CruisePlanning

I booked a Norwegian Cruise Line Breakaway sailing in early October (Boston round trip with stops in Portland, Bar Harbor, Eastport, and Halifax). I made a quick decision and purchased non-refundable JetBlue flights from San Diego departing at 8 pm and arriving in Boston around...

We recently cruised aboard Ilma with the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. I haven’t seen any points post to my Marriott Bonvoy account, but my spouse received a large number of points instead. Does anyone know how the points system works for these cruises? Do all points go to just...

About to go on a second cruise with Princess Cruises and looking for practical tips or lesser-known hacks that can improve the overall experience. The request is for ship-specific or cruise-line-specific advice that might not be widely known, especially anything that has...

I booked a 12 night Mediterranean cruise for July 2026 with Celebrity Cruises through Costco Travel and originally paid around $18,000 for a suite. Recently, I received an alert showing the cruise price had dropped by about 47%. The issue was that my cruise was already fully...

This will be my first Royal Caribbean cruise (Star of the Seas), and I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the required pre-booking for shows and dining. On Carnival, I’ve always been able to simply show up to shows and find seating without planning much in advance. I prefer a more...

I’m going on my first cruise this October, and our first stop will be Celebration Key. I’m traveling with my partner and we’re both 22, mainly looking for a relaxed experience. I noticed there’s an adults-oriented area called Pearl Cove, and I’m trying to decide whether it’s...

I’m preparing for an Alaska cruise on the Royal Princess in about a month and have my port-day and dining outfits sorted already. For time spent on the ship during sea days, I’m looking for advice on appropriate attire. I’m considering mostly casual and comfortable clothing such...

We’re sailing on May 31 and I’ve been trying to add the Browse & Stream – 3 Devices internet package. I’ve been tracking the price originally it was $474, then showed $403 with a ~15% off sale. Now there’s a 25% off sale but instead of dropping to around $355, the package is...

He shared their experience after a first cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line (ship: Viva), visiting destinations like Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and Costa Maya. While they enjoyed the trip, they felt that organized excursions limited their ability to truly experience the local...

This is a classic overthinking trap (in a good way). Honestly… kids that age will not care at all if the ship is brand new or not. To them it’s just “Disney + pools + characters + ice cream”. Fantasy will feel just as magical. The new ship is more for you than for them. For a...

This is such a tough choice honestly. On one hand, the newer ship with all the nicer amenities and adults-only areas sounds amazing, especially for a sisters trip. That kind of comfort does make a difference for a full week. But Glacier Bay feels like one of those “this is why...

My cruise is scheduled to stop in Costa Maya next week. I’ve seen people jokingly call it “Costa Maybe” since ships sometimes can’t dock due to conditions. I booked a private excursion there that has a 24 hour cancellation policy, which makes me a little nervous. In your...

We’re doing a one way Inside Passage cruise to Whittier and our flight out of Anchorage isn’t until midnight. Looks like we’ll have roughly 12 hours to fill. Right now I booked the transfer straight to ANC, but that probably means sitting at the airport all day. Not even sure if...

We’re sailing Virgin for the first time in a couple months. Booked a balcony and I called to upgrade to a Seriously Suite for our TA. Rep quoted me a price. I agreed. We were literally in the middle of processing it when she said she was having computer issues and put me on...

I board in a couple of days and just ran into something super frustrating. On the Princess website it clearly said “prices increase in 1 day 7 hours…” so I figured I still had time to book my excursions at the lower rate. I waited until today based on that countdown. Now online...

I’m cruising on a Sunday but I have a concert Saturday night I absolutely can’t miss. Port is Galveston, about 7.5 hours away. Plan right now is to leave around 10pm after the concert, drive about halfway, stop around 2am for a few hours at a hotel, then finish the last 4 hours...

Leaving Saturday and just found out we were supposed to submit a medical form 30 days in advance for my husband’s CPAP. I called and the rep basically said “maybe it’ll work” and I submitted the form today. Has anyone had issues bringing a CPAP onboard if the form was late? Do...

We booked a last-minute trip, under 30 days out, on Sun Princess and ended up with a guarantee cabin. No picking location, just assigned later. That part definitely gave me a pause. I’m pretty easygoing so I figured why not, but now I’m second guessing it a bit 😅 Has anyone...