Heather and I had a debate yesterday about what the guys who carry your luggage onto the cruise ship are called? She insisted they were called porters and I said stevedores though I have called them porters in the past as well. What do you guys think? What's the right name for these hardworking men (and a handfull of women) that take our bags when we drop them off at a cruise port before checking in?
Read more: What Do You Call The Guys That Take Your Luggage Onto The Ship?
Aside from the Golden Gate Bridge, there is nothing more iconic than the historic San Francisco cable cars. This cable car system dates back to 1869 when the inventer Andew Smith Hallidie came up with the idea as a replacement for the then standard horse-drawn streetcars that were being used in the city. Over the next 150 years this system became both an urban nessecity to move people throughout the city and later one of the most popular tourist attractions in California.
Read more: The San Francisco Cable Car Museum Is A Great Shore Excursion Idea
If you just got back from your cruise vacation and are feeling unsteady on your feet, you may be wondering what's going on. Aren't so-called "sea legs" a good thing that helps you adapt to motion caused by unstable water? Well, after spending several days - or even weeks - traveling on the ocean, your body has adapted and now it needs to adapt to life back on land again. This is the quick answer to why people feel like they are still swaying ... even after the cruise is over.
Read more: Motion Sickness, Sea Legs And How to Stop Swaying After Getting Back From Your Cruise
While many people think of Napa and Sonoma as the top wine regions along the Pacific Coast, Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe or Calafia Valley is ready to challenge that preconception. Located just north of Ensenada offers a fun and unique perspective on the rapidly maturing Mexican wine industry. While Baja wine doesn't quite have the same ring to it as other regions of the world such as Bordeaux or Napa the truth is that this area is rapidly maturing and now produces some excellent vintages. This makes doing a wine tour as part of your Ensenada cruise a fantastic opportunity to escape from the downtown area and explore a bit of baja's rolling hills and sun-drenched vineyards.
Read more: Ensenada Wine Tours - Cruise Excursion Or Private Tour Guide?
One of the most frustrating times in anyone's life is that awkward time between 18 and 25. It's a mixture of confusing and often conflicting messages about your status as an adult member of society. For instance, you can vote and serve in the military at 18 but can't buy a pack of cigarettes till 21 or rent a car till 25. Well ... unfortunately, the same situation applies to booking a cruise. Most cruise lines will not allow guests under 21 to book a cruise or even board the ship unless they are accompanied by a chaperone, guardian, or parent who declares they are responsible for the "Young Adult" guest.
Read more: Cruise Line Minimum Age Policies: What Young Adults Need To Know
Even though cruise ship internet connections have improved dramatically over the past decade, you wifi connection at sea will almost certainly be disapointing. The reality is that you are sharing your connection with 3,000+ others who also want to share their photos, video chat, stream movies, and increasingly use the internet to do basic onboard experiences like ordering a drink or reviewing a menu at dinner. All of this internet activity needs to go through a connection that is incredibly limited both in terms of basic bandwidth under ideal connditions as well as localized servers and other equipment on the ship as well as land-based connection. Thankfully though, there are some ways that you can make the best of the situation by following these tips.
Read more: How To Get The Best Experience When Using Internet On A Cruise Ship
If there is one thing that the Virgin brand is known for, it is being innovative in a fun and approachable way. The brand has always been cutting edge and progressive as a tastemaker that does things "because they are the right things to do". That is one of the reasons why we were so excited to sail with them last fall on Scarlet Lady. While they aren't yet sailing on the west coast, we hope it is just a matter of time. Until then though, I think it is important to showcase what they are doing in not just talking the talk about sustainability but actually walking the walk. Beyond me just sharing my own observations though, I wanted to take the opportunity to learn more from Jill Stoneberg - Virgin Voyages Senior Director of Sustainability and Social Impact about why this topic is so important to the cruise line.
Read more: At Virgin Voyages Creating An Epic Sea Change For All Is More Than A Motto
April 18, 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of Holland America Line - making it one of the longest-operating travel companies in the world and certainly the longest operating major cruise line. To commemorate the milestone, the cruise line is planning special events and activities, including two commemorative transatlantic crossings. While the celebration is mostly centered around their origins as a steamship company with transatlantic voyages, we think it's pretty cool that a company with this much heritage is sailing our Pacific waters as strong as ever.
Read more: Holland American Line Announces Additional 150th Anniversary Celebration Details
Alaska stands alone among US states as a picturesque gateway to arctic glaciers, diverse wildlife and stunning national parks. Its heady mix of serene natural beauty and exciting adventure opportunities make it a bucket-list choice for many cruise-goers worldwide.
