• I've sailed on many cruises and stopped at over 100 ports worldwide. There are a few I don't love.
• Richards Bay is only fun if you have an excursion booked, and Costa Maya is too touristy for me.
• The cruise crowds in Santorini, Greece, and Nassau, Bahamas, often leave me feeling overwhelmed.

I've taken more than 55 cruises and visited over 100 cruise ports all over the world.

Along the way, I've learned that some destinations are definitely worth exploring, while others can be unexpectedly disappointing.

As a destination-focused traveler, I rarely choose to stay on board when my ship is docked in port. Usually, I'm eager to disembark the ship, experience the local culture, and explore the area.

But after revisiting many of the same ports, I've also realized that certain destinations aren't always worth the hassle. While some offer beautiful beaches, historic landmarks, and bucket-list excursions, others can feel crowded, touristy, or difficult to navigate.

Although these ports can still be enjoyable with the right planning and expectations, I'm often happier staying on board to take advantage of the ship's amenities.

Here are five cruise ports where I'd rather stay on the ship than venture ashore.

Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya is one of the few ports I'll almost always skip because it feels overly commercialized.

The entire terminal was built specifically for tourists and cruise passengers and is packed with souvenir shops, restaurants, swimming pools, wildlife encounters, a swim-up bar, and live entertainment.

Although many travelers enjoy this convenience, the port feels highly manufactured to me and resembles an outdoor shopping mall more than an authentic Mexican experience.

Additionally, I've found the isolated port doesn't have much to do nearby unless you've arranged transportation or booked an excursion.

However, Costa Maya can still be worthwhile with some planning. A short taxi ride away is Mahahual, which is a popular beach town with restaurants and beach clubs.

If you want to venture farther from the port, consider booking an excursion to the Mayan ruins for a cultural experience or snorkeling along the biodiverse Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is another port where I'm very likely to stay on the ship.

In fact, I sailed to Nassau last year aboard Utopia of the Seas and skipped the port entirely. Instead, my husband and I stayed on board and enjoyed the ship's pools, restaurants, and activities without the usual crowds.

Although you can reach popular beaches and resorts from the port, the area outside the cruise terminal can feel overwhelming. Although the terminal's recent renovations have improved the port experience, persistent vendors still remain immediately outside the gated area.

And on especially busy days, six or so cruise ships can dock at once, which makes the port feel even more crowded.

However, Nassau can be a positive experience if you've got the right plans in place. For instance, I've used ResortPass to spend the day at nearby hotels and had a much better experience than just walking around the port.

You can also book excursions to nearby beaches, Blue Lagoon Island, or other resort properties for a more relaxing day.

Santorini, Greece

Santorini is undeniably beautiful, which makes it a bucket-list destination for many. Unfortunately, the island's popularity is also part of the problem.

With thousands of passengers regularly arriving from multiple cruise ships, visiting the small Greek island can be stressful.

Cruise ships anchor offshore in Santorini, so passengers will typically tender into the port below Fira. From there, visitors can take a cable car, climb hundreds of steps, or arrange another way to reach the top of the island.

With several ships often visiting the island at the same time, lines for the cable car can become quite long. Getting around Santorini can also be difficult because of its narrow roads, heavy traffic, and crowds filling the streets of popular villages such as Oia and Fira.

The island is absolutely worth visiting, but you should prepare for some logistical challenges and set realistic expectations. If you want to maximize your time in Santorini, I recommend booking an excursion in advance instead of exploring independently.

An organized tour can help you avoid long cable-car lines, simplify transportation, and ensure you return to the ship on time.

Richards Bay, South Africa

During a cruise around South Africa, our ship docked in Richards Bay, which is one of the most unusual cruise ports I've ever visited.

Although Richards Bay is an important industrial port and major coal-exporting hub, it isn't necessarily designed with cruise passengers in mind.

During my visit, we disembarked at a gravel parking lot with no passenger facilities. By the end of the day, our cruise ship was also covered in soot and dust, which was unlike anything I had experienced before!

