Planning-First Advice
I focus on practical decisions that reduce stress on the day: berth reality, transport choices, and return-time buffers.
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Latest guides from James Dear
Sorrento Cruise Port Guide: Marina Piccola, Capri and the Amalfi Coast
A clifftop town above the Bay of Naples, with Capri across the water and Pompeii half an hour away by…
Getting Around on a Port Day
Walkable can mean five minutes or a two kilometre pier with no pavement. How to work out before you sail…
Mahon Cruise Port Guide: Menorca’s Harbour, Xoriguer Gin and the Calas
The quietest of the Balearics, with a long natural harbour and a clifftop old town that still shows its British…
Western Caribbean Cruise Guide: Cozumel, Grand Cayman and the Maya Coast
Plan your Western Caribbean cruise with confidence. Honest port logistics and day guides for Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Roatan, Costa…
Salerno Cruise Port Guide: the Amalfi Coast ferries, Paestum and the old town
The eastern gateway to the Amalfi Coast, and the one where big British ships actually dock. A guide to Salerno's…
Royal Caribbean Gratuities and How to Change Them
The daily charge lands on your SeaPass account whether you notice it or not, and there are two rates. What…
Belize City Cruise Port Guide: Cave Tubing, the Maya Ruins and the Barrier Reef
The English-speaking heart of the old British Honduras, and a gateway to jungle and reef: float through river caves, climb…
Olbia Cruise Port Guide: the Costa Smeralda, the La Maddalena Islands and Sardinia’s Nuragic Past
The north-east gateway to Sardinia's Costa Smeralda: the yacht-set village of Porto Cervo, the emerald calas the Aga Khan made…
Roatan Cruise Port Guide: West Bay Beach, the Reef and the Bay Islands
A green Honduran island with a British past and an English-speaking heart, ringed by the world's second longest reef: the…
What You Can’t Take on a Cruise
Irons and steamers are banned outright, hair straighteners are not, and the exceptions are narrower than most packing lists suggest.…
Catania Cruise Port Guide: Mount Etna, the Baroque City and Taormina
The Sicilian city under the volcano: cruise ships dock a short walk from a baroque centre built in black lava…
Costa Maya Cruise Port Guide: Mahahual, the Maya Ruins and Bacalar
A purpose-built cruise port on Mexico's quiet southern coast, with a pool complex at the pier, the beach town of…
Nevis Cruise Port Guide: Charlestown, Pinney’s Beach and Nevis Peak
A single green volcano ringed by old plantation inns, a Georgian capital where Alexander Hamilton was born, and a long…
Muster Station on a Cruise: What It Is and What Happens
A short visit to your station, not a mass assembly. What SOLAS requires, how P&O and Royal Caribbean run it,…
Cozumel Cruise Port Guide: San Miguel, the Reefs and the Maya Coast
Mexico's busiest cruise port sits beside some of the Caribbean's clearest reefs. A guide to the three piers, San Miguel…
Princess Cruises Gratuities: What Crew Appreciation Costs
The daily charge is not called gratuities on your account, and a separate 20% lands on everything you buy. What…
Puerto Limon Cruise Port Guide: Tortuguero Canals, Sloths and Caribbean Rainforest
Costa Rica's Caribbean gateway, where ships dock in the middle of a workaday port town and the real day is…
Best Cabin on a Cruise Ship: How to Pick by Position
Near midships with cabins above and below, and lower if motion worries you. How to read a deck plan and…
Ocho Rios Cruise Port Guide: Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole and Jamaica’s North Coast
Jamaica's busiest cruise town, and the gateway to its most famous sight: the terraced cascade of Dunn's River Falls, climbed…
Cartagena de Indias Cruise Port Guide: The Walled City, Castillo San Felipe and the Rosario Islands
The walled colonial old city of Cartagena de Indias, on Colombia's Caribbean coast: the ramparts and plazas of the Ciudad…
Best Time to Cruise the Caribbean: Month by Month
February to April is the sweet spot: driest weather, warm sea and no storm season. How every month of the…
