Top 10 Things Smart Cruisers Do

First off welcome if you’re new to Cruising the Pacific. If you like learning about travel and better yet traveling, remember to subscribe to stay in the know and share on your social media to help others find this valuable content.

Let’s get started with what smart cruises know and do…

1.       Arrive the day before your cruise. Cruise ships are much like the airlines and they won’t wait for you if you arrive late.  If you miss the ship, you’ll need to fly yourself and meet the ship at the next port. 

Best to fly in the day before to account for flight delays. Better yet, most cruise lines now sell flights. By purchasing your flights through the cruise line, you’re protected if there are any flight delays/cancellations. If you were to miss the ship, due to a delay, the cruise line will make sure you make it on the ship at the next port.  They’ll pay for the extra flight - not you.

To save yourself unnecessary headaches, purchase your flights from the cruise line, or at minimum plan to arrive one day prior to sail date. 

2.       Book excursions and buy extras early to save money. Popular excursions will sell out prior to sailing, so if there are activities you want to do, purchase them as early as possible.  If you decide you want to exchange one excursion for another, you can do that, as long as that activity isn’t sold out. 

Extras would be things like wifi and beverage packages, if not already included with your purchase.  Though these don’t sell out like excursions, they do cost more, if you buy onboard vs prepay.

3.       Know the drink package rules. Drink packages vary from cruise line to cruise line, so to keep this post from getting excessively long, I’ll just be giving broad examples. Drink packages are very popular as they can be used for adult beverages, specialty coffees, sodas, etc. Only the basic beverages are included onboard: water, milk, coffee and some juices.

What I mean by know the rules, is know what drinks are included and how many drinks you can have per day. Not all drinks will be included with every drink package, which is why cruise lines have multiple packages to choose from. For instance, the beverages in your room’s mini bar are often not included in the drink package.

Let’s take it one step further and one adult wants the drink package but the other in the same room does not. Well often the cruise line will make both people purchase the drink package, so the pay as you go option may turn out to be the better choice, if the drink limit won’t be reached for both people daily.

4.       Do the drink package math. I don’t want this to turn into a math class, but it’s wise to figure out how much you anticipate spending in drinks to see if it’s worth it for you to purchase the beverage package, or just pay as you go.

Generally, drink packages include about 15 drinks per day. The high-end cost of a drink is $15. You may think, yes, I can use that no problem between alcohol and coffee.  Well, what about all the days you are at port.  You’ll likely leave the ship early morning and may not come back to the ship until dinner time, so you’ll be using less drinks those days.

I know doing math isn’t fun for everyone, but you may find it’ll save you money in the long run. I’m NOT against drink packages at all. I think they are well worth it for some people just not all. Better yet this another great reason you use a travel advisor. Often, we can get drink packages included in your cruise purchase as a complimentary add on.

5.       ALWAYS buy Travel Insurance. I feel COVID has made it pretty obvious as to why you need travel insurance these days. COVID aside there are many other reasons to get travel insurance to protect your trip.

Let me preface this section and say I’m NOT a registered travel insurance agent. As a travel advisor, I can offer an overview of what may be included in your policy, but I cannot explain the specifics. Just like drink packages, there are many travel insurance policies to choose from, so generalizations will be used here.

Travel Insurance covers more than what you may realize. Some policies allow you to cancel for any reason even business related. They will cover if flights are delayed or lost baggage.  If you need to be evacuated off the ship/island they’ll cover that as well. Plus, there’s also medical coverage and a whole lot of other great benefits. 

Policies very in price based on trip cost, age of the travelers, where one is traveling, etc. Considering how inexpensive travel insurance is, you’re far better off getting it and not using it then not getting it and needing medical care and spending way more than you would otherwise. Travel insurance allows you peace of mind.

6.       Location of your stateroom. This is based on preference but there are some things to consider when picking the location of your stateroom, if given the option.

If you prefer it to be quieter, then choose a room near the front of the ship. Avoid the middle where the main stairs and elevators are. The higher your room is, the closer you’ll be to activities as well.

If you feel you might get seasick, or mobility is an issue then the middle of the ship is a better option. Also, the lower you are on the ship the less movement there will be.

Some people prefer the rear of the ship and if located on a lower deck, know there will likely be more noise from the engines.

Another great reason to use a travel advisor as we will help you navigate your options, so you choose the right room for you and the best location.

7.       Sail with a Passport if visiting other countries. Often a passport isn’t required if the trip is closed loop - meaning it leaves and returns to the same location. For instance, many cruises leave and return to Miami, so technically a passport isn’t needed.  However, if you end up needing medical care and need to stay on an island or be flown back home, it’ll be much faster and easier if you have a passport vs an ID and birth certificate. 

 8.       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.

 9.       Take the Stairs. How is this a smart cruisers tip? Well, some ships are quite large with over 15 decks. Now you may be thinking this is the perfect reason to use the elevators all over the ship. Let me explain. Large ships may have over 5,000 guests and a lot of activities on board, which means elevators can get backed up and have long wait lines. Of course, if your room is on say deck 5 and you want to go to deck 15, by all means take the elevator. However, if you’re on deck 5 and only need to go to deck 7, then you’re likely better off taking the stairs. You’ll find you can get places faster by taking the stairs.

 10.   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 balance is every day or two, to minimize an unexpected bill at the end of your cruise.

Another reason you want to check often is for fraud.  Remember life onboard is a cashless system and yes 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 trip 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.

Feel free to pay it forward and send this to those you know, who maybe 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 us know in the comments below.  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

Click Here to schedule an appointment

Email: info@cruisingthepacific.com

Call: 209-747-4332

I help busy people by curating a vacation they'll love

& remember for a lifetime.

P.S. Looking for affordable, small group Shore Excursions for your upcoming cruise? Click Here