The 11 Best Cruise Blogs

There are a lot of great travel blogs out there but not a lot that deal exclusively with cruise vacations. Here is a list of my favorites, in no particular order, along with the names of their writers and what they have to say about themselves. These are 10 great cruise blogs that anyone half-way interested in cruise vacations should take a look at, probably every day.Some of these writers I have met, others not but all share a passion for cruise vacations that is undeniable. For good cruise vacation information, these are the ones to read. They’re also some of the best ones to follow on Twitter so I included their Twitter handles too. In fact, if you made a list called “Cruise Experts” every one of these would make great additions.

  1. USA Today’s The Cruise Log-Gene Sloan- “I oversee USA TODAY’s Cruise Log (cruises.usatoday.com), an online site where cruise fans can blow hours at a time talking about cruising. It’s just my latest gig as a travel writer, an occupation that has kept me on the road more than 1,200 days over the past 15 years as I’ve written about everything from cruising to trekking in the Peruvian Andes” (@CruiseLog)
  2. CruiseCritic blog-Carolyn Spencer Brown and a host of others- “Sometimes the juiciest info we come across as we report on all things cruise related simply can’t make it into the “real” stories we produce on the Web site every day. But we’ve got space here to share with you outtakes, random observations, occasional glimmers of inspiration, and other stuff – so we hope you’ll not only visit often but also join in the conversation.Who’s on the Cruise Critic team? Our key bloggers will be London-based Sue Bryant (SJB), Cruise Critic’s contributing editor, and Carolyn Spencer Brown (CSB), the site’s editor in chief. Jamey Bergman (JAB), Cruise Critic’s U.K.-based web producer, Dan Askin (DA) and John Deiner (JD), our managing editor, will also be jumping onboard as will occasional guest bloggers.”
  3. John Heald’s Blog-John Heald- “I started this blog when a lady called Stephanie said “Oh John, please write a blog, it will only be for a week and won’t take up much of your time.” That was back in 1492 and here I am still writing in the same pair of underpants. I am Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador, and I am here to share my life with you in all its boring and sometimes toilet-based glory.” (@CarnivalCruise)
  4. Avid Cruiser– Ralph Grizzle- “I began my journalistic career at the age of 32, following the conclusion of my ‘sabbatical decade.’ From 1980 through 1990, I bicycled across America, pedaled through Europe and island-hopped the South Pacific. After backpacking through Bali, bussing through Java, hopping a boat to Singapore and crossing Malaysia to Thailand, I flew into Burma, tramped to Dhaka and endured a 32-hour train ride from calamitous Calcutta to bustling Bombay. From there, I hopped a plane for Greece and traveled to Switzerland before returning home, where I settled, quite naturally, into a career of travel writing.” (@avidcruiser)
  5. Captain Greybeard– (this is the plus one- Sheesh, how could I forget?) “John Honeywell is a cruiseaholic and addicted to traveling the oceans. Any day at sea is better than a day in the office” (@CaptainGreybeard)
  6. Expert Cruiser-“Anita Dunham-Potter is a cruise journalist and consumer advocate. Her articles offer advice and insight for travelers that want all the facts to be informed. Dunham-Potter is Tripso’s and MSNBC.com’s cruise ombudsman. In addition to the aforementioned columns on MSNBC.com and Tripso she has penned numerous columns for the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Princess Cruises, Fodor’s , Smarter Travel, along with numerous trade publications.” (@ExpertCruiser)
  7. About.com– Linda Garrison- “Cruises are a great vacation for almost everyone who loves to explore new places, meet new people, eat good food, and seek new horizons. My goal is to provide the About.com Cruises Web site visitor with all the information necessary to plan and enjoy the cruise experience as much as I do. In addition to general information on cruise planning, the site is rich in cruise news, cruise specials, and cruise photos and information on cruise ships and cruise destinations around the world.” (@AboutCruises)
  8. Royal Caribbean Blog-“We’re big fans of taking cruises and over the years, we’ve grown fond of cruising with Royal Caribbean and our favorite thing to do when we’re not actually on a Royal Caribbean cruise is to share our passion for cruising on Royal Caribbean with other fans.Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.”
  9. Ship Critic blog– Anne Campbell- “ShipCritic Blog is a labor of love by Anne Campbell, a journalist who has been covering the cruise industry since 1993. Why a blog? This newfangled technology is the best way of interacting with cruisers, both first timers and veterans, who also share a passion for seeing the world by ship.” (@ShipCritic)
  10. 50 Essential Experiences, The Travel Bucket List– Princess Cruises- “Few people have seen more of the world than Princess Cruises’ own destination experts. In the past 45 years that Princess ships have been sailing to all seven continents, many of our longest-serving shipboard and shoreside employees have logged thousands of sea and air miles visiting hundreds of countries, cities and sites. We’re often asked, “You’ve seen it all. What places do I really need to have on my travel bucket list?” Below, on a weekly basis for the next year, many of our 15+ year employees will share their inspirational stories that make up our 50 essential travel experiences. Enjoy the journey!” (@PrincessCruises)
  11. Frommers Cruise Blog– Matt Hannafin- “Matt Hannafin is a freelance writer, editor, and musician based in Portland, Oregon. Author of Frommer’s Day by Day Vancouver & Whistler and coauthor of Frommer’s Cruises and Frommer’s European Cruises, he also freelances for numerous newspapers, magazines, and websites and was a major contributor to the recent bestseller 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die. He still pines for his hometown of New York, NY, but is getting used to the Pacific Northwest now that he’s bought a good raincoat.