Category: The Sunday Spotlight
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Cruise Ships Do Not Make You Sick and the Numbers Are Not Close
Everyone has an aunt who knows someone who got a stomach bug on a cruise. That story travels further than the ship ever did. The truth is boring, which is exactly why it never gets repeated. Norovirus on a cruise is rare. It is so rare that the numbers almost feel like a typo. Cruise…
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The Guarantee Cabin Is a Bet and the House Usually Wins
You can book a cruise cabin without knowing which cabin you get. The cruise line picks it for you later. This is called a guarantee, and people book them all the time without understanding the deal. Here is how it actually works. You pick a category, say a balcony. The line promises you that category…
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No You Do Not Pay More for a Travel Advisor
Here is the myth that will not die. People believe that booking a cruise through a travel advisor costs more than booking it yourself. It is the single most common thing I hear, and it is wrong. The price of the cruise is the price of the cruise. Cruise lines set the fare. A good…
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Booking Shore Excursions Through the Cruise Line Versus On Your Own
The cruise ship will wait for you if you booked the tour through the cruise line. It will not wait for you if you booked on your own. That is the entire debate in one sentence. Everything else is details. Here is how it works. When you book an excursion through the cruise line, that…
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Royal Caribbean Just Put an Icon Class Ship in the Mediterranean
Legend of the Seas just started sailing. It is the newest ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class, and it did not go to the Caribbean. It went to Europe. Legend of the Seas arrived in the Western Mediterranean and sailed its first cruise there, with the maiden voyage set for July 4. That is a…
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Prepay Your Cruise Tips or Pay More Later
Cruise gratuities are quietly the fastest growing line item in cruising. They have crept up almost every year. Most people never notice until the bill posts. Here is the number that gets attention. Automatic tips have climbed from around fourteen dollars and fifty cents per person per day in 2022 to over twenty dollars a…
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The Cruise Ship Is Not the Destination
Most people spend weeks picking the right ship. They compare pools, restaurants, entertainment, cabin sizes. Then they book a seven-night Caribbean cruise and spend the majority of their time on a floating resort that happens to stop somewhere briefly before moving on. The ship is transportation. Comfortable, often impressive transportation. But if you choose your…
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The Cruise Ship Is Not Going to Leave Without You
Actually, it will. And it does. Several times a year, passengers miss their ship at a port of call because they booked a tour on their own and it ran late. The ship is on a schedule. The schedule does not care about your snorkeling excursion. This is the most common and most preventable cruise…
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Your Cruise Ship Cabin Steward Knows Everything About You
Your cabin steward has access to information about you that would make a private investigator jealous. They know your dining preferences, your sleep schedule, and whether you tip in cash or add it to your bill. They also know if you are celebrating an anniversary because it is in their system. They know if this…
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Royal Caribbean Just Made Cruise Planning Way Harder
Royal Caribbean launched their new “Icon Class” ships with fanfare about being the biggest cruise ships ever built. The problem? They might be too big for their own good. Icon of the Seas holds 7,600 passengers when full. That means 45 minutes to get off the ship in port. It means restaurant reservations booked solid…