Grand Cayman Cruise Port Guide: George Town, Seven Mile Beach and Stingray City
A British island run on its own strong dollar: the duty-free shops of George Town, the long pale sand of…
Cruise Passport Rules: Validity and the Ten-Year Trap
A passport with time left on it can still be refused at the Schengen border. The two rules that decide…
Colon Cruise Port Guide: The Panama Canal, Agua Clara Locks and Portobelo
The Caribbean gateway to the Panama Canal: watch giant ships climb the Agua Clara locks, ride the trans-isthmian railway, or…
Can You Smoke on a Cruise? The Rules on Every UK Line
Yes, in designated open-deck areas only. Never on a balcony, where the fee is $250. The casino rule changes if…
Eastern Caribbean Cruise Guide: San Juan, St Thomas and the Virgin Islands
Plan your Eastern Caribbean cruise with confidence. Honest port logistics and day guides for San Juan, St Thomas, St Maarten…
Progreso Cruise Port Guide: The World’s Longest Pier, Merida and Chichen Itza
The Yucatan gateway on the Gulf coast: ships dock at the end of a pier that runs 4 miles out…
Seasickness on a Cruise: What Works and When to Take It
A midship cabin and the right timing do most of the work. NHS-backed advice on hyoscine, cinnarizine and what helps…
Tortola Cruise Port Guide: Road Town, The Baths and the British Virgin Islands
Tortola is British soil where the money is American and the draw is the water: a quiet capital at Road…
Caribbean Hurricane Season: What It Means for a Cruise
The season runs June to November but peaks in about eight weeks. What actually happens to a cruise, where you…
San Juan Cruise Port Guide: Old San Juan, El Morro and the Spanish Forts
The oldest city under the American flag, and the Caribbean's great gateway port: blue cobbled streets and pastel houses, two…
P&O Arvia Cabins to Avoid, and Which to Book Instead
Most of Arvia's cabins are fine. P&O's own deck plan shows the few under the buffet, the theatre or the…
La Romana Cruise Port Guide: Altos de Chavon, Saona Island and Casa de Campo
The Dominican Republic's south-east resort gateway: a working sugar town where ships dock on the Rio Dulce, a short ride…
Cunard Dress Code: Smart Attire and Gala Evenings
Smart attire most evenings, and at least one Gala Evening on voyages of three nights or more. What Cunard asks…
St Thomas Cruise Port Guide: Charlotte Amalie, Magens Bay and the US Virgin Islands
One of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean: the Danish-built harbour town of Charlotte Amalie with its duty-free Main…
P&O Cruises Wi-Fi: Prices and What You Actually Get
Two packages, two prices each depending on when you buy, and a Starlink connection behind them. What P&O charges for…
P&O Iona Cabins to Avoid, and Which to Book Instead
Iona has eleven cabin decks, and the difference between the best and the worst of them is a few pounds…
St Maarten Cruise Port Guide: Philipsburg, Maho Beach and the Two-Nation Island
One small island shared by two nations, Dutch and French: the duty-free boardwalk of Philipsburg, the famous low-flying jets over…
Santo Domingo Cruise Port Guide: The Zona Colonial, the First Cathedral and the Columbus Lighthouse
The oldest European city in the Americas, founded in 1498, opening off the ship on the Ozama River: the first…
Anguilla Cruise Port Guide: Road Bay, Shoal Bay East and the Beaches
A quiet, upmarket British island north of St Maarten, famous above all for its beaches: Shoal Bay East, Meads Bay,…
Celebrity Drinks Package: Classic, Premium and What They Cost
Celebrity sells three drinks packages, separated by a price ceiling per drink rather than a different bar list. What each…
St Barthelemy Cruise Port Guide: Gustavia, Shell Beach and the Swedish Forts
The chic, French corner of the Caribbean: the red-roofed yacht harbour of Gustavia, its luxury boutiques and waterfront dining, the…
Cruise Luggage Rules: Weight, Liquids and Hand Baggage
There is no cap on the number of bags, but each one is weighed at the terminal. What the limits…
Port of Spain Cruise Port Guide: Scarlet Ibis, Maracas Bay and the Home of Carnival
