I’m writing this from the world’s largest cruise ship, the new Wonder of the Seas.  I’m also very much a “small ship” person (by today’s ship size standards, at least).  I like knowing I’m on the water, I enjoy everything being close by, and sailing with a small number of other guests.  Ships like Oceania Regatta, and new kid on the block Scarlet Lady are in my wheelhouse.  So,how have I felt stepping on this absolutely mammoth, nearly 7,000 passenger Oasis-class Wonder of the Seas?

On March 4th the largest ship in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, will set sail with guests for the first time from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  We’ll be onboard for this maiden voyage and are excited to share this experience with you...

Watch our live broadcast from just outside of Port Everglades. We started on another stream but there were some connection issues, so below, you can watch ships sailing out as we talk ship, and then finally watch the grand finale: the 239k GT, 6,988 passenger Wonder of the Seas arriving for the very first time..

When cruising out of Port Canaveral, it’s convenient, and often more relaxing, to get a hotel in Cocoa Beach the night before you sail.  We’ve stayed at multiple hotels near the port, but we keep going back to one of them, Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront.  Let’s look at what frequently makes this hotel the right choice for us, so you can see if it is right for your next trip...

This week the US Centers for Disease Control issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice (THN) for cruise ship travelers - an improvement over recent guidance.  Still, as has been the case for a long time, the CDC’s guidance lacks context in a way that may be problematic for those choosing NOT to cruise...

Since the resumption of cruising, there has been a lot of talk about the types of rules and restrictions that have been put in place.  The nuances of these can vary by ship and sailing, but there are three main components that are semi-consistent: masks, testing, and vaccines.  As we change how we live with COVID on land, there are expectations that the rules for cruising will loosen up soon.  Will they?  Well, maybe…

While many people associate cruises with formal dining and being forced to eat with strangers, this certainly isn't a requirement.  Who you dine with, and where, are really up to you.  Making requests to dine the way you want is easy...

The Beach Club at Bimini is a resort-style destination with soft and beautiful beaches, nice pools, and great food.  When Virgin Voyages is in port, it becomes a specialized and exclusive destination only for Virgin sailors, and takes on some qualities and very much make it feel like a continuation of the shipboard experience.  On this tour, we discuss the amenities, logistics, activities, and what we love and don't...

Usually ships go in for dry dock every few years, and while staterooms are often left largely unchanged during dry dock, this is when you're most likely to see stateroom updates.  After a lot of guest feedback however, the brand new Scarlet Lady, from Virgin Voyages, is already having some work done, resulting in some big changes in her cabins...

I’ll admit I didn’t think it was going to happen, given recent updates to rules controlling whether ships could dock here, but with very few COVID cases onboard, we were alongside our berth in Nassau right on time and ready to make the most of our final day.  The biggest challenge turned out to be figuring out how to do it all on our last full day on Celebrity Apex...