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Cruise News Roundup for the Week of July 6 2026
The newest ship in Royal Caribbean’s biggest class just went into service, and it did it on the Fourth of July. Legend of the Seas ran its maiden voyage on July 4. This is the third Icon-class ship, the same family as Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. Meyer Turku in Finland…
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Prepay Your Cruise Tips or Pay More Later
Cruise gratuities are quietly the fastest growing line item in cruising. They have crept up almost every year. Most people never notice until the bill posts. Here is the number that gets attention. Automatic tips have climbed from around fourteen dollars and fifty cents per person per day in 2022 to over twenty dollars a…
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The Behind the Scenes Ship Tour Is the Best Money You Are Not Spending
Most passengers never see the parts of the ship that actually keep it running. The bridge. The galley. The engine control room. The place where thousands of pounds of laundry get done every single day. You can. It is called a behind the scenes tour, and almost nobody books it. Holland America brought its version…
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Expedition Cruising Is Not a Cruise, and That Is the Whole Point
An expedition ship does not have a water slide. It has a fleet of Zodiacs and sometimes a helicopter. That tells you almost everything. This style of cruising is built around getting off the ship, not staying on it. The vessels are small on purpose. Quark Expeditions runs the Ultramarine, a polar ship that carries…
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Viking Ocean Cruises Is Not for Everyone and That Is the Point
Viking Ocean Cruises launched its first ship in 2015 and immediately made a lot of other cruise lines uncomfortable. They built a product around what they did not include, and somehow that became the selling point. No casinos. No kids under 18. No nickel-and-diming you for a glass of wine at dinner. Beer and wine…
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Why Iceland Should Be on Your Cruise Radar Right Now
Most people think of Iceland as a bucket list item they will get to someday. Someday usually means never. But summer departures are being booked now, and Iceland in July and August is something that genuinely earns the word remarkable. The midnight sun is real. You can stand on deck at 11 p.m. and watch…
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Book Your Cruise Cabin Before You Book Your Cruise
Most first-time cruisers pick a ship, pick a sailing date, and then take whatever cabin is left. That is exactly backwards. The cabin you sleep in shapes your entire experience, and the best ones disappear months before you would ever think to start shopping. Here is what actually matters. Location on the ship determines whether…
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Cruise News Roundup for the Week of July 14, 2025
A few things happened in the cruise world last week worth knowing about. Here is what caught my attention and what it actually means for you. Royal Caribbean confirmed that Icon of the Seas will be joined by a fourth Icon-class ship, currently unnamed and set to debut in 2027. The class has been a…
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The Cruise Ship Is Not the Destination
Most people spend weeks picking the right ship. They compare pools, restaurants, entertainment, cabin sizes. Then they book a seven-night Caribbean cruise and spend the majority of their time on a floating resort that happens to stop somewhere briefly before moving on. The ship is transportation. Comfortable, often impressive transportation. But if you choose your…
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The Thermal Suite Is the Best $50 You Will Spend on a Cruise
Most passengers walk right past the thermal suite. They book the massage, skip the add-on, and never think about it again. That is a mistake. The thermal suite is a dedicated area in the ship’s spa that typically includes heated tile loungers, a steam room, a sauna, and sometimes a hydrotherapy pool. It is not…