A drinks package can easily add $1,000 or more to the cost of your seven-night cruise. They've become popular and cruise lines push cruisers hard to buy them, arguing they’re great value, but are they really? And who exactly should, and should not, be buying them and why? I highlight how to avoid falling into traps that so many cruisers do with drinks packages. Links mentioned in the video: * Drinks Package calculators: https://www.cruzely.com/cruise-line-drink-package-calculator/ and https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/cruise-drinks-package-calculator/

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Until recently I used to think of myself as a self-aware and understanding cruise passenger, but that changed after I caught up with some crew members I know over dinner on a recent cruise. They told me there are 6 things blissfully unaware passengers keep doing that really wind the crew up, but most passengers don’t realise they are doing it as crew members have to hide their frustration when they do these. I want to reveal these so you can avoid doing these from here on.

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I noticed that more cruisers than ever are staying on board their cruise ship rather than getting off in ports to self-explore or go on excursions. With many changes in ports and on ships in recent years, I too have started remaining on board in more ports too. There were even two cruises in the last year where I did not get off the ship in any port at all! What is going on? And why and when should you also make the smart choice to stay on board in port?

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I'm constantly asked if I think that cruise lines are worse now than they used to be. After analysing how cruisers are rating them right now, the answer seems to be mostly yes. I've poured over the online reviews and ratings of 25 of the biggest cruise lines aimed at English-speaking cruisers over the last nine months. A staggering 20 of them are being rated lower than ever before, with just two being rated higher. Welcome aboard, I am Gary Bembridge and to make my findings as helpful as possible for you, I'm going reveal the current best and worst rated lines right now in each of the 5 categories the cruise industry uses: Mass Resort lines, Premium Lines, Small Ship Luxury Lines, Ultra-Luxury Lines and Local-focused Lines.

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As I don’t want to waste my precious time and money on a European river cruise line that isn’t on top of their game, I've been diving into the latest cruise reviews and ratings, to see what lines are doing well and, maybe more importantly, what lines we might need to approach with more caution. There are 5 lines you should be wary of and they include some of the best-known names on the rivers of Europe. I was surprised about the first of the lines on the lower-scoring list as I had expected them to be rated better.

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As a HUGE fan of them, and because I see only a small percentage of passengers going to many of them, and as I think too many are missing out on one of the best culinary experiences on a cruise, I’m going to let you in on my list of the best included afternoon teas at sea, so you too know where you can indulge in this fantastic experience.

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Looking at reviews before heading off on Seabourn Venture, one of the new expedition ships from the ultra-luxury Seabourn line, I was concerned when I saw recent reviews calling it disappointing, saying it had unappealing food, the entertainment was abysmal, and the decor felt downscale versus other Seabourn ships. This is what I discovered when I went.

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I look at 5 things that no-one, including cruise lines don't like to talk about, when it comes to cruise ship cabins - and why and how it is affecting the way passengers like you cruise and ingenious ways that the choices cruise lines are making on cabins means people are paying more to go cruising.

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It is a great time to be cruising if you are a family with kids. But if you’re looking for kid-free cruising it is getting harder than I have ever known it to be. In this video I talk about guaranteed adult-only cruise lines and ships, how to minimise your chance of having kids on a cruise on non-adult only lines, and if you're on a cruise line with lots of kids, what can you do if you want a more adult-only experience.

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I decided to see how today’s travellers spending their own hard-earned money river cruising in Europe are rating the lines on review sites. I quickly discovered the rankings were not as I expected them to be and were different to those of the magazines and sites. So, I let you in on the top 8 traveller best rated river cruise lines right now, and why.

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Reports of an incident of passengers breaking cruise rules with costly consequences, got me thinking about what cruise rules I see being broken often. It struck me that some rule breaking bothered me and some did not, for while they might have nasty consequences for those involved many do not directly affect my cruising experience. I wondered if everyone felt the same. So, I did a poll of cruisers and discovered there’s 6 key rules that when broken drive cruisers crazy more than any others, and in this video I reveal what they are and why they drive other cruise passengers crazy.

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