Let’s face it: everyone forgets something when they travel – even experienced cruisers like us. However, there are some things that you should bring with you to get maximum enjoyment out of your river cruise – things that go beyond the usual toothbrush and passport.  These are things we’ve found to be immensely useful on our own travels, and we’re presenting them here for you to take with you on your next adventure.

A Travel Guide

Power Adapters

A Backpack and Reusable Water Bottle

Medications from Home

Business Cards

Fathom and Airbnb have partnered for a “give and get” opportunity for new Airbnb hosts in the United States. People who sign up to become a new host with Airbnb will receive a $250 credit for a Fathom cruise to the Dominican Republic or Cuba.   

A  pioneer in social impact travel, Fathom, Carnival Corporation’s 10th and newest brand, sails weekly to the Dominican Republic or Cuba. Cruises are not your everyday voyages but rather a chance for travelers  to immerse themselves in enriching and meaningful experiences and participate alongside locals to address community needs.

The luxury cruise line Silversea has announced that its fleet of small ships will undergo a $170 million refurbishment that will upgrade them to the high standards its upscale passengers have grown accustom to.

“We are thrilled to be moving ahead with these major refurbishments and look forward to welcoming guests aboard and sharing our unique vision of ultra-luxury cruising, both in terms of service and physical environment”, Manfredi Lefebvre, chairman of Silversea, said in a statement. “We pride ourselves on being the reference when it comes to ultra-luxury cruising and this investment reflects our long-term commitment in this regard toward our ships, our guests and our crew.”

It’s good to be a kid on Carnival’s newest cruise ship, Vista. Which means it’s also great to be a parent sailing aboard Vista. More kids sail on Carnival than other cruise line, and Vista proves the company wants to keep it that way. Carrying 3,936 passengers and 1,450 crew members, she’s a floating resort with everything a vacationing family could ask for, and plenty of things they may not have ever imagined were possible at sea or on land.

Weighing in at more than 133-thousand tons, the list of Carnival Vista’s family-friendly perks is long, entertaining and in many cases adrenaline boosting, but these ten should provide instant vacation inspiration.

It’s hard to imagine a hotel charging extra for a room with windows, but when it comes to cruising, fresh ocean air comes at a premium: Typically, the coveted outdoor balcony space on a cruise costs at least $100 per person, per voyage more than an interior or porthole stateroom. But with budget and savings in mind, are cruise balconies actually worth the extra fee? We explore.

Whenever I talk about cruises, people get a wistful look in their eyes when I mention SeaDream Yacht Club. Founded 15 years ago by Norwegian cruise pioneer Atle Brynestad, SeaDream Yacht Club has made a point of sending its two 112-guest luxury yachts, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, where other lines can’t — or simply won’t — go.

Now, SeaDream is rolling out a number of new itineraries for 2017, including seven special wine-themed voyages. Sailing through the sun-splashed Mediterranean, these dedicated wine sailings provide guests with premium tastings from celebrated wineries such as Château Gassier, Tenuta San Guido and Taittinger Champagne.

At first I figured it was because of the unrest throughout southern Europe, but there’s no indication of  that as the reason Celebrity Cruises announced it’s pulling the 2,850-passengers out of European waters and heading to the Caribbean to join that competitive year-round market. The ship will sail on various itineraries from Miami and do seven-night cruises in June, July and August with Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries offered.

The Equinox was scheduled to be part of a five-ship European deployment for the cruise line next summer. So far though the line is keeping he Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette there..

"Our guests, first-time cruisers and our travel partners have been asking me for many years to offer year-round Caribbean cruises. They wished we offered these itineraries,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. "Modern luxury, affluent vacationers have been looking for summer cruises in the Caribbean and we felt this was a significant opportunity in our offering. So our new year-long sailings are perfect for discerning families and couples who want a summer getaway to sought-after tropical islands, with the best culinary experiences in the region and enriching activities for children and adults – all of which can only be offered by Celebrity. We are also adding new itineraries and sailings to create the most unforgettable vacations in the Caribbean; this is another example of what makes Celebrity so distinct and unique.”

Seabourn has always provided passengers with top products in their suites. The cruise line even lets you choose your own from a variety of top-shelf selections. And now the company has teamed up with one of the most exclusive labels, London-based Molton Brown, to create a collection of signature scents distributed free of charge on its three ships — and on the new Seabourn Encore when it debuts in December.

"Our new Seabourn Signature Scents are the result of genuine collaboration with Molton Brown, with several months spent developing distinctive scent combinations that will serve to remind guests of the experience of their Seabourn cruise long after they've returned home," said Christopher Prelog, vice president of hotel operations for Seabourn.

Already popular for the fine cuisine served across its fabulous fleet of luxury liners, Regent Seven Seas is taking the flavors farther with culinary-inspired shore excursions on its sparkling new Seven Seas Explorer inaugural season in the Mediterranean, which begins tomorrow, July 13.

The one-of-a-kind, flavorful epicurean adventures ashore will feature several exquisite gourmet restaurants and the hands-on Culinary Arts Kitchen. The new collection of Gourmet Explorer Tours will enhance and expand upon the curriculum offered at the Culinary Arts Kitchen aboard the ship by providing adventures that allow guests to explore the destination and local culture through its epicurean offerings. Each tour, which will be escorted by the chef instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen and a local guide, is a wine and food lover’s dream come true.

When you call your newest cruise ship “the most luxurious ship ever built,” you must be able to back it up. So what sets Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 750-guest, 55,254-ton Seven Seas Explorer apart … and is it truly above and beyond?

There are the obvious features. Consider that the Regent Suite, the biggest and most opulent on the ship, measures a whopping 4,443 square feet. Not only does it boast a $250,000 custom-designed Steinway Arabesque grand piano, the bed is worth more than many homes. It has a Savoir No. 1 mattress worth $90,000, and between linens, the duvet, pillows and installation, the bed alone ended up costing about $150,000.

While those are over-the-top luxury features, the important thing is that the luxurious feel extends throughout the ship, not just in the fanciest suite.

Cunard’s flagship ocean liner Queen Mary 2 arrived in Brooklyn, New York, on July 6 all spruced up after a $132 million facelift that gave her new contemporary interior designs and passenger experiences — many of which take their design inspiration from the original Queen Mary, which debuted in New York 80 years ago.

There was much pomp and circumstance at her arrival with a VIP guest list that included Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp., who spoke at the occasion. “More than any other ship in our Carnival Corporation fleet of more than 100 ships, Queen Mary 2 is the most famous, the most recognizable and certainly the most unique. It was the dream of our chairman Micky Arison to build the Queen Mary 2 almost 15 years ago. He aspired to recreate that luxurious ocean liner experience from the past and Queen Mary 2 is the glorious result.”

What happened on cruise ships used to stay on cruise ships -- at least until the boat reached the next port.

One of the remaining Internet-free places on the planet, passengers could spend days wallowing in isolation unless they spent serious cash on a telegram or ship-to-shore call.

Then, in 1999 Norwegian Cruise Lines introduced the first on-board Internet café.

And nothing much changed.

Because, even though cruise lines have been rolling out connectivity at sea ever since, coverage has been frustratingly patchy, slow and expensive.

It's changing now though.

Over the last few years, cruise lines have been improving their satellite technology to boost connection speeds and working out ways to accommodate different budgets.