Imagine you walk into a port ready to cruise and you're greeted by name.  The check-in process you're used to has transformed into a seamless stroll onto the ship.  Once onboard every crew member knows your preferences, you never have to unlock your door or turn on a light, and the idea of handing over a card for a purchase seems pedestrian and laborious.  At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Carnival Corporation announced their new Ocean Medallions, which promise just this on your next cruise experience Read more about Carnival's Ocean Medallions - Tech, service, and likely some skeptical passengers.

This week's video is a bit different, as not much news came about in the world of cruising during this holiday week.  We discuss changes at Paradise Cruise Lines and my predictions for 2017.  

Be sure to follow us on Periscope so you can catch us live for these and other interactive broadcast.  We'll be live tomorrow from Port Everglades this weekend, talking ship and watching sail-aways!

Read more about Weekly Video Cruise News Update - January 2nd 2017

To cruise-lovers, there are few things as exciting as knowing a cruise is just a few days away.  Everything in the world just feels a little bit better.  What if you cancel that cruise right before though?  Sounds terrible.  I did, but this time, I'm actually pretty happy about it...

  Read more about I cancelled a cruise a week before I was supposed to leave, and I'm pretty okay with it.

In this, the third in our weekly video series keeping you up to date on the world of cruise news, we cover new builds from MSC, Virgin Voyages, and Carnival.  We also talk specifics on Cuba sailings for Norwegian, Regent, and Carnival.  We also announced that we'll be back on Independence of the Seas on January 5th, 2017.  

Be sure to follow us on Periscope so you can catch us live for these and other interactive broadcast.  We'll be live tomorrow from Port Everglades this weekend, talking ship and watching sail-aways!

Read more about Weekly Video Cruise News Update - December 26th 2016

While I was on the Celebrity Reflection, Event Coordinator Zsofia Bak invited me to meet with her and Hotel Director Niyazi Korkmaz to talk about leadership, life on a cruise ship, and Celebrity Cruise line in general. We met in Cellar Masters at 6pm on the last night of the cruise. The following is a summary of the conversation and not a transcript. It should be taken as an indication of the topics discussed in the interview. Read more about A Chat With Celebrity Reflection Hotel Director Niyazi Korkmaz and Event Coordinator Zsofia Bak

One of the most common questions I find myself passionately answering both in person and on online communities (I’m looking at you Reddit), is about how to actually book a cruise.  Should you use a travel agent or book directly with a cruise line?  I’ll tell you right out the gate that whether you’re looking into your first cruise or well on your way to the highest levels of a cruise line’s loyalty program, I highly recommend using a good travel agent, but let’s talk about why by addressing some common questions and misconceptions... Read more about Should I use a travel agent or book directly with a cruise line?