Royal Caribbean travel tips

Royal Caribbean is about to take more than 4,000 passengers even farther northwest into Alaska. Starting in spring 2026, Ovation of the Seas will become the line's largest-ever ship to sail one-way voyages to The Last Frontier, offering both cruises and cruisetours — something that wasn't available to Royal Caribbean passengers before on a big ship.

Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast! 

Royal Caribbean Group said Tuesday that vacationers are spending more on its cruises and that it expects higher pricing in 2025. Executives discussing third-quarter results also said the majority of customers are new to cruises or their brands, and they discussed using AI to set prices and plans for a new private destination in Mexico.

Add one more cruise line to the growing list of brands that will offer Alaska sailings in 2026. Following brief stints sailing from New York and Los Angeles, new 2,770-passenger ship Brilliant Lady — the fourth in Virgin Voyages' fleet, set to debut in late 2025 — will offer cruises to the Last Frontier as part of its spring and summer 2026 schedule.

Earlier this year, my kids' relentless pleas to take a cruise reached a fever pitch.

Last week saw major moves that will impact tourism in the Mexican Caribbean region.

Royal Caribbean International passengers can expect slightly higher costs on their next voyage, as the cruise line has announced it will raise its gratuity rates next month. 

Royal Caribbean will increase its daily automatic gratuities next month, the latest in a long list of cruise lines to do so. Starting Nov. 1, gratuities will go up to $18.50 per person (from $18) for travelers in interior, ocean view, and balcony staterooms as well as those in junior suites; and to $21 per person (from $20.50) for all travelers in larger suites, Royal Caribbean confirmed to Travel + Leisure.

Bad news, Royal Caribbean fans: You're about to pay even more in fees to cruise with the line.

On most exams, a "B" is considered a passing grade.

Cruise ships don't always have a squeaky-clean reputation for being ultra-clean. After all, there's a reason they've been infamously dubbed "floating Petri dishes."

Royal Caribbean International’s new ship, Star of the Seas, has reached a key construction milestone. Last week, the ship hit the water for the first time during a float out ceremony.

A lot can happen in nine years — more than two presidential terms and your child's high school and college graduation, for example.

If you aren't cruising with kids, the family-friendly lines can sometimes seem a little too kid-friendly.

Choosing the right Disney cruise cabin for you is important, but it's not super complicated.

Whether you're booking your first voyage or your tenth, narrowing down the best Alaska cruise in 2025 is a complicated task.

If you'd asked me just a year ago what I thought of cruises, my answer would have been a resounding "meh."

If you're tired of only hearing about ultra-large cruise ships or ultra-expensive small ones, Norwegian Cruise Line has the answer.

If you're new to cruising, you might not know that cabins on most ships are designed for a minimum of two people.

I've never been one to book cruises . The idea of being trapped on a ship at sea for days on end with thousands of strangers never appealed to me, nor did the limited selection of restaurants and activities. As a long-time solo traveler, I also didn't love the fact that I'd have to pay twice as much since most cruises are priced based on double occupancy.

For cruisers in the mid-Atlantic states who don't want to take a plane before embarking on their itinerary, the cruise terminal in the Port of Baltimore is an incredibly convenient place to begin your journey. But if you are flying, it's also only a 15-minute drive from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). According to data from the Maryland government, in 2023 more than 440,000 passengers departed from the Port of Baltimore.