In 2011, the cruise industry is charting a global course by deploying a record number of  ships to  Europe and the Middle East.   Add to this, some of the largest ships in the cruise industry will spend a full season cruising in Europe.
In part the push to add ships to more areas outside the Western [...]

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Some 58 Passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises Mercury came down with Norovirus (formerly called a Norwalk-like virus) only a week after more than 400 cruisers suffered the gastrointestinal illness aboard the same ship.  This is despite extensive cleaning of the ship between cruises.  The Post and Courier reports that, prior to the most recent outbreak,  the [...]

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and why do all his friends go on cruises?”  
This was a question asked by a cruiser who had sailed on many ships and noticed that, in every instance, the ship’s daily program had the same event listed:  Friends of Bill W.  
Bill W is Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 Step program for recovering alcoholics.  [...]

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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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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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