Whether you're a smoker or someone who has never so much as touched a cigarette or cigar, you might be wondering about cruise ship smoking policies. We'll answers some of your biggest smoking-related questions.

Can I smoke on a cruise?

Cruise planning and research are head-spinning if you haven't done them before. From narrowing down a cruise line and ship to choosing a destination and booking shore excursions, learn how to get started.

Below, we've outlined 10 key factors to consider when building your ocean-bound vacation. Although they're all important, their order might fluctuate depending on your circumstances, and any one of them can be affected by others -- if your budget limits your destination choices, for example.

You've decided on a cruise for your next vacation, and you've narrowed down the destination, sailing date, ship and cabin type. What now? We'll lead you through the best way to book a cruise.

Cruise staterooms, also called cabins, come in a variety of options. Deciding between them can be confusing, so we've come up with a list of things to do to narrow down your search.

Your cabin will be your home away from home for the duration of your sailing. It's where you'll shower, sleep and relax between rounds of trivia, poolside lounge sessions and nightly dance parties, so you'll want to be sure it suits your needs.

Cruises are a fun vacation, but like any trip, there are some weird things that can happen which may not make top 10 articles, but are still something you should be aware of.

Like all forms of travel, nothing ever goes exactly perfect, but being aware of certain pitfalls can make the fallout far easier to handle should it happen to you.

Check out this list of things that might happen to you on a cruise that no one really talks about.

One of the biggest decisions you'll make when planning your cruise is where to go. From old standbys like the Bahamas and Caribbean to more ambitious options like Asia and the Arctic Circle, there are plenty of regions from which to choose.

If you're new to cruising, be warned: with this type of travel, there are nuances too numerous to count. But that doesn't mean we won't try.

We'll help you prepare for your first sailing with these 10 common questions most cruisers don't have until they're already onboard.

1. When will I get my luggage?

Even if you're an avid traveler, your first cruise can be daunting. Because ships are self-contained on some days and end up in different locations on others, there are many moving parts that make cruising different from other vacations you might have tried.

We've rounded up 20 things first-time cruisers might not know before they go so you can be ahead of the game on your inaugural voyage.

The last thing you want to do is make a major mistake on your first cruise vacation. Avoiding common pitfalls is a smart way to set yourself up for a great vacation.

Unfortunately, a lot of first-time cruisers do not take a little bit of time to learn about these all too common blunders, and they always regret it later.

Here are the top ten cruise mistakes to avoid for anyone going on a cruise.