Recorded on the Icon of the Seas group cruise, Matt reviews how Icon of the Seas holds up months after her debut Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6 You can subscribe to the Royal …

Mackinac Island has long been a Looper favorite stop. Get all the details of what you'll find on this unique, historic, and quaint island when stopping there as part of your Great Loop adventure. Tad & Libbie Sheldon talk about the Island and the waterways surrounding it on this episode. America's Great Loop is the boating adventure of a lifetime! …

A review of Carnival Pride from Norfolk to the Bahamas and Grand Turk.

Cruise Dude Scott has a special interview for you today! He welcomes Cruise Director Joey of the Carnival Firenze on to our show. They take a deep dive into all the exciting things you find on this newly refreshed ship now sailing from Long Beach, California. Also, don’t miss the YouTube version of this interview as well. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Sc…

As all the passengers you will hear about discovered, being denied boarding for a cruise, not only turned their dream vacation into complete disarray, but lost them a fortune as cruise lines do not refund guests who they deny boarding to, arguing it's up to us as passengers to pay close attention to any rules and requirements, whether it's the crui…

Some of the finest cruising on the Great Loop is found on Georgian Bay! Join us as Dale Anderson shares the details of cruising these waters that he calls home. Our disussion includes likely stops for Loopers, favorite anchorages, things to see and do, and calming the anxiety of navigating the 30,000 Islands. The Great Loop is the boating adventure…

Ross joins us to discuss his seven-night Western Caribbean cruise from the Port of Miami. This cruise went to Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Honduras; and Mexico. This was his first time sailing on a Carnival Cruise Line after sailing Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises. Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTu…

Join us as Chris & Beth share the story of their Great Loop adventure aboard their 31' Camano. Our conversation includes details about their boat, their planning, and what they gained from taking on this challenge. Want to learn more about the Great Loop? How about building camaraderie with others who have done the whole route so you can find out w…

It's time to answer listener emails on this week's episode! Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6 You can subscribe to the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast via iTunes, Google Play, Stitc…

Here's a nine-night review of Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. This ship belongs to the Freedom class of Royal Caribbean and was launched in 2007. The cruise went to the Eastern Caribbean and Bermuda, departing from Cape Liberty in New Jersey. Kurt provides a comprehensive review covering the entire ship from bow to stern. Staff Writer Richar…

With ships sailing full, and all the major cruise lines saying that on average they're sailing at 104% capacity, the techniques that I used to use and spoke about in the past, even as recently as this video from two years ago, to get cruise cabin upgrades no longer work. But after some rethinking, I’ve successfully cracked how to still get upgrades…

This is a review of a Bermuda cruise onboard Norwegian Joy. Norwegian Joy was recently overhauled to remove spaces while making room for new venues. Tommy Casabona from the Always Be Booked Podcast talks about his experience onboard, what he thought of the entertainment offerings onboard, and what it's like sailing out of New York City when living …

Ever wondered if you should get a vessel safety check on your boat before starting the Great Loop? Rob Rice joins us on this episode to talk about vessel safety exams. We'll cover what they are, why you should get one, and how to schedule it. Resources mentioned in the episode: List of required safety equipment can be found in this document: https:…

Matt is back from a 5-night Bermuda cruise on Liberty of the Seas from Cape Liberty, NJ and shares what he did and how his cruise experience was. Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL…

A review of Margaritaville at Sea Islander. This is the new cruise ship from the late Jimmy Buffett's successful Margaritaville brand. Doug Parker and staff writer Richard Simms discuss the week's top news stories, including a woman who got an expensive bill from the infirmary after she got seasick, a cruise ship getting seized in Italy for being t…

I was driven to make this after I saw a series of issues blow up on cruise ships after people did not come clean with their cruise line, sometimes intentionally but more often because they hadn’t realised they needed to. The consequences of some were so severe that I’ve seen cruisers banned for life, refused embarkation, or being kicked off their s…

Do you know Chad Pregracke? If not, you should! For 25 years he's been helping remove trash from America's inland rivers. Chad founded Living Lands and Waters in 1998 at the age of 25 when he realized nothing was being done to clean up the waterways. He is the winner of many awards and accolades, most notably, Chad was the recipient of the Jefferso…

