7 Things You Need to Know Before Your First Cruise

A first cruise is an exciting experience, but it can feel a little overwhelming with all the information online you may be bombarded with.

In this article, we look at seven tips that will help make your first cruise an enjoyable and memorable trip rather than a nerve-wracking one!

#1. Choose the Right Cruise for You

When booking a cruise, I think this is the one thing that can make the whole experience a success or a failure!

If you are someone who likes to dress casually on holiday, and are looking for plenty of fun activities, you would probably hate a Cunard cruise, which is all about dress codes and formality.

If you have young children to keep entertained, you might be better off looking for a cruise ship with a great kids club, plenty of pools and a waterpark on the top deck.

If you prefer a ship without many children onboard, and you aren’t travelling with children yourself, why not consider an adult-only cruise line or ship?

A trusted travel agent will help you negotiate your way through the countless options and may make suggestions about things you hadn’t even considered.

It never costs more to use a travel agent than to book directly with the cruise line, so you may as well make the most of all their knowledge and expertise.

Find out more about that here:

Is It Best To Use a Travel Agent or Book Directly With The Cruise Line? (Money-Saving Hints and Tips For Booking, and Much More…)

Cruise Lines Vary

Cruise lines range from the budget end, like the Italian cruise line Costa Cruises – to luxury yacht cruises offered by companies such as Scenic or Emerald.

There is a cruise line to fit most budgets, but generally, you get what you pay for.

On luxury cruises, many things are included – like drinks, tips, WiFi and room service.

If you travel on a more budget cruise line, lots of “extras” will be charged to your onboard account – meaning that you might end up with a large bill to pay at the end of your cruise.

Choose an Itinerary that suits you

When choosing an Itinerary, you might want to choose one with few sea days in case you are worried about seasickness.

I had neighbours who booked a first cruise that was weeks long. It was on a small ship, and it involved crossing the Atlantic – twice!

I would have never suggested that they start with something so ambitious had they asked my advice.

The trip was a disaster. Due to them being on such a small, old ship, it didn’t handle the seas well, and they were seasick for days on end. There was no opportunity to disembark so they would and feel a bit better. It put them off cruises for life!

I recently took a transatlantic crossing on the world’s last Ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2.

Queen Mary 2 is designed for high seas and bad weather, but even me, a seasoned cruiser, couldn’t wait to get off in Southampton! I felt seasick on multiple days and took lots of seasickness medication.

Length Of Cruise

I wouldn’t book a long cruise for your first cruise. A week is perfect. After a week, you will know if cruising suits you – or not.

I would also avoid short cruises. As they are typically three or four days long, they are often “party cruises” when people get together to celebrate something special – like Stag and Hen parties (Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.)

You probably don’t want to end up on a “booze cruise” for your first trip. It doesn’t really give you a proper idea of what a normal cruise would be like.

The Cabin You Choose

There are lots of options available to you – in fact the amount of choice can be quite overwhelming.

The cabin you should choose depends on many factors – and money plays a big part.

I am happy to stay in the smallest inside cabin to get the most out of my money, but there are certain itineraries that I would prefer to “splash out” on a balcony cabin. If I was sailing to Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords for example, I wouldn’t want to miss the ever changing views from the balcony.

Have a look at some of the smallest cruise ship cabins here and decide whether you would be happy to stay in one:

Balcony cabins are lovely but often far more expensive than inside cabins.

If you have plenty of money to spend, you could book a multi-level suite with slides between the levels, a private hot tub on the balcony – or your own, personal Butler!

The position of the cabin onboard might have a big effect on your enjoyment of the cruise.

Cabins that are lower down and centrally located feel the least movement if the seas are rough.

If you are in a balcony at the front or the back of the ship, you may feel more seasick if you are unlucky with the weather.

Find out everything you need to know about that here:

What is The Best Cabin Location on a Cruise For Avoiding Seasickness? (I’ve Tried Them All!)

#2. Understand What’s Included (and What’s Not)

If you cruise with a mainstream cruise line, then expect your accommodation, your meals, your entertainment and basic drinks – like tea, coffee and water in the buffet – to be included in the price.

On many cruise lines, you will be charged an additional “service charge”. This is to cover tips/gratuities for the staff.

British Cruiselines, like P&O and Marella, include gratuities in the cruise fare as standard, as do the Italian cruise line MSC (If you are booking from the UK).

There are plenty of things that are charged extra – and will be billed to your onboard account.

These things often include:

• Soft drinks and alcohol
• Shore Excursions
• WiFi
• Spa Treatments
• Meals in “Speciality Restaurants”
  • These have an extra cover charge per person or charge per item – like a restaurant on land.

Check what your cruise line includes in the fare before you book so you don’t get any unpleasant surprises when you come to pay the bill at the end of the cruise.

Find out more about additional charges when you cruise here:

Onboard Expenses – What Costs Extra On A Cruise? Gratuities, Wi-Fi And More…

There is a huge amount of food included in the cruise fare. Don’t ever feel you need to pay extra for speciality restaurants.

When I sailed on the Norwegian Prima, I had the opportunity to try all the restaurants onboard. I tried the ones that were included in the cruise fare – and the ones that cost extra.

Find out what I thought of them here:

#3. Pack Smart

Check out your cruise line’s dress codes. Will you need to pack a lot of formal clothes? Or will you just need shorts and T-shirts? There is no point in packing things you won’t need.

Other important things to consider are travel adaptors, seasickness medication, and toiletries.