Without a planned excursion, there isn't much to do near the port, and the industrial setting can feel disappointing. But for travelers interested in wildlife, Richards Bay can be a worthwhile gateway to nearby South African reserves.

Because I researched the area ahead of time, I booked a game-drive excursion to Hluhluwe—iMfolozi Park, which is about 90 minutes from the port.

Seeing elephants in the wild was an unforgettable experience, and one that I would have missed if I had just stayed near the ship.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Finally, Freeport is another port I'm often tempted to skip.

The area around the cruise terminal is very industrial and unfortunately doesn't offer much within walking distance. Because of this, cruisers often need to arrange transportation or book an excursion to visit the island's main attractions.

I was disappointed by how rundown the port area felt, with very limited shopping and amenities. Not to mention, I found securing transportation from the terminal area to be confusing and expensive.

Although taxis are available, in my experience, many of them operate as shared vans with high prices. And arranging rides back to the ship from a remote beach can also be stressful.

If you want to make the most of your day in Freeport, it's best to prearrange transportation or book an excursion. Popular tours include beach getaways, snorkeling, glass-bottom boat tours, and animal encounters.

However, if I haven't booked a tour in Freeport, you'll find me on the ship instead.

• I followed cinnamon-roll recipes from famous chefs Alton Brown, Ree Drummond, and Sandra Lee.
• Brown's recipe was solid, and Lee's recipe required the least effort, but the rolls were just OK. 
• Drummond's recipe was my favorite, but was so messy I'd only make it again for a special occasion.

Imagine sweet, cinnamon sugar swirled into pillowy-soft dough, all dripping in glistening icing — is your mouth watering yet?

When that craving for cinnamon rolls kicks in, you could certainly grab a can from the grocery store — but there's nothing better than gooey, homemade ones filling your whole house with comforting smells.

In search of the ultimate cinnamon roll, I tested recipes from famous chefs Alton Brown, Ree Drummond, and Sandra Lee to see who has the best one. 

Read on to see how each recipe turned out, and which was my favorite. 

Brown's recipe calls for fairly simple pantry staples

Brown's recipe on the Food Network website asked for some super basic kitchen ingredients, many of which I already had on hand.

I needed ground cinnamon, light brown sugar, butter, eggs, flour, instant dry yeast, salt, and sugar for the dough and filling. For the icing, I only needed cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk.

The ingredients are so standard that I happened to have enough on hand to make two batches, which later came in handy when I ran into some trouble with my first attempt.

These are meant to be prepared the day before, which makes morning prep easy

Brown's recipe is for "overnight cinnamon rolls," so I started prepping them the day before I wanted to eat them.

I like the idea of starting these rolls in the evening, letting them chill overnight, then finishing them in the morning. Splitting up the steps makes the process seem much easier.

However, it didn't make it any shorter. I made the dough the day before, let it rise for two and a half hours, and chilled it overnight.

For my dough, I used instant yeast that someone had shared with me from a larger package. I'd stored it in a clear, resealable bag — but it turns out that opened instant yeast should be refrigerated.

As such, my instant yeast was worthless. However, I didn't realize this until it was too late. 

My first batch was a bust, but I learned a few lessons

In the morning, I let my rolls rise further in a cold oven along with a pan of boiling water for 30 minutes. Then I baked them for 30 minutes.

The first batch was definitely wrong. As I foreshadowed, the rolls never rose due to an issue with my instant yeast. The dough looked rather dry from start to finish, and the cinnamon rolls stayed small throughout the process. 

They didn't rise in the oven and came out looking undercooked and dry — but at least they worked well as an air freshener.

The icing smelled sweet, but it looked thin with clumps of cream cheese. I wondered if maybe the cream cheese wasn't soft enough, even though I'd left it out for a few hours.

These cinnamon rolls were difficult to cut into and incredibly dense.

The taste was fine — buttery and filled with a sweet cinnamon flavor — but the texture was just hard and dry. The icing was also a turn-off because of the clumpiness. 

