I've taken 8 cruises in the past 12 months, and each one taught me something.
As a new cruiser, I knew I had a lot to learn from personal experience.
Not only was cruising a new form of travel when I started, but my cruises also took me to regions I'd never visited before.
Although all my sailings took place on Royal Caribbean ships, I sailed different ships each time; Wonder of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Icon of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas.
Each different itinerary and ship type introduced me to a new aspect of cruising.
From choosing the right stateroom to saving money on shore excursions, I'll explore the top lessons I learned from each sailing.
Your cabin selection has a huge influence on the experience
Cruise: Wonder of the Seas
My first cruise took place on Wonder of the Seas, sailing a 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Perfect Day at CocoCay itinerary.
Any Oasis-class ship would make for the perfect first cruise.
I was blown away by the amount of dining, activities, and amenities onboard, and felt like I barely had enough time to experience it all.
But while we splurged on specialty dining and shore excursions, we also tried to save money by booking a guarantee stateroom.
It turned out that this cheaper cabin selection had a huge influence on the entire cruise.
We were assigned a windowless interior cabin at the very front of the ship, and I quickly learned why other cruisers tend to avoid that location.
The room was consistently dark, without a view, and we often heard the noise of the anchor chain banging on the ship's hull.
I also learned that I suffer from seasickness while cruising, and the forward location of the stateroom left me even more susceptible to the vessel's rocking motion.
If I hadn't packed Dramamine, the nausea would have been unbearable.
Although I've booked interior cabins since this cruise, and find that the darkness makes for a good night's sleep, I regret not picking a better cabin for my first cruise.
For a first cruise (or the first one in a while), splurging on a better cabin will upgrade your experience.
Snorkeling is worth it, and you don't always have to pay extra
Cruise: Freedom of the Seas
My Freedom of the Seas cruise took place over a few short days, sailing to Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
For this trip, I decided to invest in my experience on Royal Caribbean's private island.
I purchased the snorkel shore excursion, which turned out to be an amazing way to see the beaches of the Bahamas.
After renting the snorkel equipment, I took a self-guided tour of the shipwreck and natural life near the shores of CocoCay.
I saw sea snakes, tropical fish, and a jellyfish!
It was a cool experience, and I later realized that there was nothing stopping me from purchasing and bringing my own snorkel equipment to the island.
At any visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, you could experience the snorkel shore excursion for free.
Cruising smaller ships is a marvelous way to relax
Cruise: Radiance of the Seas
My third cruise was my first on a smaller ship—the 961-foot Radiance of the Seas.
The 5-night getaway sailed the Western Caribbean, taking me to ports I hadn't visited before.
While I wasn't sure what to expect, I learned that a smaller ship makes for a great way to relax.
The cruise was a calming getaway. The pool areas were always clear, and the elevators were easy to navigate.
I also noticed a more distinct ship culture; the crew members all seemed to know each other, and the captain even walked around to meet cruisers onboard.
Despite all the flack that smaller ships get, I found the cruise a quiet, enjoyable experience.
Plus, we got to visit exciting ports of call that the large ships can’t visit.
Research thoroughly before sailing a new region
Cruise: Enchantment of the Seas
Enchantment took me to new regions as well: I cruised a 7-night Athens to Barcelona Mediterranean sailing, having never visited the continent before!
I tried to have a more flexible mindset for this cruise, assuming that I'd learn things as I went along.
While I'm usually a big researcher, I did less preparation beforehand and expected to learn from experience.
This isn't the best move when it comes to visiting a new country.
I found myself at a loss when it came to Greek culture or Spanish phrases. Also, when I visited some historical locations such as the island of Crete, I wished that I'd read up on their impact. While the tour guides did give us a lot of information, more reading beforehand would have enhanced my experience.
Read more: 8 lessons learned after trying a European cruise for the first time
The suite life is very sweet indeed
Cruise: Allure of the Seas
My 3-night weekend cruise on Allure was my first time staying in a suite—and it was luxe.
For the first time, I realized just what a huge difference splurging on your cabin could make.
We were greeted with champagne and snacks, and our own coffee machine.
The stateroom had a huge balcony we could eat dinner on and a deep bathtub I used twice during the 3-day cruise.
Plus, the Grand Suite granted access to the suite lounge and other great benefits.
Once again, I saw that splurging on your stateroom really makes a difference.
Purchase shore excursions separate from Royal Caribbean to save money
Cruise: Anthem of the Seas
For the majority of my cruises, I was a loyal to Royal shore excursion buyer.
As soon as the cruise was booked, I would hop on the website to peruse the cruise line's sponsored tours.
While I knew that it was more expensive to purchase through Royal Caribbean, I figured the safety and security it gave me would be worth it.
However, on my Anthem of the Seas Bahamas and Perfect Days sailing, I decided to branch out and find an excursion on shoreexcursions.com.
I purchased a Glass Bottom Boat Ride with a stop on Pearl Island for about $50 per person.
When we arrived at the tour, we had an amazing time, and I discovered that the guests who paid for the same excursion through Royal Caribbean had spent $100-$150 on the excursion.
That means they spent double or even triple for the same tour!
The guides winked and told us not to tell anyone how much we'd saved.
Try as many different dining venues and dishes as you can
Cruise: Icon of the Seas
My next cruise took place on the much-hyped Icon of the Seas, and I truly believe she deserves all the praise she gets.
On this 7-night Western Caribbean and Perfect Day sailing, I was grateful that I made it a priority to try all the different cuisines onboard.
The ship blew me away with its range of dining options and upgrades to previous Royal Caribbean venues.
Read more: 10 lessons learned after trying Icon of the Seas for the first time
It was the best food I'd had on a Royal Caribbean ship—and I only tried the complimentary venues!
If you're planning on cruising Icon, be sure to try as much of the food as you can, and I'd recommend splurging on the specialty dining as well.
A summer trip to Europe is rough, but a positive attitude will take you far
Cruise: Oasis of the Seas
On my second European cruise, I was determined to learn from my past mistakes, and I did tons of research beforehand.
I told myself it would be a great cruise, and it was one of my favorites!
However, sailing to Spain, Italy, and Greece during June is a sure-fire way to run into crowds of tourists, and I did.
Although my research told me I could expect huge crowds, I was unprepared for how much that affected my experience.
When I visited museums, I only got a few seconds in front of the paintings before a group would get in my way. And traffic on the roads cut into our time at port.
Although it ended up being an amazing experience, I would have much preferred a less crowded season.
