cruise ship vacation tips Archives

14 Ways to Find Privacy on a Large Cruise Ship

March 4, 2026 by Bryce Sanders

Do you have pet peeves! I do. One is the way cruising is presented in TV ads. You see a guy walking solo among ancient ruins. You see a couple dancing on an empty dance floor. You see a pair of passengers strolling along an empty deck. Then you see a shot of a gigantic cruise ship floating on a perfect blue ocean. That ship holds thousands of passengers! How did this couple create these private moments? …

Trusted by over 1.5 million cruisers since 2003.
Get FREE access to members-only pricing.

There is a highly acclaimed way to receive multiple quotes from a site called CruiseCompete, where cruise specialists compete to offer you the best deal. The media sums it up for CruiseCompete:
“Score Luxury Cruises at Bargain Prices” (The Street)
“Best site for cruise deals” (The Wall Street Journal)
“28 Best Travel Sites” (Kiplinger's) Multiple annual mentions
“36 Web Addresses You Should Know” (The Washington Post)

Award-Winning Journalists

Gerry Barker is a life-long journalist, and he has been on more than forty cruises, from Barcelona and Rome to the Panama Canal.

Judi Cohen has been to over 80 countries and is an accomplished travel writer who enjoys sharing her stories.

Dennis Cox is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who has visited over one hundred countries on all seven continents.

Judi Cuervo is a New York City native who has been writing about travel for over 20 years.

Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based freelance writer and photographer who is constantly traveling the world.

Jackie Sheckler Finch has cruised on large and small vessels on numerous rivers and oceans.

Cynthia Boal Janssens is the former editor of ATC. She has cruised extensively and loves small ships.

Nicholas Kontis is a freelance writer and award winning photojournalist. He seeks off the beaten path cruises and destinations

Debi Lander is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in travel, food and lifestyle.

Monte Mathews is a New York-based food and travel writer, with a special focus on culinary cruising.

David Molyneaux has cruised on more than 50 ships and visited six continents. He is vice president of the SATW Foundation.

Barbara Orr has more than three decades of travel experience, and has been widely published in Canada and the U.S.

Bryce Sanders has traveled the world extensively and is now concentrating on writing about his adventures.