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Helloooooo, party people! Happy Monday and early Travel Tuesday! How is everyone doing? Whew! So I see I missed a post last week and I'm so sorry for that. I was having some internet issues and then tonight Baltimore turned into Niagara Falls and got poured on with rain, rain and tornadoes! Yeah... it got real here in Charm City. I almost lost To-To, but I'm glad to say I'm I'm safe and all is cruisetacular in my bachelor pad! So last we spoke, I told y'all I was getting ready for my next cruise aboard Carnival Glory. Well, I went, I'm back and had a blast! I don't even know where to begin. From losing my voice, to staying up with my fam 'til 4:30am eating pizza, to breaking my shoe because I danced too hard in the club one night, my most recent cruise was truly one of my better and more memorable voyages! Gosh, it's a blast cruising with family and friends, wouldn't you agree? I could tell you so much more BUT I think the following videos will give you a better first-hand recap than a few paragraphs in this post can. Check out these funny videos from my cruise! You'll REALLY see what a cruise with me is like, how my family cuts-up on a cruise AND why cruising with the Fords is more fun! ? Click here to see my entire album from the cruise on my Facebook Fan Page! The Pre-Cruise Show: Carnival Glory LIVE from Carnival Glory: The Party is Here! LIVE from Carnival Glory: I've Got Burnt Feet! LIVE from Carnival Glory: I Broke My Shoe LIVE from Carnival Glory: Let's Do Laundry Night Club Groovin' w/ CM3K Carnival Glory Sailaway, May 31, 2013 Karaoke Fun on Carnival Glory The Post-Cruise: Carnival Glory Atrium Party Aboard Carnival Glory And I have a BIG announcement to make! Next Thursday night, June 20, 2013, I will be hosting a cruise chat session ALL ABOUT BERMUDA here at CruiseCrazies! The details will be forth coming on the site this week, so stay tuned for all the details! As Always, you're cruisetacular for reading! Until we talk ship again next Monday, keep cruising and grooving, y'all! Much Love--Shon!

So have y'all been keeping tabs on what's been going down here at the Port of Baltimore between Carnival Cruise Line and the EPA? Well let me bring you up to speed: D-R-A-M-A! Before I give y'all the 411, let me just plug a personal anecdote in. Is that okay? Alright, so a few weeks ago I began looking at cruises to Bermuda from Baltimore (since it's only 15 minutes from my driveway). I was hopeful that Carnival would send Carnival Pride back to Bermuda... but when I pulled up her sailing schedule, it's only posted until April 2014 which had me raising an eyebrow (especially since Royal Caribbean has Grandeur of the Seas' sailings posted until next fall). So I tweeted the Carnival Public Relations team and they told me they would get back to me on if they'll be going to Bermuda next summer. THEN I see something interesting in the Baltimore Sun about a week and a half later that pretty much stated Carnival Cruise Line has threatened to leave the Port of Baltimore all together! Say what? I KNOW! So now I'm just really at a loss for words. Okay so here's what happened that's causing this "possible threat", three letters: E-P-A. Yeah, so the EPA told Carnival they had to get Carnival Pride burning some cleaner fuel in order for her to continue to moor here in Charm City (which I get and am okay with). But Carnival instead of agreeing with this new mandate has threatened (again, I say threatened and not confirms) to leave the Port of Baltimore. As a resident and tax payer to the state, I am all about having cleaner air to breath here in Maryland. And the inner cruise ship lover in me wants to see Carnival Pride stay in Baltimore, but if Carnival wants to leave... let them! So our Governor, Martin O'Malley (D), has intervened on Carnival's behalf. He wants to see Carnival to stay, but from what I'm reading in reports from the Baltimore Sun, he is trying to get the EPA to lessen the regulation so Carnival will stay (which has many Mary;and residents upset). Carnival's argument is that if they make the enhancements needed to see that Carnival Pride burns cleaner fuel while in Maryland, they would then front the money to passengers who sail from Baltimore; stating an increase of around $5.00 per person. This is a story that is continuing to unfold so check back for an update from yours truly on this shocking news. In the mean time, check out the posted article in the Baltimore Sun and watch this video giving you my 2 cents on this. Until we talk ship again, keep cruising and grooving!

