editorial

It’s easy to long for the way things used to be, but equally easy to miss great advancements in front of you while looking behind you.  More dining options, larger cabins, cashless cruising, and more.  We may not think about these every day, but you’d quickly long for them if you stepped (or sailed) back in time.

I was somewhat “born into cruising”, my experience coming about in the way that someone whose parents have a cabin in the mountains will always head to the hills to relax and reflect – but my relaxation had a midnight buffet and a muster drill.  I’m fortunate, and this fortune has offered me a long-term view of cruising that few are lucky enough to have.

I’m sitting now in the serine solarium aboard the Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.  This ship is similar to some of the earliest ships I sailed, in that it floats, and the people in charge are known as “officers”.  A lot has changed... read more

Great memories are made on cruises.  Whether a family get-together, a honeymoon, or just a trip with friends – we all like to have photos to help preserve these memories, and most of us carry a camera around all the time (in our phones of course).  Does that leave a place for shipboard photographers or are they just an interruption at dinner and embarkation?  Let’s dig into the pros and cons of this offering and learn a bit more about it… read more

For decades cruise ships became more advanced and more spacious, but despite these changes, ships still looked like ships.  With Royal Caribbean’s launch of Voyager of The Seas in November of 1998 however, things started to look quite different.  With this behemoth (the largest cruise ship at the time) came the first rock wall and ice rink at sea, as well as the Royal Promenade.  The ice rink and rock wall were, and still are, impressive.  The Royal Promenade however was something truly different.  

Up until this ship, the major venues on cruise ships all had views of the sea.  Part of this was to be expected by guests – you’re on a ship after all.  Another part however was out of necessity, as the size of ships never allowed for any reasonably large venue to be located above the water line and not come up against the windows of the ship or the outdoor promenade.  The size of the Voyager of The Seas made it possible to essentially put a shopping and dining district inside of the ship in a way that to this day, makes strolling the Royal Promenade an experience which in no way reveals that passengers are on a ship rather than on land.... read more

To cruise-lovers, there are few things as exciting as knowing a cruise is just a few days away.  Everything in the world just feels a little bit better.  What if you cancel that cruise right before though?  Sounds terrible.  I did, but this time, I'm actually pretty happy about it...

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