While cruising is about relaxing, fun, enrichment, and telling your office that you’ll be completely unreachable for a week, for the crew and the cruise line there is another important element: safety.  The last line of defense is the lifeboat, but it’s far more than a wooden dinghy out of a Hitchcock film.  Modern lifeboats have evolved for enhanced safety, reliability, and even visibility - let’s look at how.

Most cruises are about both the fantastic onboard experience as well as the ports of call you visit.  Whether sailing the warm Caribbean or historic Mediterranean, you’ll likely want some sort of plan for while you’re in port.  From guided tours to resort passes, or even helicopter rides to glaciers, you can book a number of tours through the cruise line - but should you book independently instead? Let’s look at the risks and benefits of each.

There are no shortage of ways to get to and from the cruise port, and we've written several articles to help you find the best option for you.  If you're staying in a hotel before your cruise however you may have seen hotels advertising shuttle service.  While this can be a great option, you need to watch out for a few tricks some hotels play that make those "complimentary" shuttles quite expensive.  Our video explains why, and even shows you an example of this pricing trick...

Have you ever thought about how much it costs to “park” a cruise ship?  When you book a cruise, you’re paying not just for the ship’s staff, your meals, whatever they use to keep the brass railings so shiny, etc – but also taxes and fees, many of which cover the cost of the space and services used while in the port at which you’re starting and ending your cruise.  Let’s look at who is being paid, what that money goes towards, and of course, how much it all costs.,,

Today in New York Celebrity Cruises revealed impressive new details about their upcoming flag ship, the Celebrity Edge.  Presented was a new venue, Eden.  Located at the aft of the ship and larger than the Hayden Planetarium, is a lounge, dinner theater, and more, featuring 7,000 sq ft of glass windows - more than any other room at sea, live plants and herbs, and truly inspired design...

An iconic step in the life of any new ship is the keel laying ceremony, when the first piece of steel is put in place.  Today in Saint-Nazaire, France the foundation was laid for the innovative new structure of the Celebrity Edge.  In front of leaders of Celebrity Cruises and STX France shipyard, an 875 ton block was lifted into the air and a coin was placed on the dock before lowering the metal section into position.  Now the vessel will begin to take shape as additional blocks can be joined to the newly-laid foundation...

We occasionally hear rumors of people enjoying destinations that they don't visit by cruise ship, and it turns out you can have fun on a land vacation, too.  If you're looking for amazing beaches, nightlife, and endless resort options then Cancún might be up your alley.  Let's take a quick look at what different parts of this destination have to offer and provide some tips along the way...

Yesterday we discussed information that was revealed around how changes to the United States' Cuba policies may affect travelers and today things are becoming a bit more clear.  Continue reading to find out how you'll be able to travel to Cuba, if you'll be able to bring back cigars, rum, and other items, and whether diplomatic relations will continue...

Update: Additional details have been released and you can read about them here.

Recently the US restored many relations with Cuba, allowing, among many other things, American cruise lines to sail to the island nation with American passengers.  Rumors have swirled recently however about possible changes to United States' Cuba policies with regard to travel, remittances, imports, and more.  While no official policy changes have been made, some information about the intended changes has come to light...

Whether traveling by land or sea, paying for things can be a bit different in different countries.  Years ago, you simply changed currency at the purser’s desk on your cruise ship, but this is rarely done anymore.  Technologies and customs can make the simple process of paying for a meal, cab ride, or souvenir a bit confusing, but we’ve got some tips to keep things simple and more importantly, save you some time or even money...