I decided to try Brown's recipe one more time 

After my failed first attempt, I made a second batch. This time, I tried using active dry yeast as a substitute for instant yeast by following the simple instructions on the yeast packet. It worked perfectly. 

I combined active yeast with warm water (I made sure the temperature was between 100 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit) and sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes before adding it to the mixer to make the dough, per the recipe's instructions.

The second time around, the dough definitely came out fluffier and stickier. It rose very well and was a bit harder to work with because it was so soft and sticky.

My first attempt was a letdown, but the second batch of Brown's rolls was excellent

These came out of the oven looking and smelling delicious.

The brown sugar in the filling leaked out more in this batch, causing the bottoms of the cinnamon rolls to become slightly overdone. 

Otherwise, the rolls were so soft. I wish the filling didn't leak out and pool in the bottom of the pan because I would've loved more cinnamon and brown-sugar flavor.

For my second attempt at the icing, I tried letting the cream cheese sit out even longer to soften, hoping it would be easier to integrate with the powdered sugar and milk — but it still got clumpy.

In the future, I might try topping these with whipped cream cheese instead.

Overall, this recipe resulted in soft, pillowy cinnamon rolls that could use more filling. 

Drummond's recipe featured unique ingredients in high enough quantities to feed a crowd

The Pioneer Woman is often whipping up recipes for a crowd on her cooking show, so it makes sense that her original recipe on the Food Network website yields 40 to 50 cinnamon rolls.

I cut the ingredients in half, and this recipe still produced the most cinnamon rolls of the three recipes I tested.

For this dough and filling, I needed a lot of the same basics, like flour, butter, cinnamon, active dry yeast, sugar, and milk. It also used baking powder and baking soda.

However, there were some more unconventional ingredients for the icing, including maple extract and "strongly brewed coffee." I used cold brew because I already had some made in the fridge.

Oddly enough, this is a one-pot recipe

Although some mixing bowls are needed for the icing, the dough is actually made in a single pot on the stove. This made for a pretty easy start, even if it seemed strange to me.

I made the dough on the stove as directed, then moved it to a mixing bowl to proof. It rose so well that I had a hard time getting it to stop rising.

The rising dough overflowed out of my mixing bowl, and it was very difficult to roll out because it was so fluffy and sticky.

I wrangled it as best I could and packed my dough strips with filling before putting them into the baking pans to rise further. 

Although they seemed far apart in the pan, I knew they'd rise even more once they began baking. 

The smell of these maple cinnamon rolls was unreal — and the taste was even better

Despite the mess and frustration, these rolls came out nearly perfect. They were golden with gooey centers, even though they looked a bit pathetic and misshapen going into the oven.

Drummond's maple icing was easy to make, but next time I plan to sift the powdered sugar to prevent it from clumping. 

The edges of the cinnamon rolls were just the slightest bit overdone. Aside from the slightly crisp edges, the rolls were perfectly soft with sweet fillings and ooey-gooey centers.

The first bite I took from the middle of one of these rolls was indescribably good, and the maple icing was so delicious I could eat it straight from the bowl. 

For just my partner and me, I don't think I would go through the nightmarish mess of this recipe again. However, these cinnamon rolls would absolutely impress a crowd.

Lee's cinnamon rolls were unsurprisingly quick and easy to make

True to her semi-homemade fame, Lee's recipe on the Food Network website calls for frozen bread dough. My grocery store typically carries one brand of frozen white bread dough, but it was out of stock when I went shopping.

Luckily, in a 2020 Yahoo interview, Lee said you can swap out the frozen bread for biscuit dough in this recipe.

I decided to use buttermilk biscuits because I figured the buttermilk flavor, which is a tad acidic, would balance out the sweetness of the cinnamon rolls

The dough was harder to roll out than I expected

At first, the biscuit dough felt tough to roll out because it's so dense. However, once I finally flattened it, adding the brown sugar and cinnamon filling was easy — and so was shaping the rolls.

