Have you ever wondered what sea creatures lurk beneath your cruise ship? 

It is the middle of the day and you are enjoying cocktails up on the lido deck. Do you take the time to think about what sea animals are swimming alongside of the ship? 

You may have thought about this when returning to your ship after a fun day ashore, as you can sometimes see schools of fish gathered near the surface. 

A British cruise line has made Port Canaveral, Florida their new home base; however, booking a cruise on this ship is nearly impossible for American citizens!

In May 2023, Marella Discovery set sail from Port Canaveral, the world's busiest cruise port, for the first time. The ship, which was built for Royal Caribbean and sailed as Splendour of the Seas from 1996 to 2016, was sold to TUI Cruises in March 2015, who then leased the ship to Thompson Cruises. Initially, she sailed as TUI Discovery and was renamed Marella Discovery in October 2017. 

When beginning the search for your first cruise vacation, you will notice that there are different itinerary lengths. 

While the majority of cruises offered are usually 8-nights or fewer, longer cruises are offered to meet the needs of those with different travel needs and preferences. For the most part, longer voyages are more destination-focused or are offered as a means to get the ship from one port to another, such a ship repositioning from Miami to Barcelona for the summer, meaning that they often come with more days at sea. 

A couple of weeks before your cruise vacation officially begins, you will be able to complete Royal Caribbean's online check-in process. Doing so prior to arriving at the terminal will help speed up the physical check-in, allowing you to board the ship faster! 

No one wants bad weather on a cruise, but sometimes it does happen, and you may encounter a day full of rain or choppy seas. 

Most cruise cabins are equipped to accommodate a maximum two guests. Families and friends, however, may opt to travel three and four to a room for either safety precautions or to save some money, as the cruise fare for the latter two guests is less expensive than the first and second. 

If you are planning on having more than two guests in the stateroom, you might be wondering how sleeping arrangements will work. Staterooms do not have the space for two double beds like many land-based hotels do. Even in most suites, you will not find two standard double beds!

When most people think about cruising they think about the experiences they will share with others, whether it be family or friends, often times cruising can be about making memories with loved ones. 

We share lots of cruise updates and advice here, and this is a weekly roundup of everything you may have missed from this week.

If you are busy but want to keep up with all the helpful cruise advice we share, this is an easy-to-digest look at the recent articles and updates we've shared