Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Latest Episodes:

287 Norwegian Epic Cruise Review & Caribbean Port Shopping | Norwegian Cruise Line Feb 26, 2015

Show notes

Listener Kabir just returned from a sailing aboard Norwegian Epic, taking him on a seven-night jaunt around the Western Caribbean. Kabir gives us a full Norwegian Epic review, including embarkation, the stateroom, dining options, entertainment, and shares his tips and secrets.

Bill Panoff, president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based PPI Group, began his career as a cruise director and went into cruise publishing. Bill took his company a step further and now has over 60 port shopping lecturers. No one knows cruise port shopping like Bill. He joins us to answer a listener question about Caribbean port shopping.

Stewart Chiron the Cruise Guy has cruise news on:

Carnival Vista itineraries
Norwegian Cruise Line tipping increases
New venue for upcoming Holland America ship
Disney adds Star Wars themed cruises
Captain of Costa Concordia sentenced

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

286 Carnival Freedom in Galveston - LIVE | Carnival Cruise Line Feb 17, 2015

Show notes

To welcome Carnival Freedom to Galveston, Texas on Valentine's Day, Carnival Cruise Line teamed up with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that supports military families. During the event aboard the ship Carnival Cruise Line gave over 1,000 military members a free concert by country star Martina McBride, dinner in the main dining room, and a full evening of entertainment onboard the ship. Before the Martina McBride concert, Carnival Cruise Line presented Operation Homefront with a $100,000 check to help military families throughout the country. We were broadcasting live from the lido deck (pardon the wind), overlooking 1000's of military men and women.

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

285 MSC Divina Review, Cruise News + Passport Question | MSC Cruises Feb 11, 2015

Show notes

Ben Souza, from CruiseFever, just returned from a two-night Bahamas cruise aboard MSC Divina. On this cruise Ben got to take part in the MSC Cruises experience and share what it's like.

In this episode, Ben does a bow to stern review of MSC Divina, including: food, entertainment, cabins, service, the ship, and Nassau, Bahamas.

Stewart Chiron The Cruise Guy has Cruise News:

Cunard ships meet in Long Beach and San Francisco
Carnival Vista is heading to PortMiami in Florida
Steel cut for the fourth Oasis-class ship
Royal Caribbean has been offering free wifi on Quantum of the Seas as a testing stage
Viking River Cruises Ocean brand, Viking Star completed sea trials

Listener Question: We are going on a spring break cruise from Port Canaveral and are getting conflicting reports from friends and the cruise line – do we need a passport or not?

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

284 Norwegian Breakaway Review + Cruise News | Norwegian Cruise Line Feb 04, 2015

Show notes

Craig Storm and his wife just returned from a two-night cruise to nowhere, thanks to a 40th birthday gift from his parents. Being a first time cruiser, we ask Craig a lot of questions about his experience, if he had any preconceived notions about cruising the Norwegian Breakaway and the overall cruise experience.

Craig goes into detail about the dining aboard Norwegian Breakaway, the food options, entertainment, things to do aboard the ship and gives tips for cruisers considering Norwegian Breakaway.

Theresa Masek from TravelPulse.com has Cruise News on:

Carnival Corp aired their Super Bowl commercial and used content from a JFK speech - why?
The old Carnival Celebration, now operating as the Grand Celebration, didn't quite make it out of port - what happened?
Is it still considered wave season? - any deals to be had
Royal Caribbean's Dynamic Dining issues
Carnival Cruise Line changing their loyalty program

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

283 Quantum of the Seas Review |Royal Caribbean Jan 30, 2015

Show notes

Don Bucolo and his wife just returned from Royal Caribbean's brand new Quantum of the Seas, based in Bayonne, NJ - for now.

This cruise ship has it all; from almost two dozen dining venues, indoor skydiving, robotic bartenders to bumper cars. This is one ship you'll want to take a cruise vacation on!

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

282 Carnival Vista Revealed | Carnival Cruise Line Jan 23, 2015

Show notes

On January 22, 2015, all the details of Carnival Vista were revealed at Lincoln Center in New York City. The ship has a lot offer like a brewery on board, a skyway, a brand new water park, more dining options like a Lobster Shack and more! The food part alone made my mouth water!

