Most people who discover they've been scammed probably want to put the whole thing behind them. One cruise passenger decided to do something very different—she booked a cruise and went looking for the person she says scammed her.
Vanessa Phillips says she met Armonte Wilson on a previous MSC Cruises sailing in December 2025. When Wilson was looking for someone to cruise with in August 2026, Phillips agreed.
According to Phillips, Wilson provided what appeared to be a cruise itinerary, booking information and invoices. She says she ultimately sent him nearly $1,100, only to lose contact with him shortly before the cruise.
Maybe they're blasting music from a Bluetooth speaker by the pool. Maybe they're yelling at crew members because their drink took an extra two minutes to arrive. Or perhaps they're cutting in line at the buffet as if no one else has been waiting.
Most cruisers have their own definition of a "bad cruiser." For us, it's someone whose behavior directly affects the enjoyment of other guests.
Great Tides Waterpark officially opened September 4, 2026, bringing nearly six acres of water attractions to Norwegian's 270-acre private island destination.
Whether you're sailing to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, or beyond, one question every driver has before embarkation day is:
Where should I park?
So, does that mean you can wear camouflage on your cruise?
This week we feature: The Hilton Continental Miami Beach
(CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEKS VIDEO)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Passenger Dies After Falling From Balcony Aboard Norwegian Getaway - A passenger aboard Norwegian Getaway died Sunday evening after falling from a balcony onto a lower deck as the ship was returning to Miami. The incident occurred on the final night of a three-night Bahamas cruise. According to passengers, the guest fell from approximately Deck 10 or 11 onto the promenade deck on Deck 7. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)
Carnival has opened additional sailings for its 2028-29 season from Long Beach, California, with Carnival Radiance and Carnival Panorama offering cruises ranging from quick three-day getaways to longer eight-day Mexican Riviera vacations. The new itineraries will operate from May 2028 through April 2029, giving cruisers plenty of opportunities to head south from California throughout the year. And depending on how much time you have, there are some very different vacation options.
The onboard medical facility is convenient and staffed with qualified professionals, but it’s also not covered by most health insurance plans and can be shockingly expensive. Something as simple as a minor illness or small injury can turn into a bill of several hundred dollars or more.
A passenger aboard Norwegian Getaway died Sunday evening after falling from a balcony onto a lower deck as the ship was returning to Miami. The incident occurred on the final night of a three-night Bahamas cruise. According to passengers, the guest fell from approximately Deck 10 or 11 onto the promenade deck on Deck 7.
Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed the incident, saying the crew responded immediately and attempted to provide life-saving measures, but the passenger did not survive. The cruise line said in a statement, “Our thoughts are with the guest's family during this very difficult time.”
Carnival Cruise Line is scheduled to take its reservation system offline for approximately 18 hours beginning Saturday, August 29, 2026, for planned maintenance.
This isn't an unexpected outage or another Carnival website glitch. The cruise line has scheduled the downtime to perform updates to its reservation systems and while 18 hours may not sound like a long time, it can be inconvenient if you happen to need access during that window.
This week we feature: How to navigate through MSC's MSC for Me APP
(CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEKS VIDEO)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Royal Caribbean Ships With No Smoking Casinos in 2026 - If you’re planning a Royal Caribbean cruise in 2026 and wondering whether any ships have completely smoke-free casinos, the short answer is no, but there’s an important distinction that makes the policy a bit more nuanced than it first appears. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)
What's particularly interesting about this latest offer isn't just the incentives Royal Caribbean is putting on the table. It's the fact that this is another similar offer involving Voyager of the Seas in just a few months. In fact, we know firsthand what it's like to receive one of these offers.
We were booked aboard Voyager of the Seas for its July 17, 2026 Alaska sailing, and Royal Caribbean made a very similar offer to guests booked on our cruise. Now it's happening again.
The ship is the newest addition to Norwegian’s Prima Plus Class and will introduce several new concepts for NCL, including the cruise line’s first dedicated Indian specialty restaurant, a completely reimagined complimentary dining venue and what NCL says will be its most expansive Thermal Suite yet.
But Norwegian Aura isn't just about adding more restaurants and attractions. NCL says the ship has been designed around giving guests more space to relax, socialize and move between different areas of the ship.
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And while Carnival Rewards brings some things that we think are genuinely interesting, it also changes one of the things many longtime Carnival cruisers have valued most: knowing that the status you worked to earn would stay with you. For us, that's a pretty big deal.
We're currently Carnival Gold, and under the old VIFP system, we were only 10 days away from reaching Platinum. Now those 10 days don't carry the same meaning they once did and because we live a long way from the cruise ports, that's frustrating.
Disclosure Day - If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? (WATCH TRAILER HERE)
Goat - A small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball, a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. (WATCH TRAILER HERE)
