There are all sorts of emotions new cruisers experience in the lead up to their first sailing: excitement, anxiety, impatience, and hope.
When you're new to cruising, you're probably imaging warm sunny days on the beach, visiting incredible places, and making new memories with your family.
Every week I take questions from new cruisers on our YouTube channel and it's clear to me someone that has never cruised before wants to have a fabulous vacation but is also concerned they might be making a big mistake in the process.
I've been cruising for over twenty years, so I don't go through the same set of emotions anymore that a new cruiser does because of my familiarity with the process. My family has pretty much established our cruise routine.
However, I make my share of mistakes along the way. Most people learn by experience, and it's part of the process sometimes.
I remember the concerns and internal debates I had early on in cruising as I dealt with the various decisions to be made with a cruise vacation.
If you've never been on a cruise before, I want to share the 10 tips I'd tell anyone new to cruise ship travel to avoid some of my early mistakes.
Use a good travel agent
It might sound strange when you hear people still use travel agents, but they're incredible useful for a cruise vacation.
Because of how personalized cruises are, it's not as simple as booking a hotel room. There are so many considerations: inside or balcony room; Traditional or My Time Dining; Refundable or non-refundable cruise fare.
Plus, travel agents have access to special rates and discounts.
As soon as someone tells me they want to try a cruise, I tell them to get with a good travel agent so they can get started on the right foot. Someone brand new to cruising is bound to have lots of questions that pertain to their situation, and a travel agent can answer so many of them.
How do you find such an agent? Ask friends and family for a recommendation. Here is one such recommended travel agency that specializes in Royal Caribbean.
Choose your cruise ship based on what is important to you
When you start looking at all the ship options, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the choices.
To narrow it down, take a step back, and think about what things you want on a cruise.
New ships are flashy and enticing because they're the latest and greatest. It's just like an iPhone: the newest model gets all the commercials and attention, but the iPhone from 3-4 years ago still works incredibly well and is cheaper to buy.
Opting for a new ship because it's new means you're paying more for it, and if you don't care there's a water park because you'll never go on a slide, maybe you'd be better off with a different ship.
The other thing to think about is not just looking for the cheapest cruise.
If you shop by price alone, you might get onboard and realize there are no water slides, Broadway shows, or Aquatheater.
Research before your cruise starts
The more you know about your ship, places you're visiting, and handy tricks, the better your cruise will be.
Being prepared means you'll waste less time and money and set yourself up for a great vacation. To do that, you just need to start researching your trip.
Don't worry, you don't need to spend tons of time doing this. It's vacation, not an amphibious landing operation.
A very easy way to get started is hop on YouTube and search for your ship or ports you're visiting and just watch a few videos.
We have our own YouTube channel with ship tours, and tons of tips and advice for a great cruise.
Get travel insurance
Technically, you don't need to get travel insurance, but I'd recommend anyone trying a cruise to buy it anyway.
Travel insurance is more than just glorified medical coverage. It protects you in many unforeseen, yet common scenarios.
- Your flight is delayed or cancelled
- Your luggage gets lost
- You lose your job right before the cruise and can't travel
- Bad weather (i.e. hurricane) delays your ship returning on time
- You miss a port of call because of bad weather
- Death in the family
There are many more reasons to get travel insurance. Even though you probably won't need it, it's worth the peace of mind that comes with it.
It's such a handy add-on to have that you really ought to get it.
Get your travel documents in order
Did you know you need a passport to cruise? Or that you could travel with just a birth certificate and state issued ID under certain circumstances?
Either before or after you book a cruise, you want to double check you have the right travel documents to travel. There's no wiggle room if you don't and you will be denied boarding and lose your money if you don't have it.
Besides verifying you have a passport, verify the expiration dates and renew them, if necessary, now. Or if you don't have one, apply for a passport and get the ball rolling on that.
It's a major mistake to wait until close to your cruise only to realize you're missing something or need to renew it.
Be flexible
In all forms of travel, you need to embrace the mantra of being as flexible as you can.
I won't sugar coat it: something is going to go wrong on your trip.
If you do a little research and plan accordingly, it's probably going to something minor, like it could rain on your beach day in Cozumel. Or dinner could take way too long one night.
The secret is to go with the flow. Some things are just bad luck, like a rainy day or the bar running out of your favorite liquor.
Even if a problem is more man made, my advice is make the best of it. When my kids throw tantrums and wont cooperate, or my excursion is cancelled at the last minute, I have to take a step back and remind myself I'm on a cruise and a bad day here is better than any day at home.
One time I was in St. Thomas and my plans for the day fell through when I couldn't get a ride to the ferry port for our adventure to a nearby island.
I was fuming because of how incompetent I felt the logistics were, but I paced for a minute and then went to a nearby bar for a drink. My wife and I sat there and drank together, and we ended up laughing it all off because we realized there was no sense in getting irate over it.
While you shouldn't let major problems just go by, don't sweat the small things either.
Check-in as early as you can for your cruise
Everyone wants to get on their ship as early as possible, and it's actually really easy to do.
All you need to do is complete the online check-in within the Royal Caribbean app right when check-in opens at exactly 45 days before your cruise.
Set a calendar reminder to do you check-in and grab a time for everyone in your group.
So many people are unaware and do online check-in later and get check-in times later in the day.
Walk and tour the ship on your first day
No matter if you've never cruised or not, I recommend walking around the ship on the first day to better understand where everything is.
I think inevitably you're going to be excited anyway and want to see as much of the ship as possible, but sometimes people get onboard and run into a bar or area that is appealing and neglect to explore more.
I'd recommend spending a little time after you eat lunch to walk the ship's public areas and see where the major attractions and venues are located. It will make navigating the ship much easier later.
Be more social than you would at a resort
Another major difference between a cruise and a hotel is how much more social people are on a ship.
If I'm at a hotel, it's rare to ever strike up a conversation with other people staying there. But on a cruise, there's a more communal feel to the experience.
You don't have to be everyone's best friend, but in elevators, on shore excursions, or at the bar, I find people are much more open to conversation.
I've actually met a few people that are now good friends in this manner. I truly believe this is a matter of us being on a cruise rather than on land.
Don't be afraid to ask for help with a problem
Royal Caribbean wants you to have a great cruise, but if you're not, then say something.
I'll see people post online after their cruise problems they had, but it seems like they didn't say anything about it on the ship.
If you're waiter is slow, talk to the head waiter. If something is broken in your cabin, tell your stateroom attendant. If you notice an issue with how something is being handled, go to Guest Services to inform them.
New cruisers sometimes have this fear they are being a bother, but I think in many cases alerting a crew member to an issue is warranted.
While you shouldn't complain about the weather to a crew member (yes, some people do this), be sure to ask for help when you need it.
