Editorial Standards

Last updated: October 7, 2026

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The Voyage Brief exists to help travelers understand practical cruise details before booking. We keep three things clearly separate: what official sources say, what our research shows, and what travelers report. Our goal is to publish useful, accurate and clearly sourced information while keeping editorial judgment separate from commercial relationships.

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Research and verification

In our research, we aim to:
Use official cruise-line, government, port and other primary sources whenever reasonably available.

Record source URLs and verification dates for factual information that may change.

Distinguish confirmed facts, estimates, opinions and traveler experiences.

Avoid presenting ship-specific, sailing-specific or time-sensitive information as universal.

Seek clarification when reliable sources conflict or leave a material question unresolved.

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Editorial control

Editorial decisions come first, and compensation does not determine our conclusions. Advertising, affiliate relationships, sponsorships, complimentary experiences and business partnerships do not entitle an outside party to a favorable review or conclusion. Partners do not receive approval rights over TVB's editorial conclusions; we may accept factual corrections and make changes when legally required.

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Traveler Reports

Traveler Reports reflect individual experiences and may not represent every sailing or traveler. They are not verified by TVB unless they are labeled as verified. TVB may moderate reports for relevance, privacy, safety, readability and compliance with submission terms. TVB does not decline or remove Traveler Reports merely because they are negative, and will not knowingly alter the substance of a traveler's opinion merely to favor or disfavor a company.

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Artificial intelligence

AI-assisted tools may be used for brainstorming, organization, transcription, formatting, editing support or production assistance. Material factual claims intended for publication must be reviewed by a person and checked against appropriate sources. TVB will not knowingly publish fabricated quotations, experiences, sources or traveler reports. Video that uses an AI-generated presenter, including an authorized AI likeness of a TVB team member, will be labeled as AI-generated. Other material synthetic or altered media will be labeled when disclosure is needed to prevent a misleading impression.

AI-drafted editorial content. AI tools may assist in preparing preliminary drafts, but publication requires human editorial review and verification. A human writer or editor will receive an individual byline only when that person's contribution constitutes substantive authorship, such as materially writing, rewriting, shaping or developing the published work. When AI produces a substantial portion of the published draft and human involvement is primarily review, verification or limited editing, TVB will not attribute sole authorship to the human reviewer and will use an appropriate organizational attribution and disclosure of material AI assistance. The use of AI for routine editorial assistance, such as brainstorming, outlining, transcription, formatting, proofreading or similar support, does not by itself require an article-level disclosure.

 

Conflicts and disclosure

Writers, editors and contributors must disclose material financial, employment, personal or family relationships that could reasonably affect—or appear to affect—their work. TVB will disclose relevant conflicts to readers or reassign the work when appropriate.