Planning

When you book your cruise, you'll often have the option to select the exact cabin you want to stay in. Before you can choose which deck you want to stay on, however, you need to choose the stateroom category. 

Interior staterooms tend to be the cheapest onboard, as they have no windows. Next are ocean view rooms. While you won't have a personal verandah, you will have natural light and be able to look at the passing scenery. 

If you are planning a cruise onboard one of the most modern and innovative cruise ships at sea, you might have the option of booking an infinite veranda. Before jumping onboard (literally), it is important to know that these are different than traditional balcony staterooms that you are probably used to. 

Whereas standard balconies have a door that opens up to a personal outdoor veranda, infinite verandas are designed to bring passengers closer to the ocean by essentially turning the entire stateroom into a balcony. 

Booking my first cruise opened my eyes to a few lessons I never would have known before trying Royal Caribbean, and I was surprised by just how much I learned about cruising before embarking on my trip!

I booked my first-ever cruise on Wonder of the Seas, which was the largest cruise ship in the world at the time. This record now belongs to Icon of the Seas. This massive ship measures 250,800 gross registered tons! 

Now is the perfect time to start planning your 2024 cruise vacation if you haven't done so already. 

Whether it's for your child's spring break in March, a family vacation in July, or a holiday sailing in December, booking a cruise at the beginning of the year gives you something to look forward to.

It's not too late to book your 2024 cruise vacation. Whether you're hoping for a quick getaway to The Bahamas or a dream cruise around Europe, the best time of the year to book a cruise is now while wave season is ongoing. 

Wave season is when the cruise industry tends to run their biggest sales and promotions of the year. While actual deals and conditions vary, wave season deals tend to include anything from additional onboard credit, free upgrades, discounted excursions, prepaid gratuities, etc. 

When planning for land-based vacations, you often do not have to think twice about bringing a steamer or whether there'll be an iron available to you or not. Cruises, however, are different. 

In addition to simply being more prepared with common household items that won't be readily available while you are on a ship, there's a list of items that cruise lines ban from their ships. Both steamers and irons are on many cruise line's lists of prohibited items due to the fire hazard that they pose. 

When planning your cruise, one of the most important decisions you'll have to make is what kind of stateroom category you want to book. The cheapest option is usually a standard interior room. These no-frill cabins have no natural light and are often the smallest rooms onboard. Does that mean that interior cruise rooms are bad, though?

Southampton Cruise Port is located in Hampshire, England, and serves more than two million passengers annually. It is the largest passenger port in the UK and is home to five passenger terminals: QEII, Mayflower, Horizon, City Cruise, and Ocean. All terminals are located near the city center.

The Port of Southampton is also the busiest cruise port in the UK and serves as a major hub for Northern Europe. Ferries and cargo ships also depart from here, making it a busy port city for England.

When it comes to preparing for a cruise, we often think about things such as picking an itinerary, choosing shore excursions, deciding on whether or not to purchase various drink or spa packages, and packing! However, another thing to add to the cruise planning checklist might be your nails.

What are some options when it comes to having pretty nails for a cruise vacation? Here are some tips and tricks for having the best nails for your upcoming cruise sailing.