Optimal Seasons to Cruise Through Alaska
When traveling to the final frontier, determining the best time to cruise Alaska is crucial for several reasons, including weather, cost, and wildlife sightings. This guide discusses the best time to cruise Alaska and everything you should know before sailing to this stunning state. The peak season for Alaska cruises (May-September) The summer months of […]
8 Tips For Preparing to Cruise in 2022
For the time being, cruising looks a bit different than it did back in 2019 and early 2020. There are extra requirements to sail, more protocols onboard, and different health rules in different ports. To make things more complicated, each cruise line has its own requirements, recommendations, and onboard guidelines. To help, we’ve put together […]
Carnival’s VIFP Loyalty Program and Benefits
The VIFP Club (Very Important Fun Person) is Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty and benefits program that rewards repeat cruisers with members-only perks, discounts, and amenities. The benefits get better the more you cruise. How to Sign Up For VIFP The VIFP Club is a point-based program. There are five levels: Blue, Red, Gold, Platinum, and […]
Looking Back: Ten Years After Costa Concordia
Ten years ago on January 13, 2012, Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized on the rocks of Giglio, Italy. By sunrise the next morning, 32 passengers and crew had lost their lives, and the ship’s master, Francesco Schettino, faced not only questions about what happened but accusations that he abandoned command of the ship while […]
7 Reasons Cruise Ships Are Not Like Petri Dishes
It’s almost impossible to read a mainstream media report on cruising without encountering the phrase “floating petri dish.” Typically, it’s used by lazy journalists to instantly convey to the reader that the ships are breeding grounds for every disease known to mankind. The only problem? As with most stereotype-based buzzwords, it’s part of a completely […]
CDC’s New Conditional Sailing Order: Surprises
On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated and extended its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order through January 15, 2022, making several notable modifications that might give the cruise lines more flexibility to operate in the coming months. The organization also gave us, for the first time, a comprehensive look at the […]
What U.S. Cruise Ships are Sailing Right Now?
After a pause of more than 450 days, cruise ships are now sailing. North American cruise operators started service in June 2021. And while all the major cruise lines are now back at sea, the return to cruising has taken a phased approach, with ships returning to service one at a time and some cruise […]
Caribbean Island Welcomes First Cruise Ship in 18 Months
The Caribbean island of St. Kitts welcomes its first cruise ship today after nearly 18 months without a port call. Celebrity Equinox left Port Everglades Sunday, September 5 on a 13-night Caribbean itinerary. The ship docked at Basseterre this morning, the first of several Royal Caribbean Group ships scheduled to visit the island this year. […]
Carnival Cruise Ship Chartered to FEMA, Cancels Sailing
Carnival Glory has been chartered to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following Hurricane Ida through September 18. The ship is now expected to resume revenue cruises our of New Orleans on Sunday, September 19 from New Orleans. The ship will be chartered to the agency from now until September 18, resulting in the cancellation […]
Royal Caribbean Returns to Cruising from New York City Metro Area
After sitting idle for more than 500 days, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas cast off on her first revenue cruise on Sunday. The 5,400-passenger vessel — the largest cruise ship in the world at the time of her 2009 launch — sailed the first of a series of seven-night Bahamas cruises, from Cape Liberty […]