend is dragging his or her feet because a cruise isn’t a vacation they’d ever consider.
They’d rather go hiking, play golf, photograph nature, take a [...]

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I know a fancy Italian who tried to pooh-pooh cruising as something that’s not for him. I asked what his favorite leisure activities are, and he replied “golf, basketball and fine dining.”
It was a cinch: I pointed out that nearly all cruise lines offer golf packages in any port where golf is an option, [...]

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As one who spends an enormous amount of time trolling online cruise agencies to check out the best deals, I can tell you that it is a great deal of work. And, because prices change constantly it is nerve racking as well.  So when a new reverse auction company turned up promising to make bargain [...]

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