My Top 10 Tips For First-time Cruisers
Consider staying on board during port days, especially if you’ve visited the area before. Ships are mostly deserted and it’s a great time to chill out on the ship’s spas and other amenities often have special offers on these days, too.
Pack light. Yes – the holy grail for holidaymakers worldwide, but never has this been more necessary than on a cruise, especially if you’re going as a family. When we went we pretty much had a single wardrobe between the four of us, so think ‘capsule’ and bits that can mix and match into a number of different combinations.
Make sure to pick the company and ship that fit your travel style and do thorough research on the ports of call and shore excursions before departing.
Make use of your destination concierge – they have the best tips and hassle-free organisation for day trips inland. Also consider drink packages – it seems steep at first glance but it’s much better value for money in the long run. After all, you are on holiday.
When budgeting work on the total cost from leaving home to returning. There can be many extra and hidden costs on a cruise vacation. Understand in detail what the fare covers. The key additional costs are usually excursions (which can cost up to £50 to £100 per person), gratuities (which may be added automatically), wifi, drinks and speciality dining. Make sure you have taken into account transfers to and from the ship and good travel insurance that includes cruise cover which I can organise all this for you.
Always pack some kind of extension cable as the socket space in your cabin can be limited. If you’re like me and travel with 5,000 tons of electrical equipment, you’ll be glad for the extra space. I can charge my phone, toothbrush and iPod all at the same time, as opposed to maybe only being able to charge one of them.
Keep your room cards away from your mobile phone. It’s very frustrating to get to your cabin only to find your key doesn’t work and you have to traipse back to guest services and queue to get another one. Wifi on board can be expensive and temperamental so write emails in ‘notes’ form and just go online to copy and paste and send. Or wait for a port day and find a café with free wifi.
Unpack properly before the ship starts moving. Those cupboards have latches for a reason, you know, and playing “chase the rolling bottle of shampoo around the floor in the middle of the night” isn’t quite as much fun as you might think.
Pay attention to ship’s time. When you’re in port, your mobile phone may automatically update to the local time. That’s handy if you need to know the time where you are, but less so if your ship has stayed on another timezone. Pack a watch and keep it set to ship’s time to avoid having to race down the dock after your ship.
Take the time to get to know your ship as soon as you board. Bigger ships can be confusing and you could end up spending 20 minutes trying to find that sundeck at the front of the ship. If you’re travelling with older children, give them the job of ‘mapping’ the ship. Get them to discover where the best pools are, the family friendly restaurants, the sports facilities etc. That way they’ll feel important and you’ll feel more confident that they are less likely to get lost.
For your cruise enquiries I deal with all the Cruise Lines and their Worldwide Itineraries and have access to all the different offers at the time. Adding pre and post-cruise land stays, transfers, excursions and flights personalising it for you. I can source your cruise options for your dates at a minutes notice so I’d be only to happy to help put a bespoke tailor made itinerary together for you.