This week we discuss Italy and why it is our favorite cruise destination.  We feature tips and advice for port cities as well as pre and post cruise suggestions.  Learn all about Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples, Ravenna, Ferrara, and Padua. Cruise news features a newly named ship for Carnival, a new ship order for Norwegian, and the sentencing of the Costa Concordia crew.

James and Jason count down and discuss their top five favorite cruise ports from all over the world.  Cruise news features sea trials for two new ships and an Oasis-class ship in Europe.

We continue our popular Mediterranean Cruise Port series with a day in Athens as we take you from the cruise port, into town to tour what we think are the best sites using public transportation, giving suggestions for lunch and shopping, then back to the cruise port.  We feature the Acropolis Museum, the Acropolis, Mars Hill, the Agora, the Placa and the National Archaeological Museum of Greece. 
We also provide a suggestion for a less complicated option on the Piraeus Express. 

Cruise news features stories from Carnival and the addition of three ships for Windstar. A listener question leads to a discussion about the summer placement of cruise ships in the United States.

Jason tells us all about his upcoming South America cruise on the Azamara Quest.  We discuss Azamara Club Cruises, the itinerary, and expectations.  The cruise news features an in-depth discussion of the drink packages including the recent controversy, a video of the Carnival Sunshine and Zumba fitness program on Celebrity and Norwegian.

This week we break down the United States cruise home ports and share our favorite reason to cruise from each of them. Cruise news features stories of all-inclusive packages from Carnival and a new European port for Royal Caribbean.

This week our new co-host, Jason Leppert of popularcruising.com, shares his recent experience on the Viking Freya river cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg. He details the ports he visited along the Danube and explains the differences between river and ocean crusing, as well as similarities.  Cruise news features the new Oasis-class ship with name speculations and expanded kids programs on the Royal Princess.

Direct mp3 Download http://traffic.libsyn.com/cruizecast/Viking_River.mp3

Disneyland is our topic this week, and we think it makes an excellent add-on for a cruise from Southern California. We give plenty of details from the theme parks with advice for accommodations and the ideal families for this option. We also share our favorites and discuss some of the differences at Walt's original park. Cruise news features stories from Livorno, New Orleans and Carnival.

This week we recap our recent vacation with surprises, disappointments, and favorite moments.  Cruise news features tons of new ship announcements, a review of the new Celebrity Reflection and a policy change from Royal Caribbean.

This week we give you a preview of our upcoming European trip and Eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Crown Princess. We highlight the ports and cities we'll see along the way and guess at which ones will be our favorites and least favorites.

This week we discuss a cruise port that is not very frequented, but we think provides a great opportunity to combine a historical vacation with a cruise in the United States.  We have a lot of news today with stories of new dining and alcohol packages from Norwegian and Carnival, plus possible hurricane Issac.