Planning a Cruise Vacation
Whether it’s your first cruise or you’re just starting to get back to cruising after an extended break; these tips for your first cruise should help you plan your future cruise vacation.
Planning a cruise on your own has a few steps involved, but can made easier by going one step at a time.
For your first cruise and for the best prices, consider cruising during off-peak times to get the best deal. If possible, book your cruise during the shoulder seasons. These would be such dates as the first two weeks of December and the beginning to Mid-January.
In September you will find some great deals as it is peak hurricane season in the Caribbean and kids are back in school. Some cruises are only available during certain times of the year, such as cruises to Alaska and the Fjords of Norway. You will have to book these cruises during the months of May through September.
Choosing the Right Cruise Line
Make sure to research what each cruise line offers to figure out which one is right for you. If you have young children and want great kid’s programs as well as water slides, then you might consider the big 3 cruise lines; Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian.
Want more of a party atmosphere? Then I would consider Carnival and Norwegian cruise line for their spectacular deck parties. Entertainment on the cruise ship can play a large part in your vacation and should be considered, especially for those sea days! Think about whether you like dressing up for dinner or being more casual on vacation. What kind of dining and drinks do you enjoy?
We love cruising with Norwegian because of their casual atmosphere and anytime dining options. There are no set dining times as you will find on some traditional cruises and you can almost wear whatever you want in the main dining room. This means if you want to wear shorts and a T-shirt to dinner, you can!
Other cruise lines are moving in that direction with casual dining attire as for example some people do not want to bring dressier clothes on caribbean vacation.
Upscale Cruise Lines
The next level up from the big three would be; Celebrity, Princess, and Holland America cruise lines. They all provide different amenities and an elevated level of cruising.
Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean visits fantastic destinations, and is a little bit more laid back on the party atmosphere, and generally has fewer kids onboard.
Princess and Holland America which are owned by Carnival, are the top players in the Alaskan cruise market and should be considered for any cruise to that part of the world.
Holland America has had the reputation of being a cruise line that caters to an older generation and is more traditional in several ways such as their dining experience. Lately, they have been marketing to the younger crowd and have started to make changes to their venues by adding amenities such as updated music venues.
Princess Cruises again has a more traditional cruising atmosphere than the big three.
We have only touched upon a few of the cruise lines to sail on. Since everyone has different vacation preferences, you may not know what kind of cruiser you are until after you have taken your first cruise. You can check out Cruise Direct to find some great deals and Cruise Critic to do some more research.
Choosing a Cabin
Cruise lines have interior, oceanview, and balcony-style cabins as well as lavish suites. Picking your cabin will depend on your budget. Be sure to check out all of the pricing which will change depending on the type and length of your cruise as well as where in the ship you decide to book.
Interior cabins have no windows and could be located on all levels of a ship. Oceanview cabins will have a window, it could be a porthole window or larger depending on its’ ship location. There are some obstructed view (mostly by lifeboats) cabins that you will be able to get a better price on.
Unless you have any mobility issues, try not to book a cabin under the main lido or pool deck areas. These cabins have some noise issues, such as deck parties at night and the setting up of deck chairs early in the morning. Avoid cabins near large public areas, promenade decks as well as adjoining cabins unless you’re traveling as a family.
Cabins to avoid might be the ones located on the lower levels in the aft of the ship due to hearing engine noise. We have noticed that staying at the forward part of the ship there is some noise from the anchor dropping in the mornings when visiting some ports.
Suites can have fantastic amenities, larger rooms and premium locations on the ship. They may also come with butlers who can take care of your every need.
Other cabins come with different ship amenities, such as spa access, certain access to restaurants, outdoor and pool areas of the ship.
Typically, the best cabin to book for your first cruise would be Mid-Ship. This way you will not notice the motion of the ship as much if you are concerned about potential motion sickness. Think about booking in the middle-level deck of the ship as well for stabilization.
You will be able to pick your cabin according to the deck plans made available when booking. When researching your ship, check out the deck plan first to give you an idea of where you want to book.
Join Your Roll Call
On sites such as Cruise Critic and Cruiseline.com, you can join your sailing’s roll call. This means that you can interact on a chat board with other cruisers from your particular sailing. We have joined many different roll calls on Cruise Critic in the past. Many things get discussed such as a Meet & Greet which usually takes place on the first sea day of your cruise.
Other items such as group tours and port excursions are discussed. The roll call will help you find out a ton of great information on what to do in the different ports from other cruisers’ experiences. You can even join a port excursion with cruisers from your roll-call! This will allow you to sometimes benefit from group rates and extra perks like local food and beverages being added to the excursion by your tour operator.
Research your Ports and Ship
Make sure to do some research on the ports you’re going to. It’s good to have some idea of what to expect when you step off the ship. If you have an idea of what you want to do, then we suggest booking excursions in advance.
