Traditionally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday allow shoppers to save money on things from brand-new electronics to vacations! While many Black Friday cruise sales began well before Thanksgiving, many have continued after, too. 

Many travel companies will extend deals to the Tuesday after, as that day is commonly referred to as "Travel Tuesday." Airlines, hotels, and even cruise lines tend to have deals to entice customers to book with them. 

Discounts for cruises range from lower cruise fares to onboard credit, cheaper deposits, free add-ons, and more. 

One of the biggest shopping days of the year is finally here: Black Friday. Although most people think of massive discounts on electronics, savvy travelers know that Black Friday is also a great time to prepare for their next cruise.

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

A travel agency is organizing more fan-led Taylor Swift group cruises, set to depart next summer. 

A few weeks ago, a travel agency unaffiliated with the popular singer announced the first Taylor Swift themed cruise, and it generated a lot of buzz.

The 4-day cruise on Allure of the Seas is for fellow fans to enjoy a cruise to The Bahamas together.  Neither Swift nor TASRM are associated with the cruise at all. Think Star Trek convention, but with Swifties instead of Trekkies.

When packing for your cruise, you should make sure to review not only what’s allowed onboard your cruise ship, but also the destinations you’ll be visiting. Each cruise line has a long list of prohibited items that are banned onboard their vessels; however, cruise ship passengers are also required to follow local laws and regulations in each port of call.

After taking a cruise on one of Carnival Cruise Line's newest ships, Carnival Celebration, I was interested in seeing how sailing on an older vessel would compare. 

While Carnival Vista isn't the oldest ship in the fleet by any means, the almost 8-year-old ship was much different than Carnival Celebration. I'm sure my next cruise onboard Carnival Conquest will be different, too! 

Norwegian Cruise Line has numerous different categories of staterooms onboard each of their ships, so how do you pick out the perfect cabin or suite for your next cruise vacation?

Norwegian Encore, for instance, has over 2,000 staterooms onboard. You can choose anything from a standard inside cabin to a luxurious Two-Bedroom Family Villa with Large Balcony in The Haven. There truly is the perfect stateroom for everyone, regardless of budget and party size!

When planning your next vacation, you might be torn between taking a cruise or a land-based trip. Some destinations make a very good argument for cruising, as you can see many different places with ease. On the other hand, you might want to have more time visiting a specific destination by immersing yourself in a new culture.

After a 10-night sailing onboard the Norwegian Star, this older ship quickly became one of my favorites. After a refurbishment in 2021, this ship has been outfitted to last into the future for many sailings.

This ship is older, having been built .in 2001, but it is a great vessel that is more than capable of providing an excellent cruise vacation. Being able to explore the Norwegian Star for 10 nights meant that at the end of my journey, I walked away thinking about 10 things the Norwegian Star got right.