19 Cruise Ship Tips for First Time Cruisers

Without a doubt, one of our favorite vacation types is cruising. We really enjoy how you can see multiple destinations in a small amount of time. And the best part about cruising? You only unpack one time! We enjoy having a “home base” to come back to after each day of touring and excursions. However, if this is your first time cruising it can be intimidating. We have developed a list of first time cruise tips to help you navigate your way!

Choose the Right Cruise Line

Do some research and pick a cruise line that will cater to the type of vacation you want. If you want lots of fun and adventure including waters slides, mini-golf, rock climbing walls, escape rooms, etc. then go for Carnival, Norwegian, or Royal Caribbean. If you want a slower pace, more romantic, low-key, etc. then go for Holland America or Celebrity. And, of course, if you’re a Disney fan, definitely do a Disney Cruise!

We really enjoy Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney Cruise Line all for different reasons. We like Royal Caribbean if we’re looking for a more upbeat vacation where we can do all of the activities that each ship has to offer. We like Celebrity Cruises when we want a romantic getaway but still want to be able to drink and have fun. And we love Disney Cruises for so many reasons – the service, the activities, the exceptional food – you can’t beat it!

Pick the Right Cruise Ship

One of our most vital first time cruise tips is to make sure you pick the right ship. At this point, you’ve narrowed it down to which cruise line you think is right for you based on the research you’ve done but now it’s time to pick a ship. All cruise lines are going to have brand new ships, ships that are in desperate need of refurbishment, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. Make sure the ship you pick has all the amenities you are looking for in a perfect cruise vacation.

Research the Right Itinerary

There are so many different ports and itineraries to choose from that it can get overwhelming at times. Just within the Caribbean, there are multiple different itineraries you can choose from including Bahamas, Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, and Southern Caribbean. If you have a port that you are just dying to see, then do some research and make sure the cruise line you prefer has an itinerary that visits there.

Cabins

I have to be honest, we have never done anything but a balcony cabin. However, I know that’s not in everyone’s budget or some people simply don’t want to waste money on a balcony cabin when they are going to be in the cabin very little anyway. I feel you on that, but nothing beats having breakfast and a cup of coffee sitting on your balcony watching the waves crash.

Book Super Early or Really Late

To get the cheapest cruise price possible, book your cruise the first week the itineraries are released or wait until 2-3 months before sailing. Cruise lines will release their best prices at the beginning and then they will slowly creep up as the months go on. About 2-3 months before sailing is when final payment is due for most cruise lines, after the final payment date passes, cruise lines are looking to fill those empty cabins. Of course, by waiting, you also take a gamble that the cruise you really want might be sold out by then.

Time of Year

The cheapest prices you will see on cruises is during hurricane season, especially mid August-end of October. If you decide to take advantage of the inexpensive prices, I would highly encourage you to purchase travel insurance just in case a hurricane does interrupt your plans. We use World Nomads for travel insurance and we highly recommend them.

Prepare Yourself for Sea Sickness

One of our most important first time cruise tips is to prepare yourself for sea sickness. If you’ve never been on a cruise before, then you don’t know if you’ll get sea sick or not. Even if you aren’t prone to motion sickness, the rocking of the ship might make you sea sick. For starters, if you think you might be prone to sea sickness, book a cabin in the middle of the ship, the rocking will be less. You can also bring ginger candy to chew on to help the nausea. Medications you can bring include Bonine and Dramamine. Some people also swear by Sea Bands although I’ve never tried them. If you are really worried, you doctor can write you a prescription.

Arriving at Embarkation

Some cruise lines will let you pick the time of day you check-in at the port and others will just let you show up whenever you want between a certain time. Either way, do yourself a favor and show up near the latter part of that time window. Most people will want to get to the port as soon as they open and wait in line to be some of the first people on the ship. Well, we’ve done that and I’m here to tell you it’s absolute madness. On top of that, you can’t even get into your cabin around 2pm so you’re stuck with your carry-on and whatever else you brought lugging it around the ship until your stateroom is ready.

Bring a Carry-On

Make sure to pack a small carry-on with items you may need before your luggage arrives to your stateroom. For instance: medications, passports, cruise ship documents, bathing suit, change of clothes, camera, sunscreen, etc. In addition, some cruise lines allow you to bring a certain amount of alcohol on board per stateroom but that alcohol must be carried on, it cannot be in checked luggage.

