No matter if it’s your first cruise or your one-hundredth you’ll probably agree that the first day of your cruise is the most exciting, but there are a few things you’ll want to consider to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible.  I’ve come up with the below list of twelve tips, in chronological order that you should consider on embarkation day...

These days cruise ships come in all sizes and colors, but not long ago this wasn't the case.  To this day, when most of us see ships with dark colored hulls we think of them as more traditional looking, no matter what the age of the vessel.  Why is this?  Well, it has to do with how these great ships are powered, and the letters sometimes preceding ship names.  Make sense? 

For decades cruise ships became more advanced and more spacious, but despite these changes, ships still looked like ships.  With Royal Caribbean’s launch of Voyager of The Seas in November of 1998 however, things started to look quite different.  With this behemoth (the largest cruise ship at the time) came the first rock wall and ice rink at sea, as well as the Royal Promenade.  The ice rink and rock wall were, and still are, impressive.  The Royal Promenade however was something truly different.  

Up until this ship, the major venues on cruise ships all had views of the sea.  Part of this was to be expected by guests – you’re on a ship after all.  Another part however was out of necessity, as the size of ships never allowed for any reasonably large venue to be located above the water line and not come up against the windows of the ship or the outdoor promenade.  The size of the Voyager of The Seas made it possible to essentially put a shopping and dining district inside of the ship in a way that to this day, makes strolling the Royal Promenade an experience which in no way reveals that passengers are on a ship rather than on land....

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has penned a multi-year strategic partnership with Global Eagle, maker of in-flight entertainment systems.  This agreement will bring enhanced internet and entertainment services to Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet of 14 ships.  This is slated to include tiered plans for Wi-Fi, messaging services, and video.  In the future, guests will be able to access an integrated portal from their own smartphones and tablets, which will allow access to live and on-demand TV programming, movies, and more.  Further, the systems being put in place by Global Eagle will allow for dynamic adjusting on bandwidth for each ship based on demand.  This comes only a week after announcing

Today in South Florida, Celebrity Cruises Chairman Richard Fain and President & CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo shared details of the 117,000 GT Celebrity Edge.  From an elevating cantilever bar to Infinite Verandahs and her own tenders, "Edge Launches", everything on this ship seems to have been designed to look out to the water. This ship looks like it will really be something special.  Now, while we go book a cruise on Edge, take a look below at just some of what she'll have to offer next year (be sure to check the gallery at the bottom) and look forward to more updates soon.