On this episode, we talk to:

John Heald, Sr. Cruise Director of Carnival
Jim Berra, Chief Marketing Officer of Carnival
Stewart Chiron, The Cruise Guy
Journalists at the event

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

281 Norwegian Escape Reveal + New Carnival App | Carnival Cruise Line Jan 21, 2015

Show notes

January has proven to be a busy month for the cruise industry with the reveal of Norwegian Cruise Line's upcoming Norwegian Escape, Carnival Cruise Line announcing a new smartphone app and brand new internet at sea packages, and New Orleans hitting one million cruise passengers.

We were in New York City aboard Norwegian Breakaway when they revealed more details about the upcoming Norwegian Escape, like: a brew hall, tapas bar, new shows, and more. We get the overall response.

Carnival Cruise Line just announced their new smartphone app that allows you to talk to other cruisers and keep track of your onboard spending. This app is aligned with other cruise line apps in the industry. On top of the app, Carnival announced internet packages aboard their ships for as little as $5 a day.

Adrian Greystone, Director of Guest Technology stops by the gives us the scoop on the new smartphone app.

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

Follow Cruise Radio's Socials:

280 Kathie Lee Gifford Wine Partnership + Cruise News | Carnival Cruise Line Jan 14, 2015

Show notes

Kathie Lee Gifford, former spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line, returned to Carnival on Sunday to introduce her GIFFT Collection of wines at a tasting event for cruise guests on Carnival Breeze at PortMiami. The wines are now available for sale fleetwide on Carnival's 24 ships.

Hear about the Kathie Lee Gifford wine partnership.

On this show, we talk with:

Kathie Lee Gifford
Eddie Allen, VP of Beverage Ops
Emile, Onboard staff
Matt, Cruise Director
Cruise passengers

Stewart Chiron, The Cruise Guy® has Cruise News:

Venice lifting bans on big cruise ships
Royal Caribbean makes a specialty venue complimentary on Quantum of the Seas
Carnival Freedom heading to Galveston, big festivities planned
Undercover Boss of Norwegian Cruise Line leaves company
Holland America Line rescues distressed sailors
Princess Cruises positions another ship to Australia
Status update on Anthem of the Seas

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

279 Disney Fantasy Review + Cruise News | Disney Cruise Line Jan 09, 2015

Show notes

Jason Leppert returns to talk about his latest family vacation aboard Disney Cruise Line's Disney Fantasy. Jason discusses his experience aboard Disney Cruise Line, what it's like traveling during the holiday season on Disney, and goes into detail about the dining experiences.

Hear his Disney Fantasy review on this episode.

It's officially Wave Season - that means there are a lot of great cruise deals to be had. In fact, 75% of cruise bookings this year will be made over the next couple months. We have added a Cruise Deal page at the top navigational bar of the website or you can click here.

Stewart Chiron, The Cruise Guy® has Cruise News:

Snow to be featured on upcoming Norwegian Escape
Carnival Miracle up next for a multimillion dollar renovation
Royal Caribbean delays Dynamic Dining concept fleetwide
Carnival Cruise Line dropping the "S"
Pearl Seas possibly heading into Cuba
Carnival doing away with EA Sports Bar after three years
Oceania cruise ship fire - get caught up on the details

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

278 2014 Cruise Vacation Review + 2015 New Cruise Ships | Carnival Cruise Lines Dec 31, 2014

Show notes

On this episode, we check in with the cruise editor for TravelPulse.com and Vacation Agent Magazine, Theresa Masek, to give us a cruise rewind of 2014. We cover some of the big news that hit the headlines like Carnival LIVE, Quantum of the Seas, Margaritaville on Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean dining partnerships. Plus, we look ahead at new ships in 2015. Cruise vacations were great in 2014 and are just ramping up. Happy New Year!

Thoughts or reviews? Email me: doug@cruiseradio.net

Find in-depth cruise news and ship reviews at https://cruiseradio.net

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected