Ernst Travel Agency

10/19/2026

Cruise stop in Perfect Day at CocoCay? Here is the five minute version of everything that matters.

Full guide, free, no email wall:
https://ernst.llc/port-guides/private-destinations/cococay/

Save it for your next cruise.

10/18/2026

Removing Your Auto Gratuities Is Not the Flex You Think It Is

Every cruise adds a daily gratuity to your bill. And every cruise, someone marches to guest services to have it taken off. They think they are beating the system. They are mostly just confusing it. Here is what that charge actually is.

Fresh on The Captain's Log — your daily cruise industry briefing from Ernst Travel Agency.

Every cruise adds a daily gratuity to your bill. And every cruise, someone marches to guest services to have it taken off. They think they are beating the system. They are mostly just confusing it. Here is what that charge actually is. It is a pooled tip that gets split among the people who clean [....

10/18/2026

Your ship gives you one day in Celebration Key. Make it count.

Full guide, free, no email wall:
https://ernst.llc/port-guides/private-destinations/celebration-key/

Save it for your next cruise.

10/17/2026

The Behind the Scenes Ship Tour Is the Hour You Spend Where Guests Are Not Allowed

There is a part of every cruise ship you are not supposed to see. The galley during a dinner rush. The bridge where someone is actually steering. The corridor the crew lives in. For a fee, a few lines will walk you right through all of it.

Fresh on The Captain's Log — your daily cruise industry briefing from Ernst Travel Agency.

There is a part of every cruise ship you are not supposed to see. The galley during a dinner rush. The bridge where someone is actually steering. The corridor the crew lives in. For a fee, a few lines will walk you right through all of it. It goes by different names. Royal Caribbean calls […]

10/17/2026

What to do in Castaway Cay, what to skip, and how not to miss the ship.

Full guide, free, no email wall:
https://ernst.llc/port-guides/private-destinations/castaway-cay/

Save it for your next cruise.

10/16/2026

The Theme Cruise You Did Not Sign Up For Is Already On Your Ship

There are two kinds of theme cruise. The one you book on purpose and the one that shows up on your sailing without asking. Both are real. Most people only know the first one. The first kind is the full-ship charter.

Fresh on The Captain's Log — your daily cruise industry briefing from Ernst Travel Agency.

There are two kinds of theme cruise. The one you book on purpose and the one that shows up on your sailing without asking. Both are real. Most people only know the first one. The first kind is the full-ship charter. A company buys the whole ship for a week and sells it back one […]

10/16/2026

Most people wing it in Cartagena. You are not most people.

Full guide, free, no email wall:
https://ernst.llc/port-guides/cartagena/

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10/15/2026

Virgin Voyages Is the Adults Only Cruise Line That Dropped the Rulebook

There are no kids on a Virgin Voyages ship. Not fewer kids. None. The whole fleet is eighteen and up, which means the pool deck sounds different than any mainstream cruise you have been on.

Fresh on The Captain's Log — your daily cruise industry briefing from Ernst Travel Agency.

There are no kids on a Virgin Voyages ship. Not fewer kids. None. The whole fleet is eighteen and up, which means the pool deck sounds different than any mainstream cruise you have been on. Virgin set out to build a cruise that does not feel like a cruise. There is no main dining room […]

10/15/2026

Bonaire. One day. No wasted hours. This is the guide.

Full guide, free, no email wall:
https://ernst.llc/port-guides/bonaire/

Save it for your next cruise.

10/14/2026

Castro Is the Patagonia Port That Looks Like Nowhere Else in Chile

Chiloe is a big island hanging off the bottom of Chile, and most cruisers have never heard of it. The main town is Castro. Your ship may stop there on the way to the Chilean fjords, and most people treat it as filler. That is a mistake.

Fresh on The Captain's Log — your daily cruise industry briefing from Ernst Travel Agency.

Chiloe is a big island hanging off the bottom of Chile, and most cruisers have never heard of it. The main town is Castro. Your ship may stop there on the way to the Chilean fjords, and most people treat it as filler. That is a mistake. Castro is one of the strangest and most […]