Bowing Down Before the Crown

Seldom do we get the chance to put our busy lives on hold, which is why we deserve to be treated like royalty when it’s time to cruise again. Member glomarrone was excited about her first time sailing with Princess, and after hopping onboard Crown Princess in Fort Lauderdale a few days into the 17-night, [...]

Satisfied on Pride: Chronicles of a First-Time Cruiser

Call it beginner’s luck, but first-time cruiser Darcy00 and her husband’s quick and painless embarkation process was only the first of many pleasant experiences aboard Carnival Pride. Thirty minutes after arriving at the port, she was already onboard and in vacation mode enjoying a juicy Reuben.

Love Under the Sun

They say once you go “more than a week,” you never go back. This proved true for member DarinPike12, whose first 11-night cruise aboard Norwegian Sun was just enough time for him and his family to soak up the Southern Caribbean rays. Aboard the ship, freestyle dining — although the quality of food wasn’t as [...]

Gluten-Free Bliss Onboard Ruby Princess

New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees and “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hassebeck are part of the growing gluten-free population, which seems to be gaining more dining options on land but hardly any at sea. Well aware of past troubles associated with finding a cruise that accommodates his wife’s special diet, creampea contacted the staff on Ruby [...]

Bad Drive In, Better Drive-In on Crown Princess

Spending more time planning their transfer than their cruise, DodgersFan and family were relieved to just be onboard Crown Princess for a spring break Caribbean sailing out of Galveston. Things improved after the muster drill, which was rehearsed from seats in the lounge rather than a lineup in direct sun. DodgersFan made many distinctions between [...]

A ‘Tulip Cruise’ With No Tulips? No Problem

While a freak cold spell diminished the Dutch’s most famous blooms this year, mad4scrapping wasn’t about to let unfortunate weather ruin her “Tulips and Windmills” cruise on Viking Odin. The now misnamed voyage was a bucket list trip for her husband, a retired chef, and both the guided tours in Holland and the food onboard [...]

Bad First Impression Quickly Melted on Reflection

A long line at embarkation put a bad taste in cats36‘s mouth, but once onboard Celebrity Reflection, Champagne quickly washed that taste away. Settled in a quiet, spacious cabin at the bow of the ship, cats36 had spectacular views when not dining on ice cream, blintzes and “the largest lobster tail I have ever had.” [...]

Meeting, Mingling and Moving the Miracle

Waves “worse than…Hurricane Sandy” and some cold New York temperatures hardly affected solo cruise veteran cv322 onboard the March repositioning of Carnival Miracle. With no shortage of compliments to the crew, cv322 noted the small touches (from replacing wrecked wine to serving special shrimp) that made it an otherwise smooth sailing. Unimpressed by tired activities [...]