Cruise Guides: Tips, Destinations & Ship Reviews

Seven in-depth cruise guides — cruise tips, destinations and ship reviews — written as longer evergreen companions to the daily cruise news archive.

Features, and how they differ from the daily edition

Two different kinds of writing sit on this site, and they answer different questions. The daily edition is news: what a cruise line announced this morning, which itinerary changed, which port closed, what a fare did this week. It is worth reading the day it goes out and largely settled a month later.

The features below are the other kind. Each one takes a question people ask once — before they book, or before their first cruise — and answers it properly: whether a balcony earns its money, what the auto-gratuity actually pays for, whether to book the ship's excursion or your own, how Alaska and the Caribbean genuinely differ once you are aboard. They are written to still be true next year, so they are not updated daily and they do not need to be.

What is here: 7 features across cruise guides, destinations, ship review, guides, tips, published between June 15, 2026 and October 27, 2026 — about 55 minutes of reading in total. For what has happened since, the daily edition archive carries every morning's news.

Why Are Cruise Lines De-emphasizing cruise loyalty programs

Cruise Guides📅 October 27, 2026⏱ 10 min read

Major cruise lines are scaling back cruise loyalty programs to boost profits, leaving long-term guests frustrated. We analyze the shift and what it means.

Alaskan Cruise or Caribbean Cruise: Which Is Better?

Destinations📅 July 15, 2026⏱ 7 min read

One wears fleece and watches for whales; the other wears flip-flops and chases the sun. Both are called "a cruise" — here's how to pick the right one for you.

Icon of the Seas: Inside the World's Largest Cruise Ship

Ship Review📅 June 25, 2026⏱ 7 min read

Royal Caribbean's record-breaker has been sailing for two years. We toured every neighborhood and put the hype to the test.

Your First Cruise: A No-BS Survival Guide

Guides📅 June 23, 2026⏱ 8 min read

Embarkation, dining, tipping, and the small choices that decide whether you love it or hate it.

Caribbean vs Mediterranean: Which Should Be Your First Cruise?

Destinations📅 June 20, 2026⏱ 7 min read

Two very different experiences sharing one label. Here's how to pick the one that matches the trip you actually want.

Shore Excursions: Cruise Line vs Independent — When Each Wins

Tips📅 June 18, 2026⏱ 7 min read

The cruise line markup is real. So is the missing-the-ship risk. Here's the rule we use to decide each port.

Cruise Tipping Demystified: What's Auto, What's Extra, Who Gets What

Tips📅 June 15, 2026⏱ 9 min read

Auto-gratuities, removing them, when to tip extra, and why this argument never dies on the forums.