Happy Monday, cruisetacular peeps! I hope you all have been enjoying the cruising stories I've shared over the past few weeks. I'm gonna take a break from them today, but know I'll have many more in the weeks and months ahead. In fact, I just finished my blog-writing schedule last night for the duration of 2013 and it's hard to believe another year is getting ready to close on us. Whew! Time is flying, wouldn't you say? I noticed a trend on my side of town and was wondering if you all have the same thing happening where you live? I was going through my closet the other day and realized I have an overabundance of cruise ship t-shirts. Many I wear to the gym, some I use as clothing changes when doing videos for my Youtube Channel and others are archived in plastic because they're so vintage. I have Carnival Cruise Line's m/s Celebration's inaugural cruise tee, Celebrity Cruises' m/v Horizon graphic tee and even Norwegian Caribbean Line's (now Norwegian Cruise Line) s/s Norway on a tee (you can view here). Many of you may have seen these shirts in a few videos I've done, but if you do the math something doesn't quite add up... Many of you may wonder how do I own shirts of cruise ships that are older than me? How did I find them? Where did I find them? Well, the answer lies in a hidden gem in my neighborhood - my local thrift store. Seriously, I find so many cool cruise momentous in there! It came as a suggestion from a friend of mine one day and ever since, I've been going there looking for cruise tees and sporting them like no tomorrow. Do you shop at thrift stores? I know many people "look down" on 'em, but they are truly loaded with treasures many others have trashed (you know how the saying goes). Feel free to share what you've found that's cruise related, in your local thrift store below. And if you've never been to one, you now have some motivation to not just look for tees, but also mugs, pins and host of other cruise collectibles (you never know what you'll find)! Keep cruising and grooving and be sure to rock your new 'thrifty cruise finds' along the way! See ya next Monday with more cruisetacular coverage!

Hey, y'all! Thanks for coming back this week to get the full 411 as to why I picked Carnival Breeze and Norwegian Epic as my two favorite cruise ships afloat. I was reading some of your comments from last week's post and saw an overwhelming love and support for ships in the Princess Cruises fleet. So is it safe to assume that 1.) Many of you are happy I'm gonna be sailing Grand Princess for the holidays and 2.) Many of you are experts at "Escaping Completely" and can help a brotha out? I'll definitely be asking for your input as I prepare to sail with Princess in just less than two months... stay tuned, y'all! Alright, so here's why I picked Carnival Breeze and Norwegian Epic... it boils down to two words: food and entertainment. It seems these two things get the most hype when sailing the high seas now-a-days, right? Let's see... which ship should I start with? I'll keep things in ABC order, so Carnival Breeze is on deck first. Between Breeze and Epic, I'd have to give the food award to Breeze and the entertainment honor to Epic. On Carnival Breeze, you've got so many options to pick from (dare I say this), it has a Norwegian Cruise Line feel (I know, I felt the Earth stop spinning for a second too). There's the Blue Iguana Cantina serving up some great burritos, Guy's Burger Joint dishing out the best burgers I've ever had (which is by far my fave aboard), freshly made sushi, and of course the Carnival staples of 24/7 pizza and ice cream. They've got stations for salads, Asian favorites and even tandoori cuisine on lido; but the reason I love lido on Carnival Breeze so much is because they have a special area just for deserts (perfect for my fellow sweet teeth cruisers). In addition to the two dining rooms aboard -- Sapphire and Blush -- you'll also find palate satisfaction at SeaDogs (hot dogs) and Fat Jimmy's (BBQ)! When it comes to the entertainment capital of the high seas (which is what many refer to Epic as), The Blue Man Group, Second City Comedy Troupe, Legends Live in Concert, and many other entertainment acts head-line every night on-board keeping passengers of all ages asking for more. Norwegian Epic also sails with Nickelodeon at Sea on-board! This is a great addition allowing kids of all ages to see some of their favorite cartoon characters. Norwegian Epic does require something other ships within the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet do not, and that is reservations in excessive amounts. In order to attend any of the fabulous shows I mentioned above, dine in one of the specialty restaurants, attend the circus, or chill-out in the 17 degree ice bar, reservations are needed. And that is why I named this blog post as, 'Carnival Epic or Norwegian Breeze' because for me, the perfect cruise ship would be a hybrid of the two. Have any of you sailed on either of these ships? Do you have two ships you like a lot and would love to sail if a hybrid version existed? Which ones are they? Feel free to tweet me or post your thoughts in a comment below! Until we talk ship again, keep cruising and grooving!

