Shore excursions are part of the fun of cruising. Going ashore and taking a tour is an exciting option on cruises. And, almost always, there are more tour options than I can do. Makes for hard choices.

But Carnival Cruise Lines has now come up with a cruise industry first to be sure passengers get the best shore excursions possible. Carnival just announced a guarantee that guests who book a Carnival shore excursion and find a comparable tour at a lower price will receive an onboard credit of 110 percent of the difference. Read more...

If you’ve ever cruised on this vessel, you might have relaxed in this very spot and watched the sun set on a beautiful day.

For a bit of cruise ship trivia, see if you can recognize this popular vessel. Don’t look at the answer below until you have formulated yours. Read more...

For all you dedicated travelers and book lovers, here’s a tough cruise destination question. This is the tomb of a well-known writer. For a bit of trivia, where is the tomb located and who is buried there?

A hint – he was a “divine” author. Read more...

So you’ve been on many cruises. Walked off the ship in many shore stops. But maybe you were in a hurry and didn’t really stop to enjoy something that was right in front of you.

See if you recognize this statue. A hint – it is on a popular island. Read more...

 Seems like a wonderful vacation idea for a cruise ship stop. Rent a moped or scooter and breeze around a beautiful Bahamas island.

But many cruise lines, as well as the U.S. Department of State, are warning against that choice.

“Serious injuries and deaths have resulted from accidents involving the rental of mopeds or scooters,” noted the FunTimes newsletter on my recent Carnival Cruise Lines voyage. “ We strongly discourage their rental.” Read more...

The view was breathtaking. As was the ride to get to the top of St. Thomas Island.

Whenever I return, this will be an island trip I will have to take again. And again.

First, we caught an island shuttle for a winding trip to the top of St. Thomas Island, appropriately named Mountain Top. Our driver “Toothpick” (“because I’m so skinny”) expertly guided the vehicle up the narrow road to the highest peak on the island and gave us a history lesson at the same time. Read more...

Recently, travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet released its lists of top destinations for the upcoming year. It’s hard to believe 2014 is right around the corner, but it is the time of year where lists start finding their way into the news. Today, we noticed their top ten family destinations for 2014, and there’s a lot of great calls in our opinion. Read more...

Hawaii is one of those must-see destinations. But the price of a week on the islands can give some serious sticker shock! One great way to save some money and see many of the different islands that make up our 50th state is on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America. This US flagged ship is one of the only ways to cruise the Hawaiian Islands, offering round trip options from Honolulu, and has just gone through a 30 million dollar renovation. The upgrades are pretty substantial, too. Read more...

If I’d said it once, I must have said it a dozen times during my first short stay at Walt Disney World. This is a whole different culture than I was expecting. I’ve traveled a lot of different places, experienced a lot of different things – but the culture shock in the Magic Kingdom was intense! I don’t think that I’ve ever been in a place before where everyone just seemed so happy before. Read more...

Victorian style digs and the antique cars in front of the lobby transport you to the gilded age at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort. This Deluxe resort rests just moments away from the Magic Kingdom, along the Monorail and is designed to evoke the roaring 20’s, and provide a Great Gatsby feel to a Disney vacation. Read more...