The dough was easy to slice, and doing so created beautiful, nearly perfect rolls. This was a nice break from the other batches of cinnamon rolls I made, which mostly fell apart as I cut them.

I followed the recipe's instructions and left the cut rolls out for one hour to proof. They didn't appear to rise at all during that time, so I'm not sure how necessary this was.

In the meantime, I made the icing with softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Like with Brown's recipe, I found the simple cream-cheese icing I prepared to be lumpy.

The cinnamon rolls looked great, but the centers were too undercooked

These came out golden brown, and the lumps in the icing dissolved once they met the hot rolls.

Unfortunately, the dough was so dense that the centers didn't bake well and were too underdone and doughy. However, with more time in the oven, I predicted that the edges would burn. 

Next time, I might cover these with foil for a bit or bake them at a lower temperature so they don't burn but can cook through.

The buttermilk flavor did help cut the extra sweetness from the excessive filling, but otherwise, these tasted quite similar to store-bought cinnamon rolls.

As such, I'd probably skip buying a can of biscuit dough to make these rolls and just opt for a can of store-bought cinnamon rolls. 

I'd totally make Drummond's cinnamon rolls again, but only for a special occasion 

In general, making homemade cinnamon rolls can be a lengthy and messy affair.

Personally, I don't mind grabbing a can of cinnamon rolls from the store or buying them from a local bakery or restaurant. I'll likely continue to do so, but for special occasions and large gatherings, I'd make Drummond's recipe in a heartbeat.

It resulted in such decadently sweet cinnamon rolls, and the maple icing was such a unique touch that really made them next-level.

Check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on TK and most recently updated on TK.

• I lived in Hawaii for 13 years and moved to the continental United States in 2021.
• Life on the mainland has come with many surprises, from heavier traffic to more air conditioning.
• Hawaii doesn't observe daylight-saving time, so the time change has taken some getting used to.

After living in Hawaii for 13 years — my entire adult life — I decided to move to North Carolina in 2021 for my MBA. While in school, I met my husband, and together, we relocated to Atlanta to pursue our careers.

However, after spending so much time in Hawaii, moving to the mainland came with some surprises. Here are eight of the biggest culture shocks I've experienced.

On the mainland, I spend much more time in my car.

When I lived on the Big Island of Hawaii, I rarely had to drive more than 30 minutes at a time. Everything from work to the grocery store to the beach was just a short car ride away. A trip across the island felt like a journey.

So, it took me some time to adjust to the longer commutes in mainland cities. Rush-hour traffic is now a regular occurrence, rather than something I see in movies. And now, driving an hour to work or to visit friends is standard where I live.

Even though driving isn't always my favorite activity, I love that I can get in my car and head to another state in just a few hours. It's given my husband and me a lot of fun weekend road trips.

Daylight-saving time is new for me.

Hawaii doesn't follow daylight-saving time, and instead stays on Hawaii Standard Time all year long. So when I first came to the mainland, the time changes twice a year really confused me.

I still have to look up when daylight-saving time begins and ends, especially when I'm referencing what time it is back in Hawaii. Thankfully, I keep a list of cities on my clock app to keep track of the time difference.

Experiencing four distinct seasons has changed how I observe time passing.

Moving to a place with seasons meant buying winter clothing and seeing the leaves bursting into bright oranges and reds in the fall.

This is different from the islands, where the seasons are largely the rainy season and dry season. I now look forward to seasonal transitions and the festivities that come with each one.

Air conditioning is much more common on the mainland.

Many homes in Hawaii, including the one where I lived, use the trade winds for cooling. My home had jalousie windows with horizontal glass slats that let the breeze pass through.

In contrast, buildings here in the Southeast are typically climate-controlled using air conditioning and heating units.

If I'm being honest, I still have to carry a sweater around to keep warm when the air conditioning is strong. However, dependable air conditioning is especially nice during hot, humid summers.

Locally grown fruit is now a summer staple.

In Hawaii, because the climate is pretty mild year-round, many fruits have multiple or continuous growing seasons. Plus, I always knew someone who was giving fruits away from their backyard.

