Cruising on a budget typically means booking the cheapest stateroom onboard. However, there are opportunities to upgrade your cabin for less than it would cost to book balconies and suites outright. 

Celebrity's upgrade program is called Celebrity MoveUp and allows guests to bid on higher stateroom categories. If your bid is chosen, you will automatically be billed and upgraded to the higher cabin category for your cruise. 

As someone who cruises frequently, I can't always find a travel companion to accompany me on my adventures, so I've begun to embrace the freedom of solo cruising as a way to see the world. 

My solo travels have taken me everywhere from the Bahamas for short getaways to port-intensive European itineraries where I've explored renounced places like Rome, Italy; Valencia, Spain; and Aix-en-Provence, France. 

Today's mega cruise ships are engineering marvels. Onboard these floating cities, you can find anything from go-kart tracks to roller coasters, sky diving simulators, water parks, ropes courses, and more. 

On average, building a cruise ship takes 12 to 18 months, from the time the keel is laid to when the ship is launched. This, however, does not include the time it took to design the ship. That process could easily add another 2 or 3 years to the timeline, especially if it is a brand-new ship class. 

When you book your Carnival cruise, you will choose your dinner time. What happens if you decide to change it before your cruise, though? 

One of the best parts about a Carnival cruise is the unlimited food, from juicy burgers to fresh tacos and multi-course meals in the Main Dining Room. 

I took my first cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas in 2010. The 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise went to CocoCay, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas and introduced me to the Royal Caribbean brand. Ice skating rinks and surf simulators at sea? You had to be kidding me! 

Royal Caribbean ships have only gotten bigger since Freedom of the Seas initially launched in 2006. Icon of the Seas, for example, made her long-awaited debut in January 2024 and holds the record as the world's largest cruise ship. 

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based shipping company Chandris Group. In 1988, they merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and today, they are a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. 

The cruise line is a premium cruise line known for its destination-focused itineraries, sailing to places like Alaska, Asia, Australia & the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and even the Galapagos. 

Celebrity Cruises offers a range of cabins to choose from for your cruise vacation. From budget-friendly inside cabins to lavish suites, there's the perfect stateroom for all travelers considering a Celebrity cruise. 

Regardless of which ship you're sailing on, you'll have six main cabin categories to choose from: Interior, Ocean View, Veranda, Concierge Class, AquaClass, and Suite. The price typically increases as you move up through the categories, with suites being the most expensive. 

Royal Caribbean and MSC’s biggest cruise ships offer mind-blowing attractions and an endless variety of things to do onboard, but I thought one ship was better than the other, despite the higher cost.

Within the same year, I cruised on the biggest ship by MSC Cruises—MSC World Europa—and the biggest ship by Royal Caribbean—Icon of the Seas. The vessels, which each accommodate roughly 7,000 passengers, are more akin to floating cities than traditional cruise ships.

It's official: Celebrity Cruises is bringing its beloved upscale brand to Europe's most iconic rivers. 

Celebrity is known for its luxurious, modern approach to cruising, particularly with the line's Edge Class. Celebrity Edge debuted in 2018 and redefined premium cruising with innovative features like the cantilevered Magic Carpet. 

Celebrity wants to bring its brand to Europe, so passengers can experience inland destinations without sacrificing the best parts of a Celebrity cruise vacation.