The southernmost Caribbean cruise island, off the Venezuelan coast and mostly below the hurricane belt: a working capital that gave…
MSC Voyagers Club: Tiers, Benefits and the Status Match
Six tiers, from Welcome at nought points to Blue Diamond at 25,000. What each level actually gives you, how the…
Kingstown Cruise Port Guide: the Botanic Gardens, Fort Charlotte and the Grenadines
The lush volcanic main island of the Grenadines, with a central berth in its working capital: the oldest botanic garden…
MSC Yacht Club: What Is Included and Which Ships Have It
MSC Yacht Club is a gated area on the upper decks with its own lounge, restaurant and pool, a butler,…
Southern Caribbean Cruise Guide: Barbados, the Pitons and the Spice Isle
Plan your Southern Caribbean cruise with confidence. Honest port logistics and day guides for Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, Grenada and…
MSC Drinks Package Prices: Easy, Premium Extra and What They Cover
MSC stopped publishing its drinks package prices, so the only figure that counts is the one behind your own booking.…
Things to Bring on a Cruise That Nobody Tells You About
The cheap household bits that solve cabin problems: clothes pegs, magnetic hooks, a sink plug, quiz pens and the rest,…
St Kitts Cruise Port Guide: Basseterre, Brimstone Hill and the Sugar Train
St Kitts was Britain's first foothold in the Caribbean, and wears the history openly: the great fortress at Brimstone Hill,…
NCL Gratuities and the Daily Service Charge: What You Pay
Norwegian charges US$20 per person per day in a standard stateroom and US$25 in The Haven, from age three up.…
Key West Cruise Port Guide: Duval Street, the Hemingway Home and the Southernmost Point
The end-of-the-road island at the bottom of the Florida Keys: Duval Street's bars and shops, Ernest Hemingway's house full of…
What to Take on a Shore Excursion: The Day Bag Checklist
What to pack for a day ashore, from the ship card and port agent number to sun cream, layers and…
Dover Cruise Terminal and Parking
Dover's cruise terminals sit beneath the White Cliffs, one a converted 1914 railway station. Which one you need, where to…
Grenada Cruise Port Guide: St George’s, Grand Anse and the Spice Isle
Grenada is the Spice Isle, and one of the prettiest arrivals in the Caribbean: St George's wraps around a horseshoe…
Royal Caribbean Drinks Package: Prices, the 20% and Whether It Pays
The bar bill on a Royal Caribbean ship arrives with a percentage attached that almost nobody budgets for. What the…
Cruise Cabin Steward: What You Can Ask For, Free of Charge
Extra pillows, split beds, ice, hangers and the other things your cabin steward will happily arrange for nothing, plus what…
Antigua Cruise Port Guide: St John’s, Nelson’s Dockyard and the Beaches
Antigua sells itself on a number: 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. It was Britain's great naval…
Cunard Gratuities: What the Daily Service Charge Costs and Covers
Cunard adds US$18 per person per night in Britannia and US$19 in the Grills, for guests of every age. What…
Montego Bay Cruise Port Guide: Doctor’s Cave Beach, the Hip Strip and Rose Hall Great House
Jamaica's resort-and-beach port and lively second city: the pale sand of Doctor's Cave Beach, the bars and shops of the…
Cruise Extra Charges: What’s No Longer Free on Board
Room service fees, shuttle charges, drinks small print and the other things that quietly moved from included to extra, line…
St Lucia Cruise Port Guide: Castries, the Pitons and Soufrière
No Caribbean island announces itself like St Lucia: the two Pitons rising straight from the sea, a drive-in volcano still…
P&O Drinks Packages: Classic, Deluxe and What They Cost
P&O sells four drinks packages, from £16 for soft drinks to £60 for Deluxe. What each one actually covers, the…
Cruise Hacks: The Tricks Seasoned Cruisers Actually Use
Real cruise hacks from seasoned passengers: magnetic walls, quiet venues, port day shortcuts and the small tricks that make a…
P&O Peninsular Club: Tiers, Points and What Each Level Gets You
How P&O's Peninsular Club works: the six tiers, the points behind each one, the onboard discounts, and which level finally…
