Everything about how this guide works, what it promises, and what it does not. In plain words, all in one place.
Some links in this guide pay me a small commission when you use them: the booking engine, excursions, insurance, and a few gear picks. It costs you nothing extra, ever. I only point at things I would book myself, and a link being mine never changes what I say about a ship, a port, or a plan.
Waves of Fun Travel is an independent travel advisor hosted by Outside Agents. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by any cruise line named in it. Cruise line names appear only to describe real sailings.
Ships move. Schedules change, sailings sell out, and prices change by the day, which is why this guide never prints prices. The booking links show the real price and the real availability on the day you look. Check both sailings before you pay for either one, because booking one ship does not reserve the other.
Links verified as of October 18, 2026. When a sailing sails or sells out, its booking link stops working. That is the sailing ending, not the guide breaking.
Before you book, know this: a ship-hop is TWO separate reservations. Two deposits. Two sets of payment deadlines. Two cancellation rulebooks. Booking the first ship does not hold the second one. If one ship cancels, the other booking does not cancel free, and penalties can apply. Check the availability and the total cost of BOTH cruises before you pay for either one.
One advisor booking both ships can often hold cabins on both while you decide, so the pair cannot break apart mid-decision. Holds depend on the cruise line, the fare, and availability. Some fares ask for payment right away, and two holds do not always end at the same time. It is not a guarantee. It is me hunting it down with both clocks in front of me, which is easier than you watching them alone.
Travel insurance coverage, exclusions, cancellation benefits, and eligibility vary by policy. Contact the insurance provider directly for questions about what is or isn't covered. Waves of Fun Travel does not interpret insurance policies or guarantee coverage. The provider I send my clients to is Arch RoamRight Arch RoamRight, and their link is beside this note when the guide is mounted on my site.
Passport, visas, and entry rules for every country on your route are on you and your traveling party. Check them early. Ships deny boarding for wrong paperwork, and no guide can fix that at the pier.
When a link takes you off this guide to the booking engine or another site, that site's own terms run the booking from there. Read their confirmation screens like they matter, because they do.
Your access to this edition is permanent. Buy it once and it is yours to open for as long as you like; nothing about your copy expires. What does not change is the edition itself. Its sailings, dates, and research are fixed as published, the way a printed atlas is fixed, and schedules and prices are not updated inside it. The live price and the live availability for any sailing sit behind its booking link, on the day you look. Updated research arrives as a new edition. When a new edition comes out, this edition leaves the shelf for new buyers. Buying this edition includes its quarterly refreshes until it retires: while this edition is current, refreshed copies are posted for owners to download, each stamped with its update date. When it retires, the updates end, but ownership does not. Retirement ends updates, not ownership. Please do not pass copies around; the research is how I make my living.
Copyright 2026 Waves of Fun Travel, LLC. All rights reserved.
Trips marked with a star have a relationship between the two ships. ★ SAME SHIP: you sail out and home on the very same ship. ★ SAME CRUISE LINE: two different ships, one cruise line, and both sailings earn in the same loyalty program. ★ SAME CRUISE FAMILY: the two lines are sister brands under one parent company. Family does not mean shared loyalty status. Each brand runs its own program, and your status on one brand does not carry to the other.
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