THE CRUISE INSIDER

The British auxiliary steamer SS Ceylon made cruising history in 1881 by being the first ship in history to not only take on a full-time...

Hip hip Hooray! My blog has come of age! Only one year in and sixteen colorful stories from cruise history down already. That only goes...

Miami, Florida – June 1950 It is a Friday afternoon in Miami Old Port. At Pier 2 sailaway festivities are in full swing for an 88m /...

Cruising under sail is not a new thing. When the commercial leisure cruise phenomenon was born in the 1840’s, ocean shipping was in the...

It was like American cruising but the buffets had a lot more borscht and cabbage in them. It was like American cruising but the bars had...

For more than 40 years a 'covert' cruise operation was running on the border of Europe and Asia Minor – a large one with a substantial...

Imagine a school where you learn French one day and the next you are in downtown Marseille putting your new skills to the test. Learn...

In the 1930’s arose a cruise company – literally out of nowhere – that went on to dominate the European cruise market in terms of volume....

If you are a contemporary cruiser you probably think that ‘booze cruise’ describes that time you took the Fiesta party boat in Cozumel...

The yacht! – the word itself is elitist and exclusive. If you saw it in print for the first time, how would you even know to pronounce it...

In the sparsely documented realm of cruising history there is no shortage of ships claiming the title of world’s first cruise ship for...

The first real luxury cruise in history. The first leisure cruises in history were spartan affairs by today’s standards – the only...

Or How bananas pioneered Caribbean cruise tourism! The next time you eat a banana, take a moment to appreciate that you are likely...

Or the birth of 'the Everyman Cruise'. When I announced I was going to work on cruise ships in 1999, the jovial response from friends was...

Ever been to Alaska? You should totally go! It is stunningly beautiful up there, the wildlife is amazing, locals are so hospitable and...

Or The (real) First World Cruise in History! Wikipedia and other select sources will have you believe that the first around-the-world...

Legacy of a travel writer On June 8, 1867, a young(ish) American journalist with a magnificent moustache drags himself and his hangover...

How old is cruising as a leisure travel product? – When did the first paying guests venture out to sea for no other reason than the...

Cruising as a commercial leisure phenomenon has existed for more than 175 years! I bet you didn’t know that. And you would not be alone;...