A while back, I, along with my sister and cousin, decided we wanted to take a getaway and thought it would be the perfect time to try out a cruise. I travel quite a bit but I have never been sea bound so this was an adventure. Here is a list of things I wish I had known pre-cruise that would have eased my worriers and maximized my experience.
Choosing your Cruise
Choosing your cruise is a big deal, in fact it kind of dictates what the rest of your trip is going to look like. Everyone looks at dates and cost but with a cruise there is a lot more to consider.
The Ship
There are plenty of well known cruise lines like MSC, Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and so on, and each have their own reputation, but even if you know which cruise line you want to sail with you should take special notice of the actual ship you are considering because they are not at all the same. I had no idea that ships vary so much and we lucked out because I didn’t check anything. The ship you choose will impact the rest of your vacation.
If you are travelling with kids, you would be looking for a ship that has the waterslides, kids club, basketball court, rock wall, splash area, ice skating rink, laser tag and several accessible food options. If you are on a girls trip or couples vacay, you may not care so much about those specific amenities. The amenities on the boat will help you decide if that is the best cruise for you, but it might also be reflected in the price. Royal Caribbean’s ICON of the sea just sailed its maiden voyage and interior rooms cost nearly $3000 dollars per person. A newer, nicer and more amenity filled voyage may cost more money, but our $500 per person cruise gave us everything we wanted and more.
Activities
Here is what I truly did not understand-activities. I had heard that the ships offered activities, but I didn’t really understand what that meant and our cruise line did not release the line up until we were aboard the ship (I think this is standard but some may show these itineraries early). Each cruise will offer different activities depending on their cruise director, who is aboard the ship and coordinates everything for that ship. These schedules will include game shows (family feud, battle of the sexes etc.), trivia games (Name that tune, Disney Trivia, etc.), fitness classes, activities (ice skating, laser tag), sporting events (3 x 3 basketball, bean bag competition etc.), as well as other classes which feel more like a sales pitch than a class. These activities run all throughout the day and well into the night with several starting at 10:30 pm or later. Each night also offered a performance from a comedian, magician, dance performances, ice skating shows, and a musical. In short, you are able to stay very busy if you want to. We chose to spend a lot of time poolside, but when we went to something we enjoyed it. If you are really excited about a specific event, it is worth showing up 15 minutes early as there are several thousand people on each ship and you’ll want a good seat.
Ports and Excursions
This is another situation I wish I had taken a bit more seriously. Before you cruise, you’ll have the opportunity to pre-book an excursion at a discounted rate. If there is an excursion you want to do, it is often worth prebooking as they give you a discount not offered once aboard. Will these excursions cost more than finding your own tour company? Probably, but not by as much as you think. When your cruise ship docks at a port everyone in that location knows they are about to make some money so prices change dramatically from what they would be on non-cruise days. You may save some money finding a tour vendor once you arrive, but you also aren’t totally sure what you are paying for either. If you have some patience in sifting through the world wide web, a great choice would be to research blogs of people who have taken tours in that location and reach out to those tour companies. The cruise line excursion give you exactly what you pay for, but the tours are crowded, often a little rushed and spendy.
If you are like me and enjoy learning about new places and cultures, you may want to skip the excursion altogether and try to explore your port city on your own. Having been on exactly one cruise, that approach didn’t really work for us. Both locations the ship ported at were less than spectacular when it came to things they offered. In one city, we went and saw the three biggest attractions, which took less than an hour and then ended up on the beach (which is not a terrible place to be). We did not feel unsafe but a little underwhelmed, which would have been frustrating had I been travelling with kids. At our second location, we finished our excursion and wanted to walk around the downtown but several locals told us it wasn’t worth it because we would just be offered drugs. I always think these are tall tales but that night at dinner several people told us that was indeed their experience. So, what is the takeaway? When deciding what to do on port days consider it all. If you love wandering a vibrant city, make sure you choose a cruise that ports in a vibrant city and not just where there is a boat dock big enough for a cruise ship.
On board Packages
Cruise ships get a bad rap for up charging, and I understand why but it is all about knowing what experience you want. Before you board you will get roughly 1 million emails about the packages offered aboard the ship, including drinks, upgraded food, internet and more. These emails do offer the pre-cruise discounts so if you plan to purchase something on the ship, just get it over with. On our ship we got a soda package and the internet. The internet worked flawlessly and it was nice not thinking about drink costs every time I needed a diet coke. Once aboard, we actually spent $0 additional dollars on services and we all felt really good about our packages. When considering what packages to buy, consider three things. 1. Do I really want it? 2. Will I use it to its fullest? 3. Does the cost of the package make sense within my budget? If the answer to all of these is “yes” it is time to pull the trigger. If you get a no at any point, try looking at your trip as a whole and see if it is something that will add a lot to the experience or if you will really miss it.
Tipping
Finally, tipping. This is the most stressful aspect of travel for a lot of people. Cruise lines off an option to prepay your tips. We chose to pre-pay our tips and I am not totally sold I would do that again but I also, probably would. Here is why I am so conflicted. There are a ton of people on the ship who serve you, most of which are behind the scenes or only for a minute. These include buffet cooks, servers, bussers, bartenders, guest services, activity directors, lifeguard as well as so many more. They may not remember you but they are working their tails off to enhance your experience and prepaying takes the pressure off feeling like you need to show your gratitude, especially since not once did I feel like someone was waiting for a hand out. I also noticed on our ship that most of these workers were from all over the world with only a few being American. On our last night we were speaking to our assistant waiter (who was consistent all week), he told us that his contract is 7 months long and then he returns to South Africa to spend a few months with his wife and 2 kids before doing another 7 month contract. This waiter had really made us feel special throughout the week by remembering our names and drink orders and bringing them out before we had time to ask so we chose to tip them additionally. So my advice is: tipping is a part of the game. If you pre-tip you may want to plan to bring some extra for any crew who go above and beyond because I don’t think any of these tips are going to waste.
Also, plan to tip whenever you get off the boat. Tour companies, taxi drivers, beach chair providers are all willing to help but once you are on land you will most likely feel the pressure to pay it forward. I like to bring several dollar bills pre bundled so I don’t have to mess with my wallet and kept several $5 dollar bills for situations where I feel like being more generous and then combine bundles depending on the situation.
Get Involved
The best advice to help prepare you for a cruise is to get ready to get involved. I know I am a social butterfly, but there are so many people you can meet, chat with and enjoy a special experience you are sharing together. We ended up chatting with couples on honeymoons, bonding with others over kids growing up, and playing shuffleboard at midnight with single friends. There is a lot offered on each and every cruise so make sure you are taking advantage of all of it!
A cruise was a great idea. It was an awesome girl’s trip, and I am already planning a family cruise to see how the kiddos like it. There is plenty that won’t make sense until you are living it, but hopefully this clarity will set your research and effort in the right places!
