Have you booked your first cruise and it seems overwhelming? Do you want to go on a cruise, but it all seems intimidating? The more you understand about what to expect, the more you can relax and enjoy your vacation! Trust me, it’s great!
- Pre-pay gratuities! I hate surprises at the end of a trip and I got one on my first cruise. There’s a lot of staff on cruise ships and they are amazing. Somehow your stateroom attendant gets to know you by name and greets you anytime they see you. You want ice, ice is refilled every day. Wait staff at assigned dining times learn your preferences and habits. The point is, they deserve the gratuity that is added to your account, but I would personally rather get that out of the way in the beginning than have it added on the end of the cruise when they’re kicking you off the ship.
- Go to the main dining room! If you have assigned dining, you will eat at the same assigned time, at the same assigned table, with the same assigned people. Sometimes that can be daunting. Side note—I’m not very…peopley. I generally keep to myself and would never CHOOSE to share a table with strangers. But trust me on this…the Main Dining Room is an experience. The staff earns their gratuity in there as well. It’s unbelievable that wait staff can learn your quirks and preferences in such a short amount of time. From what you like to drink to which sweetener you prefer, to your habit of ordering two shrimp cocktail appetizers instead of one (I’m looking at you, Mom). The staff is amazing! Aside from that, sharing a table is a great way to meet people, socialize, or just people watch. Even if you have an anytime dining schedule, the dining room is something everyone should experience at least once. I was so intimidated by it on my first cruise, I completely avoided it and I missed out and regret it.
- You can get more than one appetizer, dessert, and most of the time, main dish. Circling back to the shrimp cocktail, you can pretty much call all the shots at dinner. If you find an appetizer you love and want two, go for it; if you can’t decide and want one of each, do it; if you choose something and you’re not a fan, tell them; if you want two desserts, speak up. If there is an upcharge, it will be listed on the menu (usually surf & turf or something like that). A cruise is an amazing place to try new foods you’d never try at home. I would never order escargot or a Caesar salad with anchovies at home for fear of not liking it and being out the expense, but thanks to cruising, I’ve tried both.
- You don’t have to attend formal night. If dressing up is just not your thing (it’s not mine), skip formal nights. There’s usually one on cruises less than seven night, and maybe two on a seven to ten night cruise. Get your food at either the buffet or the burger joint by the pool. No biggie. I was very nervous about that on my first couple cruises. No reason to be though.
- When booking a cabin, location matters. Do you get sea-sick or do you love the motion of the ocean? Just as the location of your house matters, the location of your stateroom matters as well. If you or someone you’re travelling with has issues with motion sickness, choose a cabin close to the center (front to back) and on a lower deck to most avoid feeling movement. My mom and I favor aft-balconies two floors under the pool deck (if you’re directly under the pool deck, you will hear the dragging of deck chairs every morning and every night). Look at a deck plan of your ship and if you know your “happy place” is going to be at the pool all the way in the back of the ship, you might not want to choose a cabin all the way in the front. Sometimes it’s more complicated than that, but it’s worth a thought.
- Don’t overpack! I’ve done it. I’m not saying I haven’t, but with each cruise I learn and get smarter with packing. You don’t know these people. You’re (more than likely) never going to see them again. They do not care if you re-wear a shirt or wear the same bottoms to dinner every evening and just change your top. I’m not saying to go to the other extreme and take nothing, but you don’t need three outfits for each day (unless you have very specific, pre-planned activities). Also, bags on flights are not cheap and you definitely don’t want to have an overweight bag.
So if you’re on the fence about taking your first cruise, or just booked your 30th, do your research. Better yet, get a travel agent and let them research it for you.
Avid cruisers, think back, what do you wish you had known before your first cruise? Newbies, what is your biggest concern? Let me how in the comments below.