Carnival Triumph re-entering U.S. waters in Mobile, Alabama. Photo Credit: gCaptain What happened was truly unfortunate. The conditions on-board I can't even begin to fathom -- from having no air conditioning, to the exposure many had to bodily waste, and having to use bags as lavatories truly could evoke testing times... but let's look put things in perspective. This was an incident that falls back on Carnival Cruise Line 100%, no doubting that. But Carnival handled this like the crisis management pros they are.Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation and Carnival Legend --who also sail Western Caribbean waters-- were dispatched to aid Carnival Triumph with food, supplies and even transportation of passengers with pre-existing medical conditions that needed assistance. They gave everyone their money back, transportation back home and post-cruise hotel arrangements, motor-coach bus service and even additional monetary compensation for this disaster. Did I mention Carnival's CEO Gerry Cahill flew to Mobile, Alabama, boarded Carnival Triumph and personally apologized to the passengers and crew in person, can you say cruise hero? Truly amazing! Now Here's My 2 Cents... One report I read stated there were about 45 people on-board who had Bible Study and said the encouragement they had in their time with the Lord while stranded at sea, gave them hope that they would return back home just fine. I was so elated to hear of this because as a cruiser who has also been on ships where catastrophes have happened and being a follower of Jesus Christ, I know there's is something special and incomparable that happens between people and God while on the high seas. I've been on ships where engines have stalled, ocean waves have turned violent, passengers have died and had medical emergencies and hurricanes have shown their ugly side. But the one thing I know works and has helped me in my time of peril while at sea, is prayer to and worship of the Lord. It may sound crazy to some, but to me it's an innate reaction. Whenever I'd hear that "unknown" noise on a ship, see waves come closer than I was planning, or hear the Captain come over the PA system with a late night announcement, I do just what I was taught growing up -- stop, drop and pray! I've learned in my life that unexpected problems is not the issue, but WE are. Stop hoping for your problems to change and YOU change -- change your perspective, outlook and decide to speak encouraging and positive words over your situation. God set the Isrealites free from Pharaoh and wanted to take them into the promise land He had for them... then they wandered in the wilderness for a whole 40 years. Why? Because their attitude and mindset put them there! God knew their mindset wasn't ready to take on the enemies they'd have to battle for full possession of the Promised Land so instead of leading them the way of 11 days, they kept making donuts in the desert for 40 whole years. Now I am in no way saying that the mindset and attitudes of the persons on-board Carnival Triumph caused this incident to happen, but I do think had an optimistic and positive atmosphere been birthed, both on land and at sea, their deliverance could have come sooner than it played out. I'm not negating the harsh conditions aboard the passengers experienced, I'm not suggesting that this cruise was a good one, nor am I saying these people shouldn't be mad with Carnival about what happened. But what if the 45 people who gathered for worship turned into 450 or even all 4,000 people on the ship, standing together in praise and worship; making the best of their conditions and keeping a positive mindset awaiting a miraculous happening. And on the contrary, what if all the sources bad-mouthing Carnival and this cruise turned their hot air into prayer (yes, this includes the media). What could have happened? Could you imagine? Millions gathering in prayer and not pointing their fingers? I could keep going on with this BUT, I'm glad to say it's over, see everyone disembark fine and get back to living life as they know it. They're all back safe and sound -- with Triumphant bath robes! Photo Credit: NY Daily News Some of y'all think what I just said is crazy, "off the deep end" or even unreal. But I do believe that when we band together in courage and faith, hoping for the impossible, God will honor that act. So next time all hell breaks lose instead of getting worked up and looking for someone to blame, begin to pray and trust God to make the impossible possible. For with man, things may look grim, but with God ALL THINGS are possible! Next time you hear of a high seas tragedy, stop bad-mouthing and being a negative Nancey, but start believing the best -- your negativity won't help anything, but your positive thoughts will be infectious and be more beneficial than you'd know. That's my piece and I'm sticking by it. Until we talk ship again--Shon!

So how'd you get started cruising? Do you remember the ship, line and ports of call you visited? I know I do... just like it was yesterday! I can't believe it has been nearly ten years ago, but I sailed Carnival Imagination to Belize and Key West from Miami, Florida. Oh, and what a cruise it was! The food, people and did I say the food? I was a wee little lad when I first cruised and Imagination would have never been around if my mom didn't take her first cruise the year before. She went with a bunch of her girlfriends and had a blast! But I noticed the strangest thing when she returned. Besides the sun burn, loads of sovuneirs for her one and only (yeah, that's me) and the amazing pics she shared, her stories were so mezmorizing. She told me everything! "Shon! They had this... and that. Oh, and one night they did this... and that. You would have really loved it!" I hung onto every word like a good, attentive child (because I never did any wrong, hehe). Then she started going in-depth about the kids programs and I really started having a fit! I was at a lost. I thought she went with a bunch of adults? How did she know so much about Camp Carnival? Was this a set-up? Nonetheless, she REALLY got me going then and I begged and pleaded and prayed and hoped and begged some more until she finally gave in and took me on my first cruise! So, mom and I sat down and narrowed our cruise selection to three ships--Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination or Carnival Triumph--and she let ME make the final call (how nice of her, right?)! Well, the rest is history. Now nearly 30 cruises later, I'm still sailing the high seas! From Costa Cruises to NCL and even MSC, I have found that momma truly does know best. So if your mom tells you that a cruise is something you'll love, you better listen because you never know. You may go from vacation lover, to passion sharer, to enjoying an addiction worth living for! Until we talk ship next week--Shon! Can't wait a week until my next blog post? Cruise on over to The Ocean Escape which is the other blog I author with cruisetacular goodness! Your ships await!