So many cruises, so little time...

Port Insecurity? A cause for concern?

After boarding Carnival Liberty for her maiden sailing from Port Everglades last November, Amber Blecker and I leaned on our balcony railing and watched a team of SCUBA divers stowing their gear pierside. Exactly who were they and what were they up to? An avid diver, Amber surmised they were providing security and that they'd just completed an inspection of our cruise ship's hull, the part we couldn't see.

Later in the cruise I attended a media question-and-answer briefing. One attendee, perhaps inspired by the pirate attack on a Seabourn ship, asked for an explanation of the measures in place in case Carnival Liberty was approached by Pirates of the Caribbean. Carnival Cruise Lines officials rightly pointed out that they would be foolish to respond. And, after all, why should they be expected to reveal such measures? In the very remote chance that someone were to try to overtake us, would it make sense to let the pirates know ahead of time what would be in store for them?

The same holds true with port security. You may not notice much of it, although it's there. Amber, an agent with Cruises Inc., a division of the world's largest cruise retailer, and who was named their "Agent of the Year" in 2005, explains in our feature Port Insecurity? article why you shouldn't worry.

On a related note... CruiseDiva.com focuses on how to Stay Safe in Ports of Call

Cruise News... All the latest itinerary announcements and other industry news are in Cruise Diva's Cruise News. February highlights include details about the new Grand Turk Cruise Center, the dedication of Holland America's Noordam, the 2006-2007 Winter Collection cruises offered by Oceania Cruises, and a full-size boxing ring at sea in the world's largest fitness center aboard Freedom of the Seas. Also included is how Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Pearl will bowl you over. That's right, bowling over the bounding main! Topping itself is Royal Caribbean with the order of a BOLD new ship

Where's Cruise Diva? Just back from an appearance at the New York Times Travel Show in The Big Apple. Thanks to all who attended the cruise travel panel I moderated with panelists from Lindblad Expedition and The Moorings. It was a pleasure to meet many new and veteran cruisers afterward. Next up is my annual trip to Miami Beach where I'll attend the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention and report back with the latest "State of the Industry" details.

Writing a guidebook from scratch was a daunting task. However, it was personally rewarding to share all the tips and tricks from CruiseDiva.com with readers beyond the Internet. And there's much more... inside the book is all the planning information you need, plus cruise line profiles and ship reviews—everything you should know to make the right choices so your cruise will live up to your personal expectations.

  Fodor's Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises, A Cruise Lover's Guide to Selecting the Right Trip, With All the Best Ports of Call, by Linda Coffman, is available now on the shelves of your local book stores and listed by Internet book sellers

Get even more advice from the Cruise Diva. Fodor's Caribbean Ports of Call 2006 is the only guidebook you need to plan days ashore and contains a brand-new cruise primer section and cruise line profiles and and ship reviews by Cruise Diva, Linda Coffman. A bonus is the inside scoop about cruise lines' Private Islands... what they are, where they are, and all the best things to do when you get there.

* Carnival Liberty
* Infinity
* Norwegian Sun