Check for Cancellations on Excursions or Activities

If you decided to take part in one of those inexpensive deals and waited to book until 2-3 months before sailing, you might have been surprised to find all of the best excursions and activities (like wine tastings) were already booked to capacity. When you get on board, go to the customer service desk (the line will be long as it usually is on embarkation day) and ask them if there have been any cancellations or if they have added any additional excursions or activities. Usually, you will be able to find what you are looking for.

Unexpected Items to Bring

Don’t forget to pack a clothesline with clothespin for wet bathing suits, dirty clothes bag, dryer sheets to keep clothes smelling fresh, portable USB power bank, wrinkle release spray (no irons allowed on cruises!), extra hangers, small first-aid kit, and sunscreen!

Explore the Ship

On Embarkation day, while you are waiting for your stateroom to be ready, take some time to explore the ship and familiarize yourself where everything is. This is great time to find little special areas or little nooks and crannies that you may have been too busy to notice if you didn’t explore the ship until later on in your cruise.

Dining

You can bring prepackaged food on most cruise ships such as granola bars, trail mix, nuts, etc. This is really important for us since we are both gluten-free and while cruise ships are awesome about preparing meals for any dietary restrictions, sometimes snack options aren’t always the best.

If you do have dietary restrictions, make sure you talk to the head waiter at dinner the first night to make sure they understand what you can and cannot eat. We’ve done this on every cruise we have been on and have never had a problem, they actually go above and beyond to help you.

Did you also know you can order TWO entrees? Or two appetizers, two desserts, or just skip the entree all together and order three appetizers! The waiters will pretty much let you order whatever you want off the menu and after a day of snorkeling in Cozumel, you might be super hungry and want the steak AND the lobster!

Specialty Dining

It may be tempting to just eat in the Main Dining Room all cruise because it’s included but you should splurge at least one night and eat in one of the specialty dining rooms. Most of them have a very minimal cost, $10-$15 per person, but some of them have amazing experiences. We did one on the Norwegian Epic where it was an actual Cirque style show during dinner.

Entertainment

Every night, your room steward will put a cruise planner in your room that highlights all of the next day’s activities from mixology classes to seminars to shopping to shows. Pack a highlighter with you so you can highlight all of the things that look exciting to you! And make sure not to miss the nighttime show – most often they are similar to Broadway style performances and are very, very good.

Win Free Stuff

This is one of our favorite first time cruise tips because who doesn’t want to win free stuff?? There are usually a ton of opportunities to win free stuff on cruises during seminars, contests and games. During seminars, make sure you sit near the front so you will be picked as a volunteer (volunteers always get free stuff!) In the shops, there are usually always contests going on to “guess the carat size” or something similar. And don’t forget the games, my favorite is the Newlywed Game, if you volunteer, even if you lose, you’re sure to walk away with some free swag!

Take Advantage of Free Wi-Fi in Ports

Wi-Fi packages can be extremely expensive on cruise ships so you may not want to pay for them. However, when you are in port, there will be spots that have free Wi-Fi. If there aren’t any familiar places (like Starbucks), just ask a crew member where to find free Wi-Fi, they will definitely be able to advise you on the free Wi-Fi spots and save you money on that expensive cruise ship Wi-Fi package!

Stay on the Ship in Port

If there’s a port that doesn’t interest you, just stay on the ship! I’ve seen Nassau more times than I can count so we usually stay on ship and enjoy all of the amenities but with a quarter of the people. This is a great time to take a dip in the pool, ride those water slides with no wait, have a drink in the lobby bar without a million people shuffling thru…you get the picture. But keep in mind, the cruise shops and the casino will be closed while in port. So, on your next cruise, consider staying on board during one of the ports or just spend half a day there and come back to the ship early.

What NOT To Pack

Lastly, one of our most serious first time cruise tips is knowing what items you cannot bring on a cruise. There are several items that you absolutely cannot pack and take on your cruise ship vacation. Aside from the obvious like weapons, explosives and illegal substances that are also other items you cannot bring. These items include candles, diffusers, iron/steamer, extension cords, coffee makers, and the list goes on. Make sure you check your cruise line’s website for an up to date list.

Was this post on first time cruise tips helpful? Save it for later on Pinterest!

This post may contain affiliate links, I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase from a link on this site, at no added charge to you.