Planning a cruise doesn’t start when you pack your suitcase. For us, it usually starts weeks — sometimes months — before we ever step on the ship. Of course, that gets a little more interesting when we book last-minute cruises like we’ve done a few times recently. And for this upcoming Norwegian Bliss sailing? We’re…
Updated June 16, 2026 Melanie recently posted a video about us learning about — and eventually embracing — the cruise duck tradition. After a few questions about what we brought, we figured we would share the actual items we bought for anyone who is interested. This is not meant to be a full explanation of…
Updated June 16, 2026: We refreshed this article with updated packing notes, current product links, and clearer guidance on which cruise essentials keep earning space in our bags. There are a lot of “must-have” cruise packing lists out there, and plenty of them are full of things people buy once, pack once, and never use…
Some travel traditions are planned. Others just sort of happen. On our cruises, one of the traditions that developed naturally is something simple that has become one of our favorite parts of each trip: Melanie makes themed cruise lanyards for every cruise we take. What started as a small sewing project has slowly turned into…
When we booked this four-night Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Dawn, we were genuinely curious how we’d feel about the ship. In the last year, we had cruised twice on Norwegian Bliss and once on Norwegian Escape — both larger ships with a more modern feel, bigger venues, and more “wow” spaces. The Dawn is…
