Live From Rhapsody of the Seas: First Impressions of the Newly Refurbished Ship

How new can you make an old ship seem? Royal Caribbean is trying to prove that even 15-year-old ships like Rhapsody of the Seas can hold their own against newer, bigger, sleeker ships — with a little plastic surgery, that is. We’re onboard Rhapsody this week in Alaska, checking out the added dining venues, entertainment [...]

Live From Celebrity Summit: Pay $100 More for These Cabin Perks?

We’ve spent a week in one of Celebrity Summit’s “Concierge-Class” balcony cabins. By configuration and design — bathroom, bed, sitting area, verandah — these accommodations bear a striking resemblance to their 100′s of slightly smaller standard balcony sisters. So why did passengers on our seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise pay $100 – $250 more per person [...]

Live From Voyager of the Seas: A Brazen Cut

On Wednesday afternoon, I did the gutsiest thing a woman can do on a cruise ship: I got my hair cut. Like Cruise Critic member argenta01, who wrote on the message boards, “I wouldn’t trust a hair cut to a stranger,” I wasn’t keen on the idea. But the Western Caribbean humidity was making me [...]

The Cruise Ship Makeover to End All Makeovers?

The refurbishment is so ambitious that they’re renaming the ship. The 18-year-old Costa Romantica has entered a 3.5-month, $125 million dry-dock, from which it will emerge in mid-February as … wait for it … Costa neoRomantica. Spending $125 million — in one of the most expensive refurbs ever — may sound like a lot, but [...]

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Laser Hair Removal Coming to Cruise Ships?

At-sea spa barons Steiner Leisure recently signed an agreement to acquire laser hair removal specialists Ideal Image for $175 million. Bearded ladies came to mind first, followed by a more relevant question: Is it only a matter of time before hairy upper lips are zapped from cruise ships?

Slideshow: Carnival Pours $500 Million Into Tequila, Burgers and George Lopez

Fun Ship 2.0 sounds a bit year 2000, but we won’t begrudge the name of Carnival’s multi-year, 14-ship, $500 million refurb program, which covers eating, (a lot of) drinking and laughing. On Monday, the line revealed details of F.S. 2.0. A few choice tidbits: Food Network guy Guy Fieri is introducing Guy’s Burger Joint, George [...]