This week's show Doug and Richard Simms have cruise news on the woman who got banned from Carnival Cruise Line for refilling water bottles, an Alaska cruise port trying to limit passengers even more, Carnival pulling back the $25 slot play credit on the VIFP program, Disney Cruise Line's new private island Lookout Cay, and initial thoughts of Marga…

I recently embarked on Holland America Eurodam to host one of my group cruises with some trepidation, because I'd had past fans of Holland America telling me they were falling out of love with the line, based on three recent changes. So, I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to put these to the test, as I could tap into the thoughts of every…

From fire extinguishers to life rafts to personal locator beacons, distress and safety equipment is important for your Great Loop cruise. After presenting an enlightening seminar at our Spring Rendezvous, Jeremy McConnell of Northwest Creek Marina is our guest this week to talk about this important topic. Northwest Creek Marina is an AGLCA sponsor,…

The latest cruise industry news includes Carnival Cruise Line absorbing P&O Cruises Australia, the Villa Vie Odyssey world cruise facing a third delay this week, an Alaska cruise port is set to limit cruise passengers in 2026, refunding a Carnival cruise, and the story of a teen who left his parents on a Caribbean island because they wouldn't stop …

On this new episode, Scott has recently returned from his cruise on Southern California's newest ship, Carnival Firenze! Carrying on the ship's original theming from sailing under the Costa brand, this refreshed ship embodies Carnival's motto "Fun Italian Style"! From the staterooms, restaurants, bars, public areas, dining rooms, specialty restaura…

Experiences on my two last cruises reminded me that just because my cruise ship is calling into a port does not mean that I can assume it's safe for me to get off and explore. In fact, even in the two most popular cruising regions, the Caribbean and Mediterranean, many of the most visited ports are amongst the riskiest. Welcome aboard, I'm Gary Bem…

Matt shares how his 4-night Freedom of the Seas cruise went, and what he did differently on this sailing. Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6 You can subscribe to the Royal Caribbe…

In this Cruise Radio episode, Doug Parker talked with Kevin about his five-night Royal Caribbean cruise on Mariner of the Seas. Kevin detailed the embarkation, his stateroom, and dining experiences, including the Windjammer marketplace and free options like Sorrento pizza. They enjoyed Cozumel and CocoCay, although a balloon excursion on Perfect Da…

The Indian Pacific is one of the famous and costliest train journeys in the world travelling 2,700 miles (4,352 kilometres) between Sydney and Perth Australia. So, I had very high expectations, but before we even got on board, I started to have concerns as things were going wrong which would have been fine if it was just me and my partner travellin…

I got a chance to preview the new Royal Railway Utopia Station restaurant coming to Utopia of the Seas and wanted to share with you my early thoughts! Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6…

Diane & Tim Vandersall earned their Gold Burgee and then decided to give back to the boating community and the waters they frequented while on the Loop. They've spent two months volunteering in some of Florida's beautiful state parks. While the work is sometimes strenuous, they've found it rewarding, and they earned free dockage during the period o…

In this episode of Cruise Radio, Doug Parker and Richard Simms shared their experiences and insights on Carnival Firenze. They started with embarkation stories on the Carnival Firenze and discussed the ship's design and amenities. They also covered dining options, detailing the variety of food available on board, from the Italian restaurant and tep…

One of the more frequently asked questions I see on cruise message boards is: “what can I ask my cabin steward to bring or do for me?”. As I keep seeing the same limited list of suggestions, I decided to make this as, based on my experience, I can see cruisers are missing out on many more things cabin stewards can do and bring. Become a Tips For Tr…

Weather forecasts may be the most important piece of information you can gather before heading out for a day on the water. This week, Kennard "Chip" Kasper, Meteorologist-in-Charge at NOAA/Florida Keys National Weather Service, joins us to talk about NOAA's mission and the important work they do in marine weather forecasting. With hurricane season …

