When planning a summer cruise, most people default to searching for itineraries that visit warm destinations, like the Bahamas, Caribbean, or Mediterranean. It isn't a proper summer vacation if you don't get a little sunburnt, right? 

Yet, many families opt to sail to Alaska and trade in their swimsuits and flip flops for rain jackets and gloves. From the diverse history and culture, to breathtaking scenery, exciting port adventures, abundant wildlife, and delicious seafood, Alaska has something to offer everyone.

My sister (a Millennial) and I (a Gen Zer) recently sailed on Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Celebration. We have not cruised on Carnival very often, but we were excited to see what Carnival Celebration would be like for us as young cruisers in our 20s.

2022 was a big year for Carnival! First, they welcomed the second Excel-Class vessel to their fleet: Carnival Celebration. Second, they broke ground on their new cruise port on Grand Bahama Island. 

If you're planning a Carnival Cruise in 2023, you might want to become familiar with the upcoming changes and additions that the cruise line is making. 

You found a cruise fare that sounds almost unbelievable-- $200 per person for a 4 night cruise?! That’s about $50 per person, per night for lodging, transportation between ports, entertainment, and select food and beverages! 

My very first cruise was onboard the Disney Magic in 2005 when I was five-years-old. On the first night, my dad took me to a Cinderella meet and greet, and I made him return every night to see if she was there again (spoiler alert: she wasn't). 

It wasn't until 2014 that my family started to cruise more frequently. Growing up, my mother had some health issues that made most travel difficult. We loved cruising because she could rest during the day while my sister and I stayed active onboard. 

Royal Caribbean, one of the world's largest cruise lines, has an impressive array of ships to meet a wide range of cruisers' needs. With the introduction of the Icon of the Seas, the cruise line now has seven classes and 27 ships. It can be a lot to consider when picking a cruise, with so many great choices.

Packing for your cruise can be stressful, especially if you need to fly to your cruise port. 

Within the last few years, I’ve become more hesitant to check a bag when I cruise or travel. Images of endless lost luggage have flood the internet recently with airlines struggling to keep their airports staffed and operations running smoothly. 

Following the ongoing global pandemic, 2022 was a big year for the cruising industry with the launch of many new, exciting cruise ships.

With supply chain and labor shortages plaguing the industry over the last few years, numerous cruise ships set to debut in 2021 were finally launched within the last year. 

Additionally, many delayed and cancelled cruise itineraries finally took place in 2022, including my much-anticipated Israel cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. 

If you’re looking for ways to optimize credit card travel spending to earn valuable reward points this year, listen close. 

A TikTok account, thecreditbrothers, recently shared an interesting hack for cruisers to take advantage of that involves cash draws from the onboard casino. 

As someone who personally loves to play the credit card points game, this was a hack that I’ve actually never heard of.