Tips for the First Time Cruiser – Part 1
Tips for the First Time Cruiser – Part 2
Tips for the First Time Cruiser – Part 3
I remember how excited I was when I took my first cruise. It wasn’t much of a trip, a 4-night Bahamas and Key West sailing from Miami, but has led to a real love for sailing and cruise vacations. MrsMJ had been on two previous cruises, so she had an idea what was going on, but me….I had nadda. Now, with 35 cruises taken, and 36-40 already reserved, I feel like I can say a few things that might assist a first time cruiser as they prepare for their first cruise vacation. If you happen to be traveling with experienced cruisers, that’s a good thing. You’ll have a guide along the way, but for the sake of this discussion, I’ll assume I’m writing for a first timer on their own or with their family.
As You Look at Itineraries and Ships
Consider booking a shorter itinerary for your first cruise. Four or 5-night itineraries are perfect. Historically, the newest ships serve 7-night and longer itineraries, but some lines are moving really nice ships into the shorter markets. Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas and Disney’s Dream come to mind. I say shorter is better for your first cruise for one reason only – if you set sail on your first cruise and decide you don’t like it, you only have to wait 4 days for it to end. Not so true if you pick a 12 day ocean crossing for your first.
As you are searching for cruises, keep in mind you’ll need to plan flights and airfare as part of the equation if you must fly to a port of departure. Make flying in the day before part of your vacation. Book a hotel, and enjoy a nice dinner the evening before your cruise. It will make for a more relaxing trip, and you won’t run the risk of mechanical or weather delays causing you to miss your cruise.
It’s About More Than Ships and Itineraries, Cruise Lines Have Unique Personalities
While the mass-market lines have more in common than different, each line has a unique personality. Royal Caribbean caters to active adults and families. They offer active shore excursions and onboard activities. Carnival is not dissimilar, but rumor has it you might be more likely to find a group of spring breaker’s on board and a party or two turned up by a notch. Disney is about families with kids. Celebrity might be more suitable for 40 something married couples looking to relax. There are lots of resources out there including Cruise Critic that has reviews of not just individual cruises, but of the cruise lines themselves.
Don’t Get Crazy with Shore Excursions
I usually advise that if you’re wanting to book a shore excursion, go through the cruise line the first time. Others will disagree, but I think it’s a good idea. They’ve screened the tour provider, and if you happen to miss your port, you get an instant refund. It is true that they cost a few bucks more and you’re likely getting a tour from a company you could buy from directly. I say go with the cruise line for your first one or two cruises, then you can venture out after you get some experience. Alternatively, don’t book an excursion at all. There are a lot of great cruise travel books that have details on sites you can check out on your own.
Don’t Be Afraid to Use a Travel Agent
Saying the words “Travel Agent” can get you a few funny looks around these parts, but I think travel agents are great. I don’t normally use our agent for booking basic cruises, but I’m pretty experienced with cruises. If you have a friend who uses an agent, ask for a recommendation. Many specialize in cruises and can support you with ideas on what cruise line might be best for you. Better yet, if you find an agent you like, you’ll be building a relationship that will serve you well on future cruises to more exciting destinations.
-MJ, June 14, 2014
In regards to using TA’s, I wanted to add that the perks are often not so insignificant. The OBC can put a nice dent in your online spending bill, particularly if you book a higher-end cruise like the Oasis class and have multiple cabins. I like to book a next-cruise certificate onboard to apply to my future cruises, then book the cruise myself. But, I will usually transfer the booking (before the final payment date) to an online TA offering the most OBC.
@Ang,
Sorry for the slow response. I fell behind yesterday, and I’m just now catching up. 🙂 I have a T/A that I like, but not for perks. She’s very good at building experiences that I might not be able to create on my own. That said, she’s always been very responsive, including weekends though I’ve rarely had to bug her on the weekend. I’m glad to share contact info if you’d like.
As far as online T/As, I’ve used vacationstogo.com.
