Holland America wants travelers to live on a cruise ship for 4 ½ months while it sails to 39 countries on all 7 continents — see what it'll be like

Cruise ships have hidden features that many passengers, particularly first-timers, don’t know about. Some ships are as big as small cities, and while it’s relatively easy to familiarize yourself with a seemingly endless number of amenities — water parks, tattoo parlors, multiple restaurants — there is also an entire ecosystem, often below passenger decks, that is shrouded in mystery.

The travel industry considers the months following the peak winter and summer periods as “shoulder season.” (If you think of high season as the head, the months on either side are the shoulders. Just go with the metaphor.) And it has long been considered among the best times to get away as crowds are thinner and the rates are lower. From Macchu Pichu to Morocco, here are seven great destinations for shoulder season.

Cruises are more popular than ever, but they're also more controversial than ever, with destinations around the globe limiting or outright banning them from ports in an effort to combat over-tourism.

In April 2022, I took my first cruise on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas and it was bigger than I could even imagine. I felt as if I were in a small town in the middle of the ocean. At the time of my sailing, Wonder of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas took over the title in January 2024.  

These cruises are going to be rare ones, Holland America fans. So get ready to book before they fill up.

Oceania Cruises wants you to spend at least $59,700 — and 180 days — living on its newest cruise ship while it sails 360 degrees around the globe.

It probably seemed like a great idea at the time: use a rare confluence of itineraries to bring three cruise ships together in the middle of the ocean, launch a drone or two, and get unique photos to highlight Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s biggest brands: Celebrity, Silversea and Royal Caribbean.

An employee working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has been arrested on suspicion of placing secret cameras inside passengers' bathrooms and filming them without their knowledge.

Holland America Line is setting sail for adventure with the opening of bookings for its 2025-2026 Panama Canal and Hawaii cruises. With a focus on longer voyages and destination immersion, the premium cruise line is set to offer sailings out of five North American homeports on five separate ships for the 2025-2026 season.

132-day Grand World Voyage on Volendam will call 47 ports in 39 countries.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with retired lawyer Peter Antonucci, who spent six years living on The World — a residential ship for millionaires. Antonucci has written three novels about scandals on the high seas.

It's official: Short cruises on giant ships seem to be the flavor of the month in the cruise world.