Cruize Cast

Jason from PopularCruising.com tells us all about his recent experience on the Disney Wonder for the Inaugural Pixar Themed Cruise in California.  He also shares details from dining at the most expensive specialty restaurant at sea on the Disney Fantasy.  News features stories from the coming Norwegian Breakaway, updates to a newer Carnival ship and a coming upgrade to the Serenade of the Seas.

There was a lot of cruise news this week, so we take the time to cover it all with our own commentary thrown in.  Carnival discontinues a popular program, Royal Caribbean invites you to sail with Barbie and protests in North Africa disrupt cruise itineraries.  We also chat about planning a cruise based entirely on the desires of your kids.

This week we review a wide variety of cruise books including the Berlitz, Fodors, Frommers and Rick Steves guides, as well as crew autobiographies and cruise-centric magazines.  Our cruise news features stories from Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  We also discuss the all-inclusive alcohol package on Carnival further.

This week we discuss a cruise port which many people may not consider, but actually provides a great vacation/cruise option and is centrally located for many Americans.  Our news includes Norwegian's new specialty dining package, Carnival's test of an all-inclusive drink package and Hurricane Issac.

This week we answer questions from listeners about kids in the main dining room, drunks on Carnival, and European cruise itineraries.  Our cruise news features stories about several themed cruises, plus some new policies regarding children on Norwegian and MSC.

Matt from the unofficial Royal Caribbean blog at royalcaribbeanblog.com joins us to give an overview of the cruise line, plus information from a recent earnings call about future potential ships and deployments. Our news features a new program from Carnival which allows for early embarkation, as well as the launch of the Queen of the Mississippi and the effects of Hurricane Ernesto.

This week we discuss which ships are the best to cruise if you don't want to spend beyond the base fare.  Which ships feature the best included dining, entertainment and amenities? Our cruise news this week features Carnival's solution to "chair hogs", a new CEO for Celebrity and an interesting look at what might happen if you choose to wear only a bathrobe on a cruise ship.

This week, Mikey Faust of MikeysCruiseBlog tells us all about his first Mediterranean cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas.  He highlights the cities of Barcelona and Rome and compares and contrasts Europe to a Caribbean cruise.  Cruise news features stories of a shore excursion accident and a new law which might affect future cruise pricing.

This week we delve into all the different options for drink packages on cruise ships including soda, wine, and alcoholic options.  We also talk about the rules various lines have about what you can/cannot bring on the ships.  Value, costs, options and availability are all detailed.  Cruise news includes the resignation of Celebrity CEO, Dan Hanrahan, and an improvement to the port gateway to Athens.

We examine Mediterranean cruise ports and for each one, talk about the main attraction or preconceived notions concerning the port. We then talk about what we think is the best thing in/about each port.  Our cruise news features the newest announcement about the Norwegian Breakaway, as well as the fate of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the lawsuit about the upcoming Charleston cruise terminal.