After recently visiting some of the major cruise ship ports in the Caribbean, St Maarten and St Kitt’s, I can’t imagine these being pleasant when massive ships descend on these small islands with limited attractions. While never haven taken a cruise, my feeling now is some of the shore leave stops might not be worth the hassle, even as much as I like to explore destinations. In contrast, the larger Mediterranean stops probably can handle the volume without as many issues.
I rarely exit the ship in Nassau. St Maarten is still a favorite but I have a couple of specific places I go there. Med cruises are very different as you noted.
I mean less likely to happen. Sorry for the typo.
Any recommendations on good TAs or online TAs? I don’t normally like to use them since I like to be in control of my bookings. You never say any money anyway since they can’t discount them and only offer you small perks. A majority of the time, the perks are not enticing enough for me. It is also a pain in the butt if I want to change something in my booking or do a simple PA for a PD and I can’t get in touch with them. With that said though, I’ve used an OTA for my Disney cruises since PD’s are less likely to happy.
Good tips. I would add a couple:
Don’t sweat formal night. Pack a normal dress or normal suit and tie (or at least sports coat and tie). It’s really not that big of deal and if this is a problem, you can skip it altogether but it will keep you from the main dining room on those nights.
Unless your highly prone to motion sickness don’t worry so much about getting seasick. If this is a concern try to book a cabin in the middle of the ship on a lower deck.
You won’t need a lot of cash on the ship. Most everything can be or must be paid with the ship issued key card. It will be billed to your room account. You will need some cash (maybe) on shore however. It’s not a bad idea to bring some extra $1’s for extra special tips to your favorite bartender. Most people don’t do this but it’s a nice touch if you enjoy tipping.
If you have to travel far to the cruise port try to get there at least the day before. Flying into a cruise port the day of the cruise can be stressful. If your flights are delayed you could miss the ship.
Most of the duty free shops on the ships aren’t all that cheap. Once in awhile you can get a deal. Usually on some alcohol or cigarettes and some beauty products. Most of the prices on the watches, clothes and jewelry can be beat on shore even after taxes. Study up on prices before you go if you think you might shop on the ship. I won’t even start on the art auctions. They are fun but you won’t get the best price ever on the ship. They also charge a ton for frames and shipping.
If you have diet restrictions like gluten or other issues let the cruise line know before you leave. They are usually very very good about accommodating you on this.
Don’t be stressed out about what you look like in a swimsuit. We aren’t all supermodels. Sure you’ll see a few folks on the ship that are super hot with six pack abs and $10,000 boob jobs. Enjoy the sights offered by them. That’s why they like being there but most are regular folks about like you and I. Don’t be afraid to lay by the pool or go down the water slide because your 20 pounds heavier that you used to be.
Don’t over pack but don’t forget the following items:
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Comfortable walking shoes for shore travel
Small travel power strip if you have one (many cabins only have one or two outlets)
Camera
Sun hat
Beach bag or big purse if you plan to go to a beach on shore.
Desk shoes or flip flops. (flip flops a the airport=NO, flip flops on cruiseship =YES)
Passports
An old junk keycard or loyalty card with magnetic strip that can be used for the room safe.
Things you won’t likely need:
Towels
Laptops
Radio
Robe
Excellent advice sounds like the makings of a 2 or 3 part series for first timers.
Thanks!
Cruising on RC in a little over a month. Any thoughts on getting an upgrade or buying up to a better room?
Check prices on higher category staterooms. If they’re not selling, RC may be discounting and you can sometimes grab a room for a small upcharge. If this is your first RC cruise, be sure to join Crown & Anchor onboard. They sometimes upgrade loyalty members. Finally, ask at check in if there are any cabins you can upgrade to. Could get a discounted upgrade.
Stupid me…Shoulda figured that out but I thought that maybe you had found a travel hack!!! 🙂
Ha! 🙂
Thanks for the tips. We are going on our very first cruise on 8 days!
Did you really reserve 36-40 future cruises already?! Don’t you have to pay deposits for each one?
A better way for me to have put that might have been cruises #36, 37, 38, 39, and 40. A total of 5 cruises booked. 🙂 Yep, deposits down, but fortunately, most were booked onboard where we usually get reduced deposits.