A suite can run two to three times a balcony on the same sailing — but the gap swings wildly by line. On one Norwegian Encore Alaska sailing we checked, a Club Balcony Suite was just $50 over a regular balcony, while The Haven started at $5,290. We break down what Royal's Star Class, NCL's Haven, MSC Yacht Club, and Celebrity's Retreat actually include — and who should skip the upsell.

Most ships cruise at 20–24 knots (about 23–28 mph) and top out near 30 knots — but they almost never run flat out, because fuel burn climbs sharply with speed. Here's how to read a ship's Speed Over Ground, why a reading in the low 20s is normal, and how to watch any ship's real pace live on our cruise tracker.

Teens change the trip: you're weighing connecting cabins, reduced third- and fourth-guest fares, and age rules that catch families off guard (teen clubs end at 17, and under-21 cabin rules differ by line). We walk through cabin setups for four or five, real sample fares, and a booking checklist so nobody's stuck sharing one bathroom.