Many cruise lines allow a reasonable amount of personal luggage rather than applying a single universal limit. For many travelers, one or two checked bags is a practical planning range, but there is no universal cruise-industry allowance. In practice, your packing is shaped less by the ship’s headline allowance than by the journey to the ship, the storage in your stateroom and your ability to move the bags yourself.

No cruise line has the best food for everyone. The honest answer is that dining at sea is organized around several different models, and the line with the best food for you is the one whose model matches how you actually eat and travel.

Living on a cruise ship costs anywhere from the low tens of thousands of dollars per person each year to seven figures, depending on which version of the idea you mean. Renting long-stay accommodation aboard a residential ship sits at the affordable end. Stringing conventional or world cruises together usually costs more per day. Buying outright is a different market again, from fixed-term arrangements costing tens of thousands to purpose-built residences priced like high-end property ashore.

July is the strongest all-round month for an Alaskan cruise: the warmest temperatures, the fullest excursion schedule and reliable daylight. June offers the longest days and excellent whale activity, August pairs active wildlife with a mature summer landscape, and May and September often bring lower fares and fewer visitors.

In a recent Financial Times feature, Oxford historian, writer, and hotelier Peter Frankopan reflects on his Swan Hellenic voyage to Antarctica aboard SH Vega.