The Carnival Destiny is about to get a very major transformation. So major, in fact, that Carnival has even decided to change the name of the ship – so come April of next year, say hello to the Carnival Sunshine! This $155 million top to bottom refurbishment will change virtually every aspect of this ship from top to bottom. Here are some of the highlights! Read more...

There’s finally a new answer to one of the most common cruising questions. We get a lot of guests asking us if they can bring their own alcohol aboard ship to enjoy in the room without having to pay the mark-up of bar prices. The answer has almost always been, no. There have been some exceptions, of course, but they often involved corking fees that cost as much as buying the bottle of wine on the ship to begin with. Read more...

Ok, so this might not be the usual post we put up here, but while we were out traveling in the past week, this album “Cape Dory” by Tennis kept appearing and reappearing on our iPods. The album is definitely nautical in theme and really upbeat. The more we thought about it, the more we realized this is just excellent music to take aboard and listen to while riding the waves on board ship. Read more...

It has been a busy week for corporate offices across the cruise industry this week. Earlier this week, Norwegian Cruise Line announced its plans to build another Norwegian Breakaway type-ship in the near future. Royal Caribbean announced its plans to build another Oasis type ship for 2016, and today Carnival announced another Breeze-type ship for delivery in 2016, and a new Holland America ship in 2015. Read more...

Art is always a focus on cruises. In fact, many ships might as well be art museums with the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of orginal works that hang throughout cruise ships today. Add in the art auction, and sometimes a ship can almost feel like an episode of Gallery Girls. Read more...

Cruising in the late summer and fall can be a fantastic deal. Part of that reason is because the weather doesn’t always cooperate – it is hurricane season after all. But the truth is that when a storm isn’t in your area, the weather is fabulous and the ports of call are as vibrant as they are at any other time of the year. However, there are some things that you can do to minimize the impact of a storm on your travel plans – even without changing your schedule. We’ve put together a list of three things that anyone can do to ensure the best possible experience for a cruise. Read more...

Cruising the Caribbean, its hard to get excited about those private island destinations sometimes. It might just feel like another day at the beach when in reality, the ship’s pool might work just as well. But cruise lines are making these private destinations a real attraction and something worth visiting. Royal Caribbean has Labadee, off the coast of Haiti, and they make the client experience very special. Here’s a quick video about all the fun that Labadee has to offer. We’ll see you on the zip line! Read more...

These days, it is sort of a given that Holland America Line has some of the best food at sea for the larger mass-market cruise lines. The buffet tends to be out of control good, the main dining rooms provide excellent food on a regular basis, and the Pinnacle Grill set an industry standard for fine dining at sea.  But this commitment to good eats isn’t limited to mealtime on Holland America Line ships. Read more...

It’s all about the outdoors on the new Royal Princess coming this June. With some really incredible new features, the top deck is where everyone is going to want to be on Princess’ new megaship, improving on their signature “Movies Under The Stars” feature and also adding some new features that are both a first for the industry and will create some really amazing passenger experiences. Read more...

Ever wonder where the cheapest places to extend your cruise vacation would be? We know that London or New York isn’t likely to make that list of cities, but the answers of which ones do might actually surprise you!  Trip Advisor recently put together its list of the least expensive and most expensive cities to visit, and we’ve decided to simplify the list for you… and let you know the least expensive and most expensive places to stretch out your cruise vacation. Read more...