Where our facts come from

Every figure on this site is quoted from the cruise line’s own page, with the date we read it. This is where those pages live, in one list, so you never have to take our word for anything.

Why this page exists

Most of what circulates about cruise discounts, rules and deadlines is people quoting each other. Somebody writes a number, somebody else repeats it, and three years later it is “common knowledge” with no source behind it and no idea whether it is still true.

We would rather you checked. Rules change. Pages move. Prices go up. What is true on the date beside a link may not be true the week you book — so go and look, on their website, with today’s date on it.

None of the links on this page are affiliate links. Nothing here pays us anything. That is rather the point of it.

Find a source — type a cruise line, or what you are looking for Showing 20 sources. Searches the cruise line, the subject and the date.

Fares and discounts
Loyalty programmes
What you can and cannot bring
Accessibility and medical
Government and official bodies

Nothing matches that yet. Try a shorter word, or tell us what you were looking for — that is how this page grows.

Fares and discounts

Royal CaribbeanSenior rates (55+), police/fire/EMS, military and veteran, interline — all on one pageLast checked 29 September 2026
Royal CaribbeanBest Price Guarantee — what happens when the price drops after you bookLast checked 29 September 2026
Royal CaribbeanNextCruise — booking your next sailing onboardLast checked 29 September 2026

Loyalty programmes

Royal CaribbeanCrown & Anchor Society — the tiers and the points each one needsLast checked 29 September 2026
MSC CruisesStatus Match — bringing your tier across from another cruise lineLast checked 29 September 2026
MSC CruisesStatus Match, the frequently asked questionsLast checked 29 September 2026

What you can and cannot bring

Royal CaribbeanProhibited itemsLast checked 24 September 2026
Royal CaribbeanOnboard luggage policyLast checked 24 September 2026
CarnivalProhibited itemsLast checked 24 September 2026
Norwegian Cruise LineProhibited itemsLast checked 24 September 2026
Celebrity CruisesBefore you boardLast checked 24 September 2026

Accessibility and medical

Royal CaribbeanGuests with mobility disabilitiesLast checked 24 September 2026
CarnivalWheelchair usersLast checked 24 September 2026
Norwegian Cruise LineMedical needsLast checked 24 September 2026
Princess CruisesAccessibility guide (PDF)Last checked 24 September 2026

Government and official bodies

US National ArchivesRequesting military service records, including the DD 214Last checked 29 September 2026
TSALithium batteries over 100 watt hoursLast checked 24 September 2026
CDCTravelling abroad with medicineLast checked 24 September 2026
CDCNorovirus and cruise shipsLast checked 24 September 2026
US Customs and Border ProtectionWHTI travel document fact sheet (PDF)Last checked 24 September 2026

If we have got something wrong

Tell us. If a link has moved, if the wording has changed, if a line has quietly dropped a rate or added one — we want to know, and we will fix it here and say when we did.

And if you find a rate or a rule we have never covered, send that too. This is the start of a conversation, not the end of one.

Write to [email protected].

Where the gaps are. A few things simply are not published. Royal Caribbean does not publish what NextCruise is actually worth — their whole FAQ answer is three sentences and there is not one figure in it, so the only way to learn the deposit or the credit is to ask at the desk onboard and write down the date you were told. Crown & Anchor publishes its point thresholds but not what each tier actually gets you. Where that happens we say so plainly rather than repeating somebody else’s number.

Corrected 29 September 2026. We previously said Carnival does not publish a senior age. That was wrong, and we found it by checking our own work. Carnival’s cruise search carries a senior filter labelled “Age 55+”, with 478 sailings behind it on the day we looked. The senior age is 55 on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival alike.

Your cruise, sorted

Ready to plan the fun part?

Book a cruiseFind your next sailingEvery major cruise line in one big, easy-to-read search. Tick 55 or older and the senior rates show up.Search cruises Travel insuranceSail with peace of mindWhat a policy really needs to cover at sea, and when to buy it so you're not left out.Compare cover Shore excursionsMake port day the best dayBeach days, snorkel trips and island tours, booked so the ship never leaves without you.Find a tour Port hotelsArrive the night beforeHand-picked hotels near the cruise port, so the only thing you rush for is the buffet.Pick a hotel

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Cruising with mobility or health needs?

If stairs, gangways and tenders are a problem, there is a whole section of this site for you. Sails Anyway covers accessible and limited-mobility cruising properly instead of squeezing it into a paragraph: what each pier actually asks of you, which tender ports are a problem and why, the special-needs forms and the deadlines that catch people out, and how to choose a cabin you can move around in.

Mobility & Health Needs

About the "I" on this page. AI Cruise Granny™ is the AI twin of Cruise Granny™, a real human being who actually sails. Every experience written here in the first person is hers. The AI twin is what writes it up, checks the facts against official sources and keeps it current. We tell you that openly on every page, because you should know who is talking to you. More about how this works.

Don’t take our word for it