A True IQ Test: Turning Off the Lights

Cruise ship cabin design seems to follow the rule that the newer and more luxurious the ship, the more complicated the cabin electronics. I’ve battled with silly showers and crazy curtains, nonfunctioning telephones and “smart” interactive TV systems with messages welcoming another passenger entirely. But I’ve never been defeated by the lighting system. Until now.

A Pleasant Breeze: Touring Carnival’s Newest Ship

The following piece was written by Adam Coulter, Cruise Critic U.K.‘s editor. Cruise Critic is in Miami for the biggest year’s biggest on-land shindig about at-sea travel – Cruise Shipping Miami (CSM). It’s a four-day event featuring meetings, press conferences, panel discussions, a massive tradeshow, more meetings and — perhaps most interestingly — ship visits.

Name that Ship, Win a Prize

This one goes out to you ship lovers. We were recently onboard a ship and snapped a shot of its main dining room. Do you recognize it? Name that ship in the comments below by noon, Friday, March 8. We’ll randomly select a winner from the correct responses and mail off a prize from our [...]

Don’t Forget to Washy Washy on Your Next Cruise

The president of a well-known cruise line once told me the highest paid crew member on any ship is not the ship’s captain, but instead the dessert chef. I’ve never been able to confirm that but what I can tell you is that the most popular crew member on my recent Norwegian Jewel sailing was [...]

Celebrity Solstice Spices Things Up for Aussie Passengers

It’s no secret Australians like to imbibe. Celebrity Cruise Lines, though, recently discovered that our thirst for the grape can be quite staggering. On the recent Celebrity Solstice re-positioning cruise from Barcelona to Sydney, where the ship was to take up a summer seasonal deployment in Australia, the ship ran out of sauvignon blanc. It [...]

Just Off the Gangway: Oceania’s Marina

We’re fresh off of Oceania Cruises‘ new Marina, and we’ll be posting our full review of the ship soon. Can’t wait? Here’s a quick overview while it’s still fresh in our minds: Oceania’s Marina feels both evolutionary and revolutionary. It bridges the gap between mainstream and luxury, offering the choices of the former, and luxe-level [...]