Barbados Cruise Port Guide: Bridgetown, Carlisle Bay and the West Coast
Barbados is where most British Caribbean cruises begin, and the most British of the islands: Nelson in the square before…
Fixed or Anytime Cruise Dining? A UK Guide to Choosing
Fixed sitting or anytime? It is the one booking question that shapes every evening at sea. A plain guide to…
Cunard Drinks Packages: Signature, Premium and What They Cost
Cunard's new Signature Packages bundle drinks, wifi and dining credit from £60 a day. The collections compared, the per-drink ceilings…
Cruise Mistakes to Avoid: What Seasoned Cruisers Never Do Twice
The mistakes seasoned cruisers never make twice, from ship time and all-aboard margins to balcony rules and the quiet costs…
St Peter Port Cruise Port Guide: Castle Cornet, Victor Hugo and the Guernsey Coast
St Peter Port is one of the loveliest arrivals in the British Isles: a tiered granite town rising from the…
Cruise Cabin Upgrade Bidding: How It Works and Whether to Bid
A few weeks before you sail, an email asks whether you would like to bid for a better cabin. A…
When to Book a Northern Lights Cruise: Month-by-Month for UK Cruisers
The right month for a Northern Lights cruise depends on what you are prepared to trade. This guide walks through…
Norwegian Fjords and Northern Lights Cruise Route Guide: Bergen, Tromsø, Honningsvåg and the Coastal Route
From the temperate fjord country around Bergen up across the Arctic Circle into the auroral oval, where the Northern Lights…
Nordfjordeid Cruise Port Guide: Sagastad, the Myklebust Longship and Inner Nordfjord
One of the quietest arrivals in the fjords: the ship eases up the still inner arm of Nordfjord and a…
Trondheim Cruise Port Guide: Nidaros Cathedral, Bakklandet and the Old Town Bridge
A thousand years of Norwegian history begin at the end of the gangway: the Brattøra berth sits a short walk…
Honningsvåg Cruise Port Guide: North Cape, Magerøya and the 1885 Church
No cruise call in Europe reaches further north: the ship rounds Magerøya into a sheltered Arctic bay of painted wooden…
Tromsø Cruise Port Guide: Prostneset, the Arctic Cathedral and the Fjellheisen Cable Car
The capital of the European Arctic, wrapped around a sheltered strait between island and mainland. A guide to the Prostneset…
Haugesund Cruise Port Guide: Avaldsnes, Haraldshaugen and the Birthplace of Norway
A working quay on the inner harbour rather than a terminal, the white warehouses of Smedasundet reflected across the water.…
Hellesylt Cruise Port Guide: The Village Pier, Geirangerfjord Ferry and the Sunnmøre Alps
One of the most compressed calls in the fjords: a 143-metre pier sets you down 200 metres from a village…
Molde Cruise Port Guide: City of Roses, Varden Viewpoint and the Atlantic Road
One of the gentler Norwegian arrivals, the town strung along the Romsdalsfjord below the serrated wall of the Romsdal Alps.…
Skjolden Cruise Port Guide: Innermost Sognefjord, Urnes Stave Church and the Glacier Road
The head of the Sognefjord, the longest in Norway, reached only after a day spent threading cliffs that rise sheer…
Eidfjord Cruise Port Guide: Vøringsfossen, Hardangervidda and the Innermost Hardangerfjord
At the very head of the Hardangerfjord, where the water narrows to a glass-still arm below mountains climbing to the…
Olden Cruise Port Guide: Briksdal Glacier, Loen Skylift and the Head of Nordfjord
The call Norwegian fjord itineraries are built around: a deep-water pier at the head of Nordfjord, mountains sheer on both…
Cinque Terre From a Cruise Day: La Spezia, Pisa, or Both? A 2026 UK Guide
Your ship is in La Spezia for nine hours. Do you chase all five villages, pick two and slow down,…
Türkiye e-Visa for UK Cruise Passengers: 2026 Guide
What UK cruise passengers actually need for a Turkish port call in 2026. The short answer is a passport with…
Rovinj Cruise Port Guide: Venetian Istria and the Bell Tower on the Hill
A Venetian-Istrian old town on what was once an island: small ships tender into the Old Harbour below the bell…
Princess Drinks Package: What Plus and Premier Include
