The Cruise Blog

Direct Line Cruises is offering a one-day Cyber Monday online sale on December 1, 2025, featuring substantial bonus onboard credits, reduced fares, and combinable perks for all new bookings made at DirectLineCruises.com. This exclusive offer stacks with existing website promotions, giving travelers exceptional value across a wide range of cruise li

Direct Line Cruises is offering a special Black Friday Weekend Cruise Sale from November 28–30, 2025, featuring substantial bonus onboard credits, reduced fares, and combinable perks. Travelers can book online or by phone to maximize savings across a wide range of cruise lines and itineraries.

Direct Line Cruises’ Thanksgiving Turkey Day Online Sale on November 27, 2025 offers substantial bonus onboard credits, reduced fares, and valuable added amenities on all new online bookings. This one-day event features fully combinable perks, giving travelers exceptional savings across a wide variety of cruise lines and itineraries.

Celebrate Veterans Day with Direct Line Cruises’ exclusive one-day sale on November 11, 2025! Book any new cruise that day to receive bonus onboard credits up to $100 per stateroom, reduced fares, and offers combinable with other top cruise line promotions.

MSC Cruises is offering a free upgrade from oceanview to balcony staterooms on select sailings departing January through June 2026, available for new bookings made between November 4–12, 2025. Guests can enjoy more space, private outdoor views, and elevated comfort at no additional cost when booking with Direct Line Cruises.

Direct Line Cruises is celebrating Halloween 2025 with a one-day Spooktacular Cruise Sale on October 31st, offering up to $100 in bonus onboard credits per stateroom plus reduced fares. This limited-time offer is fully combinable with other promotions, making it the perfect day to book your next cruise getaway.

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that beginning March 1, 2026, its onboard beverage packages will no longer be valid on Great Stirrup Cay, the line’s private island. Guests will need to purchase drinks individually or opt for a new island-specific beverage package, part of NCL’s plan to revamp and enhance the Great Stirrup Cay experience.

Celebrate Columbus Day with Direct Line Cruises’ 1-day sale on October 13th, 2025.

Celebrity Cruises, famed for its sleek ocean-going vessels and upscale hospitality, is making a splash into river cruising.

Read my personal cruise review of the MSC World America.

It has been about 2 ½ years since my last cruise. The withdrawal is killing me! I can’t take it much longer….

Asia has long been on my travel bucket list. But how do you begin to plan an itinerary that encompasses such a huge area?

The Galapagos Islands is on my cruise bucket-list destination for good reason: This archipelago 620 miles off Ecuador’s coast

There has been plenty of time for my husband and I to fine tune our travel wish-list, and with cruising being our preferred t

For suite guests aboard a Celebrity Cruise Line ship, the Retreat offers a vacation experience that rivals any high-end resor

It has been well over a year since I boarded a cruise ship to sail away on vacation! Gosh I miss it!

I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of mourning the vacations I had planned but never happened in 2020.

The Norwegian Spirit has undergone a $100 million renovation as part of The Norwegian Edge program, designed to update and el

Reef-safe sunscreen…I keep hearing about these products but I admit, until I started to get ready for my upcoming Caribbean v

I had begun to plan a cruise with a friend of mine and we were discussing the cruise lines that offered a particular

You scream, I scream…we all scream for ice cream! Especially when it’s the handmade, unique flavors of Humphrey

Would you pay to extend your stay aboard a Celebrity ship for half a day? Well, it’s now an option on cruises

Looking to book on the newest ship cruising the deep blue sea? Here are your choices for 2020 and some of what makes them spe

I post this because I am a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. I am known to cry at movies, at songs,

Azamara has announce an expanded partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, the world's leading conservation organization

I love shopping for and opening up stocking stuffers! And when they're something useful, all the better!

MSC Cruises announced that they will roll out an accessible shore excursions program with tours available in 20 destinations

Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans to debut a new hands-on culinary experience called Carnival Kitchen on the...

Maybe I’m just a Nervous Nellie, but the thought of flying to my cruise embarkation port on the day of the cruise causes..

You can’t flip your calendar over to November without thinking about the family gatherings ahead. Grandparents, parents...

It doesn’t seem like it was all that long ago that the entire cruise industry was abuzz with excitement over Royal...

Heads up... beginning October 1, 2020, (that’s one short year from now), you will need a Real ID

Royal Caribbean announced today it will be transferring Grandeur of the Seas out of its fleet in the spring of 2021...

As part of Oceania Cruises’ “OceaniaNEXT” initiative, the cruise line will replace the fleet's existing onboard Canyon...

Years ago my family took a road trip vacation to several national parks. We were changing hotels every few days so there...

I was a big fan of the Downton Abbey, the British period drama series that aired on PBS for six seasons. And when I recall..

Last Saturday we returned from our cruise aboard the Azamara Pursuit. It was a country intensive voyage that stayed in...

I am the vacation planner in our household. My husband has no real interest in where we go…he just happily tags along...

Cruising around Europe is my favorite type of cruising! I try to plan a cruise to the Mediterranean or to Northern Europe...

Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Royal Caribbean doesn’t think so. The cruise line announced it is...

Did I hear somebody ask, “Who is John Heald?” If you are a loyal cruiser with Carnival Cruise Line then I’m sure you know...

Next spring the Carnival Triumph will be dry docked in Cadiz, Spain for what is said to be the priciest cruise ship makeover.

People often ask the Direct Line Cruises' consultants what time they should get to the port on embarkation day...

The thought of a river cruise has intrigued me since the days when I would watch “Downton Abby” on PBS and Viking...

