Wealthy travelers are flocking to a new luxury cruise ship with a Rolex store, crystal-infused water, and a $190 tasting menu. See inside.

Unlike in hotels and resorts, when you stay in a hostel, the things you do in your room directly affect other guests.

With amenities like an onboard water park, seven pools, and a waterfall, Royal Caribbean's upcoming Icon of the Seas is set to be one of the most attention-grabbing cruise ships on the market. But if you're a fan of affordable vacations, no onboard feature will make your jaw drop more than the price of a vacation on this vessel.

I spend half of my year living on a cruise ship for free.

The chances of you falling overboard off a cruise ship are extremely low.

When Regent Seven Seas Grandeur sets sail in November 2023, an impressive multimillion-dollar contemporary art collection with 1,600 works will offer guests a bespoke experience, akin to that of cruising on a floating museum.

On the train from Zurich to Bad Ragaz, a charming mountain town in eastern Switzerland, you pass mirror-like lakes so still that it’s hard to tell the difference between the sky and the water. Jagged Alpine trees are seen twice, their reflection in the water creating a topsy-turvy landscape. Mountain peaks are upside down and the cobalt of autumnal skies merge into the ice-blue of the lake’s surface.

Tipping on cruise ships has changed over the years. Cash used to be king, dispensed at a passenger’s whim. But nowadays, many large lines are both cash-free and have automated tipping as part of the daily dues, meaning passengers no longer need to carry around a wad of bills. But, there are caveats. For example, not all crew is included in the general tip—some are actually forbidden from accepting gratuities—and sometimes, currency matters. Below, what you need to know about tipping on a cruise, and how to make sure no onboard tip gets lost in the shuffle.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Vincent McNally, a retired FBI special agent who worked as a security officer on Holland America Line cruise ships from 2005 to 2011. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

The coronavirus was already devastating parts of the world, bringing illness and death, and the future was uncertain when Henry Karpik, a retired police officer from the Australian suburb of Figtree, and his wife of nearly 50 years, Susan Karpik, began their holiday cruise to New Zealand aboard the Ruby Princess.

For more than 25 years, Alberto Avila has been making careteros, or paper maché masks, perpetuating a tradition of Indigenous communities in Ecuador. Typically worn by tribal leaders, the masks are used widely in local festivities. As Avila explains, each mask is intended to reflect “what’s inside” its creator—his first took the form of a devil, a character he identified with at the time, but he’s tranquil, nowadays, and has made more playful versions lately.

If you've visited Phoenix or Scottsdale, Arizona, you already know that the area is flush with luxury hotels and resorts. Big names like Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt operate many of the resort properties, which, depending on your points or elite status in those chains, can help make the getaways more affordable or attainable.

When images of the world's largest cruise ship went viral this summer, social media users described Icon of the Seas with less than flattering terms. Among them are "human lasagne," a "monstrosity," and "hell on water."