Cruize Cast

James and Kaleigh discuss their recent experiences in France and compare common myths about travel in France to what they've seen.                                                                               

Hosts Kaleigh and James return after a year hiatus to discuss their travels and what is coming up on the podcast.

Join James and Kaleigh for a complete review of the newly refurbished Navigator of the Seas. They discuss cruising with a child and kids clubs as well as in depth reviews of specialty restaurants Chops Grill, Sabor and Giovanni's Table. Activities and entertainment are reviewed and much more!

Join James, Kaleigh, Jason and families as they record the 100th episode of CruizeCast live on the Carnival Dream. They discuss what it is like to cruise with family, including the pros and cons. They also discuss a little of what has gone into making CruizeCast over the years and celebrate the 100th episode. This episode is also available in video format from the Popular Cruising video podcast.

James and Kaleigh reveal expectations for their upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. This cruise is particularly interesting for them because it will be the first one in which they bring along their daughter. They highlight their port plans and expectations for cruising with a child for the first time.

We discuss the details of the main dining room on cruises including the difference between traditional and anytime dining, how cruise dining differs from restaurant dining and some of our favorite tips and hints. 

James and Kaleigh review their recent New Year's cruise on the Caribbean Princess. They discuss the ship, entertainment, stateroom, ports and of course, spend a lot of time on dining and food.  The new port at Houston is highlighted with tons of tips and details for sailing with Princess out of this new venue. 

Get details about our first CruizeCast cruise for listeners and fans. We discuss itinerary, pre-cruise activities, ship amenities, pricing, and a possible hairy-chest contest. Meet the hosts and join in the fun!

We're back with a new episode all about what it is like for a veteran cruiser to try Carnival Cruise Line for the first time.  Does it live up to its reputation (both good and bad)? See what Jason thought.  

We are back with a new episode that details the upscale cruise line, Azamara. Find out all about the food, staterooms, entertainment, itineraries and much more! Our long absence means we have lots of cruise news and CruizeCast updates.  

This week is all about cruising in Italy. We discuss Italian cruise ports, the major sites and cities, and ideas for pre or post cruise side trips.  Get planning advice for Rome, Venice, Florence, Ravenna, Naples, Ferrara and Padua with specific ideas for how to incorporate those destinations into your cruise. Cruise news features a newly named ship for Carnival, a new ship order for Norwegian and the sentencing of the Costa Concordia crew.

This week we discuss and detail Carnival Cruise Lines. We talk about the specifics to Carnival that might surprise you, things that you'll love, and the things about Carnival that some people find controversial.  We provide tons of tips, suggestions and ways to enhance and get the most out of your Carnival Cruise vacation.

This week we discuss the growing trend of specialty restaurants at sea. We highlight our favorites, honorable mentions, least favorites and restaurants we'd love to try in the future. Cruise news features big moves for Carnival, both in leadership and ship deployment.

This week we discuss the laid-back Greek cruise ports of Katakolon and Corfu. We give details on the best attractions and things to do in each port with a little history. Food recommendations, shopping tips and touring advice are all highlighted.  Of course, we give complete details on how to see the sites completely on your own. Cruise news features RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com and their recent cruise announcement.

We return this week with lots of cruise news featuring another new ship for Royal Caribbean, a pair of refurbishments from Carnival, ocean cruising for Viking and an odd situation at Celebrity.  Jason and his father give a live ship review of the Norwegian Breakaway with details on entertainment, dining, ship features and much more.

Jason and guest, Darlene, discuss the tangible differences in luxury cruising, specifically Silverseas Cruise Line. We learn about the food options, staterooms, inclusions, and all the information you need to determine if luxury cruising is for you. Jason also interviews cruise director, Don Fluke, for an insider's perspective. Our news includes a new ship for Galveston.

This week we detail and discuss the newest ships coming on the scene as well as the extensive refurbishments taking place. The ships we discuss are the Norwegian Breakaway, Quantum of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Disney Magic, and Royal Princess. We talk about the features we are most excited about and what we are looking forward to.

Mike Faust from CruiseCurrents.com joins us to review Holland America's Eurodam. He details dining options and quality, staterooms, daily entertainment and nightly shows. Cruise news features some exciting announcements from Princess Cruise Lines and a peak at upcoming announcements from two cruise lines.

