Cruize Cast

This week is all about cruising in Italy. We discuss Italian cruise ports, the major sites and cities, and ideas for pre or post cruise side trips. Get planning advice for Rome, Venice, Florence, Ravenna, Naples, Ferrara and Padua with specific ideas for how to incorporate those destinations into your cruise. Cruise news features a newly named ship for Carnival, a new ship order for Norwegian and the sentencing of the Costa Concordia crew.

This week we discuss and detail Carnival Cruise Lines. We talk about the specifics to Carnival that might surprise you, things that you'll love, and the things about Carnival that some people find controversial. We provide tons of tips, suggestions and ways to enhance and get the most out of your Carnival Cruise vacation.

This week we discuss the growing trend of specialty restaurants at sea. We highlight our favorites, honorable mentions, least favorites and restaurants we'd love to try in the future. Cruise news features big moves for Carnival, both in leadership and ship deployment.

This week we discuss the laid-back Greek cruise ports of Katakolon and Corfu. We give details on the best attractions and things to do in each port with a little history. Food recommendations, shopping tips and touring advice are all highlighted. Of course, we give complete details on how to see the sites completely on your own. Cruise news features RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com and their recent cruise announcement.

We return this week with lots of cruise news featuring another new ship for Royal Caribbean, a pair of refurbishments from Carnival, ocean cruising for Viking and an odd situation at Celebrity. Jason and his father give a live ship review of the Norwegian Breakaway with details on entertainment, dining, ship features and much more.

Jason and guest, Darlene, discuss the tangible differences in luxury cruising, specifically Silverseas Cruise Line. We learn about the food options, staterooms, inclusions, and all the information you need to determine if luxury cruising is for you. Jason also interviews cruise director, Don Fluke, for an insider's perspective. Our news includes a new ship for Galveston.

This week we detail and discuss the newest ships coming on the scene as well as the extensive refurbishments taking place. The ships we discuss are the Norwegian Breakaway, Quantum of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Disney Magic, and Royal Princess. We talk about the features we are most excited about and what we are looking forward to.

Mike Faust from CruiseCurrents.com joins us to review Holland America's Eurodam. He details dining options and quality, staterooms, daily entertainment and nightly shows. Cruise news features some exciting announcements from Princess Cruise Lines and a peak at upcoming announcements from two cruise lines.

James and Jason break down each of their top five favorite cruise ports in the world with highlights and suggestions. Cruise news features sea trials for some new ships and the Oasis class in Europe.

We discuss a little bit of everything this week as Jason addresses some of the news topics which occured during his vacations. Our correspondent, Mark, provides a short review of the Azamara Quest and gives details from Cruise Shipping Miami, including a visit aboard the Carnival Breeze. Cruise news features a Viking River ship coming to the Mississippi, new European itineraries for Celebrity and safety upgrades for Carnival.