I’ve sailed on Holland America Line, Carnival, Virgin Voyages, NCL, MSC and Royal Caribbean cruise lines. I love each and every one, however, the only way to get “perks” on these cruise lines is to cruise with them frequently! Please keep in mind that all cruise loyalty plans are not created equal! Carnival VIFP loyalty program The Carnival Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program has great perks at the higher levels; priority boarding, cocktail party and free laundry. I’m Platinum on Carnival and do enjoy the perks! My favorite perk is priority boarding! Here’s the link to see all the ..read more

The Cruise Genius in Bimini! Virgin Voyages is offering a month-long voyage in the Med. Here’s the details from the Virgin Voyages website: “If you’ve been wondering if your work-life balance could use a little more life, we have the voyage offer for you. Introducing Scarlet Summer Season Pass — a month-long voyage aboard Scarlet Lady as she sails along the gorgeous Mediterranean. Inspired by Richard Branson’s belief and track record that brilliant work is best paired with a hearty dose of fun, experience for yourself how four weeks exploring coastal towns in France, Spain, and Italy migh ..read more

My wife and I recently returned from a 3 day pre-inaugural cruise that included travel agents and influencers (content creators) like myself. The ship is absolutely amazing. When you consider over 40 restaurants, over 20 bars, and the amazing venues, bigger is better! If you’re looking for a brand new ship that will be amazing for couples, families, groups, singles, you name it, the Icon of the Seas is the ship for you. Many YouTube videos say that you can’t drop off your luggage at Terminal A in Miami before you park, but that’s not true! I was able to drop off my luggage with a porter, then ..read more

As you probably know, MSC Cruises is relatively new to the American cruise market, and the online reviews are what they are. Yes, I was apprehensive about my December 3-7, 2023 MSC Seashore cruise, but my daughter told me to keep an open mind, and I did. I drove from my home in Jacksonville, Fl to the Port Parking Space in Port Canaveral. They offer great discounts, great customer service, clean transportation and fast drop off and pick up! After being dropped off at the terminal at 1:30 p.m. for my scheduled 2:00 p.m. boarding time, I immediately went up the escalator, was directed to stat ..read more

Scott Lara, President of MilitaryFares.com I had the opportunity to sail on the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Nov 1-5, 2023 and it was a cruise experience unlike any other. My brother in law and I drove 5 hours from Jacksonville, Fl to Miami anticipating a great adults only cruise. Speaking as a U.S. Navy veteran, I tend to keep an eye on the marine forecast to prepare myself for whatever weather may come up. Yeah, 17 foot seas and 30 mile an hour winds were on the horizon for our voyage. I chose to park at Garage G right across from Terminal V at the Port of Miami. This great location is a very ..read more

Frequent readers of my blog know that I’ve recently been appointed as President of MilitaryFares.com. It’s an honor to share my passion of travel with my service in the United States Navy to help fellow veterans, members of the military and their family members to receive deep discounts on travel. TheCruiseGenius at TRSCoral near Cancun This week, I return to one of my favorite Palladium Hotel Group resorts, TRS Coral and Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres. I’ll be reporting on the amazing Family Selection section of the resort! Keep in mind that Family Selection will be coming to the Kentanah reso ..read more

If you’re a veteran, active duty member of the military, or family member, I urge you to check out MilitaryFares.com! MilitaryFares.com works hard to bring you the deepest discounts on all your travel needs! We are expanding our website to include all-inclusive resorts and cruises! Speaking as a Navy veteran myself, I’m honored to be President of MilitaryFares.com and to share these deep discounts with you! Click on the link below for MilitaryFares.com! https://militaryfares.com/ The post Discounts on travel appeared first on The Cruise Genius (Scott Lara ..read more

As you know, I’m a U.S. Navy veteran, and that’s probably why I love to cruise so much! In addition, fans of TheCruiseGenius know that I also love all-inclusive resorts! I was recently appointed as President of online travel giant MilitaryFares.com to bring veterans, members of the military and their families great discounts on travel. I’m honored to accept this role and am excited to bring my passion for travel and the military together! Click on the link below for more details: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/people-opinions/cruise-expert-scott-lara-becomes-president-militaryfarescom The pos ..read more

Speaking as a Navy veteran, I’m always looking for discounts on travel. I’m proud to say that MilitaryFares.com is my choice for discounts on travel! Militaryfares.com is the leading online travel agency for active and retired US Armed Forces members. MilitaryFares.com finds the best flight tickets possible by comparing itineraries and routings from more than 650 airlines. With Militaryfares.com, you can quickly and securely search, book, and pay for flights and trips worldwide.  MilitaryFares.com has 300,000 hotel and holiday rentals for you to choose from and car rentals across all mode ..read more

The Cruise Kid As you may know, I’m Scott Lara of TheCruiseGenius.com. For years I’ve been telling my grandson Reed that I wanted to take him on a cruise! Well, we sailed on the Carnival Liberty Aug 4-7, 2023 and we had a blast! Reed had the opportunity to take a tour of the bridge and meet the Captain! He also loved the tour of the galley with the head Chef! The ship made port of call in Bimini and we enjoyed the Resorts World Bimini Beach Club! Reed (and his younger brother Cole) spent lots of fun time in Camp Ocean! Many thanks to cruise director Adam and all the Carnival staff for ma ..read more