Planning

When planning the perfect vacation, one of the most important aspects is your "home away from home." In the case of a cruise ship, this means your cabin. 

Choosing the perfect cabin requires a little bit more research than selecting a hotel room, especially when you know most hotel chains will assign your room upon check-in. Cruises are different in that you have the ability to select your exact room when you make your initial booking. 

When most people think of cruising, they think of a family vacation where they can create memories and spend time with loved ones. 

Cruises, however, make for a great solo trip, too! With so many scheduled activities, it is easy to show up and strike up a conversation with fellow passengers. Plus, you get to explore new places around the world, so you know you will always have something to talk about with others. 

Cruises are popular family vacations because they offer a little something for everyone, not just the kids! Not all ships, however, are created equal, and some are more geared towards family-fun than others. When planning a Royal Caribbean cruise with kids, you are probably wondering what the best ship is that will meet your family's needs. 

I am so excited to be going on my first cruise to the United Kingdom in October! I am looking forward to a great adventure exploring much of the United Kingdom via cruise. Additionally, I am excited to see what a longer length cruise will be like to Northern Europe for the first time. 

This cruise is a 10 day voyage, making a roundtrip journey to and from Southampton, England. We will be visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man on this cruise. 

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. 

When looking to plan a cruise vacation, you are probably hoping to find a great deal on the initial cruise fare, as paying more than necessary may limit your onboard spending and restrict which cruise add-ons you can splurge on. Thankfully, with a little bit of research, you will find several tips that will aid in your efforts to find the best cruise deals available. 

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.