Here in the Southeast, though, fresh fruits feel more seasonal. I now get excited for peach season and the long lines at local farmers markets.

On the mainland, the weather is harder to predict.

Where I lived in Hawaii, I'd look out over the ocean and be able to predict the next few hours of weather pretty accurately.

After years of living there, I understood the patterns of the clouds and wind, and could typically gauge the amount of time I needed to make it home from a run or the beach before the weather turned.

However, I have a much tougher time guessing what the weather will be like on the mainland. I now rely a lot more on weather forecasts to know what to expect.

The billboards took me by surprise.

Billboards aren't allowed in Hawaii, so when I first moved to the Southeast, I couldn't believe how many huge signs dotted the skylines.

Now I get a kick out of reading them and analyzing the marketing, but it's always interesting returning to Hawaii and seeing how open the landscape is without them.

Fast-food restaurants on the mainland are missing Spam.

Chicken and burgers are staples of fast-food restaurants on the mainland, but Hawaii's famous chains often feature rice and Spam.

Now, when I visit my favorite chains, I miss getting Spam musubi — Spam wrapped in rice and seaweed.

• We asked former Louis Vuitton employees about the most common mistakes they saw customers make.
• They said shoppers often overlooked proper bag care or prioritized price over practicality.
• Other mistakes included waiting too long for limited-edition pieces and expecting any discounts.

Shopping at Louis Vuitton can feel intimidating, especially for a first-time customer.

The French luxury house, founded in 1854, is known for its handbags, luggage, and signature LV monogram. Even though these pieces are widely recognizable — and worn by celebrities like Emma Stone and Zendaya — many come with price tags in the thousands. For a purchase that expensive, it can be helpful to know what to expect before you shop.

Business Insider spoke with three former Louis Vuitton employees about the most common mistakes they saw customers make. Here's what they said.

Louis Vuitton shoppers shouldn't expect to find discounts at its stores.

Shelley Alvarado, a former sales associate and keyholder manager at a Louis Vuitton location in Topanga, California, said customers would often come into the store and ask if any items were on sale.

"I think that people assumed that there would be sales, and there wasn't a sales section at all. Louis Vuitton never went on sale," Alvarado told BI.

According to Louis Vuitton's website, that is still the case. The brand does not offer discounts on its products.

Waiting too long on limited-edition items is risky.

Eddison Brown, a former Louis Vuitton client advisor in Los Angeles, said he would encounter customers who waited too long to purchase special collaborations and limited-edition drops, ultimately missing their chance.

"If you want something that's a limited drop, you have to be adamant about purchasing that right away because it'll be gone before you know," Brown told BI.

He also recommended building a relationship with a client advisor. These are employees who develop one-to-one relationships with customers, and can be a resource for information about upcoming products.

Choosing price over practicality is a big mistake.

Given the high price of luxury bags, it can be tempting to choose the less-expensive option. However, Dominique Danielle, a former Louis Vuitton employee in the Philadelphia area, said that sometimes meant customers ended up with a bag that didn't actually fit their needs.

"Customers would default to a less expensive option or bag without considering whether it actually fits their lifestyle," Danielle told BI.

Some customers, she said, later returned bags after realizing they couldn't fit everything they needed to inside. She recommended being open to an associate's advice rather than assuming a different size suggestion was an attempt to upsell them.

Thinking a bag will look brand new forever is unrealistic.

A Louis Vuitton purse isn't necessarily supposed to look the same years after you buy it. For instance, Danielle explained that the untreated cowhide trim on bags like the Neverfull and Speedy naturally darkens with use.

"The idea of it is to get darker and show the wear and show just the journey of the bag," Danielle told BI.

Brown also said that aging can add character to a bag, especially when it's passed down through generations.

That said, customers should not treat expensive bags as indestructible.

The former employees all told BI that a high price tag doesn't mean customers should skip proper care and maintenance.

"Making this investment doesn't eliminate the need for care. It actually requires more of it because you have something that's precious and delicate and expensive," Danielle told BI.

