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Cruise Elegant Night Outfits: What to Wear and What to Skip
Cruise elegant night, often referred to as cruise formal night, is a signature experience on many cruise lines, where guests dress up for a more refined evening in the main dining room. If you're wondering what to wear on cruise formal night, you're not alone.
From long evening gowns and cocktail dresses to sleek jumpsuits and dressy sandals, the options are as varied as the cruise lines themselves. Whether you're sailing with Carniva...
What You Need to Know about Sailing Virgin Voyages
Most cruises are fairly standard… there’s a main dining room serving buffet-style food, you get a bit nickel-and-dimed, and entertainment is Broadway-style shows. But then, in 2014, Virgin Voyages entered the game to change the cruising industry and introduce a new and different kind of product for cruise travelers.
Virgin Voyages’ fleet, known as the “Lady Ships,” includes the Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, Resilient Lady, and the upcoming Brill...
Cruising with a Record or Warrant
I’m shocked by the frequency with which I see a disturbing (and completely avoidable) event happen at debarkation. That is the situation where cruisers get ready to get off the ship after a wonderful cruise, only to find authorities waiting for them at the port and find themselves in handcuffs. Many cruisers don’t realize that cruise lines run passenger manifests by US Customs and Border Protection, and those with outstanding warrants may be nabbed at disembark...
Passports and Cruising: Everything You Need to Know
Almost daily, from friends who are embarking on their first cruise, or on the cruise travel groups on social media, I see the same question asked… “Do I need a passport to cruise?” The short answer? “No”… but under certain conditions. The long answer? “No”… but you should. And I’ll tell you why a little bit further below.
What Cruise Lines Require and Why
If you are embarking on a closed-loop sailing (more on that below), most cruise lines o...
Sailing Solo: Top Tips for an Amazing Solo Cruise Experience
Embarking on a solo cruise can be an incredibly liberating and enriching experience, but it can be intimidating if you’re new to solo travel. I remember the first time I considered a solo trip. I was really nervous about many things: safety, feeling awkward, possibly being bored, and worrying about being alone if something went wrong. I realized that cruising would be the easiest foray into solo travel, so that’s how I chose t
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Getting to the Cruise Port: Flying Same-Day versus Early
If you’re taking a cruise and live close to your departure port, you may drive there, in which case you’ll need to determine where to park. Most cruise ports offer on-site options, although some may require an advance reservation, so consider this before departure day.
If you fly into your cruise departure port, one of the considerations about getting to port is when to plan to arrive. This includes the debatable question of whether you ...
Pre-Cruise Flight Options
For cruisers who fly to their cruise’s departure port city, there are a few decisions to make. First is when to arrive, with many cruisers preferring not to risk a potential flight disruption resulting in a missed cruise (check out my blog post on that topic). Another choice is to when to book the return flight home.
As noted in the aforementioned post, I aim to book return flights that depart around noon, but this isn’t always possible. I’ve occasionally been stu
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Cruising Cheaply: 3 Benefits to an Interior Stateroom
The cruise industry hasn’t just bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, but it’s positively booming, and as demand rises, pricing is, as well. Many would-be cruisers experience sticker shock when searching for cruises, even on discounted cruise wholesalers, but there’s one simple way to save money on your cruise—select an interior stateroom.
Navigating a Cruise Ship: How to Not Get Lost
Port vs. Starboard, Forward vs. Aft — what are these strange words? What’s the difference between port and starboard? Even cruisers who sail regularly can find trouble when navigating a cruise ship, which isn’t surprising given their large size and confusing naming system used to describe parts of the ship and directions. Oh, and by the way, when cruising we always call it a ship, not a boat. Here’s your quick and easy breakdown of ship navi
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5 Secrets of the MDR: Maximize Your Cruise Dining
One thing that makes cruising special is the opportunity to enjoy restaurant-quality meals every evening in the Main Dining Room, or MDR. But did you know that there are five little-known “secrets” that can make this experience even more enjoyable?
1. The MDR isn’t Just for Dinner
I love the MDR, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the MDR isn’t just for dinner — it’s often open for breakfast, brunch and/or lunch. I
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Is it Better to Book Cruise Excursions on Your Own or Through the Cruise Line?
Once your cruise is booked, you’ll need to make some other important decisions, such as whether or not to book excursions at your ports of call and if you partake in these activities, whether you should book excursions on your own or directly through the cruise lines. Unless you’re a “get off at port and wander around on your own” type of person, you might want to think ahead and plan for what you’ll do on those days...
How to Book a Cruise: Benefits of a Travel Agent vs. Booking on Your Own
When it comes time to book a cruise, is it better to book it on your own, or to use a travel agent? This is a common question, and there’s no any right answer. Instead, cruisers should consider each option and choose the one that works best for that individual. Here are the pros and cons of each one:
Booking a Cruise with a Travel Agent
Some cruisers don’t even consider booking a cruise with a travel agent because they e...
Decisions to Make When Booking a Cruise
When you book a hotel room, it’s easy, but there are special considerations to make when booking a cruise. With a hotel, you may have to select if you want two queens or one king bed and maybe decide if you want to pay more for a city or ocean view for example, but other than that, it’s pretty simple. Cruising, however, presents some unique decisions you’ll have to make. Having a travel agent or PVP can help you determine these things, but before booking,...
Getting Off and On the Cruise Ship at Ports of Call
If you’ve never cruised before, you’re probably curious about what to expect on port days and how to prepare for them. Unlike sea days, when the ship is out at sea, and passengers stay on the ship without getting off at land, port days are those when the ship stops at one of the ports of call on the itinerary. When you booked your cruise, you likely selected your itinerary partly because of the planned ports of call, so this is your chance to ...
