If you’re thinking of booking a cruise, and you are a 1st time cruise, here’s a few highlights and tips to make your cruise planning simple. Just sit back, and read all these tips and get ready for an awesome memorable cruise vacation!!!
Ok first…You need to decide where, what & when…
Where you want to go?
What cruise line?
And…when you are able to take a vacation?
Believe it or not, if you get all those things figured out, you are half way there…
So let’s talk a little about these 3 things. Think about where you would like to cruise…Do you want warm weather, cooler weather, tropical beaches, historical sights, etc… Then once you narrow that down, decide which cruise line…If you’re unsure, do a little research. Most cruise lines do most itineraries although some have, more options than others. Another thing to take into consideration is do you want luxury, more family oriented, is price an issue, do you want a newer ship with all the cool new amenities. Decide a few of these then narrow them down until you get it narrowed down to one. Once you decide on a ship, look at a few things when choosing your cabin. For example, what will be above & below you, how convenient are the food areas, pools, elevators to your cabin. Then decide what time of year you are able to travel. Also if price was an issue, you may want to choose a time of year when the prices are lower. The most expensive times to cruise are typically summer, spring break & holidays (such as Christmas and New Years). Booking 18-24 months out will get you one of the lowest rates as well. You can either call the cruise lines for assistance or find a TA (travel agent) to assist you. A TA may be able to spend more time and give you more options than a particular cruise line vacation planner. They can also look up information from several cruise lines and find the best deal for you. If you find a good one, they will walk you through all the way until embarkation day, assisting you with questions and concerns about your cruise. You will never feel alone. Whether you book through a cruise line or TA, just like anything you have to talk with them and feel like they are a good choice to do business with you. How you book is your own personal choice.
Ok now you have your cruise decided and ready to book. One more thing to think about, what type of cabin do you want and the location. Once you have decided, you normally will put a deposit down and the final payment is due a couple months prior to your cruise, depending on what cruise line you choose. You can pay along as you want to make it easier to get paid off.
Travel insurance is usually offered when booking and it is optional. Many people cruise without it and never have an issue, others feel more comfortable with it. That is another personal choice you need to decide on. The cruise lines offer a plan, although if you book with a TA, they have different companies with plans to offer you and you will usually get a better policy and rate. If you have any health issues or are elderly, it may be worth looking into.
Now is the waiting period, where you get excited and impatient… Be sure to join a fb group for your cruise to get acquainted with fellow cruisers and they will also help with your questions. It helps keep the excitement level up as you wait. Also do a lot of research on ship, ports, plan your excursions, etc….The more you know the safer and more comfortable you will feel.
A couple weeks or so before cruise fill out your online check in and print out your documents (boarding passes, health questionnaire, and luggage tags).
Packing basics
Everyone has their own idea of what to pack and many tend to over pack for cruises. Here are the basics that will get you through any cruise.
Swimsuits, cover ups (girls), shirt & tanks (guys). 1 to 2 formal or nice outfits for formal nights (there will be 1-2 depending on length of cruise), Another casual outfit for each dinner night, an outfit for each day (whether for an excursion in port or just a pool day on the ship), sleepwear, undergarments, shoes, toiletries, camera or phone for taking pictures, motion sickness medication or sea bands if you tend to get sea sick and most important….CRUISE DOCUMENTS, ANY MEDICATIONS, AND SUNSCREEN. For cold weather cruises…then just adjust clothing to cold weather style with things for layering, jackets, and umbrella. There are many other little gadgets and things you can take if you wish although they are optional. I just listed the main things you will need.
Ok now its cruise day…
Plan to arrive to the port about an hour before your check in time. If the cruise line doesn’t have a scheduled check in time, then as early as possible. It helps with fighting the crowds. If you’re driving you may want to arrange and reserve your parking ahead of time. If flying…it’s always a good idea to fly in the day before and stay at a hotel the night before your cruise. You can take a taxi, Uber, or hotel shuttle to port. Once you arrive at the port look for a porter to drop your luggage off with. It’s always nice to tip them a couple dollars for handling your luggage. Make sure you have your luggage tags printed out and attached to your luggage. You can tape, staple them on or get those clear plastic holders for them that attach to luggage. FYI….Do not put these on before your flight if flying. Put them on just before going to port. They will put your luggage on the ship and it will be delivered to your cabin. Make sure you have anything you may need before you get your luggage in your carry on. Such as medicine, documents, money, credit cards, purse, maybe an extra outfit or swimsuit, etc….Also, it is required to bring any drinks, wine in carry on. It can be up to several hours until you get your luggage. Also your documents should include passport or picture ID(license) & birth certificate, for kids just passport or birth certificate, boarding passes, health questionnaires (which you print out with boarding passes online), credit card you have attached to booking in case they need to see it again. Well now you are check in and ready to board the ship!!!
