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
One of the greatest fears of any cruiser new or experienced is getting back to the ship after it has already begun to push back from the dock. This could quite litterally be the end of your cruise since depending on the conditions you may be forced to fly home or if you are lucky pay hundreds, or even thousands of dollars to have someone from the port take you out to the ship on a tender.
Oceania Cruises continues the sustainability leadership that the Norwegian Cruise Holdings group is known for by unveiling a new group of more than 150 shore excursions designed around the concept of conservation, and sustainability. The new Go Green tours are designed to encourage engagement between cruise guests and local people at ports that they visit around the world. From visiting vineyards and learning about the impact of climate change to exploring native artisans creating eco-concious art, this program is something I look forward to seeing more of as we transform cruise tourism from one of simple escapism and into one where we can learn, share, and bring ideas back to our own people to hopefully inspire further cultural, social, and technological imprvmenet at home.
The folks at Huna Totem Corporation continue to make waves developing new and exciting tourism opportunities in Alaska for cruisers. Today they annoucned a partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdigns to develop a new berthing facilities in Whittier, Alaska and offer additional options for cruisers looking to extend their Alaska cruise into a land and sea experience. The privately funded project does not yet have an opening date but we're excited to both see more projects lead by the folks behing Icy Straight Point as well as a further spreading out of Alaska cruise traffic so the environment doesn't become saturated with cruise ship traffic.
Read more: Norwegian Cruise Line And Huna Totem To Develop New Berthing Facilities In Whittier
If you are looking for a fantastic shoe for your next cruise then the Florsheim Lakeside should be on your list. We tested it out on a recent voyage with Princess Cruises to the Mexican Riviera and found it was the perfect shoe to navigate Mexican streets and slick surfaces around the pool, while still looking good enough to wear to dinner at night. It is also easy to slip on and off so that means you can take it off easily when returning to your room as well.
Read more: Florsheim Lakeside Is A Perfect Shoe For Cruise Vacations
Without a doubt, the Sea of Cortez / Gulf of California is one of the world's most incredibly pristine and environmentally sensitive regions. It was called the "Aquarium of the World" by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and has been a relatively hidden secret for most Americans, except folks from Southern California and Arizona. With the rapid growth of cruising around the world and especially out of west coast cruise ports like San Diego and Los Angeles though, more and more cruisers are wanting to explore beyond just the "Mexican Riviera" ports like Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Lucky for the cruise industry there is a fantastic port waiting to join that all-star list, La Paz - along with others, including Loreto, Topolobampo, and Guaymas. Unfortunately this is a challenge since there is no way to avoid having a negative environmental impact when you bring 10's of thousands of visitors into a pristine area on a weekly basis.
Read more: Yes, There Will Be An Environmental Impact Due To Increased Sea Of Cortez Cruises