Embark with Confidence: Expert Advice for New Cruisers
You’ve decided to finally take your first cruise! Your reservation is confirmed and now you have questions. Lots of questions. We’ve all been there, so here are my top tips for new cruisers. Even if you’ve been on many cruises, use this list as a reminder to help you prepare for your next cruise. This part might not be fun and exciting, but it may make a difference, when you arrive at your cruise port.
This is a fairly long list, so I suggest saving it as a favorite, so you can easily refer back to it as you prepare for cruise vacation. These are also general tips and do not apply to all cruise lines.
1. Download the cruise line app before you leave home. If your cruise line has an app, it’s helpful to become familiar with it, so you’re not scrambling, once you get on board. Many cruise lines now have their check in process through the app, also dining reservations, excursions, etc. Often Wi-Fi/phone service is poor at cruise ports and you may have a hard time downloading the app, if you wait.
2. Arrive the day before your cruise. Cruise ships are much like the airlines and won’t wait for you if you arrive late. If you miss the ship, you’ll need to figure out how to meet it at one of the ports on your itinerary. I recommend flying or driving in the day before to account for delays. Even if you live within driving distance, it’s a good idea to stay in a nearby hotel in case of car trouble, traffic delays, accidents etc. It may not happen often, but it would be devastating to miss your cruise because of traffic or flight delays.
3. Book excursions and buy extras early to save money.
Popular excursions often sell out prior to sailing, so if there are activities you want to do, I recommend purchasing them as early as possible. If you decide you want to exchange one excursion for another, you can often do that, as long as that activity isn’t sold out.
Extras would be things like Wi-Fi, specialty dining and beverage packages, if not already included with your cruise fare. Though these don’t sell out like excursions, they often cost more, if you buy onboard vs prepay.
4. Sail with a Passport if visiting other countries. Often a passport isn’t required if the cruise is closed loop - meaning it leaves and returns to the same location in the United States. For instance, many cruises leave and return to Miami, so technically a passport isn’t needed. However, if you end up needing medical care internationally and need to be flown back home from another country, it’s preferred to have a passport vs an ID and birth certificate.
5. Budget for onboard spending. Though you aren’t required to spend money onboard many do. Cruises are a cashless system and spending can add up quickly. Many people spend money in the casino, shops and specialty dining rooms. If you didn’t prepurchase your excursions and extras those count here as well. Smart cruisers know this and prepare for those purchases. To give you an idea, most cruisers spend about 30% of their cruise fare on these extras.
6. Cash in local currency. Most countries, but not all accept US cash and credit cards. I suggest having a small amount of local currency for things like tips and souvenirs. Airports and your cruise line guest services are suggested ways to exchange your money.
7. Choose an early check in time at the port. It’s nice to get checked in before the bulk of the guests. This allows you to make any reservations and enjoy more time on the ship, before it gets busy.
8. Have cruise line luggage tags filled out and ready to attach.
Many people forget to print off their luggage tags, or scramble at the port getting their tags filled out and bags ready to hand off to the cruise staff. Save yourself the stress and have them ready to go, so you can quickly attach, hand off and start your vacation. Bonus tip - pack a mini stapler to quickly attached your printed luggage tags.
9. Print Your Travel Documents. (If you hired me for your vacation, this is something I do for you, if the cruise line allows me to access your boarding e-docs.) Smart cruisers have their documents printed for quick and easy check in. Other documents you may need to provide include proof of vaccinations, visas and passports. Remember, Wi-Fi might not work at the port, so accessing documents on your phone might slow things down, or worse having a dead cell phone and not being able to access them at all. (I have seen this happen and it’s heartbreaking.)
I encourage my clients to have both paper and digital copies of everything. This can be helpful if something gets lost/forgotten. For instance, a paper copy of your passport doesn’t replace your passport, but having the information may help you if a replacement is needed.
10. Have an emergency contact system in place. When you’re on open water, your cell phone may not be able to make and receive calls. (I highly suggest having your phone in airplane mode as international roaming adds up quickly). In case someone back home needs to reach you or vice versa it’s helpful to have an app like WhatsApp downloaded and ready to go, or let people know how to reach you by email. Most cruise lines have an internet cafe available.
During Your Cruise…
Navigating the Ship. Even those who have been on many cruises may get turned around on cruise ships from time to time. Hallways look alike and one may think they are walking towards the front when really, they are walking towards the back of the ship.
Cruise lines have included symbols in their design and clever ways to help guests get around. For instance, the flooring on the left side of the ship may be a different color than the right side. Designs in carpets such as fish or triangles may point towards the front of the ship.
Cabins are numbered so the closer one gets to the front, the lower the number. To take it one step further one side of the hallway has all even numbers and the other side odd (much like sides of the street).
Check Your Onboard Account Regularly. This may be obvious to some but if you’ve ever seen the shocked look on people’s faces (the last day of sailing), you know it’s not the majority. Let’s say you didn’t get the drink package and you’re buying a couple cocktails per day and a coffee or two. This adds up and it’s wise to know where your onboard balance is every day or two. Onboard spending is often available in the cruise line app, so checking regularly is easy.
Another reason you want to check often is for fraud. Remember life onboard is a cashless system and you use your stateroom card as your credit card, but mistakes can happen. It is rare but by checking your onboard account balance regularly, you’ll catch any errors and will be able to correct quickly. Much better than finding out the last day of your vacation that there were errors made to your account three days prior.
If you’re a first-time cruiser, I hope this helps enhance your cruise and make the joy of cruising even better. For those who have been on many cruises, take this as a nice reminder and pat yourself on the back for knowing all this and being a cruise pro.
If you want to learn more about becoming a smart cruiser, check out another blog post I’ve written - 12 Packing List Essentials. It contains helpful tips of what to pack and what to take with you when you’re in port.
Feel free to pay it forward and send this to those you know, who may be thinking of taking a cruise for the first time and have some questions. This may be what they need to take that step and say yes to the wonderful cruise experience.
I would love to hear from you and what cruises you’ve been on. Let me know in the comments - do you have a favorite destination and/or cruise line? If you’ve never been on a cruise and looking forward to trying one, where would you like to go? What’s on your bucket list?
Bianca Ramos - Travel Advisor
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Email: info@cruisingthepacific.com
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