cruises

Hurricane Irene's swath through the Caribbean this week probably left many of the no-longer paradise-bound wondering: Should I have taken out travel insurance? At the peak of hurricane season, even experts who usually shun the coverage say you should consider the policies.

For many Americans, an integral part of the holiday experience is travel. You may already know this if you were among the 42.2 million Americans that the American Automobile Association estimates hit the roads for Turkey Day this year. Unfortunately, travel can also be one of the pricier...

I was on a preview voyage of Norwegian Cruises' giant new cruise ship, the Epic, which begins sailing from Miami on July 10. The ship has made headlines not only for its size and glitz, but also because it introduces the Studio cabin, a stateroom class that liberates single travelers from the...

Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, the Epic, made national television by serving as the setting for NBC's coverage of the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on New York City's Hudson River, with appearances by Justin Bieber, LeAnn Rimes, a couple of cast members of Eclipse, and Nick...

Celebrity Cruise's Mercury finally left the port at Charleston, S.C. this week after three days of intensive cleaning. The scrubbing aimed to rid the ship of any traces of the intestinal illness that has hit more than 1,000 passengers over three consecutive sailings. The three-day cleaning...

This summer, for the first time in five years, I used Priceline.com (PCLN) to book a hotel room and rental car. Turns out, I am part of a trend. The online travel agency saw an increase in bookings over the summer. Now it forecasts sales in the current quarter rising 28 percent from last year's...

For years, whenever anyone has asked me for my advice about port excursions on a cruise, I have had the same advice: Don't pay for them. You can usually see a port more cheaply, quickly, and in more depth if you steer away from the clots of tour groups and do everything yourself. Never pay $100 and...

We're all learning how to use layaway again. Once a staple at your local Sears, the concept of buying products on monthly installments before you take them home, which was common in the days before credit cards enabled us to take home things we hadn't actually paid for yet, has made a comeback of...

Carnival Corp., which in 2007 was among the first cruise companies to implement a fuel surcharge when prices spiked, has announced it'll be one of the first to get out. For 2010 bookings on the company's six major lines (Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, and the Yachts of...

Well, here's a cool idea. I can't believe the federal government thought of it and actually made it happen.For Americans who travel a lot across borders by land or sea, say to Canada, Mexico, or on Caribbean cruises, the State Department is now issuing zippy little Passport Cards, which are sized...