Cruise Radio

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon

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. 

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon  

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon  

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. 

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon

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  Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.  Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon

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.    Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon  

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: It's been a long 16 months but a lot of ships are back into service The UK greenlights international cruises  The CDC and Florida lawsuit drags on — has it ended yet? Norwegian has finally returned to sailing  Disney has announced new testing protocols  Bimini island gets first Carnival ship call  Question: How strict have the cruise lines been on embarkation and arriving at your appointment times? Diane  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.   Follow Cruise Radio's Socials: LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon