500 episodes listed below
Cruise advice with the catch included.
Gary Bembridge’s Tips For Travellers treats cruising as a decision with trade-offs, not a fantasy brochure. Episodes compare lines, fares, ship conditions, adult-only spaces, solo pricing, cabin setup, weather risks, and the small rules that can change a trip.
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Gary Bembridge’s Tips For Travellers is a cruise-planning show for people who want the useful version of experience. It is not built around glossy wanderlust. Gary Bembridge takes the practical route, comparing ships, lines, cabins, fares, inclusions, rules, and the hidden compromises behind premium promises. The result is measured and opinionated. Recent episodes spend time on the gap between what cruise lines advertise and what passengers may actually encounter onboard. Viking is framed as calm, organized, adult, and cerebral, but also potentially too quiet and limited by cabin-grade booking priority. Oceania is discussed as a line Gary Bembridge returns to, while still leaving some cruisers underwhelmed by the distance between reputation and reality. Ultra-luxury cruising gets similar treatment. Smaller cabins, elegant but not necessarily dramatic dining, and the limits of butler-style expectations all become part of the same larger question: where is the money going? The show also has a strong preventative streak. Cabin episodes focus on things to check before unpacking, including balcony doors, divider locks, bathroom problems, included packages, and minibar charges. Booking-advice episodes warn against short party-heavy taster cruises, ships right before or after refit, partially chartered sailings, and weather-risk seasons. Industry-change episodes track adult-only decks, private-island areas, new high-end lines, new ships, smart-glasses bans, and tougher realities for solo cruisers. The structure is usually clear: set the issue, give examples, name the trade-offs, then land on a judgment. It can be dense. That density is the appeal. The show suits planners who want to compare before committing, especially cruisers choosing between mainstream, premium, small-ship, and ultra-luxury options. Its best moments are blunt but useful, the kind of advice that turns a vague worry into a checklist.
Made for: Best for cruise travelers who compare lines carefully, notice the fine print, and want practical guidance before spending heavily. It especially suits adults, solo cruisers, couples, and upgrade-curious travelers weighing mainstream, premium, small-ship, and ultra-luxury options.
What sets it apart: The show stands out for its category-by-category judgment and willingness to name disappointments alongside strengths. It treats cruise choices as trade-offs involving timing, crowding, inclusions, cabin setup, rules, and real onboard behavior.
Want to make more of your precious travel time and money? Then the Tips For Travellers podcast is likely the podcast for you! Every week your host (Gary Bembridge, a published travel author, writer, video maker, blogger and YouTuber - his channel has over 29 million video views!) shares travel inspiration, advice, tips and money saving ideas based on his first-hand experiences of travelling every month of every year for over 25 years. Each episode features one of these (1) destinations reviews and tips, (2) answers to listener travel questions, (3) live travel reports or (4) cruise line reviews and advice on getting the most from them. Visit http://www.TipsForTravellers.com to follow Tips Fo…
Gary checks the balcony latch and cruise-line fine print before you touch the minibar.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A calm cruise model, with the fine print made plain.
Gary Bembridge keeps the episode practical, spelling out what Viking's fare structure actually covers: bundled flights and transfers, gratuities, non-streaming Wi-Fi, beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner, dining at the two special restaurants, special coffees and teas,…
A cruise cabin checklist that catches problems before unpacking.
Gary Bembridge turns a cruise cabin into a practical checklist, and that angle lands well. The advice is simple enough to use right after boarding: check the security, make sure the door locks, look over the balcony doors and barriers, and take a quick look at the minibar setup…
A clear-eyed look at how fuller ships and new onboard policies can change the cruise people thought they booked.
Gary Bembridge turns a familiar cruise gripe into a practical look at why passenger ratings are slipping. Royal Caribbean still gets credit for strong entertainment and inventive, feature-packed ships, but the episode follows the tradeoffs of a busier onboard experience: lounges…
A longtime Cunard regular weighs whether Queen Anne keeps the line's identity while opening a more contemporary door for first-timers.
Gary Bembridge treats Queen Anne as a continuity check for Cunard rather than a simple ship tour. After long familiarity with the line, he finds that the venues, onboard rhythm, program, and overall mood still read as Cunard, even as the ship leans more contemporary.
Deep Disney parks talk, right down to the signage.
Real family routes, practical travel stories.
Everyday curiosities, explained with a sideways grin.
Gary Bembridge, a Cunard regular with 23 cruises and 210 nights across their fleet, reviews the new Queen Anne after a 14-night voyage.
Gary Bembridge explores tips and challenges for adult cruisers amid the cruise industry's push to attract families.
The host debunks four outdated cruise tips, starting with why focusing on cruise line loyalty programs is overrated due to the long time required for meaningful perks and itinerary limitations.
Host Gary Bembridge shares his independent review of an Explora Journeys cruise, examining whether it lives up to hype, who it competes with, and his personal experience including cost considerations.
Gary Bembridge reviews an eight-port, 31-night South America cruise through Machu Picchu, the Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, Chilean fjords, and Peru’s Nazca Lines.
Gary Bembridge recounts an 8-night Venice-to-Rome voyage on Windstar's 342-passenger Wind Surf after more than 100 previous cruises.
Gary Bembridge frames the episode around cruising, then spends most of the time on Viking, laying out the fare inclusions, the bundled travel, the dining, the Wi-Fi, the drinks, and the Nordic Spa.
This episode explores tips and challenges for adult cruisers as cruise lines increasingly focus on attracting families, affecting traditional adult-oriented experiences.
The host shares his experience and warns against booking short taster cruises, explaining they have become party-focused and no longer useful for evaluating cruise lines.
Gary Bembridge lays out a set of cabin checks cruisers should do before unpacking.
Host Gary Bembridge shares five misunderstood aspects of Oceania Cruises based on his five personal experiences, addressing common gaps between expectations and reality.
Gary Bembridge examines why cruisers say cruise lines are not as good as they used to be.
This episode compares regular and ultra-luxury cruises, highlighting unexpected differences in ship design and atmosphere based on the host's personal experiences.
The host revisits Silversea cruises to investigate recent negative reviews about declining luxury and quality, sharing findings from a personal experience on their newest ship.
This episode provides six practical tips for enjoying VIP cruise experiences like suite amenities and priority access without paying premium prices, focusing on budget-friendly strategies.