Happy New Year!

On New Year’s Day people tend to recap what they did over the past year.  With bloggers, that often means reviewing the past year’s blogs or highlighting the best of.  This year I decided to let the readers pick for me.  Of the blogs I wrote last year, these top 10 got the most views.

Oceanview cabin with porthole window and drop down bunks

1. Cruise Ship Cabins on the MSC Divina

People like to see what the rooms look like on various ships, especially if they want to book a cabin on that particular ship.  The Divina is a fairly new ship, and the only one MSC has based year round in America so it gets a lot of attention.  Divina is a beautiful ship and often has great deals.

John Heald – the one in the suit

2. Interview with John Heald – Left Behind on a Cruise

John Heald is Carnival’s top cruise director. He’s very well-known, with his own blog and facebook page.  This was the fourth and most popular installment of a series of blogs based on an interview with him on the Breeze.  People often wonder what happens to those left behind when a cruise ship leaves port, and in the video on this blog he shares that information.

towel crocodile

3. Easy Towel Animals – How to Fold a Towel Crocodile

Just about everyone loves towel animals.  Sometimes they are hard to fold so it’s good to find one that’s easy.  The crocodile came from Bagus on the MSC Divina, and this blog includes a video of him folding one.

fire-breathing towel dragon

4. How to Fold a Fire Breathing Towel Dragon

Sometimes I invent my own towel animals, and this dragon was my masterpiece.  It’s not the easiest animal to make, but definitely one of the more impressive.  This blog includes photos and step-by-step instructions on how to make a towel dragon.

sometimes you see something really special when snorkeling – like this turtle

5. Snorkeling on Palancar Reef in Cozumel

Cozumel has some of the best shore excursions of any port.  We’ve been there several times and always find something different to do.  On a visit there on the Norwegian Pearl we had a 3 reef swim over snorkel excursion that turned out to be quite an adventure.

Cabin 9145  on the Divina has a double balcony and inside seems almost like a two-room suite

6. The Awesome Cruise Ship Cabin

On the Divina we had a very special cabin.  It’s categorized as a regular balcony cabin, but because of its location in the ship it has the long side rather than the short side parallel to the side of the ship, giving it a double balcony and almost two separate rooms.

Passengers on a skiff from the Wilderness Adventurer

7. Wilderness Adventurer

Not all cruise ships are huge and not all cruises take long journeys.  Small-ship expedition cruise ships like the Wilderness Adventurer take passengers for a whole different kind of cruise ship experience in nature or small ports where the big ships can’t go.

Afternoon Tea on Carnival Breeze

8. Carnival Cruise’s Afternoon Tea

One of the best-kept secrets on Carnival‘s ships is afternoon tea served on sea days.  Some of the most delightful treats you never see anywhere else on the ship are served at tea yet it is never very crowded.

the kayak launcher makes exploration by kayak easy

9. What is an Un-Cruise?

Un-Cruise Adventures has a fleet of small ships that take a limited number of passengers to places where larger ships can’t go.  From the wilds of Alaska to the warm waters of Hawaii or the Sea of Cortez this fleet has something for everyone including a heritage cruises on a replica of an early steamship.  They also have expedition vessels and yacht cruises.

trollies parked at Saxman Village

10. Ketchikan Trolley Tour

Ketchikan is a popular stop for Alaska cruises.  The trolley tour is a very affordable way to get out and see the area.  When on a cruise on Holland America‘s Westerdam with extended family it was a great choice for a large group because everyone could do it and it didn’t cost too much.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2015