Cruize Cast

Jason from PopularCruising.com tells us all about his recent experience on the Disney Wonder for the Inaugural Pixar Themed Cruise in California.  He also shares details from dining at the most expensive specialty restaurant at sea on the Disney Fantasy.  News features stories from the coming Norwegian Breakaway, updates to a newer Carnival ship and a coming upgrade to the Serenade of the Seas.

There was a lot of cruise news this week, so we take the time to cover it all with our own commentary thrown in.  Carnival discontinues a popular program, Royal Caribbean invites you to sail with Barbie and protests in North Africa disrupt cruise itineraries.  We also chat about planning a cruise based entirely on the desires of your kids.

This week we review a wide variety of cruise books including the Berlitz, Fodors, Frommers and Rick Steves guides, as well as crew autobiographies and cruise-centric magazines.  Our cruise news features stories from Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  We also discuss the all-inclusive alcohol package on Carnival further.

This week we discuss a cruise port which many people may not consider, but actually provides a great vacation/cruise option and is centrally located for many Americans.  Our news includes Norwegian's new specialty dining package, Carnival's test of an all-inclusive drink package and Hurricane Issac.

This week we answer questions from listeners about kids in the main dining room, drunks on Carnival, and European cruise itineraries.  Our cruise news features stories about several themed cruises, plus some new policies regarding children on Norwegian and MSC.

Matt from the unofficial Royal Caribbean blog at royalcaribbeanblog.com joins us to give an overview of the cruise line, plus information from a recent earnings call about future potential ships and deployments. Our news features a new program from Carnival which allows for early embarkation, as well as the launch of the Queen of the Mississippi and the effects of Hurricane Ernesto.

This week we discuss which ships are the best to cruise if you don't want to spend beyond the base fare.  Which ships feature the best included dining, entertainment and amenities? Our cruise news this week features Carnival's solution to "chair hogs", a new CEO for Celebrity and an interesting look at what might happen if you choose to wear only a bathrobe on a cruise ship.

This week, Mikey Faust of MikeysCruiseBlog tells us all about his first Mediterranean cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas.  He highlights the cities of Barcelona and Rome and compares and contrasts Europe to a Caribbean cruise.  Cruise news features stories of a shore excursion accident and a new law which might affect future cruise pricing.

This week we delve into all the different options for drink packages on cruise ships including soda, wine, and alcoholic options.  We also talk about the rules various lines have about what you can/cannot bring on the ships.  Value, costs, options and availability are all detailed.  Cruise news includes the resignation of Celebrity CEO, Dan Hanrahan, and an improvement to the port gateway to Athens.

We examine Mediterranean cruise ports and for each one, talk about the main attraction or preconceived notions concerning the port. We then talk about what we think is the best thing in/about each port.  Our cruise news features the newest announcement about the Norwegian Breakaway, as well as the fate of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the lawsuit about the upcoming Charleston cruise terminal.

Shon Ford, also known as CruiseMan3000, joins us this week to share his love for Norwegian Cruise Line.  He gives us details from his most recent cruise aboard the Norwegian Star, along with tons of port touring advice for Bermuda.  Cruise news features stories of higher quality Internet on Royal Caribbean and a new Costa Concordia lawsuit.

This week we compare cruising in the early 80's to now, examining costs, service, tipping, ship size, itineraries and more.  We look at the things that have remained the same (which may surprise you) and the things that have changed.  Our cruise news features Carnival Cruise Line's new loyalty program. We highlight all the differences and new amenities as well as some of the complaints from fellow guests.

We tackly some of our listener questions this week with topics as diverse as what to do on a departure day in Barcelona to how much luggage you can bring on a ship.  Cruise news features stories from Disney, the end of pilot strikes in Norway and the new Carnival Breeze.

Vanny from CruiseExpertsTravel joins us this week to share her experience onboard the Oceania Riviera and to give us some insider info about what separates this "premium plus" category ship from premium or luxury cruise lines. Cruise news features stories of strikes in Norway, a stolen iPhone aboard the Disney Wonder and a new Royal Caribbean ship in China.

This week we are coming to you from Disney World, which gave us the idea to compare cruising to the average land vacation.  What are the pros and cons for each? What are those things you take for granted when cruising that you just don't get in a land vacation. Cruise news features deployment news for Royal Caribbean and Costa.

This week, our friend Becca joins us to tell us all about her experience on Princess Cruise's Sappire Princess.  In this review of her California coast cruise, she gives us details about dining, entertainment, activities and much more.  Our cruise news features stories from Celebrity, Oceania and Princess' new itineraries,

We cover lots of cruise news this week with stories from Carnival, Costa, and Titanic II. Our guest, Mikey, from mikeyscruiseblog tells us all about the ships he toured at Cruise3Sixty: Holland America's MS Maasdam and the Carnival Liberty. 

We continue our Mediterranean cruise port itinerary series with the city of Florence, tourable from the Livorno or La Spezia cruise ports.  We review attractions and discuss what a sample day in Florence might look like with suggestions, tips, route info and possible costs. Our cruise news features stories of new ship features from Norwegian and Princess as well as a new ship in Miami and new itineraries for Carnival.

Our Norwegian expert, Scott, returns to review the Norwegian Epic with full details on dining, entertainment, ship amenities and staterooms.  Cruise news this week features a rumor about Royal Caribbean, new international regulations and a tragedy involving the Star Princess.

This week we delve into the pros and cons of the different stateroom categories on cruise ships. We also explain guaranteed staterooms, analyze the best stateroom locations on a ship, and give a general primer on the staterooms sizes for each cruise line. Cruise news features stories of a new year-round homeport for Norwegian Cruise Lines and a new river cruise on the Mississippi.