Last week I lost my Cruise Virginity. I’m used to researching and planning trips but this was our first cruise and we did some things right and some…not. Here are some tips based on what we learned.
1.) Arrive the Day Before
Don’t start your vacation off by worrying about flight or drive delays on the day the cruise departs. Arrive the day before and you will have one less thing to worry about. Some hotels in departure cities have Fly and Cruise packages where the hotel will pick you up at the airport as well as drive you to the port the next day. As always, check reviews on TripAdvisor.com before booking.
2.) Bring Two Forms of ID
Right now you are just required to provide a photo ID with certified birth certificate OR your passport in order to go on a cruise that departs and arrives at the same U.S. port. I would suggest that bringing a photo ID AND your passport is a better way to go. When you are returning to the ship from a port, you are sometimes asked for both your ship card and photo ID. Keep your passport locked in your cabin safe while having your photo ID with you at the port. The possibility of losing your passport while on an excursion is risky and would ultimately be more difficult than losing your photo ID.
3.) Timekeeping Device
Otherwise known as a watch or clock (or, at our house, a cell phone), you will need to have a way to keep track of time based on ship time which is not usually the same as the local time where you are. If you have a watch, this is easy as you would just keep the time on your watch the same as the port where you departed.
If you rely on your cell phone to keep time, switch it to airplane/flight mode before you change time zones which will allow it to still keep track of time, serve as your alarm clock, run any applications you want to, etc., but it will turn off the phone calling functionality which will keep your time on correct ship time.
4.) Book Independent Shore Excursions
The ship will have plenty of options for you to book excursions through them which guarantees that you will not be left at the port but also often guarantees you will pay more and have a lower quality experience. Research tour operators on sites like TripAdvisor.com or CruiseCritic.com. We had great success with independent companies and observed that the service we got was far better than the excursions booked through the ship in some cases.
5.) Order Room Service Often
Unlike hotels, room service on ships is included. Use it! What better way to start your day than having breakfast delivered to you and enjoying it on your balcony overlooking the ocean?
6.) Use Internet While on Land
We paid $55 to have Internet access on the ship which was occasionally tolerable but often completely useless. It’s kind of amazing that access is available while you’re floating in the middle of the ocean but when you spend 15 minutes trying to access one website, you will probably feel like you’ve wasted your money. If you have some free time available while at a port, the tourist villages that are at each port often have internet cafes available to use. Check for listings at CyberCaptive.com but know that these types of businesses often come and go so keeping an accurate listing can be tough.
7.) Lots of Cash
We are nearly a cashless household. I’ve gotten parking tickets more than once because I didn’t have the cash to pay to park (which prompts some people to ask why I don’t just keep a bit of cash in the car for these types of situations. Good question.). Even when we travel, we often don’t take more than $100 in cash since it’s usually just needed for a few tips here and there. On a cruise, you’ll likely need much more. Tips, tips, tips for everybody (though sometimes your gratuities are posted to your account automatically, good service still deserves a larger amount) and not all vendors at the ports will accept credit cards. People often used to take traveler’s checks rather than cash but I saw that some businesses explicitly said they would not accept them.
8.) Tendered vs. Non-tendered Ports
Ports that are tendered require getting to and from the port via small boat (tender) because the water near the port is too shallow to allow the ship to pull up. This can significantly increase the time coming and going from a port. I hadn’t considered this when booking our itinerary (which consisted of half tendered ports and half not) and our overall experience at each port was greatly influenced by whether or not it was tendered or not. Check this list of Caribbean/Bahamian ports if you are cruising to that area to see if your ports are tendered or not.
9.) Take Your Own Pictures
When we returned home from our cruise, I was surprised to see that we didn’t have all of the pictures I thought we had. The boat has lots of photographers floating around taking your pictures on the ship and near the port; however, you have to be willing to spend a lot of money to purchase these pictures. Instead of buying the expensive pictures, hand your camera to one of the many crew members and have them use your camera instead.
10.) Lanyards
I am a fan of the lanyard. We have ones with clips, beaded ones and ones with plastic pockets attached. I take them on most vacations. However, on the cruise, I did not. I just forgot and I’m beating myself up about it now. Carrying around the card all the time was kind of annoying and so easy to lose (particularly in the casino!). This is a basic piece of advice for first time cruisers so I’m not unique in suggesting it but since I forgot, it makes me feel better to know that I’m doing my part to remind you.
11.) Bring Some of Your Own Stuff
We only checked two pieces of luggage for four people on our flight so we certainly didn’t pack everything but we did manage to pack some comforts of home that helped. Snacks to keep in your cabin or pack in your backpack for a shore excursion, a favorite pillow, bug spray (the thing people seemed to have forgotten the most), your favorite shampoo and common medicines that you might need. Of course many of these things can be purchased on the ship but it’s nice to not have to spend money and time buying things you could have easily thrown in your suitcase.
12.) Be Careful What You Pay For, Even on the Ship
There are many opportunities to spend money on the ship but be careful and know what you are buying. For instance, gold chains that are for sale for seemingly dirt cheap prices might just be gold plated but made of copper. The shopping experts that are on the ship to advise you what to buy at each port often work for companies at the port and are paid on commission to get you to shop there. Even the popular duty free shopping isn’t always worth it as you can often get better deals elsewhere.
Hopefully these tips are helpful and will help you avoid some cruising frustrations.
What about you? If you’ve cruised before, what tips for first time cruisers do you have?
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How I wish I’d read your post before I did my disasterous cruise over New Year – it might have made me slightly less annoyed at all the little things that didn’t go right. The lanyard was a nightmare – I went through countless room keys because I happened to hold it in the same hand as my mobile or camera. When I went to the on-board shop to get one they were SOLD OUT (on the 1st morning)!
The tendered ports were better than the non-tendered ports in that you actually arrived in the centre of the town. In the non-tendered ports it was a 30 – 45 min drive to where the action was!
From your post I might try a cruise from the US, but not going on one in South East Asia any time soon.