A mid-cruise repair in Hawaii pushed Carnival Spirit's Seattle return back a full day, and the ripple cost its next sailing a port. The 16-night repositioning cruise to Mobile dropped Cabo San Lucas rather than risk its fixed Panama Canal slot. Affected Hawaii guests got a pro-rated refund, a $250 onboard credit per stateroom, and up to $200 per person toward air-change fees.

Gross tonnage isn't weight, it's enclosed volume, and that one fact explains why Icon of the Seas (248,663 GT, 1,198 feet) is longer than a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. We break down tonnage, length, beam, draft and capacity, then show how each size class actually changes your cruise.

Auto-gratuities run about $16–$25 per person per day, which is roughly $238 on Carnival or MSC versus $280 on Norwegian for a couple on a 7-night sailing. Here's every major line's daily rate, what the charge does (and doesn't) cover, and whether prepaying actually saves you anything.