Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Take a luxury cruise to the Baltic this week aboard Silversea Cruises' Silver Spirit. This was an 11-night Baltic Cruise.  Richard has cruise news on: The CDC extends no sail order More Caribbean cruise cancellations  Mandatory testing for all cruise passengers and crew  New cruise ship heading for North America  Cruise ship captain smacks down an internet troll  Listener Question : When will we s...

This is a seven-night review of Celebrity Summit from San Juan to the Eastern Caribbean. The cruise was expected to sail round trip from Puerto Rico but due to COVID-19, authorities did not let the ship back into San Juan. Instead, the cruise ended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This seven-night cruise turned into a nine-night.  Richard Simms has cruise news :  CDC and the cruise ship ban False Alar...

Glenn Aprile is a member of the design team for Carnival Cruise Line's upcoming Mardi Gras. Recently they just developed a new atrium concept for the Grand Central zone of the ship. Glenn talks about the design concept and why certain changes were made.  Date: September 27, 2020 

A 7-night review of MSC Seaside. This cruise went to San Juan, St. Maarten, and Nassau, Bahamas. We get a comprehensive review of the ship and the Eastern Caribbean ports of call.  Richard Simms has cruise news :  Return to cruising plans have been submitted to the CDC  Carnival Cruise Line debuts a new atrium for Mardi Gras  One of the founders of Norwegian Cruise Line passes  Princess Cruises is...

We get behind the scenes look of a cruise terminal and find out what happens on embarkation day, how luggage gets sorted, and what really makes tempers flare at boarding.  Date: September 20, 2020

A 2020 review of Norwegian Sky. This was a four-night cruise out of PortMiami that went to Nassau, Bahamas, and a scheduled stop at Great Stirrup Cay (which unfortunately was missed because of weather).  A new entertainment option was rolled out this week involving cruise directors, we talk with the creators.  Richard Simms has cruise news :  A handful of ships won't be returning until early 2021...

Staff writer Richard Simms talks to us about the meeting that PortMiami had about the state of cruising, Carnival Cruise Line ships returning to service in November, and Norwegian Cruise Line delaying a cruise update. Matt Hochberg from Royal Caribbean Blog answers questions on how Royal Caribbean has changed its app to facilitate the future of cruising and brand loyalty programs.  Date: September...

A Celebrity Edge review from March 2020. This was the last cruise before the cruise industry shutdown. Ashley gives a comprehensive review of Celebrity's newest cruise ship and what the onboard experience was like.  Sherry has cruise news :  Carnival's Brand Ambassador said they could be returning to sea sooner than people think It's back to sea for one Carnival Corporation line Royal Caribbean CE...

A seven-night Western Caribbean review of Norwegian Cruise Line's ship Norwegian Escape. The vessel was launched in 2015 and offers Caribbean service from the east coast.  Sherry has cruise news :  Popular Carnival Cruise Director announces retirement Another Carnival ship steams towards the scrapyard  Carnival Corp CEO optimistic about North American cruising The Pandemic is not slowing down crui...

Steve is the host of the DCL Podcast, a show all about Disney Cruise Line. This week he answers our questions about sailing on Disney, Castaway Cay, dining onboard, sailing without kids, and a whole lot of other questions.  Date: August 30, 2020

A review of Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. This was a nine-night cruise from Australia. Sherry has cruise news on :  Cruise port could remain closed until 2022 Two Carnival Corp ships find a new home Carnival releases name of the upcoming ship  Former Carnival ship awaits fate Good news from MSC but also a delay   Question: Is it okay to tip at the begging and the end of the cruise? -- Th...

Nancy Schretter returns this week from the Family Travel Network to answer some questions about cruising to Cozumel with small children, how to deal with food allergies on a cruise ship, and keeping your child safe in a balcony. Tommy Casabona stops by to give details about sailing from Fort Lauderdale with factoring in a little bit of pre-cruise fun. Sherr from CruiseTipsTV answers a question abo...

