Catie Kovelman

How did you get started in cruises?

I was lucky enough to have parents who loved to travel – and who loved to cruise in particular – and were always nice enough to bring me with them.

They took me on my first cruise in 2003 when I was around 7-years old, and we went on cruises every year or so after that – sailing everywhere from Alaska and Mexico to destinations throughout Europe.

As an adult, my love of cruising persisted and it is still one of my favorite ways to travel.

What makes you a cruise expert?

As someone who grew up cruising, it is simply part of my DNA. I have been on 12 cruises now, and have sailed on many of the mainstream cruise lines, including Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Carnival on multiple occasions.

I also have extensive training as a journalist that helps me write cruise news. I graduated summa cum laude from Chapman University with degrees in Creative Producing and Journalism. While obtaining my undergraduate degree, I also received a $1,000 journalism fellowship and the Marshutz Journalism Award.

During Covid, I used the lockdown period as an opportunity to get my master’s degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California (USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism).

You can check my Muck Rack profile here.

What’s your favorite cruise line?

While I have loved every cruise line I’ve been on for different reasons, I tend to be partial to Disney Cruise Line because the extra touch of magic goes a long way for me.

Granted, I am a huge Disney fan, and worked as a Disneyland cast member for two years.

What’s your top tip for new cruisers?

How do I pick just one? I suppose my top tip would be to pay close attention to all aboard times while in port so that you don’t accidentally miss the ship – and keep in mind that the ship time might be different than the port of call, especially if you’ve been sailing through different time zones.

I’m personally partial to booking excursions directly through the cruise line, even if it’s sometimes a little more expensive to do so, because they will always get you back to your ship on time – or your ship will wait for you if you get delayed on an activity booked through the cruise line.

You find out more about the Cruise Hive team right here.