Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Latest Episodes:

660 Cruise News + First Thoughts of Scarlet Lady | Virgin Voyages Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

On this episode with talk with Tom McAlpin, CEO and President of Virgin Voyages. Virgin's newest ship Scarlet Lady is finally home in PortMiami where she is about to start sailing revenue cruises on October 6.

Sheri Griffiths from CruiseTipsTV stops by to give her first impressions of Scarlet Lady.

Richard Simms has cruise news:

The State of the Industry address at SeaTrade Cruise Global
Royal Caribbean will start allowing pre-cruise testing at pier for a fee
Norwegian Breakaway is sailing again out of New York City
Virgin Voyages gears up for Caribbean sailings from PortMiami
A cruise line teams up with a submarine company

Listener Q: What is the best way to use my onboard credit?

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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659 Celebrity Millennium 2021 Alaska Cruise Review + News | Celebrity Cruises Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

Kirk just returned from a seven-night Alaska cruise on Celebrity Millennium from Seattle, Washington. We get a full review of sailing Alaska in 2021 and if cruising to the last frontier is different.

Richard Simms has cruise news:

Carnival backtracks on pierside pre-cruise testing
Royal Caribbean pulls a cruise ship from China, moves to the US
Proposed Alaska bill would stop mandatory Canadian port calls
MSC Cruises returns to Divina from Port Canaveral
A beer company is teaming up with cruise lines to help train staff in a new era of bars

Listener Question: What is the feedback from cruise passengers taking the at-home COVID-19 test? — Anne

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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658 MSC Meraviglia Review 2021 + Cruise News | MSC Cruises Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Carter and his wife recently returned from a cruise aboard one of MSC's newer ships, MSC Meraviglia.

In this interview, they talk to us about the boarding process, dining, entertainment, and how MSC has adjusted things since COVID. They also detail their experience on MSC's private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Richard Simms has cruise news:

Virgin Voyages's Scarlet Lady is back in the USA
Carnival Cruise Line revamps its Have Fun. Be Safe. policies for the casino
One-third of Norwegian Cruise Line's ships are sailing again
Carnival gives more testing options
Royal Caribbean updates sailing protocols on all cruises through October 15.

Listener Question: What is the best option for taking my pre-cruise COVID test before embarking from Port Canaveral, Florida on a seven-night cruise? — Mark

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

657 Disney Dream 2021 Review | Disney Cruise Line Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

In August, Daniel and his eight-year-old daughter took a four-night cruise aboard Disney Dream — their first cruise in 20 months. He joins us on the show to discuss how embarkation differed from the last time he sailed, the dining experience, the entertainment quality, and the sailing's double-dip at Disney's private island Castaway Cay.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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656 Norwegian Gem Review 2021 | Norwegian Cruise Line Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

In the episode, we interview Kerry about his seven-night Western Caribbean cruise aboard Norwegian Gem. This was the first Norwegian Cruise Line ship to depart Florida since the shutdown in March 2020.

Kerry also discusses what life was like on board during the seven-night voyage and the kind of health protocols the company has in place.

We also learn what it was like being in the Caribbean while a hurricane is spinning around.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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655 Scarlet Lady 2021 Review | Virgin Voyages Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

Cruise writer Dave Monk recently took one of Virgin Voyages' first revenue sailings ever out of Portsmouth, England. Sailing a four-night "cruise to nowhere" aboard the line's first ship, Scarlet Lady, he had plenty of time to explore and check out its various offerings.

In this interview, he offers his impressions of this trip vs. his first time on board last year, the dining options, whether the ship REALLY doesn't have a buffet, and what amenities the ship has for passengers to enjoy.

Dave also discusses who the cruise line's target audience is and goes over how to decide whether or not a Virgin Voyages cruise is right for you — because it's quite different than any other cruise line in the world.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

654 Celebrity Equinox Review 2021| Celebrity Cruises Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Today we get a review of Celebrity Equinox. This is Celebrity Cruises' second cruise ship sailing from Florida. The cruise was a seven-night sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. This was a last-minute cruise for John and his wife, booking just a week before the ship set sail.

We get a comprehensive review of the ship, the itinerary, and health protocols as ships return to sailing again.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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653 Carnival Mardi Gras Recap + Cruise News | Carnival Cruise Line Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

Ashley Kosciolek from The Points Guy, and Doug answer listener questions about Carnival Cruise Line's newest mega-ship Mardi Gras.

Richard has cruise news on:

The latest in the Florida and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) lawsuit
Disney Cruise Line returning to sailing
Mardi Gras completes inaugural voyage
Carnival Cruise Line changes health protocols in August
First Cunard Line ship returns to service

Question: How do we know the protocols in each port of call we visit.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

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Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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652 Aboard Carnival's Mardi Gras Pre-Inaugural Sailing | Carnival Cruise Line Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

A sneak look at Carnival Cruise Line's maiden voyage of Mardi Gras, the ship that holds the same name as the company's first vessel in 1972.

Thoughts or questions? doug@cruiseradio.net

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net .

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651 Cruise Industry Restart with Retired Executive + News Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

We talk with former cruise line executive Art Sbarsky about the cruising industry restart and talk shop about moves the cruise lines are doing to earn extra revenue.

Richard Simms has cruise news: