Going on my first cruise next year any tips?

Question

Going on my first cruise next year any tips?

Answer 1

I have been on about 20 cruises and here's what I suggest based on my experiences:

Always pack your passport and cruise documents in your carry on bag ONLY.  If you plan to get into the pools or hot tub as soon as you get on ship (they will be open), bring those clothes in your carry on bag; you other luggage may not get to your cabin until much later in the afternoon.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM, so take:

-swim wear (at least 2),

-shorts, tank tops and "T's"

-sandals, beach shoes,

-your snorkel equipment if you have it,

-sun glasses and sun screen, lotions,

-a cap or big hat for the sun,

-a book if you are a reader,

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym,

-good walking shoes,

-your camera, and

-other personal toiletries including tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels, and a hair dryer. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. If you are going to the Caribbean you will likely be in shorts and/or swim wear most of every day so evening clothes don't usually get much wear.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up. A gown or party dress for women and a suit or tux for men. Some people dress up both formal nights, some don't.

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

- Pack using the vacuum clothing bags (about $20 for 3 at Target) so that you can get more in your bag AND so that if the TSA at the airport opens your bag they can see what's inside without rummaging through your things.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand-wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom. The bathrooms do not have exhaust fans.

- Take a few zip lock bags of various sizes; they always come in handy.

- Take some one dollar bills (also maybe a few $5's) for tipping the porters in the airport, at the pier (they do not work for the ship), and they will come in handy in port stops for buying small items in the markets and at vendor stands; especially bartering places.

- You can get off and on the ship as much as you want in ports and you DO NOT have to buy any tours unless you want to. You can go explore on your own but be sure to get back to the ship at least half an hour before sailing time.

- In most ports in the Caribbean you can get tours for much less than they are offered on the ship.  Tours and taxi's are always available right on the pier.

- If you have a balcony cabin, order the free room service breakfast and enjoy it on your balcony.

- Join the cruise club for the cruise line that you sail on so you can get discounts on future cruises.

Regardless of which cruise line you select, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.

     - You can save on drinks by ordering them in  a plain glass rather than the fancy souvenir glasses.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.  

       - You can save on photos by simply asking other passengers to take photos of you (and your party) while on ship and on tours.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.

OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.  

     -Save yourself some money and just skip the specialty restaurants.

SPA SERVICES:  If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.

INTERNET:  Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).

     -You can almost always get internet service much  cheaper, about $5 or $6 an hour in ports stops.  So skip the ship's service.

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).

Answer 2

Here are a few tips.  Try to book your own shore excursions.  You can usually get better deals booking with private vendors.  Don't get caught up in the hype with all the stuff the cruise lines sell.  The deals in the jewelery store aren't that great. You don't have to go to every single activity on the ship.  Remember, you are there to relax not to run from activitiy to activity. Be flexable and have an open mind.  Although cruises generally run pretty smooth, sometimes things  happen and there are little glitches. Try 2 bring a 12 pack or 2 of soda, it will. save you money.  The casino is not your friend, the payouts are alot lower than on land based casinos.  Bring alot of 1 and 5 dollar bills.  You will find yourself tipping alot on a cruise. When you book your cruise, it's not worth the extra money to go on a higher deck.  The room size and service is the same on all decks. use the same common sense as far as security that you would use at home, there is crime on ships.

Answer 3

Yes, go for breakfast in the dining room instead of the buffet, it is a much better breakfast.  or better yet, go for breakfast in the dining room AND the buffet.

and look for things that you can't do at home.  I like to get up before the sun and watch the sun come up while drinking coffee,

theres no feeling like it.