Once you board, you can go straight to eat lunch, go check out you cabin if it’s ready, check out your dinner dining table to see if you like the location (if not you can usually see the maître d’ the 1st day to make any changes), or just explore the beautiful vessel. You will probably be overwhelmed with trying to figure out where everything is. Something I recommend is getting up early one morning when the ship is less crowded and just walk the whole ship from top to bottom and see it all. You will just be amazed.
Well before you know, it’s….SAIL AWAY TIME. But first there is always the dreaded muster safety drill. Unfortunately, it is mandatory so don’t try to hide. Just go and get it over with. Once it’s over the sail away party can begin!!!
Enjoy your cruise because before you know it, it will be over. You will usually pack the night before for debarkation. You can set your luggage out the night before and they will take it to an area for you to pick up in the port once you disembark the ship. You also have the option on most cruise lines for self-assist, this is where you carry your own luggage off. People with early flights tend to do this. They will leave customs paperwork for you to fill out and have ready when you go through customs once you are off the ship. Just have it ready and you ID’s and you will hopefully breeze right through customs. Just like that it’s over and you will be home planning your next cruise adventure.
Here are a few informational tips listed in categories to make your cruise less stressful…
#1 asked question??? How do I pay for things on the ship???
You will get a sail & sign card or Sea Pass card depending on what cruise lines you sail. Before or at embarkation you will attach your credit card to it for purchases. If you want a total cash account, or have gift cards, you can add cash at embarkation time as well. This is your card you use to make any purchase, it is also you room key to your cabin, and you need it to get on and off the ship. They will scan it when going off and coming on the ship. This is how they keep track of who is onboard. This card is all you need to carry around once onboard so investing in a lanyard is a good idea to keep it from getting lost.
Shore excursions – You can book online through cruise line or with independent companies prior to your cruise. If you book with independent companies make sure you are aware of refund policies just in case ship misses port or has itinerary change due to weather, etc…Some outside companies will change day or refund, other will not. I always suggest for 1st time cruisers to book excursions through cruise line unless cruising with others that are more experienced cruisers. It’s less stressful, if there is a change, the cruise line will change or refund without a problem. Also if someone is just not feeling up to the excursion the day of…most cruise lines will still give you a refund if you cancel. So 1st timers, booking through the cruise line is the way to go. You can book online or at shore excursion desk once onboard.
Food – What food is included? Well on most cruise lines the main dining room, and the lido buffet are usually included. Some menus in main dining room will have a couple items with an extra fee but they will have a price listed it that is the case. Each cruise lines have other included food areas, but that is where a little research comes in handy. It should be listed on each cruise lines website. All the cruise lines have specialty restaurants now as well with an extra price tag added. It is completely optional if you choose to eat at these places and some require a reservation prior to the meal time. Some ships have 24 hour pizza and ice cream that are included and room service is usually included on most cruise lines with some having a few items with an extra charge. Also most will deliver the room service for free although some cruise lines such as NCL and RCCL charge a fee to deliver. So just read all the fine print.
Activity schedules – There will be activity schedules left in your cabin that will list all the activities going on around the ship for the next day. They usually leave these the night before. Be sure to check them out so you can plan to do anything that sounds interesting. The time and place will be listed. Some things are only offered once, so you won’t want to miss out. Also, this is where you will find what shows, movies, etc. are happening each night.
Kids Clubs – Most all cruise lines have a kids clubs. They are similar but all have different names and décor themes. They are included in price, although some do have a few extra activities they charge for such as late night parties, build a bear, and late night babysitting. Ages are separated in to different areas with age specific activities. Check your particular cruise line for age requirements.
