Cruise Advice

Planning the perfect cruise holiday can quickly become hard work.

Picking the perfect destination, the right cruise line, the ideal cruise ship, drinks packages, and shore excursions can all be tricky. Get it wrong, and your dream experience can instantly shatter.

I have put together my top picks from my experiences as a customer and as a travel writer. I recommend the best cruise ships and itineraries for a range of holidaymakers, including solo travellers, couples, and families. I also suggest tips of things you should definitely book, tips on what is best avoided, and resources worth checking out before you book.

Everything You Need to Know About MSC Cruises’ Drinks Packages

Beverages keep on flowing when you buy a drinks package on your cruise holiday. But those seemingly unlimited drinks from the bars and restaurants come with a hefty initial cost. One of the big dilemmas I faced when I booked my cruise on MSC Preziosa...

Fun & Relaxed Casual Cruising: Reasons To Cruise With Carnival

I’m a big fan of casual cruising, and the likes of Royal Caribbean And Norwegian Cruise Line instantly spring to mind. Buy my time on Carnival Breeze made me realise there’s a remarkably similar experience to be had on American favourite...

Lonely Planet’s The Cruise Handbook Review

Lonely Planet is a familiar brand in the travel guide space, and they’ve recently launched a new book devoted to the world of cruising. They sent me a copy of The Cruise Handbook so I could flick through it, find out where it sits in the...

Top 10 Cruise Magazines You Need To Read

Looking for travel inspiration? My travel ideas come from all over the place, from Instagram and Pinterest to the mail shots and brochures that land on my doorstep. But there’s a wave of cruise magazines out there eager to satisfy your thirst...

10 Reasons to Visit The Cruise Show Birmingham

Have you heard about The Cruise Show? It is an exhibition devoted to cruise holidays. If you are slightly curious about cruising, you should plan a visit to the show. Even if you have more voyages under your belt than the captain has, the show is an...

Watch Big Acts Close-Up With Carnival LIVE

Where can you go to see your favourite musician, band, or comedian perform live? Until now you have been restricted to massive concert halls and arenas. You can pay an astronomical amount for your tickets only to discover you are a gazillion rows...

Go Celebrity Spotting at Sea

So there I was, standing next to the man I had cooked on countless television programmes. Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo was onboard Anthem of the Seas to open Jamie Oliver’s latest sea-based restaurant and my timing could not have been better...

The Ultimate 6 Reasons To Cruise

When I chose to name my cruise blog Reasons to Cruise, I did so as it succinctly explained what my ambitions were. I want to provide a platform where newbies can discover what cruising is truly like, without the marketing hype. So I set about...

Christmas Cruises: How Cruise Lines Deck The Halls in December

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but how far do lines go to deliver a magical experience aboard their cruise ships? Unlike supermarkets where Christmas begins before the kids go back to school, cruise lines wait until early December before...