TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

A few weeks ago, I left Asheville, North Carolina, for Venice, Italy. Up to 18 inches of snow had blanketed the North Carolina mountains in the days preceding my flight. I was lucky to get out, connecting via Atlanta and Rome to Venice.
I wasn’t sure what to expect of a winter cruise around the boot of [...]

Dear Cruise Seller: As an experienced cruiser, with more than 150 sailings and counting, I present my six best tips to help your clients get the most from their cruises. The most controversial point, perhaps, is to book Business Class air on long-haul flights, because, of course, of the costs. Please read on, and share [...]

On board Costa Deliziosa en route to Florence, Italy.
After 24 hours on Costa’s brand new Deliziosa, two things become apparent:

Deliziosa feels like a Carnival Corporation ship, which, of course, it is. Those who have cruised Carnival Corp.’s other brands, particularly Carnival Cruise Lines or Princess Cruises, will feel at home on Deliziosa.
There are about 1,000 [...]

Holland America Line recently announced that it would bump up the number of sailings in Europe for 2011, but reading between the lines of the press release indicates that the increases are aimed primarily to serve source markets in Europe rather than significant increased demand from North America.
The press release cites increases in “sailings from [...]

The recent launch of two new cruise lines tied to the former Orient Lines brands, which operated one small, upscale cruise ship and focused on culture and history, suggests that there may be room to expand the niche cruise market.
Gerry Herrod, the founder of Orient Lines, is behind the launch of Voyages to Antiquity, a cruise line centered on [...]

I’ve just returned from a two-day preview cruise of Silversea Cruises’ newest vessel, the Silver Spirit. Several people have asked me what the on-board ambience is like. Simply, they want to know, What’s the vibe?
My initial characterization is that the vibe is energetic, and not in a tiring sort of way, as in the activity [...]

Göteborg, Sweden, December 16, 2009 — A blustery and frigid day in Sweden’s second largest city, as P&O Cruises Arcadia embarks bundled-up passengers returning from shore excursions. Temperatures are in the mid-30s (Fahrenheit), but the unrelenting gusts make it feel much colder.
Yes, it is true that Northern Europe is cold and dark during winter, but as someone [...]

Can a cruise line with no newbuilds in sight compete with ones taking on dazzling new ships every year? Can a luxury line compete on service alone when its rivals are taking part in a wave of new construction? The lines on the non-newbuild side of the equation say yes, and in fact, they contend [...]

[With all the news' emphasis on Oasis of the Seas during the past few weeks, I thought I would take the opportunity to write about the other new ship that was introduced in November, Carnival Dream, and the company behind it.]
When people ask what I do for a living, I tell them I am a [...]

Last month the two major Baltic turnaround ports reported that 2009 proved to be yet another record season. Copenhagen welcomed 520,000 cruise passengers on 330 ship visits. Stockholm rolled out the red carpet for 443,000 cruise passengers on 293 ship visits.
How do travel agents tap into the high passenger satisfaction rates and “better than average” [...]