For a fuller list of things you may wish to pack, read this article next:

Planning And Packing For Your Cruise – Things To Do In Advance!

Also, consider how far you will need to carry your luggage. Will you be parking right by the ship? Or will you be travelling by public transport?

There is no point bringing lots of suitcases if you can’t manage them yourself, and it is going to make your journey to the ship difficult.

Cruise ships have laundry services onboard – some even offer self-service laundries, so you can wash your own clothes if you need to. It may be worth researching this and packing fewer clothes if you are able to wash and wear some again.

Make sure you carry hand luggage so that you can keep your essentials with you – passports, important documents, essential medication, your phone, etc.

You don’t want to go to the check in and find your passport is in your suitcase. Your suitcase will have been taken by the porters outside the terminal, and might already be on the ship!

Find out about other mistakes to avoid when packing here:

Top 8 Cruise Packing Mistakes You Need to Avoid

#4. Boarding and Embarkation Tips

You will normally be given a time to arrive at the port on embarkation day.

It is sensible to arrive at that time if possible, if you arrive earlier or later, you may be waiting around.

Make sure you have all your important documents in your hand luggage.

You also need to make sure that you have attached your luggage labels to your suitcases. These show your cabin number and often the area of the deck that your cabin is on. Often, your cases are taken from you by the porters outside the terminal, so put the luggage tags on before you leave home.

If you don’t have the correct luggage label firmly attached, your suitcase might not be delivered straight to your cabin, and you might have to go to Reception and ask for it!

Not what you want to waste time doing when you could be off enjoying the ship.

Find out about embarkation day mistakes that often catch people out here:

7 Embarkation Day Mistakes That Catch Out Unsuspecting Cruisers

Once you are onboard the ship, you would be sensible to make any bookings or reservations you need to. This can usually be done via the cruise ship app.

Depending on the ship, you might have to book shows, or you may want to book some extra charge “speciality restaurants”.

The popular ones can get very busy, particularly on sea days when everyone is onboard.

You might want to consider packing your swimsuit in your hand luggage. If the weather is nice, you could go for a swim whilst the pool is quiet. Everyone else is unlikely to have their swimming things with them…

#5. Cruise Etiquette and Onboard Rules

Once onboard, you will need to follow the crew’s instructions when it comes to things like the onboard safety (Muster) drill, tendering ( where you go ashore in a small ship rather than docking alongside) and listen carefully to any onboard announcements.

If there is a dress code, respect it. There may be certain areas of the ship you can not access in casual clothes on a formal night.

Have consideration for your fellow passengers. Be quiet in the corridors late at night or early in the morning when people could be sleeping.

Don’t annoy other guests by hogging the sunloungers!

If everyone shows consideration for their fellow passengers, the cruise will be a stress-free and enjoyable experience for everyone onboard.

#6. Managing Onboard Expenses

Cruise ships are cashless societies; any onboard spending will be charged to your onboard account via your cruise card.

Often, you can check up on charges going onto your onboard account via the cruise lines app or on the interactive TV in your cabin – if you have one.

It is wise to keep an eye on any charges added to your onboard account as you go along.

If you see anything being charged to your account that you don’t recognise, go to the Reception desk and challenge it.

At the end of the cruise, your expenses will be charged to your credit card. Don’t leave it until the last morning to go to the reception to dispute your bill. That will be one of their busiest times, and you might have to wait in a queue/wait in line to sort things out.

Your cruise will be over before you know it! When it comes to disembarkation, there are certain things you can to do to make the whole experience as easy and stress-free as possible.

Find out everything you need to know about that here:

Disembarkation Day – Everything You Need to Know – Hints and Tips For A Stress-Free Day

#7. Port Days: What to Expect

The cruise line will offer a range of excursions at every port you visit.

These excursions are great if you want to visit local historic sights or places of interest – but be warned, cruise line excursions can be expensive.

Check where you will be visiting before you travel. You can just get off the ship and explore on foot in many places.

Budget for souvenirs or shopping when you are in port. Take some local currency, or use a card for your spending.

If you are exploring the port on your own, make sure you know what time you need to be back at the ship.

If you are on a cruise line excursion and are delayed, the ship will wait for you. If you are not on a cruise line excursion and are late, the ship will leave without you!

When I cruised around the UK and Ireland, I decided to make the most of public transport and explore the ports independently wherever possible.

Find out how I got on here:

When I went to Alaska onboard Norwegian Encore, I tried out the best cruise line excursions.

As I had travelled so far from home, I wanted to see as much as possible in a week.

Find out what I thought of those excursions and whether they were worth the money here:

I would recommend that you do some research before you leave home or whilst onboard (if you have some access to WiFi or mobile data on your phone) to see the options available.

I often use cruise line excursions as inspiration and then see if I can visit that place on my own.

In Genoa, Italy, for instance, the MSC cruise line offered an excursion to the world’s largest Aquarium. Having done some research, I found that the Aquarium was only a short, level walk from where the ship was docked. I just walked there and bought my own ticket – and saved loads of money.

For more hints and tips about making the most of your time in port, read this article next:

Getting Off The Cruise Ship in Port – What To Expect, What To Take – And Other Useful Hints and Tips For A Successful Day Out!

Before You Go

Find out why modern cruise ships have more balconies than ever before here:

Why Cruise Ships Have More Balconies Than Ever Before

Find out about the unusual things that can be found on cruise ships here:

14 Crazy Things You Won’t Believe Exist on Cruise Ships