James and Jason break down each of their top five favorite cruise ports in the world with highlights and suggestions. Cruise news features sea trials for some new ships and the Oasis class in Europe.

We discuss a little bit of everything this week as Jason addresses some of the news topics which occured during his vacations. Our correspondent, Mark, provides a short review of the Azamara Quest and gives details from Cruise Shipping Miami, including a visit aboard the Carnival Breeze.  Cruise news features a Viking River ship coming to the Mississippi, new European itineraries for Celebrity and safety upgrades for Carnival.

Inspired by recent news stories, we answer the question: what could keep us from cruising in the future? We take an indepth look at the Carnival situation, as well as other factors that could influence our cruise decisions. Our cruise news features details of new ships from Norwegian and Princess.

This week Jason interviews the cruise director of the Azamara Quest, Tony Markey.  Tony talks about his experiences with Azamara, life on the sea, and the future of Azamara. Cruise news features stories from Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, as well as Dancing with the Stars on Holland America and the Grammys on Norwegian. 

Continuing with our popular Mediterranean Cruise Port series, this week we tackle Athens, fully highlighting an itinerary which includes detailed information on how to take public transportation into the city, see the sites we think are the best, and travel back to the cruise port. We include attraction and restaurant information with a little history thrown in for good measure.  Cruise news features stories from Windstar and Carnival. We also discuss a listener question about the summer placement of cruise ships in the United States.

This week we interview a passenger from the Carnival Triumph and get the true scoop about exactly what happened on that ill-fated cruise.  We discuss the penetration of the news story in popular consciousness and the possible future impact. A letter from a listener provokes a conversation about the value of Disney Cruise Line, and we delve into the recent changes in tipping policies, inspired by news from Royal Caribbean.

We discuss all the different optons normally offered by cruise lines throughout the day and highlight some of our favorites.  Our cruise news includes the recent news from the Carnival Triumph, the naming of Project Sunshine and the best large cruise ship as named by Conde Nast. 

Jason tells us all about his upcoming South America cruise on the Azamara Quest including itinerary, a ship preview and the cruise line. Cruise news features an in-depth discussion of the new drink packages and the controversy surrounding them, the Zumba fitness program on Celebrity and Norwegian and the new video of the Carnival Sunshine.

We hear what it has been like to cruise for the past 35 years, including the changes in the cruise industry, some cruising favorites and what might keep someone cruising for that long. Our cruise news features Norwegian going public, the Cake Boss on the Norwegian Breakaway and Dive-In Movies on Carnival.

With the recent wave season cruise deals including free drink packages and upgrades, we dissect whether or not we think the deals are worth the extra fare. Cruise news includes a Carnival delay, the year anniversary of the Concordia tragedy and fireworks on Norwegian.

This week we break down all of the United States cruise home ports and share our favorite things about each of them.  Cruise news features stories from Carnival's all-inclusive packages and a new European port for Royal Caribbean.

This week our new co-host, Jason Leppert from PopularCruising.com, shares his recent experience on board the Viking Freya. He gives details on ports in Austria, Hungary and Germany along the Danube and explains how river cruising differs from ocean cruising. Our news features the newest Oasis-class ship including name speculations, and recently announced expanded children's and teen programs on the Royal Princess.

Relaxation is the focus on this episode where we discuss the most relaxing cruise lines and destinations. We also attempt to uncover what it is that makes a cruise so relaxing in general.

This week we recap our ship visit onboard the new Celebrity Reflection including details on dining, decor and more. Cruise news features all inclusive packages from Royal Caribbean, a new waterpark on MSC, and a Miami-themed cruise ship from Norwegian.

The excellent destination of Disneyland is our topic today, as we think it is a great pre or post cruise add-on from Los Angeles or San Diego.  We detail the parks and accomodation options and share our favorite features about the original Disney theme park.  We also review the new Cars land in Disney's California Adventure.  Cruise news features stories from Livorno, Carnival and New Orleans.

This week we give thanks for our favorite things from each cruise line and share our Christmas wishes for what we think would improve the cruise experience on each line. Cruise news features stories from the up and coming port of Houston and a new drink package on Norwegian.

This week we review our cruise on the Crown Princess including details of entertainment, dining, activities, staterooms, ship layout and more! Our cruise news features stories from Carnival, Grand Cayman, and Venice.

