The email finally arrived. You know the one. The “Princess Upgrade – Stay Your Way” email that shows up once your cruise gets close enough for the upgrade bidding process to begin. Princess Cruises, like several other cruise lines, uses Plusgrade to let passengers place paid bids on higher-category staterooms.…

Hurricane season is right around the corner, running from June 1 through November 30, which means it is officially time for the annual barrage of “should I cancel my cruise?” panic posts to begin appearing in Facebook groups. This year, though, forecasters are calling for a below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane…

For years, Florida cruise math was pretty simple. Find the cheapest flight. Pack a bag. Fly to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, or West Palm Beach. Grab an Uber, shuttle, or rental car. Start vacation. Then Spirit Airlines went away, and so did the “cheap flight to Florida." Spirit…

Well, that escalated quickly. Royal Caribbean’s grand plan to turn Costa Maya into the next big “Perfect Day” destination has hit a massive wall, and not the kind with a 170-foot waterslide attached to it. Mexican environmental authorities have rejected Royal Caribbean’s proposed Perfect Day Mexico project in Mahahual, according…

I cruise in all different types of staterooms. Sometimes I’m in a suite. Sometimes I’m in a spa stateroom. Sometimes I’m in a balcony where I can sit outside with with my first Diet Coke of the morning and pretend I’m not going to end up at the buffet 37…

When people think of gambling on a cruise ship, they usually picture the casino.   But one of the most consistent revenue generators onboard doesn't always happen in the casino.  It happens in a lounge, with a microphone, a stack of cards, and a room full of passengers waiting for the…

MSC Seashore recently returned from dry dock with something cruisers will actually care about: more free food. The ship, which sails from Port Canaveral, now has two new complimentary quick-service restaurants onboard: The Chicken Man and Red Cactus BBQ & Ribs. Both are walk-up spots, both have their own shaded…

Cruise ship door decorations are one of those traditions that either make you smile or make you wonder how we got here. Some people keep it simple with a family magnet or a birthday sign. Others turn their stateroom door into a full-blown craft fair with lights, garland, ducks, dry…

People often ask me about Royal Caribbean's casino loyalty program, Club Royale. When it comes to casino programs at sea, this is the one I'm most familiar with. It's also widely considered one of the best in the cruise industry. I've spent years researching and experiencing it firsthand through trial…

There are certain ports that make cruisers excited the moment they see them on an itinerary. Nassau is usually not one of them. That may sound harsh, but spend five minutes in any cruise group, forum, or comment section and you’ll see it pretty quickly. Nassau is consistently one of…