New Cruise Review: Sea Princess, sailing from Barbados

You say you didn't realize that Barbados is an embarkation port for cruises? You're probably not alone; however, there are several cruise lines that homeport ships there seasonally, including Princess Cruises.Who arrives in Barbados to sail? Passengers hail from all over, but some cruises attract large numbers of them from Great Britain. That's what Canadians Rob and Liz Holloway discovered when

New Cruise Review: Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam

The "Nieuw-est" Ship in the Holland America Line Fleet bears a name you may recognize. The fourth vessel to be named Nieuw Amsterdam is the second to launch in Holland America Line's Signature-class.Cruise Diva recently sailed on a one-week Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the new Nieuw Amsterdam and is pleased to share a profile of this beautiful and gracious ship.

New Cruise Review: Allure of the Seas

Come aboard Allure of the Seas with avid cruisers and frequent Cruise Diva contributors Vincent & Mary Finelli. You'll want to check out their posh Crown Loft Suite. Outfitted for accessibility, get the pros and cons of its comfort and functionality.As the Finellis say, "Crown Loft Suite 1742 is located on Decks 17 & 18, starboard aft. It is one of the best suites we have had until now. The décor

Disney Dream: Cruise Diva's Preview

The first new ship to be launched by Disney Cruise Line in over a decade is freshly christened and welcoming guests on board.

You've heard about the AquaDuck—here's what else you'll find.

Cruise Diva previews the Disney Dream, where dreams come true if only you believe and there's something for Mousketeers of all ages. Join us for a look around in our illustrated two-part ship preview.

New Cruise Review: Carnival Pride

Join our contributor Vincent for a look at a festive New Year's holiday cruise aboard Carnival Pride.Get Vincent's insight into the embarkation process in Baltimore (could stand improvement) and the onboard experience, as well as days at sea and in ports of call.

Seabourn Sojourn Ship Review: Luxury Cruising through the "Yachtsman’s Caribbean"

The announcement late in 2006 that Seabourn would embark on a building program and add a new, and larger, set of triplets to the small-ship luxury fleet was met with great expectations by the line's past guests as well as industry watchers.Launched in 2009, the 450-guest Seabourn Odyssey was followed by Seabourn Sojourn in 2010 and the third of the 32,000 ton ships, Seabourn Quest will enter

New Cruise Review: Celebrity Century

The review of a first-time cruisers' experience aboard Celebrity Century reveals unmet expectations on a short Western Caribbean itinerary and some misconceptions about cruise travel.Identified only as Robindebbieusa in email to Cruise Diva, the reviewer says, "My purpose for writing this review is to try to help someone else who is in a similar position to me, having travelled extensively and

Cruise Review: An "Elite" Cruise Aboard Crown Princess

Avid cruisers and frequent review contributors Vincent & Mary Finelli share their fifteenth cruise on Princess and it was another pleasant one. They are now Elite members of the Captain's Circle and look forward to more cruises on Princess ships for the enhanced benefits, such as complimentary Mini Bar set up, free laundry and professional cleaning services, deluxe canape selections, and, most of

New Cruise Review: Holland America Line's ms Ryndam

This is what's called a two-fer. First, after an earlier Bermuda cruise on Veendam this year, Karen Segboer shares her unique perspective about Holland America Line’s S-class Ships: Antithetical Asymmetricies Aboard the Ryndam on (what was to be) a Western Caribbean cruise from Tampa.For more about that itinerary and what happens when bad weather is in your path, Karen shares her thoughts and

New Cruise Review: Norwegian Epic

This was Vincent & Mary Finelli's seventh cruise on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, but their 87th cruise overall.There have been a lot of changes in cruising since Vincent's first transatlantic sailing in 1956 on the Greek Line's Olympia, a 22,000 gross tons liner. Vincent says changes have occurred not only in the size of the ships, but in the activities and entertainments they feature. Norwegian

A Cruise Review With A Twist! Emerald Princess, A Wedding Love Boat

As Pat Fernandez says, “This will not be the average cruise review, where someone describes food, stateroom, embarkation procedures, ports of call, and the typical how good or bad each moment was. This is my daughter’s wedding at sea.”Join Pat, his daughter Jennifer, her new husband Byron Wyatt, their family, and friends aboard Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess for a special occasion and share

NEW! Cruise Review: Emerald Princess

Our avid cruiser and frequent contributor Vincent Finelli shares some good advice along with his encore cruise review of Princess Cruises' Emerald Princess, "Unexpected things can happen on vacation. So go with the flow, rise with the tide, and live."In a departure from their usual in-depth reviews, Vincent focuses on what may occur on board if a passenger is not feeling well. It's unfortunate

New Cruise Review, Holland America Line Veendam to Bermuda

Whenever we get an email from our old friend George Hall, we know it's going to be good. In this case, he reports on Holland America Line's Veendam to Bermuda.George began cruising in 1984, and he and his wife, the lovely Linda, do a minimum two cruise a year. They often take three and this year will be sailing four times. They stopped counting when they reached 50 cruises and sail any and all

Featured Cruise Review: Celebrity Solstice

Last January our frequent contributors Mary and Vincent Finelli cruised on Celebrity Solstice to the Eastern Caribbean and enjoyed a memorable experience. So memorable, in fact, that they booked Celebrity Solstice again in order to give the new Aqua Class a try.Cruise Diva is happy to share their Western Caribbean Aqua Class cruise aboard Celebrity Solstice.

New Cruise Review, Holland America Line's Veendam to Bermuda

When I heard that Karen Segboer had taken a cruise this summer on Holland America Line's ms Veendam to Bermuda, I wanted to hear all about it. Karen is a savvy cruise traveler whose observations are based on years of experience and she shares what's old, what's new, and even some overheard conversations worthy of a hearty chuckle.Unfortunately, Cruise Diva was unable to sail to Bermuda aboard