My Travels GuyPlan my trip Ocean and river cruises, planned personally
Curt helps you choose the ship, cabin, route, and travel days that make the whole cruise feel like the trip you had in mind.
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More than a sailing date
A cruise can be wonderfully simple once you are onboard. Before that, there are real choices to make. Which cruise line feels right for you? Is the itinerary about sunny sea days, new ports, a quieter river route, or a particular place you have wanted to see for years? Does the cabin simply need to be comfortable, or is a balcony, a better location, or more space part of what will make the trip feel special?
Curt Chandler, the travel advisor behind My Travels Guy, helps travelers make those decisions with the whole trip in view. He can help compare ships, sailing dates, cabin options, flights, hotel nights, transfers, and the practical details around the cruise. The goal is not to hand you a giant list. It is to give you a smaller set of options that make sense for your people, pace, budget, and reason for getting away.
Whether the trip is a first cruise, an anniversary, a family escape, a milestone birthday, or a long-awaited journey through a favorite region, a personal plan makes it easier to look forward to the sailing instead of second-guessing the details.
Large ships, smaller ships, river cruises, family-focused sailings, adults-oriented experiences, and premium escapes all create a different rhythm. Curt helps match the onboard experience to what you actually want from the trip.
Cabin location, layout, balcony space, accessibility, and how much time you expect to spend there can change the feel of every day at sea. The right choice is personal, not one-size-fits-all.
Flights, a hotel before embarkation, airport transfers, and time after the ship returns should work with the cruise, not become an afterthought once everything else is booked.
The choices that shape the trip
Cruise options can look remarkably similar until you start looking closely. Two seven-night sailings may visit the same ports but offer very different ship atmospheres, dining styles, cabin choices, departure times, and days at sea. One may be ideal for a family that wants full days of activity. Another may suit a couple looking for a slower pace, a special meal, and more time to settle into the view.
Curt helps begin with the feeling you want from the journey, then works backward to the cruise line, ship, route, and sailing that fit. For an ocean cruise, that can mean considering the balance of port days and sea days, the size of the ship, dining and entertainment, and the kind of cabin that will make downtime pleasant. For a river cruise, it may mean a closer look at the cities, included experiences, pace, and how deeply you want to spend time in each stop.
The travel days deserve the same care. A lower airfare can be less appealing when it makes embarkation stressful. A pre-cruise hotel night can be a useful way to arrive rested, enjoy the departure city, and give yourself more breathing room before the ship leaves. After the sailing, a well-timed flight or an extra night can keep the trip from ending in a rush. Curt helps put those pieces next to the cruise cost, so the value is easier to understand before you commit.
Travelers who are still getting their bearings can start with Curt's guide to choosing a cruise and his current cruise travel statistics, then bring the ideas that stand out into a conversation.
A real person for the questions in between
A cruise is often the center of a bigger moment. You may be celebrating something, seeing a new part of the world with your family, reconnecting with someone you love, or finally taking a trip you have talked about for years. That is why it helps to have a person who can keep the choices connected to the reason you are going.
Curt works directly with cruise travel partners including Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Viking, Princess Cruises, Carnival, and Cunard. He can help you compare the differences that matter, without making the process feel like a research project you have to manage alone.
His role is to make the options clearer and the plan more complete. That may mean checking which cabin setup suits the travelers, thinking through arrival and departure timing, matching a ship to the right kind of energy, or making room for a few days before or after the sailing. You make the decisions, with a better view of what each one changes.
More about CurtFrom first idea to embarkation
You do not need to arrive with a ship picked out. A time of year, a rough budget, a list of travelers, a destination you are drawn to, or a simple wish to wake up somewhere new can be enough to start. Curt can help turn that early idea into cruise options that are easier to compare and share.
From there, the plan can narrow around the choices that carry the most weight: the ship and itinerary, cabin type, flights, hotel nights, transfers, and the pace you want around each part of the journey. The right plan should leave room for a little spontaneity once you are onboard while making the important travel days feel settled before you leave home.
Tell Curt what you hope the trip feels like. He can help you compare the sailing and surrounding details with the care a meaningful getaway deserves.
Talk to CurtCurt helps compare cruise lines, ships, itineraries, cabin choices, flights, hotel nights, transfers, and the practical details around a sailing, so the full trip works together.
Yes. A preferred ship, route, or sailing date is a useful starting point. Curt can help look at cabin choices, travel days, nearby hotels, transfers, and the details that can change how the trip feels.
Yes. Curt can help travelers compare ocean and river cruise options. The right fit depends on the destinations, pace, onboard experience, cabin needs, and how you want to spend your time ashore.
Starting early gives you more options for sailings, cabins, flights, and hotel nights, especially for popular dates and special occasions. It is still worth asking about a closer trip when your dates are flexible.
Absolutely. A cruise can work well with a few nights before or after the sailing, flights from your preferred airport, transfers, and time to enjoy the departure city or another destination nearby.