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The Captain’s Log

Your Daily Cruise Industry Briefing

Cruise News Trip Planning & Advice Destinations Cruise Lines & Ships Cruising Styles Onboard Experience The Sunday Spotlight

  • Castro Is the Patagonia Port That Looks Like Nowhere Else in Chile

    Chiloe is a big island hanging off the bottom of Chile, and most cruisers have never heard of it. The main town is Castro. Your ship may stop there on the way to the Chilean fjords, and most people treat it as filler. That is a mistake. Castro is one of the strangest and most…

  • The Power Strip You Packed Will Get Confiscated at the Gangway

    Every major cruise line bans surge protected power strips. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, MSC, Celebrity, and Holland America all pull them at embarkation security. If one is in your bag, it is coming out of your bag. The reason is fire. A surge protector has a little component inside that absorbs voltage spikes. That…

  • When a Cruise Line Changes Your Itinerary Before You Sail

    Your itinerary is a plan, not a promise. The cruise contract says so in writing, usually on a page nobody reads. The line can change ports, swap sea days, or skip a stop entirely. This sounds alarming until you understand why it happens. Weather is the big one. A captain is not going to dock…

  • The Last Minute Cruise Deal Is Mostly a Myth

    Waiting until the last minute to book a cruise usually costs you more, not less. The idea sticks around because it used to be true. Decades ago a half empty ship was a real problem, so lines dumped cabins cheap before sailing. That is not how the business runs now. Today the cruise lines want…

  • The Thermal Suite Is the Quietest Seat on a Packed Sea Day

    On a sea day the pool deck is a battle. The loungers are claimed by eight in the morning. The bars open early enough to settle any debate about restraint. There is a room most passengers never find. It is the thermal suite, tucked inside the ship’s spa. It is warm, it is quiet, and…

  • The Luxury Cruise Fork in the Road Is Included Everything Versus Go Anywhere

    At the top of the cruise world there are two kinds of luxury and they do not want the same thing from you. One hands you a bill with almost nothing left on it. The other hands you a smaller ship and a longer leash. The first camp is the everything included model. Regent Seven…

  • Azamara Is the Cruise Line Built Around the Port Not the Ship

    Most cruise lines sell you the ship. Azamara sells you the place the ship happens to be parked next to. That is the whole personality of this line. The ships are small by modern standards. They hold a few hundred guests, not a few thousand. There is no water park. There is no go-kart track.…

  • The Tender Port Everyone Groans About Is Usually the Best One

    The ports people complain about most are often the ones worth remembering. Here is the tell. If your ship cannot dock and has to tender you ashore in little boats, half the passengers stay onboard. That is your signal to go. A tender port means there is no deep water pier. No pier usually means…

  • The Specialty Dining Package Is a Math Problem You Solve Before You Board

    The main dining room on a cruise is included. The steakhouse down the hall is not. That upcharge is where most first timers get surprised. Cruise lines sell a specialty dining package. Buy a set number of meals up front and the per meal price drops below what you would pay walking in. The trade…

  • Cruise News Roundup for the Week of September 29 2026

    Three real things happened in cruising this week. None of them require you to do anything today. All of them are worth knowing. First, the Carnival Festivale floated for the first time at the Meyer Werft shipyard. The building dock was flooded and the ship touched water in late September, with the yard confirming it…