Staying Positive When the Drink’s Half Empty

Repeat Carnival cruiser SusieQ4U struggled with slow service during her six-day Caribbean cruise onboard Carnival Breeze. While she found it surprisingly hard to wet her whistle, SusieQ4U would wait hours just for Jimmy’s BBQ, or pay the cover for the bread alone at Farenheit 555 steakhouse. Learn about the highs and lows of a busy balcony, how [...]

Stranded in New Zealand, Not Crazy About Nutmeg

Sixty-day cruiser Prettygirl noticed some definite differences between the first and second halves of her San Francisco repositioning and Australia to New Zealand circumnavigation cruise onboard Sea Princess. From mediocre Anytime Dining, to dining on buttered bread as a stranded passenger in a local New Zealand gym, Prettygirl experienced many of the highs and lows [...]

Cruising Italy in the Laid-Back Lap of Luxury

Laid-back luxury cruiser Doc P was just as pleased with his second cruise aboard the 312-passenger Wind Surf as with his first. This ain’t no mega-ship teeming with activities like rock-climbing and ice-skating — it was Wind Surf’s elegant atmosphere and “fabulous crew” that made the transit between ports including Capri, Sorrento and Corsica a [...]

Adventure of the Seas Family Cruise Packs in Halloween Fun

Nelbr‘s, Canary Islands cruise aboard Adventure of the Seas was a great fit for his family — kids and all. In fact, going into his sailing he had read some unfavorable reviews only to hop onboard and discover that despite a bad cabin description, the ship was “well maintained, clean and gorgeous” and that service [...]

Royal Caribbean Fan Tries Out New Ship and Itinerary

CRUISEBOY305, a veteran of Royal Caribbean, loved the open spaces, outdoor areas and Champagne Bar on Jewel of the Seas during his recent cruise to Canada and New England. The weeklong itinerary roundtrip from Boston, with port stops in Halifax, St. John, Bar Harbor and Portland, was a first for this solo cruiser, who wrote, [...]

Couple Celebrates Golden Anniversary on a ‘Star’ Cruise Ship

Above-and-beyond service aboard Star Princess made RetiredNTraveling‘s 50th anniversary Alaska cruise a true treat. During his weeklong cruise with his beloved he experienced “luxury and pampering beyond belief.” From breathtaking views of Alaskan fjords to hassle-free disembarkation, the couple’s Golden Anniversary was worth the wait. Find out why it was so special in RetiredNTraveling’s full [...]

Sister Act: Siblings Ditch Husbands and Kids for Relaxing First River Cruise

River cruise newbies, BHappy2Day and her sister left their husbands and kids behind to take a “practice” Rhine River cruise on Avalon Waterways’ Avalon Visionary — to see if they liked the river life. Their “low hassle, low drama” trip featured storybook towns, free-flowing wine, a showtune-singing captain and a tour of Amsterdam’s Red Light [...]

Sketchy Weather, Itinerary Change Can’t Rain on Alaska Cruiser’s Good Time

Despite sketchy weather and an itinerary change, Dave_P‘s Alaska cruise on Holland America’s Westerdam lived up to his expectations. HAL delivered on the small touches — palatable coffee, fresh-squeezed OJ, the New York Times — and this Princess Cruises past passenger has already booked his next cruise, a Down Under sailing, on Oosterdam. Check out [...]