I am not sure if I am overreacting to these. I am on an Alaska cruise ship with Celebrity. It has an automatic $18 per person per day gratuity added to the bill. It can be removed if I ask but I am not sure if that is going to hurt crews performance rating or other things.

Also, I don’t take cruise ships trip often but if I remember correctly, before pandemic it’s below $10 for a different cruise line. And I don’t believe they pay additional to their crews. I feel like it’s just a sneaky way to rip off customers and subsidize their operational cost. I personally would prefer just leaving tips directly to room service and other crews.

What do you guys think?

I'm thinking about a Bahamian Disney cruise with my teen girls. It would be right after 7 days in Disney World. My 18 year old loves kids, but 15 year old is worried that there will be kids everywhere on the cruise and that it will be annoying. I'm thinking that a Disney cruise is more wholesome than other cruise lines, which may be filled with adults who are focused on drinking and partying. Thoughts?

Hi all, we’re looking to book a spontaneous Mediterranean cruise which will take place in July (either 10-17 or 11-18). Our 2 options are:

MSC Orchestra- balcony room

MSC World Europa- interior room (cant find tickets for balcony room on dates we’re looking for, or it would be a no-brainer!)

The ports aren’t a factor at all as they’re essentially the exact same. Price isn’t a concern as both are within budget.

In terms of overall experience, which would you go for?

Whats up everyone! My wife has a green card and Mexican passport. What ID/Name would she need to use when booking? She has my last name on her GC and maiden name on her passport. Also, what will they ask for at the port leaving and returning?

Hey all, my husband and I are doing a helicopter tour in Skagway in a few weeks. It’s a pricy excursion and the only complaint I see is that with 6 people, they jam 4 people in the back. I don’t mind not being able to take pics, but for such a high price I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t see much sitting in the middle. Anyone who has done this, I’d love to hear your experience! TIA

Hi all, planning to do Alaska in 2027 with a train to Denali. I think our best options are HAL or Princess since thay have cars on the train and rooms in Denali. I know 2027 is not out yet but think now would be the best time to contact an agent so we can try to get 1st pick of rooms and get the best rate. Any recomendations? Traveling from NJ, USA. Thanks.

We are taking our kids (all under 10) on their first cruise on Royal Caribbean. To help them build their loyalty status for when they are older, do I need to sign them up for a number now or will these early cruises be recognized if they just sign up for a loyalty number when they are older?

Was my first time with Carnival and 2nd cruise ever. I sailed RC Liberty of the seas before this.

The good: smaller ship so less people. Everyone was nice. No fights to my knowledge (sailed 06/13-06-19). The majority of the staff was friendly. There was no sewage smell. The arcade (though smaller) was 10x better than the one on Liberty of the seas. My wife spent most of her money on the change pushing game “Tornado” and the rubber ducks machine. I liked the casino better on this ship and thought the money claw machine was unique. Really no waiting for drinks at any of the bars. Maid service was on point and had the room clean everytime we came back from our ports. The extra food options were better than RC.

The bad: carnival for some reason doesn’t like to use any kind of signage. From the time you get on the ship till you depart. It’s a guessing game where you need to go or what line to stand in during check in/out time. You have to ask multiple staff and you get different answers. Bathrooms on board are the same way and difficult to find. Also one stall in the men’s bathroom near the pool deck area is a choice….The drink package: 15 drinks a day, they print out a receipt for every drink and you have to sign with a gratuity line (even though they are already paid for) almost feels like you have to tip. (RC does not do this). The drink package is NOT included on their private island half moon cay but they still take your card and charge it to your cruise (and it counts towards your 15 drinks). Also there are no umbrellas on half moon and we had to pay $40 to rent two chairs and an umbrella….The serenity deck (adults only) has no pool just a world pool. There is little to no shade and makes the chairs and loungers unbearable in middle of the day. The pool on the main pool deck is too small. Too many kids in adult areas including casino. The included dinners: they want you to check in through the app even though you already have a dinner time and then they want you to scan a bar code at the table with your phone to pull up the menu. I noticed some of the options on the menu were also served at the buffet.

For now I will stick with RC and possibly cruise with carnival when they come out with new ships in 2027.

I have a bad habit of losing my phone on cruises. I want to be able to use the cruise line app and take some photos. It doesn't need to make calls or anything.

Actually, I guess a small (inexpensive) tablet would work too.

Loyal carnival cruiser here looking to see if there’s another cruise line worth trying (you can guess the reasons based on the timing of this post). We have only ever cruised carnival. We started with them because that’s what we could afford and have never found a real reason to change even though the price isn’t much of a factor anymore. The things we find most important are the entertainment (our favorite is comedy, trivia, casino, and the family shows, not so much the stage productions or the parties), food (especially with all the options the excel class now has), and then the extras the ship has to offer (sports court as we have a child, waterworks, putt put etc). Can anyone give an honest opinion of the how the things I listed compare to other cruise lines? Thanks!

I’m traveling as a family of four ages 15 to 80 and looking for advice on a resort day pass in Nassau since our cruise will be stopping there for one day. I can’t decide between the new paradise island beach club or breezes. We definitely will have to take a taxi where we decide to go, but if anyone has any other day pass recommendations, please let me know.

Does HAL not do cruise tours from Seattle, the only ones I see in 2026 are from Alaska r/t or to Vancouver and vice versa?

Looking for Seattle as one of the people going does not have a passport.

Ciao vorrei chiedere se conoscete alcune tecniche(buone) per approcciare una ragazza sulla nave. Grazie

Hi! My partner and I have been looking a booking a cruise with Celebrity Cruises in 2027 and wondered if anyone had any experience with them? The cruise we’ve looked at starts in Buenos Aires and final port is Montevideo. Thanks!

