Cruise and travel tips to help you plan your cruise vacation. You’ll find cruise advice, packing tips, onboard experiences, how to choose a cruise ship shore excursion and much more.
If you are a solo female traveler like me, you’ll find a wide range of solo travel advice. There are articles that cover everything from solo dining on a cruise ship to staying safe in a new cruise port.
I try to review as many cruise ship shore excursions as possible so you can decide what shore excursions to take before you cruise.
For actual cruise reviews, cruise ship profiles and daily cruise reports, head to
Ocean Cruise Reviews.
If you live on Florida’s Space Coast, driving directions to Port Canaveral are simple. Located in the middle of Florida on the east coast, Port Canaveral is an easy drive from any direction, if you know the area. Maybe you’re driving south from Atlanta or Raleigh. Or due east from Tampa or Orlando. When you finally […] Read more…
You’re finally taking that long-awaited Alaska cruise. If you’re like most people, you’ll hop on a plane and within hours be at an embarkation port. One question I hear a lot is, “do I need a passport for an Alaska cruise?” The answer is easy: yes. And no. On a “closed-loop cruise” – one that […] Read more…
For many cruisers, a stop at this beautiful private island means a day to kick-back at the beach. For me, Half Moon Cay means a cruise excursion to go horseback riding in the ocean. Half Moon Cay is Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas. It’s located halfway between Cat Island and Eleuthra, about 100 […] Read more…
Whether or not to purchase an all-inclusive beverage package can be a bit tricky. All Royal Caribbean beverage packages have rules of course, especially about sharing. Their rules require that if one person in a stateroom purchases a beverage package, then BOTH must purchase a beverage package. All-Inclusive Beverage Packages Considering that the prices are […] Read more…
Booking your own shore excursion can be daunting… …Especially if it’s your first cruise. Whether it’s your first visit to a new port or maybe your third or fourth, chances are you’ll want to leave the ship to see and explore your destination. There could be a zillion reasons why people choose to not buy […] Read more…
It’s sort of complicated. The answer is yes you need a passport…and no you don’t. Readers ask, “I’m a United States citizen taking a cruise from the U.S. to the Caribbean. Do I need a U.S. passport”? After I received this same question again today, I decided to put together this passport advice article. Mostly, […] Read more…
A transatlantic crossing is an entirely different cruise. “It’s not really the middle of nowhere.” That’s what I find myself saying whenever someone declares, “I’d never go on a transatlantic cruise.” I have to admit, while not exactly in the middle of nowhere, there isn’t a whole lot of activity going on, except maybe for […] Read more…
The best things to see, sip and taste in Sitka for a day As if seeing Alaska by cruise ship wasn’t wonderful enough, a stop in Sitka is the icing on the cake. The hardest decision to make is to decide what to do. Do you want an expensive shore excursion or a day on […] Read more…
You’ve planned your river cruise, but you’re not sure of how and what to pack for a spring Europe river cruse. Maybe you’re curious about springtime weather or formal nights or simply the best way to pack. Here are some tips that will help to prepare you for the big event. Begin With The Right Luggage If you’re still […] Read more…
If you’ve cruised on other cruise lines, or if this is your first Norwegian Cruise Line cruise, you should know that a cruise with Norwegian will be a totally different cruise experience. Especially when it comes to how to pack. Norwegian (or NCL as it was once called) created their Freestyle Cruising concept way back in […] Read more…
A couple of months ago, I received an email request for a phone interview. A freelance writer, Mark Cantrell, was putting together a cruise-related article for a magazine. The topic was aimed at the benefits of a cruise vacation and then planning a cruise. I happened to be out of the country so I asked […] Read more…
Don’t miss these seven Canada cruise ports Cruises to Canada rank really high on my list of favorite cruise itineraries. Almost all cruise ships for a cruise to Canada conveniently depart from the east coast of the U.S. Maybe it’s the scenery or the ever-changing weather or just a particular port. Canada cruise ports offer […] Read more…