Tragically, recently a passenger on a Star Clipper’s ship was murdered (knifed to death) during the ship’s call on Antigua. As a reaction Star Clipper has cancelled future stops in Antigua, and possibly justifiably so
However as I followed the reporting of this incident I’ve read several accounts where the upset passengers were blaming the cruise [...]

Over the years there’s been hundreds, if not thousands, of articles and lists written talking about what everyone should know before they cruise. But never before has one so complete and so thorough been presented to the public at no charge to them (well, maybe a few hundred of them have been more complete). In [...]

 
You’ve received a quote on your cruise that you can live with, and fit into your budget, and you’re ready to book. But let’s stop for a minute and think about what your final dollar outlay might look like by the end of your cruise.
The first added cost you may run into has to do [...]

You’ve received a quote on your cruise that you can live with, and fit into your budget, and you’re ready to book. But let’s stop for a minute and think about what your final dollar outlay might look like by the end of your cruise.
The first added cost you may run into has to do [...]

One very prominent, and indeed important part of the Internet has become user reviews. In fact there are web sites valued at hundreds of millions of dollars where 100 % of the content on the sites is provided by users. This applies to just about everything; there’s user review sites not just for cruises, but [...]

Over my years writing for CruiseMates I’ve always recommended people do research, more research, and more research before they cruise, or as importantly, before they even book a cruise. Myself and all those writing for CruiseMates, as well as most Travel Writers from other cruise media outlets, and fellow cruisers posting on blogs and message [...]

With the end of year tomorrow, the title phrase of this blog will pass the lips of millions of people; A rather natural expression of sentiment, as looking to the future supplies us the hope for the future, that everything will get better.
In regard to the cruise industry, that also somewhat holds true. The biggest attraction [...]

In this, my last blog before Christmas, I want to wish everyone the very best for the holidays.
My Blog last week talked about trends in the cruise industry for the next decade, and I think there’s plenty for cruise enthusiasts to be excited about in the coming year, let alone later down the road.
Though I [...]

It wasn’t long ago… I remember quite clearly all the concern about what was going to happen cruise ships (and the world) with the worries of Y2K, and the chaos it would create.
Now, a new decade is soon upon us, and if you take a look at the changes which occurred in the cruise industry [...]

It seems a very large number of first time cruisers take their first “dip in the pool” by booking a cruise that’s either 2,3,4 or 5 day cruises. They book the shorter cruises to “get their feet wet”; to give cruising a test drive. There’s a variety of reasons for doing so.
 
 
Like me, when I [...]