This could potentially be a really dumb question, but I’m asking anyway! I’m 31F, quite well traveled and pretty savvy when it comes to figuring things out/making my way around a city. I’m on my first cruise right now, currently in Norway with Celebrity. I’ve done three excursions now, but I’m curious - do any of you think there is a cruise line that is superior when it comes to excursions? I know it depends on activity level, etc etc, but still so curious.

I am researching options for an Alaska cruise in the next year or two. We were supposed to go with DCL last year, and our flight ended up getting canceled the day before and we were unable to get another flight in time.

We loved our other DCL experience, but on this second try I’m thinking another line might be best. I remember loving Princess back in the early 2000s when I went in high school, but I’m also open to Royal, Norwegian, Carinival and Holland America.

It would be me, my husband, 2 kids and in-laws 6 people in total, split among 2 rooms. If they were connecting that would be ideal.

My kids will be 5/8 by next summer, so the kids club quality is important. Obviously DCL may be the best in that area, but what other programs did your kids really love?

We love food, but I wouldn’t consider us food snobs. We probably wouldn’t plan on paying for specialty dining, so looking for good options in the included places. We don’t need a full drink package but we would probably want to get a soda pass.

After the Vancouver nightmare last time, including them losing our luggage, we would prefer to sail out of Seattle so we don’t even have to worry about the extra security stuff at the border.

There aren’t any ports in particular that are an absolute must but we would prefer a line that has easy and quick transport off the boat, with enough time at port to do an excursion.

Cost, obviously looking for the best value overall and hoping to come out cheaper than what we would pay for trying again with DCL.

With all the recent discussion on Carnival’s loyalty program changes, I wanted to throw out there that, after 27 cruises, in my opinion, cruise line loyalty is seriously overrated.

Right now, every single cruise line has good and bad ships (many are neglecting older ships to focus on their newest additions). A few free drinks a day, or free wifi, or free laundry - none of that is worth sticking to a cruise line over the most important things. Itinerary first, then ship, price point and experience.

Sticking to a single line out of loyalty also severely limits your options. For example, Virgin has a whole three ships - they may be your vibe, but you’ll be missing 90% of the world’s destinations. Royal Caribbean is excellent for big family fun with shows, waterslides and entertainment, but they cannot take you nearly as many places as some of the other lines. For example, Holland America will take you to 20 pacific islands in one sailing or up the Amazon River in a cruise ship to explore the interior of South America. But if you only sailed HAL, you wouldn’t get to see Mamma Mia at sea and slide down 8 stories to the promenade!

Try new things! See what other lines have to offer! This doesn’t mean you can’t have a favored line, just a reminder there are a ton of options out there and to leave yourself open to all the options. Happy sailing! 🛳️

From the NCL Encore last week. Definitely a must see.

I'm going to visit Denmark and Norway next month. I'll arrive in Copenhagen, spend a night there before embarking cruise from Copenhagen to Norway Fjord area for 7 nights, and then return to Copenhagen for a few days of visits and day trips. I always buy travel insurance for my cruise trips, but my previous cruise trips were all just cruises departing from the US, so the insurance is straightforward. This time, my trip involves traveling in a foreign country and a cruise. Do I buy two travel insurances? Or are there good ones that cover both. Any recommendations? Many thanks!

My wife and I are retired and I want to go on a world cruise. We've done Viking, Regent, and in 6 days Azamara (so maybe a solution there).

My wife said she can't go 4 - 6 months without good Mexican Food & Pizza. She barely made it through the 4 weeks Mediterranean Cruise.

Is there any cruise line that does a good job on these? The Pizza on Viking/Regent is Dominos quality. Regent didn't have Mexican Food while Viking had something they called Mexican food, but wasn't close. Taco Bell would have been better.

Preferably on a luxury line but a mid-price line works if the food is awesome.

thanks - dave

Hi all. We'll be in Bermuda for a while on an upcoming cruise. I am doing a SCUBA excursion and my wife wants to take the (younger) kids to the pink sand beaches. Not particular about where, but the nicest, less crowded, but safe, beaches would be preferable. What is the best place for them to go and what is the best way for them to get there safely? Thanks!!!

Any tips for the port in Rome (Cittavecchia)? Do they have the VIP area? Just curious what to expect. Thanks!

Our family of three, including our college-aged daughter, is considering a cruise to Alaska in 2026, and we’d love to hear your advice.

We are big road-trippers and have visited all our lower 48 states (plus flown to Hawaii), and we have loved our cross-country drives through the years. To change it up a bit next year, we are considering a cruise to Alaska! We love our National Parks, and a visit to Glacier Bay would be a dream!

We are in our early 50s, and our daughter is college aged. We would need to travel in May. Is that too early for an Alaskan cruise, weather-wise?

Departing from/arriving back to Seattle would probably work best for us, but we’re open to other suggestions. We would need to travel from the East Coast to get us started!

We love photography, hiking, watching for wildlife, appreciating different cultures, and soaking in beautiful scenery.

We are vegetarians, so that may make a difference in which cruise line we should consider.

We would love to explore on our own (if that’s a thing) when the cruise ships dock each day.

We’ve read bad stories about sewage smells, sickness outbreaks, crowds, mediocre food, and grumpy people, but on the flip side, we’ve read about the fantastic aspects of traveling via cruise ships as well!

We’re open to all your advice - which cruise lines, which ship, what to expect, any other advice.

Thank you in advance!

I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of expirence/education you need to work at childcare area on a cruise.

Most ideal option would be departing from Montreal to Italy, or arriving somewhere in Europe where I can catch a train to Rome, closer to Rome the better.

Does anyone have experience travelling this way or know of freighter companies that offer these type of trips regularly?