Since MSC Cruises returned to cruising this past week, it's only appropriate to get a review of the MSC Meraviglia. Sheri and her family had an opportunity to sail the Yacht Club (ship within a ship concept) in the Mediterranean. We get a full review of one of MSC Cruises' newest ships.  Sherry has cruise news :  Cruises are officially underway in Europe and a couple was kicked off the ship  Cruis...

In our series of exploring personalities within the cruise space, we speak with Bill Panoff. Bill started his career aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship where he worked at sea for 13 years and then went launched Porthole Cruise Magazine, the largest cruise magazine in the world.  Porthole Cruise Magazine Digital: https://bit.ly/3atTJ9I Cruise Control Video Series: https://bit.ly/3kQuXFk   Date: Aug...

Nancy Schretter from the Family Travel Network joins us to talk about her seven-night Mediterranean cruise on Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity. Crystal Cruises recently announced that they will not welcome guests back until 2021.  Sherry has cruise news :  Another round of cruise cancellations  Crew members file a lawsuit against the cruise company  Norwegian Cruise Line puts rumors to bed  Recap...

We tackle your listener questions this week. Sherry Laskin joins us to break down using onboard credits on multiple sailings and the best way to remove canceled guests from a cruise.  Barbara lets us know the main differences between the cruise line vacation planner and a travel agent. Richard talks about cruise embarkation out of New York City.  Date: August 9, 2020 

We sit down with Carnival Corporation (CCL) CEO Arnold Donald on the current state of the cruise industry. We speak with Arnold about how cruising could look moving forward, what will really determine when the cruise ships can sail again, what the cruise industry resumption of service will look like, and vessels leaving the fleet.  Sherry has cruise news :  Cruise lines cancel sailings until Novem...

Over a dozen cruise ships have been sold off throughout the cruise industry shutdown, with more likely to come. But what happens to cruise ships once they are sold? What do they do with the equipment? How long does the deconstruction process take? Maritime historian and journalist Peter Knego drops in to answer our questions.  Peter also shares details about his collection of relics he's salvaged...

A 2020 review of Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Gem. this was a 10-night cruise from New York City that went to the Southern Caribbean.  Sherry has cruise news :  First major cruise line sailed from Europe  Norwegian Cruise Line extends suspension Carnival Fantasy ends her final voyage  Cruise line debuts new safety drill  Cruise line refund policies could soon change CDC wants cruise passengers...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published 28 questions to the general public. We read the questions and tell you how you can respond with your answers.  You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-0087 by any of the following methods listed below. CDC does not accept comments by email. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov . Follow the inst...

PJ shares his experience of being on the last Disney Cruise Line ship before the industry shutdown. This is a seven-night review of Disney Fantasy that went down to the Eastern Caribbean with a stop at private island Castaway Cay.   Sherry has cruise news :  CDC extending the No Sail Order, again  Carnival is almost done with crew repatriation  Grand Bahama Island on two-week lockdown Carnival Ins...

Cruise expert Stewart Chiron drops by the answer some listener questions. Matt Hochberg from Royal Caribbean Blog answer questions on Royal Caribbeans "Lift and Shift" program and the difference between a Quantum and Quantum Ultra class ship.  1. When a ship is said to be 130,000-tons, what does that mean?    2. We are seeing cruise lines like Princess move a lot of inventory on the West Coast in...

A review of Carnival Cruise Line's ship Carnival Sunrise for a Canada/New England itinerary. This ship used to be Carnival Triumph before it underwent a $200 million renovation in 2019. The ship splits time between New York, Virginia, and Florida.  Sherry Laskin has cruise news on :  This could be the end for Carnival Fantasy Key West looking to ban large cruise ships  Florida based cruise line ex...

We talk to the granddaughter of the architect of the SS United States. At one time, this ship broke the speed record and went across the Atlantic Ocean in three days.  Date: July 12, 2020 

A review of an 11-night cruise on Princess Cruises' Regal Princess. This was a Baltic cruise that sailed from Copenhagen with an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Sherry Laskin has cruise news :  Carnival Mardi Gras launched delayed and Carnival Radiance postponed  Two cruise lines join forces to develop healthy protocols  New EU cruise guides recommend masks and no buffets  Royal Caribbean de...