Are you part of the “escape room” obsession? You know, that pastime in which you pay to get locked in a windowless room...

Carnival Cruise Line announced it will partner with Clean the World, a global health organization committed to improving...

If a trip to the Galapagos Islands is on your bucket list it may be time for you to check out the Celebrity Flora. Celebrity

Land or sea? This is a question I ask myself every year as I plan our following year’s vacation. There are advantages to...

Bermuda…pink sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, pastel colored houses…as if that isn’t enough of an excuse to...

My husband and I are “Baby Boomers,” parents to a young man considered a “Millennial.” A well-known research center....

I just returned from a 4-night cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun that included an overnight stay in Havana, Cuba. Some people..

I’ll be cruising to the Bahamas and Florida next week and one of the ports of call is Key West. I’m looking forward to...

The last time my Eastern Caribbean cruise visited the French / Dutch island of St. Maarten / St Martin I dragged my husband..

Cozumel, Mexico my favorite port of call on a Western Caribbean cruise! I’ve been there a dozen times and I still haven’t...

A day in the Bahamas seems to be synonymous with Atlantis or the straw market. Looking for something different that will...

My family has always enjoyed our time in the Caribbean, especially San Juan, Puerto Rico. We love strolling the old city...

When your Eastern Caribbean cruises stops at St. Thomas what are your plans? Many families head straight to the beach for...

Are you cruising to the Caribbean and looking for something to do with the kids when your ship docks in Grand Cayman?

Every Caribbean island has that one place that you just have to check out while you’re there. That spot that even the...

Barcelona is my favorite city in the world! The food, the architecture, the art, the people… all keep me heading back...

Years ago, when the Travel Channel’s programming was all about traveling, I became a Samantha Brown fan. I booked hotels...

A theme cruise can be a bit tacky (I shudder at the thought of an Elvis cruise filled with a ship of hip-gyrating...

I have a Mediterranean cruise booked for the fall that will once again leave from Piraeus, the port city located within the..

Venice is such a magical city I don’t think I will ever tire of visiting. Should it be included on any of my future...

Is your Mediterranean cruise stopping in Livorno again? You’ve already visited all the major sites in Florence, made side...

Every city has those iconic sights that every traveler makes it a point to see on their first visit. But what happens when..

Who doesn’t love a new ship? Here’s the 2019 line-up that we’re all looking forward to!

What onboard amenities would you be willing to pay for that would take your cruise vacation experience from good to great?

Today I wanted to finalize my travel plans for the upcoming year but with so many options I was feeling a bit overwhelmed!

I recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise aboard the Azamara Pursuit and it was absolutely wonderful!

Small ship cruising is new to me. I always felt the larger the ship, the more bells and whistles, the better the cruise...

As a child and well into my adult life I was a picky eater…a VERY picky eater! I wouldn’t let a green vegetable touch...

Due to popular demand Holland announced that they are adding 20 new immersive culinary-themed FOOD & WINE EXC Tours...

Norwegian Cruise Line’s "Meet the Winemaker" cruise is a special program on select sail dates in which guests may participate

In order to bring their level of luxury up to the standards of the line's soon to sail Celebrity Edge, the cruise line will..

For years I traveled to Europe in the heat of the summer. I was always insistent that our cruise vacations coincide with...

The Celebrity Edge, innovative and pioneering in so many ways, can also boast having the most technologically advanced...

Viking River Cruises has made a policy adjustment regarding the minimum passenger age, changing it from 12 years old to 18...

Royal Caribbean has a track record of using innovative technology to enhance the cruising experience (Bionic Bar, virtual...

When my son was little I traveled with so many medicines and first aid items, you would have thought I was trekking to the...

Would you love to cruise to Alaska but were put off thinking it’s way too expensive? That’s not necessarily true! This once..

I am told Africa is one of the most beautiful continents in the world. One day I will see for myself. It’s on my bucket...

Our “Hate to Fly” tagline, obvious in all print advertisement from Direct Line Cruises, is based on the fact that if you do..

Although Halloween is months away, Disney Cruise Line is already planning for it’s not so scary Halloween celebrations...

The cruise lines depend on the oceans so it is only right that they oblige to environmental practices which help preserve...

Royal Caribbean is amping up your favorite ship! Called Royal Amplified, these renovations are total transformations!..

One of the most relaxing areas onboard a cruise ship is the thermal suite, yet many people are unaware of its existence or...

I hope my explanation last week of a cruise ship’s spa area called the thermal suite was informative. As people begin to...

If you’re ready to experience the rich history and vibrant culture of Cuba, chances are your favorite cruise line has a...

It was a great weekend for the staff of Direct Line Cruises because it was spent on the beautiful Norwegian Bliss.

I never thought I would say that the availability of a well-equipped fitness center has become a top criterion in selecting..

I’m never shocked when I hear the statistic that the average U.S. employee only takes half of his or her eligible vacation...

How do you de-stress? For me it’s sipping a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Or, once a month I treat myself to a...

River or ocean cruise? It’s a tough question to answer because I can easily make quite a case for either! To have the best..

Country singer-songwriter and recording artist, Camille Rae will be performing on the Norwegian Bliss which is set to debut..

If you are under the impression that a cruise line shore excursion is nothing more than following a guide holding a little...

I love listening to a client chatter enthusiastically about their last Caribbean cruise! Would it surprise you if I told you.

You may not know his name, but Stephen Schwartz is the Oscar-, Grammy- and Tony Award-winning composer of “Wicked,”...

Celebrity Cruises revealed details of the dining program aboard the soon to sail Celebrity Edge and I have to say...