Planning

When beginning the search for your first cruise vacation, you will notice that there are different itinerary lengths. 

While the majority of cruises offered are usually 8-nights or fewer, longer cruises are offered to meet the needs of those with different travel needs and preferences. For the most part, longer voyages are more destination-focused or are offered as a means to get the ship from one port to another, such a ship repositioning from Miami to Barcelona for the summer, meaning that they often come with more days at sea. 

No one wants bad weather on a cruise, but sometimes it does happen, and you may encounter a day full of rain or choppy seas. 

In recent years there has been a major increase in the amount of cruising happening to and around the Alaskan and Canadian regions. This is exciting and with the increase in travel it can be important to know more about the destinations where you will be visiting and cruising too. 

Weeks before your cruise begins, you will have an important decision to make: when do you want to check-in for your cruise?

The online check-in process varies from cruise line to cruise line. Carnival's, for instance, opens up 14 days before your sail date, while Norwegian's opens 21 days prior and Royal Caribbean 45 days before.

During the process, each cruise line will ask you what time you would like to arrive at the port and begin the physical check-in process, which entails checking your travel documents and going through airport-like security. 

Seattle is one of the most popular cruise ports for sailings to Alaska. During the 2026 season alone, there will be over 150 different sailings to Alaska that leave from Seattle. 

While most people are familiar with Cozumel, Costa Maya is another popular cruise port on Western Caribbean itineraries. 

Unlike Cozumel, Costa Maya is located on the Yucatán Peninsula at the southern end of Quintana Roo. Despite being on the mainland, it is still far from the majority of Mayan ruins. Tulum, for instance, is about 2.5 hours away, while Chichén Itzá is almost 4 hours from the cruise port. 

Outside of the Caribbean and Alaska, the Mediterranean is one of the most popular cruise destinations, as you get to experience diverse cultures, try delicious food, and visit historic places!

While some European cruise lines sail the region year-round, most North American lines deploy their ships for a short season, usually spring through fall. You will not, for instance, find a Carnival ship in the Mediterranean in February. 

Florida has five cruise ports that see millions of passengers each year, all of which are within four hours of Orlando, where you can find eight major theme parks.

Looking to book a cheap cruise but do not know where to start?

Thanks to the internet, there are seemingly endless resources to help you plan a cruise vacation. There are ship tours on YouTube, Reddit forums, shore excursion reviews, Facebook groups, and more. These, however, do not really help when it comes to the initial booking process.