What Is Included in a Cruise, and What Is Not? Four Big Lines Compared
What your cruise fare covers and what costs extra, from drinks and room service to gratuities and Wi-Fi, compared across four big lines.
🍌 The Great Banana Debacle: How 16 Shipping Containers Delayed a P&O Cruise
A cargo ship dropped 16 containers of bananas into the Solent, and P&O Iona stayed in port overnight. What happened, why it mattered, and what you're owed when a cruise leaves late.
Every Passenger Off, Six Blocks of Queue: Norwegian Joy’s Seattle Customs Day, Explained
Norwegian Joy's guests all had to clear US immigration in Seattle mid-cruise. The line ran for blocks. Here's the rule behind it and how to avoid it.
Four Mexican Ports Booked, Ensenada Twice: The Carnival Cruise Two Hurricanes Rewrote
Two hurricanes, four lost ports and Ensenada twice. How an 1886 US law decided where Carnival Panorama could go, and what guests were owed.
5 Most Forgotten Cruise Items
Documents, medication, chargers, toothbrushes and sunscreen: the 5 items cruisers forget, the rules that bite, and onboard replacement prices.
The World’s Biggest Cruise Ship Spent a Night Going Nowhere. Some Guests Called It a Win.
Icon of the Seas sat in Miami for a day of maintenance, skipped Costa Maya and paid every cabin. Her contract says she owed nothing.
7 Hidden Things on a Cruise Ship That Are Helpful to Know
Your muster station is on your key card, the tap water is CDC-tested, and there's a free adults-only deck. 7 hidden things on a cruise ship, sourced.
The Dirtiest Cruise Ships According to the CDC
We read every CDC cruise ship inspection from the past year. Here are the 12 lowest scores, what inspectors found, and how to check your own ship.
The Rhine Is Below Zero and a River Cruise Ship Got Stuck in Cologne
The Kaub gauge reads below zero, Lobith hit its lowest since 1866, and a 140-passenger hotel ship ran aground in Cologne. What it means for your cruise.
7 Cruises to Avoid
Seven types of cruise to avoid, from peak-hurricane Caribbean sailings to ships with a failed CDC inspection, each with a documented reason and a better pick.