Essential Cruise Tips – Details, episodes & analysis

On my last cruise, Cunard Queen Anne, I never ate in the buffet restaurant, on a recent Holland America cruise I ate lunch in there every day and on my Royal Caribbean Symphony of Seas cruise I ate most meals there. Why? It’s because I have a set of cruise buffet rules that I've developed over time that determine when I eat in the buffet, how I use it if I do, and what I will and won’t eat in there. After talking to other regular cruisers, I found they also follow a similar approach that I want to share with you. 

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I am frequently contacted by stressed cruise passengers at the end of their tether, seeking my help on how to get out of a costly blunder they've made. In recent weeks, several cruisers have been in touch about the same four issues that seem to keep catching people out these days. I thought I needed to warn cruisers about them. As well as telling you about them, I will suggest how to solve them if you have, or do, find yourself caught up by one.

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I recently embarked on Holland America Eurodam to host one of my group cruises with some trepidation, because I'd had past fans of Holland America telling me they were falling out of love with the line, based on three recent changes. So, I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to put these to the test, as I could tap into the thoughts of everyone on my group cruise. And, based on what we discovered, you’ll hear where we found the concerns about Holland America are right, where they are not, and why.

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I explore the 6 Mediterranean cruise traps and blunders that cruise passengers fall into when thinking of cruising in the Mediterranean. Inspired by when a friend of mine wanted to cruise the Mediterranean for the first time and I saw all the mistakes she was about to make.

There are 12 things we are not allowed to do, or get up to, in our cruise cabin. Here is what they are and why

l look at the 7 worst pieces of cruise advice that I hear, or see, being given to cruise passengers all the time – and what I you should do instead, and why.

I looks at how I manage to cruise so often, and although mine is an unusual situation, all the tips and tricks I discovered and use that any cruiser can use to cruise more or get more cruise out of their budget

The worst packing mistakes that I see cruise passengers make and cruise packing mistakes to avoid as they could get you into trouble, have you disembarked, affect enjoyment of your cruise or items confiscated.

I look at the best cruise lines in each of the 4 main cruising categories and why they are the best choice right now, and why smart cruisers are choosing them over the other options.

Returning to Viking Ocean Cruises, I discovered 4 things I hadn’t appreciated last time, making me rethink and reappraise Viking Ocean cruises. It had a big impact on my thoughts about if I would consider returning to cruise on them, and who I would recommend them to