There are some ports of call so special you never forget them. Sometimes it’s an extraordinary shore excursion, in other instances it’s breathtaking scenery, historic treasures or time spent exploring on your own. Picking out eight favorite ports isn’t easy, when there are incredible ones I’ve left off.
Kauai, Hawaii: Aptly name [...]
25 August
In the late 1990’s I decided ships had had become too big when a cruise line announced it was building a 2,500-passenger vessel. The size was unimaginable. I envisioned long lines and waiting to board and disembark. Certainly there would be crowds at the lido café since people seemed to show up for breakfast and [...]
21 March
Welcome guest bloggers Arline and Sam Bleecker, two veteran writers who have been covering the cruise industry for over a decade. In this post, they give useful information designed to help pick the perfect ship based on your personal interests and lifestyle.
Cruise lines have personalities too. Matching your personality to a cruise line is [...]
28 February
A story on CNN that says the world is divided between people who love cruises and people who hate them. I’ve met plenty of people who swear they wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise ship for predictable reasons: they’ll be bored, don’t want to vacation with thousands of people, take a tux, the [...]
31 January
Granted, on Monday morning I’m frequently cranky. So when I spotted another piece of irresponsible reporting about the cruise industry, this time on AOL News, I decided I’ve had enough.
In “New Law Targets Dangers Aboard Cruise Ships“, the lead grabs your attention: “Missing persons. Assault. Child molestation. Rape. Death. Those are some of [...]
29 November
According to a USA Today reader poll, 27% of respondents answered positively to the question: does the stranding of Carnival Splendor in the Pacific “make you think twice about taking a cruise”? Respondents who checked “Definitely. Spam dinners on vacation? No thanks!” (18%) or “I might wait a while before setting sail (9%) contrasted to [...]
15 November
I came across a survey that focuses on Americans summer vacation plans and the results aren’t terribly surprising given the state of the economy:
Public opinion polling firm StrategyOne recently surveyed more than 1,000 Americans about a range of topics and found that less than 3 in 10 Americans (28%) plan to take a summer vacation [...]
20 July
Since many cruisers do care about marine ecology and are concerned about harming the oceans’ delicate ecosystems, I’m passing along an editorial that appeared in the New York Times.
As the New York Times says, “what’s the point of visiting the natural wonders of the nautical world if you leave a terrible stain behind when you [...]
23 April
NOTE: A cruise industry executive, who wishes to remain anonymous, has written his opinion of Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas, its effect on the cruise industry and the traveling public. Since the media has heaped superlatives over the 6200-passenger vessel, here is countering opinion.
Open Letter to The Editor from a Cruise Executive
Dear [...]
28 November
Carnival Cruise Lines says it just recorded the highest number of net bookings in its history during the one week period ended March 1, 2009. This would hardly be newsworthy if it wasn’t in the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression.
While the purchase of discretionary items in all price categories has decreased, one segment of [...]
03 March
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ShipCritic Blog is a labor of love by Anne Campbell, a journalist who has been covering the cruise industry since 1993. Why a blog? This newfangled technology is the best way of interacting with cruisers, both first timers and veterans, who also share a passion for seeing the world by ship.
