Courtney GYou have been seeing videos and posts about Royal Caribbean’s Icon of Seas or the Ultimate World Cruise or you read my most recent blog post, and you’re considering going on cruise for the first time. Yay, I’m excited for you! Cruising is my favorite form of vacation!
I have some tips for you to keep in mind as you prepare for your first voyage:
- Research your ship.
I said this in the last post because it’s something you should do. The ship can make or break your trip depending on what you’re into. If you want to go on the ships that you see on the commercials, you’ll want to cruise on a newer ship.
Older ships won’t have all the frills but you can still find things to do to enjoy yourself like trivia, nightly entertainment, bingo, etc.
Researching your ship will let you know what to expect on it as far as activities, specialty restaurants, pools and water slides, etc. You’ll see if there are any fun theme nights on your ship (formal night, 70s, scarlet night, pajama party, all white, etc.). If you want to participate in those, make sure to pack an outfit for them.
You’ll also know where everything is if you’re looking at the ship deck plans ahead of time.
- Research the ports.
I said this in the last post as well but if you’ve decided on a ship or itinerary, research where you’ll be going. While on a cruise you have an opportunity to take excursions. That’s a great way to spend a port day but getting an excursion for every single port can be expensive.
By researching the ports, you can find some things to do outside of excursions and maybe live like a local for a few hours (or like if you’re taking a land vacation to the place).
Tip: If the port you’re sailing out of is a place you’ve never been to before, research that too! Find things to do.
This leads me to the next tip.
- Fly in the day before (or more if it’s a new city).
The golden rule is to always fly in the day before your cruise if you don’t live a reasonable driving distance from the port.
This is just in case there are any flights delays or weather issues that could affect you getting to the ship before it sails away.
If you’re going to city you’ve never been before, you could start your vacation early and do things around the city. Maybe fly in a couple of days before to take your time there.
I’ll admit I’ve flown (or I’ve ridden a train) to a port on the same and didn’t have any issues but it’s better to prepare for worst case scenario. You do not want to get left (more on that later)!
- Buy medicine before leaving.
It sucks when you get a stomachache and don’t have your prefer pain reliever on hand, or worse have to pay for overpriced medicine.
Buy pain relievers, antacid, motion sickness pills, and things of that sort of ahead time. This way you’re getting your preferred brand at a better price compared to the ship or a port.
- Download the app and start your check-in process early.
The cruise line’s app is where you’ll put your travel documents, form of payment on board, emergency contact, and choose your check-in time for embarkation day.
- There’s no cash used on the ship (except for tipping) so it’s best to have a credit card on file (credit card NOT debit card).
- Choose the earliest check-in time to board the ship as early as possible. This will give you time to walk around the ship, make reservations, or fix any issues may see in the app with guest services.
- Get a passport.
On most cruise lines you can get away with an ID and birth certificate but a passport will make things much easier for you especially when embarking and disembarking the ship.
When my Mom and I were getting off of the cruise in the Miami terminal, all they did was scan our face and we were done with customs. That’s because all they had to do was check our passport and take a picture when we were getting on the ship.
Those who had a birth certificate had to go in a separate line which was a slightly longer process.
- Choose a central/mid-ship cabin.
Having a room in the center of the ship is supposedly the most stable. There’s less rocking back and forth so you’d avoid sea sickness to an extent.
You might be asking, “Which room: interior, ocean view, balcony, or suite?”
- Interior is cheapest option if you just want to get on the ship and don’t plan on spending much time in the room. It will be dark in there when it’s time for bed (well, any time of day actually). If you choose interior, bring a motion sensor light to get around if you wake up in the middle of the night.
- Ocean View is personally where I would start because I need a window (or porthole). You can actually see the ocean provided there’s no limited view and you can have natural light.
- Balcony/Terrace can be pricey, but if you start here, you’ll probably won’t ever want to go to an ocean view or interior. It’s nice to have your own private area outside with the ocean breeze and a great view.
