Puerto Plata is one of those cruise ports where the answer to “Can I just walk around?” depends entirely on where your ship docks at. Because yes, Puerto Plata can be a great walking port. There are colorful streets, historic buildings, ocean views, local restaurants, little shops, and plenty of…

Cruise lines have gotten very good at finding new ways to charge for things, and Royal Caribbean may have just found one of the more creative ones. The latest is called Early Access, and it applies to guests who booked a guarantee stateroom. For a $30 fee per cabin, Royal…

Day 7 and the final report from MSC World America brings us to the last stop on this Eastern Caribbean cruise, MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in The Bahamas. As I do with all my final day reports, I’ll wrap things up at the end with my overall…

Day 6 on MSC World America was another sea day as we made our way toward the final port of call on this cruise, MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in The Bahamas. So far, the weather has been more than cooperative, and on a ship this size that really matters.…

Day 5 on MSC World America is the first of two back-to-back sea days as we make our way to our final port of call on this cruise, MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in The Bahamas, where we’ll be spending the day on Friday. One thing about MSC’s 7-night Eastern…

Day 4 on MSC World America sees us visiting one of my favorite ports of call in the Caribbean, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and what makes today even better is that we’re here until 11 p.m. World America arrived around 8:00 this morning, the all clear to go ashore was…

Day 3 on MSC World America brought us to our first port of call on this 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. And before getting into what there is to do here, let’s clear up one thing that cruise websites and ship tracking sites love to…

Day 2 on MSC World America is being spent the way cruise ships were intended to be judged: at sea. With no port call today as we make our way to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, this is the kind of day that really puts a ship to the…

Virgin Voyages has teamed up with TikTok for what it says is the biggest creator activation in the brand’s history, putting more than 1,000 creators and their guests onboard Scarlet Lady for a Miami to Bimini sailing running April 19 through April 22, 2026. Virgin says the voyage is built…

After just getting off Holland America Line’s Koningsdam, I’m back at it again, this time revisiting a ship I sailed exactly one year ago on its inaugural voyage: MSC World America. When World America debuted in Miami last year, it not only became the first World Class ship to homeport…