Dave's Travel Tips

A few months ago, I came across a recommended video from Joe Rogan's podcast on YouTube.  Rogan's guest, a comedian named Tom Dillon, unleashes a humorous but totally incorrect and petulant tirade about his hatred of cruise ships and people who like cruising, which is odd considering that his "evidence" for why cruising is so awful is based on his experiences of being a cruise ship performer himself.  Sure, he's just a comedian saying some stupid and occasionally funny things, but this video has 2.2 Million views and has surely influenced many people's perception of cruise vacations and the people who enjoy them.  I'll admit that I was a bit self-conscious of my own interest in cruising when I first listened to Dillon's rant, but many of his claims are just too stupid to take seriously.  I can't possibly get into every claim he makes, and so many of them overlap, but let's debunk some of them one at a time. Myth 1: Cruise ships are unsanitary ...

If you are interested in trying a cruise, then you will have to make the tough decision about which cruise line to sail with.  There are a few major players in the cruise industry that you should know about.  In this article, I will discuss the largest cruise lines in the “contemporary” and “deluxe/premium” segments of the cruising industry.  Other segments including luxury, river, and expedition cruises also exist, but these are more niche and they are too different from contemporary and premium ocean cruises to be discussed together.  These are also not suitable options for most first-time cruisers. Contemporary Cruise Lines There are four major cruise lines in the “contemporary” segment: Carnival, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC.  These cruise lines all offer a modern, mainstream cruising experience that appeals to a wide demographic and have a wide range of price categories.  Ships operated by these brands are among the lar...