Calista is back from her first sailing on Icon of the Seas and gives her review of this brand new ship. Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6 You can subscribe to the Royal Caribbean…

In this episode of Cruise Radio, host Doug Parker welcomed guest Craig, who recounted his seven-night journey on Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess. He detailed his onboard experiences, including exceptional dining at a seafood restaurant, entertainment from shows to comedy acts, and the lively music scene across the ship's bars. He shared his ca…

Oceania Cruises is one of my all-time favourite cruise lines, and so I was incredibly excited to try their new class of ships. Until I did. I went on Vista, the first of this new class, and despite many great things, that I will tell you about, there is (for me anyway, and some others I spoke to) one deal breaker that means I will be sticking to th…

Kurt and his wife did a back-to-back cruise on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas in the Mediterranean last fall.

We are so honored and privilged to welcome back American Idol Finalist, Lou Gazzara to the show! Lou shares with us some of the new projects he is working on along with his cruise show concerts on Princess Cruises and other cruise brands as well. When he is not sailing on the seven seas, Lou is also performing in Las Vegas, which is hometown as wel…

Emma joins me on this week's episode to talk about how to approach planning your very first European cruise Check out Emma's YouTube channel for more helpful advice! Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voi…

A review of an eight night Key West and Bahamas cruise on Carnival Glory from New Orleans.

I’ve just returned from back-to-back Caribbean cruises on two very different ships, the massive 6,000 passenger Symphony of the Seas and the smaller 1,200 passenger Oceania Vista. And on both, despite their dramatic differences, I was amazed how many people were still getting the same five things wrong that I’ve seen on every Caribbean cruise I’ve …

Scott and his wife Pam recently cruised from Galveston, Texas for the first time sailing on the Carnival Breeze. Their seven day Western Caribbean cruise was filled with food, fun, and frivolity. Adventures included exploring Mayan pyramids and water filled caves. Hear all about their amazing vacation on land and sea! Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott…

Kip & Insel have completed the Great Loop three times! They share the stories of their Great Loop adventures aboard two different boats including how they've grown as boaters via the many miles they've cruised, tips on how they deal with having a 60 pound dog aboard, advice for those new to Looping, and more. America's Great Loop is the boating adv…

Royal Caribbean has plans for two Royal Beach Clubs (Nassau and Cozumel). What are they and what can you expect? Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via... Twitter: @therclblog Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog YouTube: royalcaribbeanblog Email: matt@royalcaribbeanblog.com Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6 You can subscribe to the Royal …

Daniel reviews MSC Cruises's ship Meraviglia, which is homeported in Brooklyn, New York City, and sails Caribbean and Bahamas cruises. This is MSC Cruises' first ship that sails year-round from New York City.

Anyone close to cruising knows that cruise lines are incredibly involved with trains and train travel. Some even own and operate them, including some of the most famous and iconic ones, as you will hear. That’s why they really want us to do three things: book train travel before cruises, during cruises as excursions, and after the cruise. Become a …

***This episode references the needed DTOPS sticker but we left out one detail. Only boats 30 feet and over must have a DTOPS sticker. The AGLCA Home Port Crew walks you through what U.S. citizens must do to legally enter Canada as part of their Great Loop. We cover what to do before you go, the things you can and cannot bring with you, the procedu…

A review of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas in a Sky Suite.

I told my friends not to book the cruise as it was one that I keep warning cruisers to stay well clear of as they almost always disappoint. But they insisted and sadly, three days before they were due to depart, what I feared would happen did. It was cancelled. I’m Gary Bembridge and I’m here to warn you about this and 5 cruises I suggest you NEVER…

It was a cruise like no other! On this new episode, Tommy shares about his family’s experiences on the Discovery Princess to the Mexican Riviera for the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. This cruise was sold out for two years and Princess Cruises made this cosmic event very special in many different and exciting ways for their guests. And watching…

Join us as America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association's Home Port Crew updates you on our Advocacy efforts including what we do on behalf of members and the boating community as a whole, what we're working on including a long-term issue in Florida, and how you can help. America's Great Loop is the boating adventure of a lifetime! Loopers cruise the…