Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Latest Episodes:

673 Norwegian Jade Review 2021 + Listener Q | Norwegian Cruise Line Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

Staff writer Richard Simms checks in with us from Carnival Cruise Line's newest ship Mardi Gras. He is on a seven-night cruise and gives us his first impressions and how he's enjoying his Excel suite (that includes access to Loft 19).

Walter just returned from a seven-night cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jade from Athens, Greece. This was a Greek Isles cruise with vaccinated guests only. On top of sailing in the Mediterranean this summer, he also booked a Haven Suite. We talk about his experience and just how it was.

Listener Q: Matt from Royal Caribbean Blog answers a listener question on getting a child tested for a Christmas sailing with a lot of the pharmacies being closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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672 Cruise News + Listener Questions Answered Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

This week Richard Simms gets us caught up on this week's cruise news.

Another Carnival Cruise Line ship has issues
John Heald gets dumps a bunch of cruise line news
Celebrity Cruises' changes its vaccination policy
Norwegian Cruise Line resumes sailing from the Gulf Coast
Virgin Voyages donates 100s of cabins on Scarlet Lady
NCL cancels sailings from South Africa

Listener Question:

1. We have a Carnival cruise booked out of Port Canaveral for late December. We're trying to arrange testing before we go, but are thinking about making a reservation for pier-side testing as a backup. Is there any reason we shouldn't do this? 2. I heard you can stay overnight on Ocean Cay. Is that true? ---

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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671 Norwegian Escape 2021 Review + Cruise News | Norwegian Cruise Line Nov 24, 2021

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Brian and Deb just returned from the first sailing that Norwegian Cruise Line did from Port Canaveral. This was a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise that included St. Thomas, Tortolla, and Norwegian's private island Great Stirrup Cay. Richard Simms has cruise news:

One of the big guys at Royal Caribbean is stepping down after 33 years
World's largest cruise ship hits milestone
Carnival Vista will move ports in 2023
A milestone out in Los Angeles this past weekend.
Carnival is doing it again
This restart is ramping up quickly, what are the latest ships back in service?

Listener Question: Can I buy a mask on a cruise?

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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670 First Time on Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International Nov 18, 2021

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Mark just returned from a seven-night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. This was a cruise that went down to the Bahamas with a brief stop in Florida. Departing out of the New York City metro area, Mark shares his thoughts, his first impressions, and what it was like being a first-time cruiser on Royal Caribbean.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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669 Aboard Holland America's News Cruise Ship | Holland America Line Nov 11, 2021

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We catch up with Holland America Line's President about the brand new ms Rotterdam and speak with Seth Wayne, Holland America Line's brand ambassador.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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668 Cruise News + How COVID-19 Has Changed Travel Insurance Policies Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Travel insurance policies have changed over the cruise industry shutdown. In some areas larger than others, especially when it comes to a test yielding a positive test result. Dan Skilken, President of TripInsurance.com joins us to break down what has changed, and what hasn't over the course of the pandemic.

Richard has cruise news:

A recording-breaking passenger day in Nassau, Bahamas
Celebrity Apex is christened in Port Everglades, Florida
Royal Caribbean updates Ultimate World Cruise sales
Two cruise lines have earnings calls and it looks good moving forward
Cruise line enters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
You can cruise with Chef Emeril this Thanksgiving

Listener Question: We do not have a smartphone, do we have to use the Ocean Medallion token on Princess Cruises?

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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667 Mardi Gras Western Caribbean Review 2021 + News |Carnival Cruise Line Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

A review of Carnival Cruise Line's newest mega-ship Mardi Gras. This was a seven-night Western Caribbean sailing from Port Canaveral. This is a special interview because our guest is legally blind and his wife is blind. We go into detail about Carnival's special needs department and how the line accommodates ADA requests.

Richard Simms has cruise news:

The CDC has extended and modified the Conditional Sailing Order
Carnival Cruise Line's newest ship Mardi Gras was officially christened
Carnival Radiance is officially in North America
Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady comes to the aid of distressed boaters off the coast of Florida
A former cruise ship is now the largest floating nightclub

Listener Question: I read in one of your articles that on Mardi Gras, you can use the Hub App to order food and have it delivered anywhere on the ship. I always get hungry halfway through a show... can I have a snack delivered to the theater?

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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663 Majestic Princess Review 2021 + Cruise News | Princess Cruises Oct 21, 2021

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A review of Princess Cruises Majestic Princess. This ship was built for Asia and has been sailing in the region since 2017, until the pandemic. In the summer of 2021, Majestic Princess start sailing Alaska, and then was repositioned to Los Angeles. Next summer, the ship will head back to Alaska offering seven-night voyages to the last frontier.

Richard Simms has cruise news on:

The verdict from the MSC Cruise collision with a riverboat in 2019 in Venice
Royal Caribbean launches first world cruise, how much does it cost?
Celebrity Cruises goes heavy on Europe in 2023
A former Carnival Cruise Line ship heads to the scrapyard
Cruise lines prepare for the international travel ban to be lifted on November 8.

Listener Q: Does the Royal Caribbean Ultimate Dining Package work for all the venues onboard, even the a la carte.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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662 Norwegian Encore 2021 Review + News | Norwegian Cruise Line Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

A review of Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Encore. This ship was launched in 2019 and only sailed a couple of months before the cruise industry shutdown. William and his family sailed this seven-night cruise to Southeast Alaska from Seattle.

Richard has cruise news on:

Grand Turk could see cruise ships by the end of 2021
More Carnival Corporation cruise ships returned to service over the weekend
San Francisco reopened to cruise ships this week
Nearly 250,000 guests have sailed Carnival Cruise Line over the past three months
Another cruise line adds a second world cruise

Listener Questions:

If you've got a minute could you tell me if the Covid home test for Royal Caribbean can be done anytime during the day/night. We are heading to Miami 2 days before sailing and need to be at the airport by 9:00 a.m. Thursday (sailing Saturday). Would be nice if we could use the test kit around 7 a.m. — Carol We are sailing Mardi Gras and have a question about Carnival Kitchen. How much does it cost, what is involved, and how do we make reservations for it? Is this like a chef's table experience?

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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