Danielle emphasized the importance of storing these luxury items in their dust bags when not in use. Brown also recommended being mindful of exposing bags to rain or severe weather.

Feeling intimidated by the luxury environment is unnecessary.

All three former employees said customers sometimes seemed intimidated by the luxury environment or worried about how associates perceived them based on their appearance.

"I think that they assumed that the salespeople were judging them right when they walked into the store, which wasn't the case at all," Alvarado said.

To help shoppers feel more comfortable in the environment, Brown encouraged them to browse and ask associates any questions they had about any item.

• I've always valued independence and found comfort in keeping my finances separate from my husband's.
• When we had a baby, though, our setup started to feel less and less fair.
• We agreed to combine most of our money, and it's helped us feel like a team.

Maybe it's because I'm an only child raised by a single mother, but I've always valued independence.

I walked down the aisle alone. I'll happily go out to dinner or a movie by myself. When faced with a problem, my instinct is to wrestle with it myself rather than ask for help. (I'm working on that one.)

And when my husband and I got married, I was adamant about keeping our finances separate.

For years, this arrangement worked beautifully. But after we had a baby in the summer of last year, I began to wonder whether the financial independence I'd clung to was actually working against us.

Keeping our finances separate gave me a sense of freedom

The concept of combining finances has always made me uncomfortable, mostly because I didn't like the idea of having to justify any impulse purchases I've made after working particularly hard. My husband was always on the same page.

The first time we really talked about changing our system was when we bought a house together in 2020, several years before we got married. We knew that this, of course, would come with a lot of shared expenses.

We decided to open a joint account, and to both deposit the same amount each month to cover those expenses — like the mortgage, utilities, and groceries. Then, we kept the remainder of our earnings in separate checking accounts.

When my husband wanted to splurge on some new audio equipment, he didn't feel the need to consult me. Similarly, I didn't have to "ask permission" every time I wanted to get my hair done or go out for a nice dinner with a friend.

To me, this system reflected just how much we trusted each other to make financially responsible decisions with our own money. Besides, it felt fair: We were both contributing equally to maintaining our home, while preserving some autonomy.

After having a baby, our separate finances started creating tension

In 2025, we had a baby. Suddenly, finances felt a lot less cut-and-dried.

Because my husband and I are both freelancers, every hour one of us spends working is often an hour the other spends caring for our son. So, when my husband takes a last-minute gig, I lose that time to work, but I don't directly benefit from what he earns — and vice versa.

We started to find ourselves competing for the working hours we needed to cover day care and the mortgage, even though we were supposed to be operating as a team. The "every man for himself" dynamic felt completely antithetical to what marriage was supposed to be.

Meanwhile, the costs of parenthood — diapers, formula, day care, clothing — were accumulating, forcing us to contribute more and more to our joint account. And now, one of us often had to sacrifice earning opportunities so the other could work.

During one of our recent weekly marriage check-ins, I expressed some resentment about how I'd been responsible for picking up our son from day care most days the previous week, while my husband was able to work much longer into the night.

"I'm contributing the same amount, but I'm not being given enough time to earn that amount," I said.

Combining more of our money helped us feel like a team again

Since our time and responsibilities are so intertwined these days, and we have a longer list of shared expenses than ever, we realized that the best way to make our situation feel more equitable was to merge more of our money.

In the past, we each deposited the same fixed dollar amount into our joint account every month. Now, we contribute nearly all our earnings to that account and set aside the same amount for both of us to spend as we wish.

That change helped curb some of the competition and resentment. Now, when one of us takes on an extra gig, client, or project, it feels like a win for both of us — regardless of who's earning the paycheck.

That's not to say we've found the perfect arrangement. We're still figuring out how much personal spending money makes sense to set aside and which major expenses warrant a conversation.

The important thing, though, is that we've realized independence and partnership aren't mutually exclusive. We share the same financial goals, so it only makes sense to share our earnings. We're not giving up our financial independence, but redefining what it means to us.