Readers Jenn C. and Chuck H. from Dorchester, Massachusetts, recently sailed on the Norwegian Dream. Their seven-night cruise visited Mexico and Belize, where they went reef snorkeling and cave tubing. ... read more»

Welcome to our newest blog, Ship to Shore. I'm Erica Silverstein, SmarterTravel.com's Cruise editor, and I'll be bringing you news of all that's happening in the cruising world. ... read more»

The holiday season may be upon us, but the folks at Carnival are still hard at work. On Monday, the cruise line announced its intention to build a new ship. Today, Carnival has put three- to five-night cruises on sale. ... read more»

With all of the new air safety regulations, it can be a hassle to fly to your cruise port. To give guests another option, Princess is introducing motorcoach service from several Northeast cities to the Brooklyn cruise terminal. ... read more»

Europe cruising has been so popular that many lines have added ships to the region. But does the 23 percent capacity increase mean there are too many ships sailing Europe? ... read more»

Princess Cruises reports that a fire broke out in a passenger cabin on the Star Princess around 3:00 a.m. local time last night. One guest suffered a cardiac arrest and died, while 11 others experienced injuries due to smoke inhalation.
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Freedom is indeed a reality, and Royal Caribbean recently took delivery of the ship in Hamburg, Germany. The celebration kicked off a 15-day countdown (it's 14 now!) until the Freedom arrives in the U.S. ... read more»

Industry experts say that Alaska is one of the most popular cruise destinations. Yet Holland America is offering a one-week sale on these supposedly top-selling sailings. Procrastinators, thank your lucky stars and take advantage of these last-minute deals. ... read more»

Apparently size does matter. Norwegian Cruise Line has placed an order for three new mega-ships with shipbuilder Aker Yards. Each ship will carry 4,200 passengers, and 100 percent of the outside cabins will have balconies. The new ships will debut between 2009 and 2011. ... read more»

This is today's lesson about Key West: There is no reason to book most tours with the cruise line, and depending on what you want to do, perhaps no reason to book a tour at all. You can easily plan your day yourself and save money while you're at it. ... read more»