I'm headed back to Europe this summer for two cruises, and I'll be applying a few lessons learned that I think anyone else trying a European cruise should employ too.
I took my first cruise in Europe in the summer of 2023, and I went back again last year. It's expanded my cruising horizons significantly, and it's probably the highlight of my vacations. So with a back-to-back cruise planned this summer with friends and family, I want to make sure everyone has a great time.
Prior to ever cruising in Europe, I took a dozens of cruises around North America, but there were some nuances of cruising in Europe that differed greatly from what I was accustomed to.
Royal Caribbean's summer cruise season kicks off in April and May, and it's a busy time when many ships transition from the Caribbean to Mediterranean, North Sea, or English Channel.
Before you head east as well, here are my top pieces of advice for a great time exploring the Old World.
Don't waste time converting currency
One mistake I made even before I left my house for my very first Royal Caribbean cruise in Europe was assuming I needed to get cash.
You really do not need to convert cash to Euros, Pounds, or the local currency of the countries you visit because literally every store, restaurant, and bar you encounter will take a credit card or tap to pay.
What you want to do instead of converting cash is ensure you have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and bring that instead.
It's easier, faster, and you won't waste time going out of your way to get your money converted. Plus, you won't come home with foreign currency that will sit in your sock drawer for years.
I was skeptical how many places would take credit cards in Europe, especially street food vendors. But truly, they all did and I was glad blog readers told me about this so I didn't waste my time.
Booking flights with Royal Caribbean can save you money
I was truly surprised how much money you can save booking a flight with Royal Caribbean.
For my cruise this summer, I booked flights directly with the airline because it was simple. But I later cancelled it when I saw the price Royal Caribbean wanted.
Royal Caribbean's Air2Sea program allows anyone to book a flight with their cruise, but for Alaska and European cruises, there's bonus savings.
Royal Caribbean will discount flights up to $500 off each ticket for air bookings between made through March 31, 2025 on Alaska and European sailings departing between April 11 - October 27, 2025.
It saved me plenty, and I'd recommend anyone booking a flight to Europe first look at what the cruise line is offering before booking a flight directly.
Get an eSim instead of an international package
I don't remember where I read to get an eSim for my phone, but I'm so glad I did.
Instead of getting an international roaming package from your cell phone carrier, an eSim is a much better approach.
An eSim means you essentially "download" a local sim card to use for your phone while in Europe. These are super cheap, work in many different countries, and you're a primary network subscriber. That means if the network is busy, your traffic is prioritized compared to people roaming.
My favorite one to use is Orange sim (this is an affiliate link, that costs you nothing extra but I make a small commission).
Last year I bought the "Holiday Europe 30GB" plan for €39.99 and it more than covered my needs for the almost two weeks I was there.
I'll be buying this again for my family when we travel in June, and it makes staying in contact simple and affordable.
There's an extra step needed to get to the UK this year
Something new if you're going anywhere in the UK this summer is to complete digital paperwork.
Travelers from the US or Canada need to complete the UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom. If you don't, you could face fines or even be denied to fly.
It will cost you £10 ($13 USD) to apply, and it's all done online.
From what I've heard so far, it's incredibly easy and quick to get approved.
Do anything you can to minimize jetlag
I can't stress enough how important it is to do what you can to avoid getting jetlagged because it will ruin your trip.
Going west to east and skipping ahead 5 or more time zones will wreak havoc with your body's internal sleep clock. If you get jetlagged, you'll be exhausted in the afternoon and wide awake at night. It could take 3 or 4 days to adjust back, and that's going a good portion of your cruise.
When I went to the UK last year, I committed myself to beating it by not napping on the day I arrived, but it was brutal staying awake because I was unable to sleep on the plane ride over.
Ideally, pick a flight that arrives in the late afternoon or evening local time. That way, you could get to your hotel and go to sleep quickly thereafter.
Moreover, you should give yourself a few days before the cruise begins so if you are jetlagged, you're fighting it off before all your cruise fun begins. Plus, arriving a few days early means you get extra time to explore the country you're in and guard against a travel delay causing you to miss your cruise.
No matter when you arrive, you really want to acclimate yourself to local time as quickly as you can and unfortunately that means no napping. It's really tempting, but if you can manage to get yourself on local time quickly, you'll enjoy the cruise so much more.
Download a few movies to be able to watch offline
Another hard learned lesson from my past European trips was not having enough things downloaded to watch on my phone.