Book a Princess cruise and you are really choosing a fare, not just a drinks package. A plain guide to…
Zadar Cruise Port Guide: Gaženica Shuttle, the Sea Organ and a Day on the Peninsula
An Old Town on a slender limestone peninsula, ringed by Venetian walls and tipped with the Sea Organ that the…
Šibenik Cruise Port Guide: St James’ Cathedral, the Fortresses and a Day Trip to Krka
The approach alone is worth the call: a slow glide through the two-kilometre St Anthony's Channel past a UNESCO-listed fortress.…
Hvar Cruise Port Guide: Old Harbour Riva, the Fortica and Pakleni Islands
The town begins at the end of the pier: tenders set you onto a wide stone Riva with the cathedral…
Trieste Cruise Port Guide: Habsburg Seaport on the Upper Adriatic
A Habsburg seaport that looks transplanted from Vienna: your ship berths at the Stazione Marittima, a few minutes' walk from…
La Spezia Cruise Port Guide: Gateway to the Cinque Terre, Pisa and Florence
The workaday gateway at the head of the Gulf of Poets: a shuttle drops you at Molo Garibaldi, minutes from…
Istanbul Cruise Port Guide: Galataport, Sultanahmet and the Two Continents
Galataport opened in 2021 and put cruise ships back inside Istanbul, tying up at Karakoy with the Golden Horn on…
Iceland Cruise Route Guide: Round-Iceland Itineraries from Reykjavik and Southampton
A circle around a country larger than Ireland but home to fewer than four hundred thousand people, calling at towns…
Ísafjörður Cruise Port Guide: Westfjords, Dynjandi and Vigur Island
Ísafjörður is the capital of the Westfjords, a peninsula so far off the beaten track that Iceland's ring road never…
Akureyri Cruise Port Guide: Iceland’s Capital of the North
Akureyri lies at the head of Eyjafjordur, sixty miles short of the Arctic Circle, and the ship ties up within…
Reykjavik Cruise Port Guide: Hallgrimskirkja, Harpa, the Golden Circle and the Walk Into Town
Reykjavik berths ships at Skarfabakki, three kilometres from the centre, which makes the walk into town a genuine decision rather…
North Sea & Channel Cruise Route Guide: Southampton to the Continent
The shortest serious cruise you can sail from Britain: out of Southampton on a Friday evening and into a foreign…
Hamburg Cruise Port Guide: Speicherstadt, Elbphilharmonie and Miniatur Wunderland
Hamburg has three cruise terminals strung along the Elbe, and which one you berth at changes the day entirely: HafenCity…
Amsterdam Cruise Port Guide: A Day Ashore on the IJ
The Passenger Terminal Amsterdam sits ten minutes' walk from Centraal Station and twenty from Dam Square, giving ship passengers an…
ETIAS for UK Cruise Passengers: A 2026 Launch Prep Guide
The EU's ETIAS scheme launches in late 2026, adding a EUR 20 online authorisation for UK passport holders sailing into…
Zeebrugge Cruise Port Guide: Bruges, Ghent and the Belgian Coast
Zeebrugge is a container port with nothing to detain you, and everyone aboard is going to Bruges, 15 kilometres inland,…
Le Havre Cruise Port Guide: Paris, Normandy and Perret’s Reconstruction
Le Havre was flattened in 1944 and rebuilt in reinforced concrete by Auguste Perret, and the result is now UNESCO-listed,…
When Your Cruise Ship Breaks Down: Cancelled Ports, Compensation and Your Rights as a UK Passenger
Norwegian Bliss lost four Alaska ports to a propulsion fault in June 2026. Britannia turned back for emergency repairs in…
Round Britain Cruise Ports Ranked: A Comparative Guide
A comparative look at the twelve UK and Ireland ports that make up a typical round-Britain itinerary, ranked by walkability,…
British Isles Cruise Route Guide: Southampton Round-Britain
The rare cruise that leaves Southampton and, without a flight, strings together Belfast, the Hebrides, the Northern Isles and the…
Portland Cruise Port Guide: Jurassic Coast, Weymouth and Beyond
Portland Port sits at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, England's only natural World Heritage Site, where 185 million…
Falmouth Cruise Port Guide: Pendennis, Truro and the Cornish Coast
Falmouth sits on the third deepest natural harbour in the world, which is why it has been a working port…
