The Cruise Genius (Scott Lara) Interested in booking a cruise or all-inclusive resort vacation? Be sure to Email: slara1961@gmail.com

One of the top questions I get as a travel agent and member of the travel media is, “Should I buy my cruise shore excursions directly from the cruise line or through a 3rd party?” One of the main concerns is will a 3rd party provider get me back to …

My wife Marty (the Martster) and I have over 100 days on Holland America Line and 75 days on Carnival, but it hit me the other day that my mom has never been on a cruise. My family was raised in Aurora, Illinois about 40 miles west of Chicago. I …

Well, tomorrow we return to Ft. Lauderdale but at least we have one remaining SeaDay on the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam. As I’ve previously mentioned, Marty and I have sailed on her sister ship the Eurodam many times. We really enjoy this class of ship because of the Tamarind restaurant. …

It’s hard to believe that this 7 day cruise is quickly coming to an end! Today we anchored off of Grand Cayman near the Carnival Breeze and the Regal Princess. We arrived about 7:30 am, but Andy the Cruise Director insisted that if we weren’t on a shore excursion we …

Marty and I have visited Amber Cove 3 times in the past and it’s one of our favorite ports of call. Once again we hit the gym early and then headed to the Lido buffet. To save a few dollars, I grabbed a couple of wrapped chicken salad sandwiches and …

Marty and I always try to hit the gym each day on our cruises. Unfortunately, many passengers return from their cruise as cargo! My fitness coach Wendy Townsend and my close friend Doug Parker of Jacksonville-based Cruise Radio have inspired me to take the stairs and not go overboard (pun …

The next day after we sailed from Ft. Lauderdale, we woke up to amazing glass like seas at Holland America’s Half Moon Cay. We ate breakfast in the Lido buffet and quickly headed to the tenders when Andy our cruise director gave the ship the green light to leave the …

My wife Marty and I have over 100 days on Holland America Line (HAL), but we haven’t sailed on HAL for over a year! We found a great price on our Nov 4th cruise which included Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Grand Cayman! Many of these ports …

My wife and I just returned from a memorable cruise on the Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam. What I found to be amazing was the technology of the TV in the cabin! Along with many other features, you can also see the menus in every one of the dining venues …

After several years of not sailing on HAL, Marty and I will sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sat, Nov 4th. The main reasons we love Holland America is fewer kids, 5-star service and food, larger that usual size cabins and the smiles of the crew!   We enjoy HAL …