Finally back from our big trip, we reflect upon the best and worst aspects of the extensive vacation.  We highlight the best ports, our favorite moments and the surprises we encountered along the way.  We also discuss a lot of cruise news featuring a slew of new ship builds, changing policies and more.

This week we look at how our perceptions of cruising have changed from our first cruise to now.  We look at common misconceptions and concerns of new cruisers, and habits that experienced cruisers may fall into. No news this week because we are traveling.

Jason from PopularCruising.com joins us to predict the future of the cruise industry. We guess which items are more likely to happen from a list of either/or options.  Some are fun, some are serious; all are entertaining.  We have no news this week because we are traveling.

This week we provide an unedited look at our upcoming European vacation with details of the ports and itinerary. We discuss which ports and cities we think we'll like best, and which ones we expect to unimpress. Follow our journey on facebook!

This week we share some of our favorite experiences and things that we generally only get from cruising.  Cruise news looks at some new features on Princess' upcoming ship, a new port for Royal Caribbean, and rumors of a possible 3rd Oasis class ship.

Jason from PopularCruising.com tells us all about his recent experience on the Disney Wonder for the Inaugural Pixar Themed Cruise in California.  He also shares details from dining at the most expensive specialty restaurant at sea on the Disney Fantasy.  News features stories from the coming Norwegian Breakaway, updates to a newer Carnival ship and a coming upgrade to the Serenade of the Seas.

There was a lot of cruise news this week, so we take the time to cover it all with our own commentary thrown in.  Carnival discontinues a popular program, Royal Caribbean invites you to sail with Barbie and protests in North Africa disrupt cruise itineraries.  We also chat about planning a cruise based entirely on the desires of your kids.

This week we review a wide variety of cruise books including the Berlitz, Fodors, Frommers and Rick Steves guides, as well as crew autobiographies and cruise-centric magazines.  Our cruise news features stories from Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  We also discuss the all-inclusive alcohol package on Carnival further.

This week we discuss a cruise port which many people may not consider, but actually provides a great vacation/cruise option and is centrally located for many Americans.  Our news includes Norwegian's new specialty dining package, Carnival's test of an all-inclusive drink package and Hurricane Issac.

This week we answer questions from listeners about kids in the main dining room, drunks on Carnival, and European cruise itineraries.  Our cruise news features stories about several themed cruises, plus some new policies regarding children on Norwegian and MSC.

Matt from the unofficial Royal Caribbean blog at royalcaribbeanblog.com joins us to give an overview of the cruise line, plus information from a recent earnings call about future potential ships and deployments. Our news features a new program from Carnival which allows for early embarkation, as well as the launch of the Queen of the Mississippi and the effects of Hurricane Ernesto.

This week we discuss which ships are the best to cruise if you don't want to spend beyond the base fare.  Which ships feature the best included dining, entertainment and amenities? Our cruise news this week features Carnival's solution to "chair hogs", a new CEO for Celebrity and an interesting look at what might happen if you choose to wear only a bathrobe on a cruise ship.

This week, Mikey Faust of MikeysCruiseBlog tells us all about his first Mediterranean cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas.  He highlights the cities of Barcelona and Rome and compares and contrasts Europe to a Caribbean cruise.  Cruise news features stories of a shore excursion accident and a new law which might affect future cruise pricing.

This week we delve into all the different options for drink packages on cruise ships including soda, wine, and alcoholic options.  We also talk about the rules various lines have about what you can/cannot bring on the ships.  Value, costs, options and availability are all detailed.  Cruise news includes the resignation of Celebrity CEO, Dan Hanrahan, and an improvement to the port gateway to Athens.

We examine Mediterranean cruise ports and for each one, talk about the main attraction or preconceived notions concerning the port. We then talk about what we think is the best thing in/about each port.  Our cruise news features the newest announcement about the Norwegian Breakaway, as well as the fate of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the lawsuit about the upcoming Charleston cruise terminal.

Shon Ford, also known as CruiseMan3000, joins us this week to share his love for Norwegian Cruise Line.  He gives us details from his most recent cruise aboard the Norwegian Star, along with tons of port touring advice for Bermuda.  Cruise news features stories of higher quality Internet on Royal Caribbean and a new Costa Concordia lawsuit.