First-time cruisers will face the hardest decision of their planning process early on: choosing the right cruise line. With hundreds of ships and dozens of cruise lines, from budget-conscious options to luxury experiences, finding the perfect fit can feel overwhelming. 

Even the best cruise ships aren't perfect. 

Recently, I sailed onboard Sun Princess, Princess Cruises' newest ship, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While it offers exciting features and innovations, a few aspects didn't quite meet my expectations. From the tiny entertainment venues to the slow service, I didn't love everything about my cruise. 

Sipping a fruity cocktail on the top deck of a cruise ship is a quintessential vacation experience for many. In fact, cruising and drinking often go hand-in-hand.

Because of this, cruise lines offer drink packages for guests to purchase both before and during their cruises. For a fixed amount, cruisers can purchase drink packages to enjoy unlimited (or nearly unlimited) alcoholic beverages throughout their vacation. Everything from piña coladas to mojitos, old fashioned, martinis, and more are typically included.

Within the past week, two ships crossing the Atlantic have encountered unprecedented weather, with one ship dramatically tilting and causing extensive damage onboard. 

Explorer of the Seas was the first to report sailing through a sudden, powerful squall. The 137,308 gross registered ton ship was en route from Barcelona to Miami when they were hit by a rogue storm with winds exceeding 50mph. The violent gusts of wind and rough sea conditions caused Explorer to dramatically list, leaving the ship in shambles and injuring several passengers onboard. 

Having sailed on Disney Cruise Line as a child, I couldn't resist booking a 3-night cruise aboard Disney Magic to the line's brand-new private destination in the Bahamas.   

Launched in July 1998, Disney Magic is Disney's first cruise ship. Her sister ship, Disney Wonder, joined her one year later. Following Wonder, Disney didn't expand its fleet for over a decade until the debut of Disney Dream in 2011. 

We share a lot of cruise updates and advice on Cruise Blog, 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 our recent articles.

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Carnival Cruise Line has released new passport rules for guests sailing to Panama. 

Did you know you don't necessarily need a passport to go on a cruise? While some itineraries, like one-way sailings from one U.S. port to another and international voyages, require a valid passport, some cruises permit a government-issued photo ID and a certified birth certificate copy as acceptable travel documentation. 

Carnival ships have cabins ranging from budget-friendly interior staterooms to lavish suites. Before you place your deposit, you must determine which cabin category is right for your travel party.

If you don’t want to stay in a windowless inside stateroom or splurge on a suite, consider a balcony cabin. These staterooms have become increasingly popular throughout the last decade, with Carnival adding more balcony cabins to their newer ships. 

Celebrity Cruises has announced that a new ship class is in the works.

Last week while at the CruiseWorld conference in Fort Lauderdale, Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, announced there will be a new class of ships for the cruise line. As reported in Travel Weekly, this new project is called "Project Nirvana."