10 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Our First Cruise

Ship is way bigger than expected 

Jason’s biggest fear about crusing was being stuck on a ship with thousands of people and it being overcrowded with not enough to do.  Well, needless to say… he was wrong!  You just cannot appreciate the shear size of a cruise ship until you step onboard.  It is comparable to a floating hotel, or better yet, a floating resort as it includes a casino, multiple pools, slides, kids clubs, night clubs, etc.  And let’s not forget the unlimited food selection.  And bars… did we mention the bars?

Another concern is feeling the ship’s motion.  Ships nowadays have massive stabilizers.  You often do not realize you are moving.  Have we felt the ship moving before?  Yes. But only during storms or really windy conditions and it didn’t bother us in the least.  You can actually get a really good night’s rest as the ship rocks you to sleep.

Gratuity 

On our first cruise, I paid the cruise fare and port taxes & fees for my family of five and got onboarc.  I linked a credit card for incidental spending and brought cash for spending in port.  But little did I know that ‘gratuties’ would be automatically added at the end of the cruise.  I truly had no idea and had not planned for this expense.  Luckily I had the money, but I could see this being a real problem for some on a tight budget.

Not only the overall gratuities that go to your stateroom steward and dining room wait staff, but Jason didn’t realized they were automatically adding a gratuity at the bar every time he ordered a drink!  Those bartenders were well tipped on that cruise as he added extra each time.

You can book excursions outside the cruise line

We had no idea what we wanted to do in port during our first cruise, which was a five-day itinerary to Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico.  So we went to the port excursions talk held in the theater on the first sea day and picked out what we wanted to do in Cozumel.  We didn’t see anything that interested us in Progresso so we were told we could explore on our own so we decided to give it a try.

I am very happy with the excursion we chose which was a sail & snorkel on a Fury catamaran and then a beach visit.  But I didn’t know that you could book excursions outside the cruise line.  Since then, I book some on my own and some through the cruise line depending on what we are wanting to do.

Also you don’t have to do an excursion in each port

Also, we didn’t know before boarding that we could explore on our own.  We really enjoyed just wandering the little town of Progresso, taking in the local culture, getting some yummy food, and taking a walk on the beach.  This is also where we encountered the ‘red tequila’, more on that later…

Order what you want!

Did you know that you could order more than one appetizer or more than one entrée or more than one dessert on a cruise?  We didn’t!  We had heard a rumor that this was true but didn’t really believe it.  I don’t think we ever did this on our first cruise.  But we sure do now!  Especially on elegant/formal night on Carnival, it is a must for Jason to get both the prime rib AND the lobster!  And for me, the crème brulee is only offered on this night… and it is really hard to choose between that and the chocolate melting cake… so sometimes I get both!

Sometime the rate can be adjusted 

With most cruise lines, if you book early then your cruise fare rate is adjustable!  Didn’t know this and paid for our first cruise and then never checked the cost again.  Now I know to check the rates!  If they go down, you can get your rate reduced.  Or you could possibly upgrade to a higher category for little or no additional cost.

And keep checking after you are paid in full.  You might just be able to get the difference in an onboard credit!

There are specials on the first day

Going on a spa tour on embarkation day is fun!  We didn’t discover this until we had many cruises under our belts.  You may be chosen for a free mini-treatment as part of a demonstration or you may be offered discounts.  And be sure to grab a raffle ticket and come back for the drawing.  We have never won ourselves, but we have seen many a very happy person win free spa treatments!!

Also, sometimes you can score a free bottle of wine for dining in a specialty restaurant on the first night.  For instance, on Carnival, dine in the steakhouse and this is a bonus treat!

Don’t miss the shows!

Cruise shows are spectacular!  We just didn’t go on our first cruise as we spend most of the time by the pool.  And on one cruise we missed them because we had late dining and the late show didn’t start until 10:30 and that was just too late for us. 

But once we discovered how much we enjoy this live entertainment, we never miss them!  We now choose early dining or anytime dining so our schedules work for the shows.  And if one is held at an odd time, we will choose to eat at the buffet or deli or pizza that night so we don’t miss it.

Did I happen to mention that we love the shows???  And I am mainly talking about the Broadway style shows in the theater, but don’t forget about the comedy or magic or variety shows… they have all been fantastic!

Don’t overpack!

We brought waaaaaay too many clothes on our first cruise!  Five big suitcases for five people on a five-day cruise… all sharing one cabin.  Yeah, we were so cramped for space!  PS – we never stayed five in one cabin again!  But that is a different story…  We brought multiple outfits for each day because we thought we needed one for during the day and one for at night and then special formal clothes and swimsuits, etc… 

Needless to say, we brought home a LOT of clean clothes.  And shoes!  Way too many shoes were packed.  No, you do not need a matching pair of shoes for every outfit!  No… you…. Don’t!  I have created a few packing videos to help others not make the same mistake that I have made!  Here is one:

You cell phone may night have the correct time!

We were in Cozumel having just gotten back from our oh-so-fun day of snorkeling and playing on the big jumpers at the beach and it was time to do some shopping!  So we wandered around the port going in and out of the shops.  Took our picture by the surfboards at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop.  Got a drink and some tacos at Three Amigos and thought we still had a couple of hours before needing to be back onboard.

Yep, the time was wrong on my cell phone and that is what we were going by.  Luckily we were close to the ship and when we saw everyone pouring through the gates to get back on we were smart enough to ask the time and find out we were wrong!

Moral of this story… wear a real watch and set it to ship time!!

How incredible a cruise vacation is, so much different than land

Wow, we had no idea how much we would love a cruise!  Before this, we had driven to a destination. Stayed in a hotel.  Maybe went to a theme park.  Ate at restaurants. ETC… Each with their own planning and individual price tag. 

I love that you plan the cruise and, well, that can be it.  Once onboard, you have options but choosing to eat a burger or tacos poolside is not really a hard decision to make.  Am I right?  The itinerary is laid out for you.   You can explore multiple ports in multiple countries all in the same trip.  It is simply amazing.  The one thing we regret is not starting to cruise sooner!!!

Bonus… don’t drink the red tequila in Mexico 

Funny story, well not funny at the time, but we can look back now and laugh.  Remember how we were strolling along the beach in Progresso and taking in the culture.  Well, Jason and his brother thought that a little tequila would be a ‘cultural’ experience! So there was a restaurant on the beach serving food and drinks so we stopped.  We grabbed a table with an umbrella and some nearby loungers. 

The waiter comes over an offers us ‘free tequila shots’…  When we saw the liquid in the bottle was red, that should have been a clue to say no… tequila is NOT red!!!  But not them!  They opened up wide and the ‘red tequila’ was poured straight into their mouths!  Oh yeah, this is fun huh?

Not so fun the next day when Jason is sick!  And I mean SICK!  He got ‘sick’ while snorkeling in Cozumel and then ended up laying on a beach bed the rest of the day and missed our fun adventure.  Nothing in life is free… don’t drink the red tequila! 

Want More?

Want to see the video version? Here you go!

I hope you find these tips helpful!  Be sure to check out our other posts for: what to do before your cruise; extras to pack; what to do after boarding; food & drinks; ports & excursions; shopping onboard & in portand activities not to miss on a Carnival cruise.

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Thanks,

Alisa

EECC Travels