You never know when the plane's in-flight entertainment might not work, or how boring those long bus rides around Europe can be.
Have a few movies or tv shows downloaded to be able to be watched offline on your phone, just in case.
There's a far greater reliance on public transportation in Europe, and this summer, I've already got a few train and bus rides booked, in addition to my long transatlantic flights.
I regretted not having enough to watch on my first trip over, so I was sure to have a few backup flicks to enjoy.
My preferred approach is to go through the classic movie section of whichever streaming platform you subscribe to and find Oscar award winning movies you never got a chance to see. Thanks to boring flights, I've now seen Citizen Kane, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Insterstellar.
I'd have a few movies or shows to watch as a backup, especially if you have kids and find yourself on a long commute.
Download the MBC app
The single best choice I made when I travelled to Europe last summer was downloading the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app.
Everything you've heard about getting through Customs upon return to the United States is true, but this one app made it so much better.
There was a dedicated line for people that pre-file their paperwork with the MPC app, and that line had like 2 people in it when I got there.
It saved me so much time in line compared to everyone else, so I'd recommend everyone use it.
What you want to do is submit your information as soon as you land, while you're waiting to get off the plane because there's a small window of time to get through the line with the app.
You don't need to buy shore excursions in most ports
The reality is a lot of places you visit in Europe don't need a formal shore excursion.
Unlike the Caribbean, many ports have you docking in a sizeable city, where you can easily walk off the ship and start exploring. Even in cities where you dock away from the center, there's almost always a complimentary or extremely inexpensive transportation option to get you there.
It's so tempting to book a shore excursion to "see the sights", but most are glorified bus tours and they aren't cheap.
While you might not need a formal tour, you should still do some research to find a handful of places to visit while in port. Then throw it into Google Maps and figure out the best way to see them all.
I found in most ports it's easy enough to get around on foot, or maybe leveraging the city's public transportation system. I've even used Uber on a few occasions.
To be clear, there's nothing wrong with booking a shore excursion in Europe, but you shouldn't default to booking one as the primary way to see things there. Rather, don't overlook walking around and exploring on your own as an affordable and smart way to see the best things in each port.
If you find yourself in a port of call that doesn't scream a specific activity or thing to do, don't hesitate to simply walk into town and "go with the flow".
Last year I actually tried a "free" shore excursion in one port where I wasn't sure what to do, and it was way better than I expected because the tour guide was very knowledgeable and our group size was much smaller than cruise line run groups.
Sometimes it's easier to ditch a plan, and see what's around the corner. You might stumble upon a fun bar, explore various neighborhoods, or enjoy a family-run restaurant.
Shore excursions are going to be very expensive
You might experience sticker shock when you start looking at tours offered to book.
This plays in a bit to the previous tip, but shore excursions simply cost more in Europe than the Caribbean.
Sometimes the cost of the tour simple "is what it is", and if you want to tour the beaches of Normandy or get a ticket to the Vatican, you're going to have to pay it.
In the time leading up to your European cruise, I'd recommend budgeting appropriately to save up for it. Plus, pre-booking tours to lock in a sale is a good idea.
Another money-saving strategy is to look for similar tours that might be a bit cheaper. I've actually searched Google for the name of the Royal Caribbean tour and found third party tour operators that do the same or similar tour.
Knowing a few words in the local language helps a lot
While you'll likely encounter more people than not that can speak English, you really ought to learn a few basic words in the local language.
Knowing phrases like "Hello, please, thanks, excuse me, sorry," goes a long way when traveling around Europe.
It goes beyond being able to communicate, rather, it's a sign of respect that you're at least trying.
I can speak French fairly well, but just a smile and a friendly "Salut" makes a difference in the disposition of the person you're speaking with.
Packing for Europe isn't easy
I could spend an entire article talking about packing for Europe, but my credo so far has been pack what I think I need while trying to keep it manageable.
The issue with overpacking in Europe is how to manage luggage costs with the airlines, and then dragging your luggage around once you get there.
My advice is it's better to pay luggage fees than get to Europe and realize you really need something (and need to buy more luggage as a result).
We have a packing guide for a Mediterranean cruise you can use a starting point, but I wanted to highlight a few really important things to bring with you that might be different from a Caribbean cruise:
- Really, really, good walking shoes
- UK/EU power adaptor
- Theft-proof bag
- Apple AirTags
All of these links are affiliate links, which means I get a few bucks if you buy something, but it costs you nothing extra.