- Suites are a larger balcony cabin that can sometimes come with additional perks. They can be overpriced, but if you need more room, this might be a better option. For some cruise lines you get double loyalty points if you’re in a suite.
- Cruise cabin Tips:
- Close lids to cruise ship toilet before flushing.
The suction on the toilets on cruise ships are extremely intense. You do not want to be sitting over it while it’s flushing. Also, flush periodically when…handling business to avoid clogging the toilet.
- Leave balcony closed.
If you step outside on the balcony, make sure to close the door behind you. This is so it won’t mess up the air conditioning or create a wind tunnel.
- Close lids to cruise ship toilet before flushing.
Both of these tips are signs located in your cabin as well just in case you forget.
- Determine if you want a drink package.
The choice of getting a drink package is up to you. I’d suggested using a drink package calculator. This will help you determine if the types of drinks and the amount you’ll drink will be worth the price. I use this one the most: Cruise Spotlight – Drink Package Calculator.
Because I don’t drink anything besides water most of the time, I rarely get a drink package. I know, I’m boring.
Keep in mind, not all cruise lines have drink packages but they may have a bar tab you can pre-purchase.
- Determine if you want/need the internet package.
Going a cruise gives you a chance to disconnect from the world. If want to stay little more connected you could get a Wi-Fi package. Each package will only work for one device at a time. You can work around it by alternating who’s logged into the package if you don’t need to be constantly on your phone.
- Know about tipping and gratuity.
Tip your porters if you check your bag with them (usually customary for U.S. ports but not European ports)
I also suggest prepaying your gratuity for the cruise to avoid a surprise charge at the end of your trip. The gratuity rate is per person per per day so if it’s $16 for a 7-night cruise, it would be $112 per person.
Tip: The gratuity prices change often. For instance, Royal Caribbean raised gratuity prices on November 11, 2023 from $16 to $18 per day per person (for junior suites and below), suites rates were raised to $20.50. If you booked your cruise before the rate change was announced, they usually honor the original rate you were given.
- When packing, leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
This applies to all types of travel, honestly. However, because you’re going to multiple places on a cruise – not to mention the shopping opportunities on the ship – you may surprise yourself with how much you buy and run out of room. - Pack a carry-on bag (separate from the flight carry-on all though it could be the same).
When going on a cruise, it’s good to pack a carry-on bag. When you give your suitcase to the porters, it may be a couple of hours before it arrives at your cabin door.
That’s why it’s good to have a bag with medicine you might need, a bathing suit/swim trunks in case you want to go in the pool, important documents like your passport and ID for check-in, and beverages.
You can bring two 750 ml bottles of wine, a 12-case of water, or a 12-case of soda per cabin on most cruise lines so carry those on with you on the ship.
- Bring cash.
I know I said earlier cash won’t be used on the ship itself but you should bring it for souvenirs in ports or tipping your tour guides and drivers from excursions. You can also use cash if you want to tip the porter like I mentioned earlier. Or tip the bar tender, servers, and cabin attendant a little extra. Keep in mind: drinks already have a 18% gratuity charged automatically and the gratuity that’s charged for the cruise would be split between your cabin attendant and the servers in the main dining room).
- Be on time (on embarkation day and in ports).
Keep an eye on ship time (the time zone of the port you left from). Even though your itinerary may say you leave at 7PM, if all aboard time is 6PM, be back on the ship by 6PM. I usually try to get back on 1 hour before the all aboard time at the very latest. You will get left if you aren’t on time.
If you’re on an excursion sponsored by the cruise line and it’s running late, they will wait. However, if you used a third party company for your excursion, you will have to contact the cruise ship to tell them you might be 10-15 minutes late. They may wait since you gave them a heads up but they are on a schedule so they can’t wait too long.
Please don’t get left!
Whew, quite a few tips! I hope this helps you for your cruise! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Next post we’ll dive more into Embarkation Day Tips.
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