Read more: Dressing Tips to Stay Warm and Comfortable on an Alaska Cruise
Catalina Island is one of the not so hidden secrets sitting just off the coast of Southern California. It also happens to be one of the most common ports that folks taking 4-day cruises from Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles will stop at, along with Ensenada, Mexico. While many people who have done this route a few times prefer to simply enjoy another day on the ship and avoid the ctrounds ... you're missing some great stuff if you do. On a recent cruise with Carnival, we were invited to take this tour and see what the island looks like ... outside of Avalon where the tenders drop you off.
Read more: Catalina Island Back Country "Buffalo" Eco Tour Shore Excursion
Have you ever looked around during a cruise and thought, "Wow it would be fun to live on a cruise ship and sail from one exotic location to another while constantly engaging with new and interesting people?" Well first off ... it isn't as glamourous as you might think at first. However, for many people - both in the United States and from various places around the world, a cruise ship job can be a highly rewarding experience. For many crew it can even be a career that spans numerous contracts, ships, and even different cruise lines over decades. Let's take a look at what it takes to get a job like this and if you have what it takes to get a job on a cruise ship!
Let’s just start this discussion by saying we had a fantastic experience sailing on Viking Orion from Vancouver to Los Angeles. However, after being home for a few days and looking back I realized that many of the things I usually enjoy doing and sharing on a cruise were absent from this voyage. This was a very different experience and while many things felt similar to the time we spent on Viking Mani river cruise a few years ago, there were as many things that were completely different too.
Read more: Sailing On A Viking Ocean Cruise Is Vastly Different Than Any Other Cruise I’ve Taken
The world of small ship, ultra-luxury cruises continues to heat up as new brands enter and force older brands to continue competing with innovative designs, destination offerings, and of course service. Silversea has been known as one of the most seamless offerings out there with their door-to-door fares that can bundle everything from private executive transfers to the cruise, including all of your food and beverage, shore excursions, and butler service. With the launch of Silver Nova scheduled for delivery in 2023 they are taking the design to the next level by adding all-new outdoor spaces that include an outward-facing pool deck featuring an asymetrical design.
This is clearly a BIG LEAP and will not see widespread adoption of "Molten Sodium Reactors" on cruise ships for decades but it is a potentially viable energy source that will allow the cruise - as well as global shipping industry in general - to finally step away from fossil fuels. Instead, we can have safe and reliable electric power generated on board or through the use of replenishment ships like what ULSTEIN is proposing with their latest concept ship.
We have loads of content coming soon from our Pacific Coastal voyage on Viking Orion - one of the Viking Ocean Cruises small ship vessels but this topic is at the top of my mind because it was a missed opportunity that could have resulted in cruise guests getting a bucket-list opportunity instead of the inevitable disapointment caused by a missed port due to rough seas and the complications due to tendering. To be clear, I'm writing this from our perspective on this trip but this is the second time in the past few months that we've been forced to miss Santa Barbara, though just one of many over the years in various parts of the world that has been dropped due to issues related with tendering in general.
Read more: Channel Islands Scenic Cruising Is A Great Alternative To Another Sea Day
Any time that a cruise ship has it's engines on the vessel is emitting enormous amounts of waste into the air. When in motion the emissions are far greater, but even idling for long periods of time generates waste. This is similar to how the engine on your car works, except that cruise ship engines are far far bigger and most cruise ships use a fuel that is far worse for the environment than what you put into your car. Luckily, there's a solution that is becoming more popular among both cruise terminals like San Diego and Seattle as well as destinations like Juneau. Shore power acts like a giant plug that connects to the ship and allows the captain to turn the ship's engines off while in port.
Read more: What Is Shore Power And Why Is It Essential To Reducing Cruise Ship Emissions
Alaska season is heating up and in fact ... it's already underway with the first ships starting to arive in Vancouver and Seattle! After a crazy past two years it is no surprise that everyone in the industry is focused on delivering maximum capacity to the region and that's ultiamtely going to be great for consumers. With more options across the entire spectrum of pricing, destinations, and guest experiences, this summer will be a banner year for cruising to Alaska. As part of this, Carnival has now anounced reduced rates and additional savings on Alaska cruises on Carnival Miracle, Carnival Spirit, and Carnival Splendor.
Read more: Carnival Set For Largest Alaska Deployment In Their History With Three Ships Headed North
While drinking fine wines and visiting wineries to do tastings is a goal for many oenophiles, there's a whole other world out there once you begin actually creating your own wines. While many cruise ships offer art lessons and some even feature cooking classes, a very small number allow you to move from "wine drinker" to "wine maker" ... or blender anyhow. In fact, if you were to visit some of the more presitgeous California wine regions such as Napa, Sonoma, or Paso Robles you would expect to pay hundreds of dollars per person for a similar experience. This might just be one of the few experiences that is actually less expensive on a cruise ship!
Read more: We Made Our Own Bordeaux Wine Blend On Holland America Line Koningsdam