Welcome to TPG's Cruise Wave Season Extravaganza

Are you itching to get back to cruising? We know many of you are, judging from the emails that we've been getting from cruising fans in recent months asking for advice. So we're launching something exciting that will help you plan your next trip at sea (or your first one, if you're a cruising newbie).

Today kicks off TPG's first-ever Cruise Wave Season Extravaganza — a massive, monthlong rollout of cruise planning content to help you plan the perfect voyage for the coming year and beyond.

Starting today — and every day this month — we'll be posting at least one new or updated guide to cruising as part of the Extravaganza.

The first of these guides, highlighting the seven questions that will determine if you'll like cruising, already is live as of this morning. In anticipation of the rollout, we've also updated and reposted two of our marquee beginners guides to cruising:

• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• 6 ways to get a deal on a cruise

If you're new to cruising, consider the two stories above as your "start here" buttons. Click them and you'll be on your way to planning your first vacation at sea like a boss.

Even if you're not new to cruising, you'll find a lot of good tips in those stories.

Saying yes to Wave Season

For some of you, this may seem like an odd time to be talking about booking a cruise.

The surge in COVID-19 cases across the globe in recent months may have you thinking twice about taking a cruise — or going on any other type of trip — in the coming weeks.

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Given some of the disruptions to sailings that positive cases on ships have caused of late, you may even be at the point where you have decided to steer clear of cruise ships in the short term.

Even if that's the case, we have some advice for you: There may be no better time than now to put down a deposit on a voyage that will take place later this year or next, when the omicron surge, in theory, will be far behind us.

Related: Omicron wave could fade fast, says health expert

After being completely shut down for a good chunk of the past two years due to COVID-19, cruise lines are eager for your business — so eager that they're rolling out some truly alluring promotions on sailings scheduled to take place not just in the coming months but also for as far out as 2023 or even 2024.

Our Cruise Wave Season Extravaganza is timed to coincide with "wave season," the three-month period at the start of the year when bookings for cruises traditionally surge.

Cruise lines always roll out major promotions during wave season to capitalize on the increased interest in planning cruises. But this year, as we've written about quite a bit in recent weeks, some of the promotions are even better than usual.

The wave season deals this year include lots of two-for-one fares, free fares for the third and fourth passengers in a cabin, free kids fares, gratis airfare, complimentary pre-cruise hotel stays, cabin upgrades, onboard credit, beverage packages, included gratuities, free Wi-Fi and more.

What's to come

The Cruise Wave Season Extravaganza will consist of four themed weeks.

This week, through Sunday, is Introduction to Cruising Week, when we'll publish several broad guides that will help you learn what cruising is all about and how to book a cruise. We'll also highlight the hottest new cruise ships and itineraries for 2022.

Then, get ready for:

• The Perfect Cruise for You Week (Feb. 21-27). We'll reveal the best cruises for families, solo travelers, couples, luxury lovers, the LGBTQ+ communities and more.
• Cruise Cabins and Suites Week (Feb. 28-March 6). This week, our experts will teach you how to pick the perfect cabin or suite.
• Cruise Tips Week (March 6-13). We'll devote our final week to sharing tips for planning, booking, preparing for and taking cruises.

So grab your sailor's uniform and captain's hat, and prepare for a wave of cruise content.

Here at TPG, our Extravaganza is one wave we're hoping you get swept up in.

Click below for some of TPG's top cruise line guides:

• The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean
• The ultimate guide to Carnival Cruise Line
• The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line
• The ultimate guide to Celebrity Cruises
• The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises
• The ultimate guide to Azamara
• The ultimate guide to Atlas Ocean Voyages
• The ultimate guide to Disney Cruise Line