Cruises are great. Decades ago, I figured out the difference between Club Med vacations and cruising. At Club Med, everyone was equal. On a cruise, everyone is treated like a king or queen. Because of that royal treatment, you can understand why some people choose to literally live on cruise ships, taking one cruise holiday after another. Assuming you are like us, you need to fly to the ship and fly back home. Flights are the bookends …
Cruise ships come in all sizes. Assuming you are sailing on a medium to large sized ocean-going vessel, here are a few great places you need to find. Some smaller ships and river vessels might have them too. The bar overlooking the bow. Every ship should have one. It’s often a gigantic cocktail lounge. Find a table at one of the large windows looking forward and enjoy the view as the ship leaves (or enters) a harbor. …
We think of cruises traveling in sunny weather. Most do. There has been an upsurge of interest in cruises to Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and the northern polar region. World cruises often start in chilly northern climes and head towards the sun. What can you do when it is too cold to be out on deck? You might never imagine yourself on a cruise in cold weather. That’s fine. What can you do when your ship sailing through …
2022 was the year life took a giant step towards returning to normal and we started traveling again. Here are a few places I would like us to see again and why. Bordeaux, France. My wife and I are wine fans. We visited while sailing on the Azamara Quest this past summer. Bordeaux is both a city and a wine region. Some of the most famous chateaus (wine producers) in the world are located in close proximity. …
I love wine. When we sail, our wine bill represents the majority of our onboard spend. FYI: During a seven-night cruise, if we can keep our shipboard account under $1,000, I consider it a victory. If you enjoy wine, like us, here are eight ways to find bargains on the ship’s wine list (or at restaurants back home.) Wine is often classified by grape type or varietal, as they say in the wine trade. Chardonnay. It is …
After missing two years we have finally returned to the German Christmas Markets. I think we have been coming on the first weekend of December for about thirty years. I am going to hit the highlights of our trip, which was entirely land based. I will also make the case why you might consider a river cruise as an alternate and in some cases better, travel option. Wednesday, December 7th: Flying to Frankfurt We flew from Philadelphia …
We Americans buy things differently. We walk into a store, pickup an item, look at the price, carry it to the register and pay. If it seems too expensive, we stop after looking at the price, put it down and walk out. We wait until the item goes on sale. In large parts of the world, negotiation is involved when making a purchase. A friend explained buying a rug in Turkey is a multiple day exercise. You …
Cruises are known for offering an abundance of food. Visiting the Midnight Buffet was a standard gag line for comedians performing onboard and ashore. Cruise lines are concerned about waste and the environment. Don’t worry. There will be plenty of food. But where will you find it? Before we get started, let us take a moment and talk about waste and other concerns. On a voyage last November, I learned Holland America Line analyzes the trash in …
As Christmas approaches, we are reminded of the Star of Bethlehem and how it guided the Three Wise Men. It might have been a comet or a meteor, but the message the Three Wise men got was “This is something you should be doing right now.” There is no star in the east at the moment, but many signs are indicating this is an excellent time to book a cruise. What are your plans for your next …
Cruises were probably the first all-inclusive vacation experience. Except for tipping, if you didn’t drink alcohol, your stateroom account might be zero when the ship returns to port. More and more aspects of the ship are operated as profit centers today, but there are still plenty of freebees. Because there is so much going on simultaneously, it’s easy for these benefits to get lost in the shuffle. How many of these have you taken advantage of recently? …
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)
All Things Cruise is dedicated to the joy of travel. Specializing in ocean, river, ultra-luxury, small ship and expedition cruises.
We would love to have you subscribe for travel updates, news and great offers directly from the cruise lines!
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
