By Arline and Sam Bleecker, McClatchy-Tribune News Service Cruise lines have personalities too. Matching your personality to a cruise line is the best recipe for an outstanding vacation. If you’re reserved, for instance, you wouldn’t dream of taking a cruise on a party boat. Though finding the right cruise line ultimately is a matter of taste, we’ve put some lines … Read more
By KATHLEEN EDWARDS Travel Smart Cruise Panel Things you need to know about cruising. 1. Even though you look at the price of the cruise and kind of flinch a bit, dollar for dollar it is probably a better value than you think. First, you drive to one spot and park the car for a week. Ok, so the parking … Read more
by Chris Owen Travelers booking cruise vacations go about it a number of ways. Some click-to-book with a third-party website, others book directly with the cruise line. Some seek the help of a general travel agent while others use a Cruise Travel Expert. At one time or another, all of them get booked. Almost immediately after booking, without fail, most … Read more
Anthony Dennis From: news.com.au “THAT’S a very good question…” It’s something I find myself saying to myself week in, week out, dealing with the weekly deluge of reader letters seeking travel advice. I’ve been trawling through my columns that have appeared in the Escape lift-out each week to form some sort of idea of the most commonly asked questions by … Read more
By Gay Nagle Myers The Falmouth cruise port on Jamaica’s north coast welcomed its first ship on Thursday, when Royal Caribbean’s 3,400-passenger Voyager of the Seas docked there. The port’s opening had been delayed several times due to construction problems. Although the restoration of the town of Falmouth still is a work in progress, the cruise ship pier stood ready … Read more
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY An example of the bedrooms found in Owner’s Suites. ABOARD OCEANIA CRUISES’ MARINA — A labor of love. That, in a nutshell, sums up what the 1,250-passenger Marina has been to Oceania Cruises’ founder Frank Del Rio and president Bob Binder — and it shows. The eight-year-old line’s first newly built vessel — unveiled this … Read more
By Arline and Sam Bleecker, Special to Tribune Newspapers Two corkscrew waterslides including 303-foot-long Twister, the longest at sea are part of the Carnival DreamÃs massive WaterWorks attraction, the most elaborate water park in cruising. (Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Lines / January 24, 2011) Cruise lines have personalities too. Matching your personality to a cruise line is the best … Read more
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY Thinking about a cruise to Alaska in 2011? Don’t rule out a voyage on a luxury line just because you think it’ll be a lot more expensive. That’s the word today from deal savvy Erica Silverstein of CruiseCritic.com, who offers up a lengthy online comparison between the cost of cruising in Alaska on the Celebrity … Read more
from: Trip Advisor.com Q: My husband and I will be taking a cruise with our 2-year-old daughter. We want to have dinner at the ship’s adults-only restaurant, so we need to use the cruise line’s in-cabin babysitting service. Should I tip the sitter on top of the fixed hourly rate? And what will she do after my daughter goes to … Read more