If you didn't know MSC Cruises offers a Status Match to other cruise line and hotel reward programs. Since I have already booked 5 week long cruises with them I figured I should take advantage of it. You can only send One other programs status in so I chose Best Western as I am a Lifetime Diamond with them. MSC Approved me as a Silver in the Voyagers Club. Unfortunately, they issued me a new number so I'm going to have to call the travel agent and have all 5 bookings updated. They don't give you a way to indicate you already have a number. Since it's one the same email they should have looked. Oh well, VERY happy as a perk of Silver status is an OBC of $50 per 7 day sailing if booked 12 months in advance. Won't help on these 5 but it will on future bookings!

I found an EXTREMELY low price on a solo cabin on the MSC Grandiosa out of Port Canaveral. Only $386.45 USD for a 7 night cruise. I am now booked on a 7 night trip November 7th through the 14th. Looking forward to a trial run on this cruise line!

I haven’t posted as much as I would like, mainly because life, travel, editing, and keeping up with everything has been a lot. But I definitely haven’t forgotten about this community, and I want to start bringing more useful cruise updates back in here again.🛳️ Perfect timing too, because in early July I will be back where I belong, on a cruise ship.🛳️ I am heading to the Norwegian Fjords on the newly revamped Liberty of the Seas, and I’m going to use the trip to share as much helpful, real-time content as I can inside this group. I have done the Fjords before, but this will be my first time doing them on Liberty since her revamp, so I am really interested to compare the experience. This is always such a different kind of cruise to a warm-weather sailing. It’s scenic, colder, packing is different, ports are different, and the whole pace of the cruise feels very different from a Caribbean or Med itinerary. While I am onboard, I will share updates on: • What Liberty of the Seas is like after the revamp • What the ship feels like day to day • Food, entertainment, cabins, and onboard tips • Norwegian Fjords port days • What I pack and what I wish I packed • Anything that surprised me • The little practical things that make a cruise easier If you have done the Fjords, what is one thing you think people should know before they go?👇 And if you haven’t, what would you want me to check out while I’m onboard? I will use your questions to guide what I post when I’m on the ship.😊

A $440 million USD verdict against 4 cruise lines is upheld in the US Supreme Court. https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/05/21/supreme-court-cuba-tied-lawsuit/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR8uPZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqOGk0WUl2dUNxcUlIYTVVc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnTvC6-koTttJ5l-SuHvqAOpD5J6dHikBqkdg2Z8hcjr03y-V_jEbZVyIQLN_aem_xUiqKjmc9RNCVZAb1zcB8w

I feel like cruise gratuities are becoming one of the biggest talking points in cruising lately, especially as prices continue to creep up across the board.💰 I completely understand why they exist and the role they play for crew. I also think a lot of people, especially first-time cruisers, are shocked when they see how quickly the extra costs add up once gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and speciality dining all get added on. Some people prefer prepaying everything upfront so the cruise feels “done” before they board, while others would rather keep that flexibility onboard. One thing newer cruisers should know is that gratuities are often automatically added throughout your holiday, whether that is daily service charges or extra gratuities added onto drinks and speciality dining onboard, so it is always worth factoring that into your budget before you travel. Very interested where everyone sits on it now. Do gratuities bother you, or do you just see them as part of cruising at this point?😊👇