After a 40-stateroom dry-dock expansion, Royal Caribbean quietly switched some Ovation of the Seas bookings to guarantee status — including guests who'd paid a premium to hand-pick their exact cabin. We explain the fixed-vs-guarantee difference and the three moves to make if your cabin number changes.

Stop packing one outfit per day. A week at sea really needs about 7 tops, 4 bottoms, 2 swimsuits, and 2 formal looks — because most 7-night sailings have only two dress-up nights and your daytime clothes recombine. We break down the exact counts by category, plus a carry-on-only version.

New to cruising? Start here. We walk first-timers through picking the right line and ship, when to book for the best fare, what your cruise fare actually includes — and the $100–$200 per day of extras it doesn't — plus the rookie mistakes to skip.