About Us

Heidi Sarna is a freelance writer who has covered cruises and other modes of travel for more than 15 years.

In the beginning, traveling was all about her needs, her schedule, her whims. That all changed when her twin sons entered the picture 7 years ago and since then cruises have become family affairs full of new discoveries, wonderful photo ops and the typical mayhem that comes with the territory.

Heidi schlepped her sons on their first cruise at the ripe old age of 9 months and still vividly recalls the unique sound 50 clinking jars of baby food emit when crammed into a carry-on suitcase and dragged up a gang-way.

Fast forward, and her tykes are at 20 cruises and counting, having so far sailed in Europe, Asia, Bermuda, Canada and the Caribbean. The latest voyage with mom and dad was an awesome trip to the Norwegian fjords aboard the Costa Atlantica. Talk about breathtaking scenery, it was impressive enough to keep my boys mesmerized even on day-long bus tours.

Author of Frommer’s Day by Day Singapore, coauthor of Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call from US and Canadian Homeports, Frommer’s European Cruises & Ports of Call and a contributor to several other guidebooks, she also writes regular travel columns for Frommers.com and Porthole magazine.

She’s written for many magazines, newspapers, and websites, including CNN.com,Forbes Traveler, the International Herald Tribune, Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Parenting, Brides, Modern Bride, Expat Living, Straits Times, andTravel Weekly. She’s traveled around the world and is currently based in Singapore, though a piece of her heart will always reside in New York City where she spent many years before moving east in 2006.

Ralph Grizzle began his journalistic career at the age of 32, following the conclusion of his “sabbatical decade.” From 1980 through 1990, he bicycled across America, pedaled through Europe and island-hopped the South Pacific.

After backpacking through Bali, bussing through Java, hopping a boat to Singapore and crossing Malaysia to Thailand, he flew into Burma, tramped to Dhaka and endured a 32-hour train ride from calamitous Calcutta to bustling Bombay.

From there, he hopped a plane for Greece and traveled to Switzerland before returning home, where he settled, quite naturally, into a career of travel writing. Ralph’s work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and numerous consumer magazines. He is editor of The Avid Cruiser.

Ralph currently splits his time between Asheville, North Carolina, and Helsingborg, Sweden, his base for covering developments in Europe. His wonderful children Alex and Britton cruise with him frequently.