Cruise ships are prohibited from visiting one country in the Caribbean. However, U.S. travelers hope the restrictions will eventually be relaxed. 

President Obama eased travel restrictions to Cuba in 2016, so certain U.S. cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival, began offering voyages to Cuba. Before that, the country had been largely off-limits to American tourists.

Because I cruise at least 9 or 10 times per year, I usually sail in standard cruise ship cabins. However, I splurged on a suite aboard my Caribbean cruise on Carnival Vista, paying nearly $3,600 for a 5-night cruise. 

We share lots of cruise updates and advice on Cruise Blog, and this is a weekly roundup of everything you may have missed from this week, including Carnival's unexpected ban, the worst and best cruise lines of 2025, and plans for Celebrity Cruises' newest ship, Celebrity Xcel!  

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 our recent articles. 

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I have just returned home to the frigid cold after a weeklong cruise aboard Explora Journeys, an offshoot of the well-known MSC Cruises, the fast-growing budget-friendly European brand.  

With so many great reviews of Explora Journeys, I had high hopes for this cruise, but I also wondered if the experience could actually live up to all the hype.

An unlucky cruiser thought he hit the jackpot after winning a free cruise only to receive an unexpected $47,000 medical bill. 

Mike Cameron and his girlfriend, Tamra Masterman, of Braham, Minn., set sail on a free Norwegian cruise that departed out of Miami, Florida, on January 5, FOX 9 reported. 

There's nothing quite like a European cruise. However, they differ from tropical getaways to the Caribbean or the Bahamas. 

Although I had previously taken a 7-night Mediterranean voyage with MSC, my fiancée, Sarah, cruised to Europe for the first time last summer. We embarked on a weeklong cruise aboard Celebrity Ascent to Greece, Italy, and Turkey in July. 

During our time onboard, she noted a few mistakes that made our trip less enjoyable, including underestimating the heat and staying up too late. 

Planning a cruise vacation is a long and thorough process, and it's easy to make mistakes that make you look like a rookie. 

I've been cruising since I was five years old. Two decades later, they remain my preferred way to travel. However, I've made a few silly mistakes that have impacted my cruise experience. 

Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of tips you need to know about to plan the best cruise. If you are trying to avoid looking like a first-time cruiser, don't make these 5 mistakes. 

Cruise ships are often more crowded than resorts because thousands of people are packed under a single roof.

Even the smallest ships can host thousands of guests on a single cruise. For example, Carnival Elation, one of the cruise line's oldest and smallest ships at sea, can accommodate over 2,100 guests at double occupancy.

Carnival Cruise Line responded to one guest asking if the family-friendly cruise line would get rid of a popular amenity to make way for another adult-only deck. 

Cruise lines like Carnival appeal to a wide range of travelers, from couples to families with young children and elderly guests. As such, their ships are outfitted with various amenities designed to meet the needs of all passengers, including waterparks, mini-golf courses, arcades, spas, and adult-only sun decks.