Practical cruise advice for planning, packing, budgeting and making the most of every day on board, whether it’s your first cruise or your fiftieth.
Whether you're planning your first cruise or your fiftieth, this is where we keep the practical stuff, from booking and packing to what you'll really spend once you're on board. A good place to start is How to Choose the Best Cruise Cabin and Avoid a Bad Location, since the cabin you pick can make or break the trip.
New to cruising? Our First Time Cruisers page walks you through the basics. Watching your spending? Budgeting, Drinks and Beverage Packages and Tipping cover the extras that add up. Getting ready to go? Check Packing Tips and Embarkation, and if you're sailing in the fall, read up on Hurricane Season.
Use the topic buttons below to narrow things down, and pick more than one to combine them, like Budgeting and a specific cruise line.
One of the easiest ways to ruin an otherwise great cruise is to pick the wrong cabin, and I’m always amazed at how often this happens when the…
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