It’s now less than 12 weeks until the eagerly anticipated #BlogCampOnBoard!

On the 4th October 120 lucky bloggers, from across our four communities, will spend the day onboard the elegant MSC Preziosa, one of the newest ships in the growing MSC fleet.  Judging by how many of you who have applied for a place, cruising is VERY popular and so I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of your best cruise reviews.

For any non cruisers reading this, are you ready to be inspired to take a cruise on one of the Seven Seas?

Cruise Reviews

Tracy and her family from Pack the PJ’s have recently spent a day onboard MSC Preziosa.  If you fancy a sneaky peak of what’s in store for #BlogCampOnBoard check it out! Ship Review: Highlights MSC Preziosa

Cruise fanatic David shares cruise ship reviews, behind the scene tours and practical tips over on Reasons To Cruise.  One of his recent posts compares the latest high-tech family-friendly ship from MSC Cruises to Royal Caribbean’s alternative – MSC Cruises Meraviglia VS Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas.

Chris from Thinly Spread considers herself and her husband to be independent travellers.  They enjoy self catering whilst on holiday and like to seek out peace and solitude away from crowds of people.  It’s therefore fair to say that they are not your normal stereotypical cruisers, although they certainly sound like they enjoyed the cruising lifestyle and being waited on hand and foot in this beautifully illustrated review!  Cruising on Island Princess – Sea Days and Surprises.

Prepare to go green with envy when you read The Petite Cook’s experience onboard the inaugural voyage of  The Harmony of the Seas – The Biggest Cruise Ship in the World!  Andrea took her role as food blogger very seriously and thoroughly investigated the ships 20 onboard restaurants whilst onboard (what a great job!)  Whilst giving her stomach the chance to recover she chilled out here at the AquaTheater…

Bintu from Recipes From a Pantry shares her 7 reason to choose the Royal Princess from her recent press trip onboard Princess Cruises.  One of reasons I put on weight whilst working on cruise ships were the fabulous desserts so I can thoroughly relate to this quote!  “Peeps, I also wholeheartedly recommend a stop at the rather fabulous ice cream café.  The mahoosive sundaes, come in a gazillion flavours and are topped with whipped cream and various treats.  They are the best thing since sliced bread.  No lie.”

Wondering what a day onboard a cruise ship is actually like?  Lucy from On the Luce shares how she spent 24 hours of her Canaries cruise onboard one of my fav ships in this post – Cruise Life: A Day Onboard P&O Cruises Britannia.

Family Cruise Reviews

Emma from Island Living 365 shares her review of a multi-generational Christmas cruise around the Canary Islands with P&O Cruises – 7 reason to choose the Royal Princess.  Spoiler alert – They clearly had a great time as the family have already booked a cruise for Christmas this year!

Claire from Tin Box Traveller highlights the family-friendly facilities onboard the Carnival Vista is this informative post –  11 reasons Carnival Vista is a family-friendly cruise ship.  I particularly love the sound of the outdoor cinema screen, water slides and splash park!

Nikki from Yorkshire Wonders shares her experience of travelling with young children onboard Princess Cruises in this post – 7 reason to choose the Royal Princess.  She raves about the kids clubs, easy embarkation and nightly entertainment shows.

Nicola from Global Mouse Travels shares her experience of the numerous cruises she has taken with her family in this helpful post – All Your Questions About Cruising With Children Answered.  She admits at the beginning of the post that she was once sceptical about cruising with kids and now is a total convert.

Penny and family from Parent Shaped were delighted to be selected as ‘Carnival’s Funnest Family’ which involved a two week Mediterranean cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines, filming their family getting up to spooky mischief.  Penny shares the highlights of her family cruise in this entertaining post – Halloween on a Cruise as Carnival’s Funnest Family.

Tips and Advice for First Time & Seasoned Cruisers

On my blog, Travel Loving Family, I have shared my experience of running the shore excursions department onboard P&O Cruise ships – Exploring ashore: Booking shore excursions v’s sightseeing independently. I weigh up the pro’s and con’s of booking shore excursions through the ship and give examples of when it’s more practical to explore ashore independently.

Following on with the theme of port days, I love this collaborative post by Jamie at Explore with Ed – Cruise Bloggers Share Their Favourite Ports of Call including some of my all time favourite ports including Antigua in the West Indies, Norwegian Fjords and Cannes for St Paul de Vence.  Check it out if you are struggling to choose a cruise itinerary!

I love this post by Sanna from Vegan Cruiser 10 Reasons why I love to cruise – and why I think you would too.  I fully agree with each one of her points, particularly how cruising can be great value for money and how every night on a cruise is a date night.  This quote sums up evenings onboard perfectly –  “On a cruise, even if you have been exploring the port in casual gear, each night you get to dress up for a wonderful dinner prepared for you – no cooking involved. And it is not just the dining that makes a cruise nights special…but the fact that dining is followed by live music in the various bars or theatre shows, comedy shows and dancing in the night club after. Date night. Each night. That is a win.”

Sarah from Extraordinary Chaos is a self confessed cruise addict. She shares her expertise in this post – How to Identify the Best Cruise Ships for Families. Her tips include researching the best cabins for families, the best facilities for toddlers, tweens, teens and considers the best dining options for families.

Laura from Life With Baby Kicks shares insights into her first cruise in this post – Why We Became Cruise Converts.   I can completely relate to why Laura and her husband decided to book their first cruise as cruising truly is an easy and hassle free way to travel with kids… “A cruise is something we have talked about and mulled over time and time again.  The appeal of not staying in one place, really getting chance to explore the Caribbean, without the hassle of packing up and cart two children around on trains, planes and automobiles spoke to our wanderlust side.”  

 

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Thanks to everyone who submitted cruise articles for this roundup.  My sincere apologies for not being able to include everyones, I was inundated with inspirational cruising posts.  Please note if you haven’t as yet registered your interest in #BlogCampOnBoard you have until 5pm on the 31st July to apply for a place.  Best of luck to you!