Think about what you want to in port. Do you want to lay on the beach, walk around the city and do some shopping? Maybe grab a meal in a restaurant or explore the sights in the port. Many ports have fantastic historical points of interests to visit.
Use Cruise Critic to the fullest extent! They have great ship reviews and message boards on everything related to cruising. You will be able to find information on every cruise line you can think of. It’s good to get feedback on the different ships, rooms, and the many different itineraries available out there.
Pre-Cruise Stay Planning
Our number one rule is to always get to the city that your cruise is leaving from at least the day before! You never know what kind of travel delays might happen. Weather, flight delays, traffic delays, etc. It is always better to err on the side of caution. You do not want to miss the ship as they WILL NOT wait for you!
If you are flying to the cruise port, then plan to book your flights at least 4-6 months in advance.
Some cruise lines have flight promotions that you can book with your reservation. Note that many of these flights are set up to arrive the same day of your cruise and they guarantee that they will get you to your ship. This guarantee does not mean that the cruise ship will wait for you if your flight is delayed. The cruise line will make sure you meet up with the ship at another port of call.
If you must fly the same day that your cruise leaves, then book the earliest flight of the day.
Hotels can sometimes be booked even closer. If you do have a favourite hotel brand or want to stay in a specific part of town then you should book as early as you can. Check out our blog post about booking a cheap flight and getting the best price for your hotel.
Cruise Packing
We always try to pack light wherever we are travelling. If you’re driving to the port then you could pack a bit more and not worry about any extra costs for additional or overweight luggage.
The one beauty of a cruise is that you only unpack once and are able to visit multiple destinations! Try to plan on wearing your cruise outfits a couple of times by packing mix and match items. If you’re heading to a hot destination then you can bring your swimwear, snorkel gear, and any other items you feel you need for the beach or other warm-weather outdoor adventure.
Bring whatever medication and other essentials with you. If you need to purchase any extra items you forgot on the cruise ship, it can get quite expensive. Don’t forget your cruise door decorations! This is a great way to personalize your cabin door for your cruise.
Embarkation
It’s Cruise Day! On the first day of your cruise, you will be excited and most likely up early! Make sure to have a good breakfast and prepare yourself for your adventure!
First make sure you have your cruise documents prepared, either printed or depending on the cruise line have them ready to show from your cell phone. Have your cruise tags printed out and attached to your luggage. I would suggest getting some simple plastic cruise bag tag holders from Amazon or even Cruise Critic. Otherwise, you can staple your paper tags around the handles of your luggage.
Remember to have a carry-on backpack or something of that sort where you will have some essential items with you when you board the ship such as medication, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. When you get to the port you will be giving your larger bags to a cruise port bag handler. Be sure to tip a couple dollars per bag to these hard workers!
Arranging Transport to the Port
Since we normally fly to the city of embarkation, we will get a taxi, Uber or Lyft to the port from our hotel. Other people use the hotel shuttles or arrange private transportation if you have larger group.
Head to the cruise port at the time indicated on your boarding documents. We usually arrive early to the cruise terminal since we have had to check out of our hotel. However you cannot board the ship until your assigned time slot.
Transfers from the airport are readily available to the port if you’re arriving the same day and again from the port to the airport when you depart your cruise.
Port Arrival
As we indicated earlier you will be handing your larger luggage over to the cruise lines port baggage handlers. As previously mentioned, it is customary to tip these porters a few dollars for each bag. Remember you don’t want your bag ending up left off the ship or lost!! Be kind to these essential workers.
When entering the cruise terminal, you will have to have all of your cruise documents and your required identification (passport) ready to show. Make sure you do not forget your documents in the checked bags that you gave to the baggage porters! They will remind you of this when dropping off your bags.
You will then go through security and your carry-on bag will be scanned by an x-ray machine, similar to the airport screening. This is followed by, depending on what cruise line you’re sailing with, getting your photo taken and your cruise cards given to you.
If you have arrived before the actual beginning boarding time of the ship, you will be placed in a waiting area and given a specific boarding group indication. If you’re cruising out of Miami on a Caribbean cruise we have experienced that boarding time begins at around 11am.
Boarding the ship
Board the ship as early as you can, that way you can get your vacation started as soon as possible!
Start by exploring the ship, you will find that it helps to get familiar with the general layout of the decks. Get yourself a welcome beverage and some food at the main dining room, buffet, or other dining venues.
Pro tip: You will find that the buffet is generally the busiest dining venue on embarkation day.
You most likely will not be able to go to your cabin for a few hours after boarding. You will hear an announcement that will let you know when the cabins are ready. Remember just because the cabins are ready, this doesn’t mean that your luggage will be there yet.
Some cruise lines such as Carnival have programs like “Faster to the Fun”. With this program you can get access to your room early and have priority boarding. This program is an extra cost that you will have to pay for before the cruise.
We hope these tips for your first cruise will help you plan your vacation and give you some ideas on what the embarkation day will be like. Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any comments below.
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