I went on my first cruise at 8 years old. In the dining room I remember that for some reason I wanted a baked potato, but it wasn’t on the menu that night. I don’t know if I outright asked for a baked potato or if it was that the waiter remembered that I liked…
From missing your ship to exploring your embarkation city, there are lots of reasons why you should fly to the ship days in advance. Once you’ve booked your cruise it’s easy to think you’re done with the planning. Really though now you’ve got to get into the details. How will you get to the ship?…
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to find myself on a 30 day Incan Empires cruise – from San Diego down to Lima, Peru, and back up. One of our ports on the way back to San Diego was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Guatemala is home to some incredible coffee and while there…
Traveling with a food allergy can be a challenge. As someone that has done it a lot I am here to tell you it doesn’t have to be what stops you from flying away – although right now COVID and/or COVID related travel restrictions might. There are times that it has been incredibly frustrating or…
Ultra-luxury line Seabourn offers an incredible vacation experience but it comes with a price tag. Are Seabourn Cruises worth it? I grew up sailing in inside cabins on last minute deals, usually in the Caribbean – the logic was always that you could save the difference between that inside cabin and a balcony and use…
At the beginning of my career working on cruise ships I was offered a contract that was going to Hawaii. I thought it was an incredible once in a lifetime experience. What I found was that my naïveté of cruise ship life was showing. The reason being, that while Hawaii is beautiful and wonderful, if…
Cruises to the South Pacific are a great way to explore this incredible region of the world. I’ve been lucky enough to sail on many cruises to the South Pacific. Cruising to this region gives you an opportunity to visit so many islands and experience the picturesque beaches, tropical vibes, and history that brings this…
From glaciers and hiking to beer and crab, Juneau has a bit of everything. But, is Juneau the best port in Alaska? Cruising in Alaska is amazing. It is literally beautiful everywhere you go. It is one of my favorite places to cruise and visit. For lack of a better word, at some point in…
The Jones Act cruise ships rule – officially called the Passenger Vessel Services Act – what does it mean for cruises? I worked onboard cruise ships for years and spent a contract going back and forth from San Diego to Hawaii. Each cruise we’d sail the 4 sea days across the Pacific, and then before…
Today we had to tender ashore and it really went quite well. There are a lot of factors that go into a successful tendering day. What is a cruise ship tender? What’s the difference between docked and tendered? Today we are going to answer all the question you have about cruise ship tenders and the…