Princess Finds Big Winner…Again

  On our calendar, it's 492 days until December 3, 2015. Can you believe there's a cruise that's sold out that far in advance…in fact, even further, because this isn't exactly "breaking news" as they say incessantly on CNN? The Love Boat Cruise is sold out. Billed as the "50th Anniversary Mexican Riviera" cruise, it… Continue reading Princess Finds Big Winner…Again

The Skinny On Building New Ships

When a cruise line that already has two new ships still being built announces that it is building two more, as Norwegian did on Monday, there's a tendency to think this is an unprecedented construction explosion. It's not. Aggressive…yes. Unheard of…no. Starting with the Breakaway Class, by 2019 Norwegian will have launched six ships in… Continue reading The Skinny On Building New Ships

Puerto Rico Plans to Market Cruisers

News item: Puerto Rico is doubling the number of hotels, and doubling the number of hotel rooms, over the next decade because of an annual increase in tourist traffic of three per cent (2013) that is topping out at 1.6 million. For the cruise community, Puerto Rico is San Juan. In a one-year period, San… Continue reading Puerto Rico Plans to Market Cruisers

It's About 'Gratuities' on Cruise Ships…

The problem with tipping is tipping. When does it start and when does it end. On cruise ships, sometimes you never know. On almost all cruises, you pay "gratuities" up front. End of story? Not necessarily. On almost all cruises, there's the suggestion that you can tip room stewards, servers, bartenders, spa specialists…something a little… Continue reading It's About 'Gratuities' on Cruise Ships…

An Assessment of Cruise Deals Posted

When is a "cruise deal" a good deal? If you book a cruise based on somebody's suggestion or pitch that it's a bargain, and the price goes up after that, then you got a deal. Just like anything else that you buy…you want to try and catch it at its low, low price. Every day,… Continue reading An Assessment of Cruise Deals Posted