Entertainment – There is a lot of different entertainment on cruise ships. Dancing, singing, magic, water acrobatic shows, comedy clubs, games, trivia, contests, and more… You will never be bored. There is always something going on. There are a few cruise lines that you do have to reserve the nightly shows ahead of time. Just check ahead with your particular cruise line.
Photos – You will feel like every time you turn around someone is trying to snap your picture. If you aren’t interested, just politely say “no thank you”. You will probably end up taking some so this is how you go about purchasing them. There will be a photo area on all cruise ships. Some put all the photos out and you have to look through to find yours, others are more advanced and have digital pictures. You can look at them on a computer or even your phone and pick what you want and order. It is so much easier this way. My suggestion is you wait until the next to last day to look and make any purchases, then you have all your photos to choose from and can just pick the couple best ones. Otherwise, you may end up purchasing more than you really want, and you are not able to return them.
Art Auction – Some cruise lines still offer this. If you like art, these may interest you. They usually offer free champagne while you attend. If nothing else, you can check it out and have a little free champagne and leave…
Port Shopping – All ports love for you to shop. This is how they make their money. Think about what you want first and try to stick to those things. The vendors can appear a little aggressive at times although you just have to say “no thank you” and keep moving. Never let them put something in your hands “just to look at”. They may expect you to buy it after that. I don’t want to scare anyone but this is their means of income and they will continue to ask you if you let them think you are undecided. Also some ports you can barter with them on prices as well. Just research ahead on the ports and you will feel more comfortable. Also shop around, what one store has for one price another may have it cheaper. Wait to do most of your shopping last before returning to ship. Also if you buy alcohol in port, the cruise line will take it from you and return it on debarkation day. So if you’re thinking about buying cheap alcohol to drink onboard…that’s not happening, but if you’re getting it to take home then go for it.
Alcohol – Most cruise lines will let you bring a 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard per adult person over 21 years old (in your carry on) on embarkation day. Other than this you have to purchase your alcohol onboard. Cruise lines offer drink packages. It is a set amount per day per person for the length of the cruise. It usually includes up to so many drinks (some cruise lines it is 15 a day). If you’re a big drinker, this is the way to go. If you just drink a couple a day, then it’s cheaper to just buy them as you go. Check with your cruise line on pricing, they all vary. They also offer a bubbles package or some call it soda card. It is unlimited soda. If you drink a couple or more a day, it is usually worth it to purchase. The alcohol package includes soda as well, so do not buy both. You can also pre order a bottle of alcohol online to have in your room from the cruise line prior to arriving to the ship. This will be yours to drink whenever in your cabin. You may also order soda and water to have delivered prior to your cruise as well. Some cruise lines will allow you to also bring a 12 pack of soda per person onboard at embarkation as well. It you want to lug it on….Go for it.
Spa – If you want to pamper yourself the best prices will be on port days. They usually offer specials when most people are in port.
Casino – Yes the casino is extra. Make sure you bring your cash if you plan to play. You can get cash off your sail & sign or ship card in the casino but they will charge you a fee for this, so it’s cheaper to just bring cash. Also most all cruise ships have a casino, although Disney Cruise lines does not have casinos on any of their ships.
Internet Package – Most cruise lines offer internet and social media packages. Each cruise line will offer different packages and pricing. Be sure to put you phone in airplane mode prior to sail away no matter what package you decide to purchase.
A few more tips…
If you plan to do any laundry onboard bring a small amount of laundry detergent or pods and dryer sheets. This will save you some $$. Most cruise lines also offer a laundry service but it will cost you unless you are platinum/diamond/ or an elite status.
No need to pack beach towels. The cruise lines will provide them for you each day. Just make sure you return them or you will find an extra charge on you bill.
You can bring a travel type cup onboard and refill your water from the buffet drink area. The water is filtered so no need to purchase water unless you want to.
If you have any questions during your cruise don’t be afraid to ask the cruise staff. They are all very helpful and friendly.
ONE MORE THING.…
DON’T FORGET TO PUT YOU PHONE IN AIRPLANE MODE AND DON’T FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN!!!
Happy Cruising!!!
Sharon at Sea