Hey! I’ve had this cruise blog for just over a year now, sharing cruise reviews, travel stories, and tips along the way. But it hit me recently – I’ve never actually written a proper ‘get to know me’ post. So here it is! I’m Owen, the ‘face’ behind Owen Places. This blog started as a little passion project, a way to document my travels and cruising adventures, but it’s grown into something much bigger: a space where I share honest reviews, personal experiences, and (hopefully!) a bit of inspiration for your own journeys.
Who is Owen Places?
It might come as a surprise, but my name isn’t actually Owen Places. Well… not technically. You can absolutely call me Owen! The name Owen Places is play on the phrase ‘going places’. I liked it because it’s short, easy to remember, and trademarkable. Perfect for a travel blog, right?
I’m a designer by day who works from home, and I’m kinda redefining that ‘home’ part if you know what I mean… Home could be working on a cruise ship, maybe in a little cafe in Lisbon, or maybe in port in Dubai. Who knows? Basically, how much can I travel without using my PTO.
Where you can find Owen Places:
I’m on all major social networks, and you can expect totally different vibes across all of them.
Instagram – think curated travel feeds, travel photography inspiration, aesthetic reels.
Threads – a bit of random brain dump thoughts. A little bit of Taylor Swift chatter, and a bit of moaning too.
YouTube – curated short videos from all my cruises organised into playlists.
TikTok – easy, aesthetic videos. Maybe with a trending audio.
I’ve not fully dived into Youtube just yet… I’m still deciding if I want to do more long-form content. Or whether I want to keep my blog as that type of long form…
Instagram is my primary social network, and think of that as a merge between a personal profile and travel photography! I share a lot more personal content on my stories, and the photography gets added to the feed. Plus, if you’re ever wanting to reach out to me, Instagram is probably where you’ll get the quickest response.
Content you can expect from Owen:
Here on Owen Places, you can cruise reviews, a bit of travel news, plenty of photography, content creation tips, and just general travel vibes. If that sounds like your thing, welcome aboard!
I love talking all things cruise – from ultra-luxury escapes to budget-friendly getaways, how much I spent, trending topics in the cruise world, and even a bit of cruise controversy.
You’ll even get a handful of Edinburgh content too as that’s my current home base. As I start travelling around the UK, I might dive into that too, but for now cruise content is primary and land-based content is just a small sprinkle.
What kinda vibes do I offer?
Super chill. Don’t expect me to be up at 6am to do an excursion. I love a mooch and a lazy port day when I’m cruising. I love wandering the streets, grabbing an iced coffee, and snapping away on my camera! I tend to just spend time in the ports as if I lived there; general walking about, sight seeing, and
Owen Places cruise reviews
Oasis of the Seas Review
Back in September 2024, I sailed from Barcelona, Spain onboard Oasis of the Seas for a 7 night Mediterranean cruise. This was my first time trying an Oasis-class ship and my gosh was I impressed! If you’ve been debating Royal Caribbean, and you’re thinking about booking onboard a mega-ship, read this blog before you book anything.
Read here: My Full, Honest Experience of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas
Read this too: Oasis in the Mediterranean: A Complete Cruise Itinerary Review
…And this: Should you still book Oasis of the Seas in 2025/2026?
Norwegian Viva Review
Read all about my first time trying Norwegian Cruise Line. I sailed from Trieste through to Athens, calling at Ravenna, Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, and Istanbul. Blimey. That was a lot of ports. It was also my first time doing a cruise without sea days, a cruise with speciality dining, and a cruise longer than a week.
Read here: A Full Review: 9-Night Greek Isles Cruise with NCL
Costa Smeralda Review
I took a huge risk booking a week onboard Costa Smeralda. I sailed from Dubai and visited Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and more of Dubai! Interested in seeing how it went? Give it a read.
Read here: My Full & Unbiased Review: Cruising Costa Smeralda in Dubai
Read this too: Daring to Take a Chance on Costa Smeralda
Owen Places hotel reviews
Then, if that wasn’t enough to sink your teeth into. I also dabble in a hotel review here and there. So if you’re into land-based holidays, you’ll like this.
Paradisus La Perla, Riviera Maya Review
I believe this was my very first official review here on Owen Places. And, it’s actually my most read blog post! It still get hits to this date. If you’re interested in Mexico, then definitely give it a read!
Read here: Five-Star Luxury: My Review of Paradisus La Perla, Riviera Maya
And this: Should you still book Paradisus La Perla in 2025/2026?
Amsterdam Hotel Review
This summer I went to Amsterdam and stayed at the gorgeous, Van der Valk Amstel. It was a little out of the main centre of Amsterdam, but if that sounds like your vibe, give it a read!
Read here: Luxury Hotel Review: Van der Valk Hotel Amstel in Amsterdam
Paris Hotel Review
If you’re looking for a boujie, hipster hotel in Paris. Well, say less. I got you. This summer I stayed at the Mama Shelter Paris hotel and it was a vibe. It was my first time using my Dis-Loyalty discount too, so give that a read!
Read here: My Stay at Mama Shelter Paris (with Dis-Loyalty Discount)
How much I spent / cost breakdown
Incase you didn’t know, I like to do blog posts about how much cruises cost me. It was something that I didn’t see anyone doing, and I always think the initial cost vs total cost spent is fascinating.
So if you’re interested in how much moolah I spent, give these a read:
Norwegian Viva Greek Isles Cruise: The Truth About What I Paid
Costa Smeralda – How Much I Paid
7 Night Oasis of the Seas Cruise: Complete Price Breakdown
Let’s talk about my viral moment…
I posted a TikTok a while back, and it went VIRAL – I’m talking 1,00,000+ views. It was so wild, and I went ahead and posted a blog post kinda dissecting what happened and maybe figuring out how. This was my introduction into writing behind the scenes content to hopefully help other travel content creators / cruise bloggers.
BUT. That’s just the start. I decided to report the same video with a trending audio, and it went even crazier. 28 million views on TikTok. My notifications haven’t stopped since.
Anywho, if you want to read about those blogs, you can here:
My Viral Video Experience – Sliding into the Unexpected
Another Viral Video on TikTok – Here’s What I Learnt
I launched my own Etsy store!
I’m merging my skills in design and my passion for cruising to launch my own Etsy store. I’m currently designing some t-shirts that can be personalised for different cruise ships, but I’m hoping to expand into magnets and maybe some enamel pins!
Well, that’s everything. I feel like I’ve just done a massive data dump of information, but hopefully that explains exactly what to expect when you read this blog!
Owen Places travel photography
Travel photography was the start of it all, and is fundamentally the core of what my social content is. I eventually would like to start building out a little portfolio of content, spec sheets, and maybe even a little preset download or two. If that’s something you’d be interested in, then let me know.