Holyhead Cruise Port Guide: Snowdonia, Caernarfon and the Edwardian Castles of North Wales
Holyhead is on Anglesey, and the island is a gateway rather than a destination: Caernarfon and Beaumaris, two of Edward…
Lerwick Cruise Port Guide: Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head and the Shetland Capital
Lerwick is closer to Bergen than to Edinburgh, and Shetland's Norse inheritance is plain in the street names and the…
Kirkwall Cruise Port Guide: Skara Brae, St Magnus and the Neolithic West
Skara Brae was lived in five thousand years ago and is older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids at Giza,…
Invergordon Cruise Port Guide: Inverness, Loch Ness and the Highlands
Invergordon is a working deepwater port on the Cromarty Firth with very little to detain you in the town itself,…
Greenock Cruise Port Guide: Glasgow, Loch Lomond and the Firth of Clyde
The gateway to Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde: most passengers take the train into the city for the free…
Cobh Cruise Port Guide: Titanic’s Last Call, Cork City and Blarney by Train
Cobh was Titanic's last port of call, and the 123 passengers who boarded on 11 April 1912 left from the…
Cruise Tipping Etiquette Beyond Auto-Gratuity: A British Guide
Auto-gratuities only cover dining-room and cabin staff. Shore guides, butlers, spa therapists, room-service runners and bar staff sit outside that…
Belfast Cruise Port Guide: Terminals, Titanic Quarter & the Giant’s Causeway
A city remade in a generation, from the Harland & Wolff slipways to the bars of the Cathedral Quarter, with…
Dublin Cruise Port Guide: Alexandra Quay, Trinity College and a Day in the Irish Capital
One of the most rewarding capitals to spend a single day in: a compact Georgian centre, the Book of Kells,…
Liverpool Cruise Port Guide: Princes Parade, the Three Graces and Albert Dock
Liverpool ties up at Princes Parade directly in front of the Three Graces, which makes it one of the very…
Edinburgh Cruise Port Guide: Four Berths on the Forth and a Day in Scotland’s Capital
One of the most walkable capitals in Europe, the castle on its crag above the Old Town and the Georgian…
Choosing Your First Cruise by Destination: A British Beginners Guide
A British beginners guide to choosing a first cruise by destination, weighing the Western Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canaries, British Isles,…
Cruise Overbooking: How It Happens, What Cruise Lines Offer, and What UK Passengers Actually Get
Royal Caribbean oversold two Voyager of the Seas Alaska sailings in June 2026. P&O bumped a 25-year loyalty customer with…
Post-Cruise Stay: Extending Your Holiday in Disembarkation Ports
A cruise that ends in a city worth knowing is really two holidays sold as one. How to add two…
The Pool Chair Reservation Rule on Cruise Ships: How Each Line Actually Handles It
What happens when someone leaves a towel on a pool chair for three hours? A line-by-line look at chair-hogging policies…
Cruise Dining Dress Codes by Line: A 2026 UK Guide
A line-by-line guide to cruise dining dress codes in 2026, from Cunard's Black Tie evenings and Queens Grill formality through…
Solo Cruise Travel: A British Guide to Sailing Alone
A British guide to cruising solo: which lines waive the single supplement (Fred Olsen, Saga, Cunard), how dedicated solo cabins…
Visby Cruise Port Guide: The Medieval City Wall, Gotlands Museum and the Hanseatic Old Town
One of the most intact medieval towns in northern Europe, on the Swedish island of Gotland. A short walk from…
Gdańsk Cruise Port Guide: Long Market, the Main Town and Malbork Castle
The most rewarding cruise call in Poland, once you clear the logistics: the quay sits out at Westerplatte, a short…
Stockholm Cruise Port Guide: Stadsgården, Gamla Stan and the Vasa Museum
A capital spread across islands where the distances feel far shorter on foot and by ferry than they look on…
Kiel Cruise Port Guide: Ostseekai, the Laboe Memorial and a German Baltic Embark Day
One of the most walkable cruise terminals in northern Europe: the Ostseekai sits at the head of the fjord, minutes…
Tallinn Cruise Port Guide: Old City Harbour, the UNESCO Old Town and a Day in Estonia
The most concentrated Old Town on the Baltic run: the harbour sits a short walk, or one quick tram, from…
Riga Cruise Port Guide: Art Nouveau, the Old Town and a Latvian Capital on Foot
The most walkable of the eastern-Baltic capitals: the Passenger Terminal sits right on the Daugava embankment with the Old Town…
Klaipėda Cruise Port Guide: The Curonian Spit, Old Town and Lithuania’s Baltic Front Door
The smallest and most easily walked of the Baltic calls: the quay sits inside the city, a short walk from…
Baltic Sea Cruise Guide: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki and the Hanseatic Capitals
More national capitals than any other route in Europe, Copenhagen to Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga in a single week,…
Warnemünde Cruise Port Guide: Berlin Day Trip, Rostock Old Town and the Baltic Beach
The one Baltic call you can finish with sand on your shoes: the cruise centre opens onto a resort village…
Cruise Travel Insurance: What Standard Policies Miss and What to Look For
Standard travel insurance often leaves cruise passengers underprotected. Missed port cover, cruise interruption, medical evacuation from a ship at sea,…
Helsinki Cruise Port Guide: Suomenlinna, Senate Square and a Finnish Capital Day Ashore
The calmest of the main Baltic capitals to read from a ship: a clear grid and fast, English-signed transport make…
Cruise Gratuities Explained: What UK Passengers Need to Know
Cruise gratuities work differently to tipping in a UK restaurant. On most lines sailing from Southampton, an automatic daily charge…
Copenhagen Cruise Port Guide: From Oceankaj to Tivoli, Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid
The most-called cruise port in Northern Europe, equally a day stop and a fjord or Baltic turnaround. The thing to…
Ajaccio Cruise Port Guide: Napoleon’s Birthplace, the Calanques de Piana and Corsican Food
Ajaccio is Napoleon Bonaparte's birthplace, and his childhood home, the street names, and the outstanding Musée Fesch — which holds…
Villefranche Cruise Port Guide: Nice, Monaco and the French Riviera in a Day
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a tender port with a 13th-century covered street, a Baroque church, and harbour cafes — and it sits…
Cartagena Cruise Port Guide: Roman Theatre, Ancient Walls and a City of Layers
Cartagena's Roman Theatre, discovered by accident in 1987 beneath a decayed medieval quarter, is a 1st-century BC venue for 6,000…
Alicante Cruise Port Guide: Castillo de Santa Bárbara, the Explanada and the Costa Blanca
Alicante's Castillo de Santa Bárbara sits 166 metres above the port and is visible from the ship on approach —…
Vigo Cruise Port Guide: the Cíes Islands, Santiago de Compostela and Galician Seafood
Vigo's greatest asset lies just offshore: the Cíes Islands, a UNESCO-protected natural park of pale granite and intensely turquoise water,…
Making the Most of Sea Days: How to Actually Enjoy Time at Sea
Sea days divide cruisers sharply. Some love them, others dread them. Here's how to plan your time at sea so…
Porto Cruise Port Guide: the Ribeira, Port Wine Lodges and the Dom Luís Bridge
Porto's Ribeira district, a UNESCO-listed terrace of painted houses above the Douro, faces the port wine lodges of Vila Nova…
Cagliari Cruise Port Guide: the Castello Quarter, Pink Flamingos and Sardinia Explored
Cagliari's Castello quarter — a medieval hilltop neighbourhood of narrow lanes, Pisan towers, and ochre palaces — looks out over…
Palermo Cruise Port Guide: Street Food, Norman Palaces and the Markets of Sicily
Palermo is one of the most layered cities in the Mediterranean: Arab, Norman, Byzantine, and Baroque in the same city…
Messina Cruise Port Guide: Taormina, Mount Etna and the Strait
Messina is the nearest cruise port to two of Sicily's greatest attractions. Taormina, built on a cliff with a 3rd-century…
Genoa Cruise Port Guide: the Caruggi, Rolli Palaces and the Birthplace of Pesto
Genoa is the most underrated city on the western Mediterranean cruise circuit: a medieval labyrinth of lanes running directly to…