Top 10 Best Hacks for First-Time Cruise Ship Travelers

Living on a luxury cruise ship is truly exhilarating, with its grandiose setting, massive anchors, and countless staff who are prompt to pamper the guests.

Cruising in the wide expanse of the calm ocean gives you time to recuperate and reconnect with your inner self. Indeed, what a wonderful experience, right?

But for first-time travelers, it can get a little bit intimidating. Trust us, we’ve been there!

So if you are ready to leap to cruise ship life, you have come to the right place. We made these “Top 10 Best Hacks for First-Time Cruise Ship Travelers,” to help you find the best deal on the top cruise lines, cut through the chaos of your grandiose residence, and ultimately, travel like a pro.

1.Book the Perfect Cruise

Make your dream cruise come true by booking perfectly!

To achieve this, make a checklist of your preferences, such as the ship size you want to live in, ports you’re interested to drop by, activities you want to do onboard, and even the age group of passengers you want to be with. Then, do extensive research for both new and established cruise ships and go from there.

Take advantage of websites that can track cruise prices to help you score the most reasonable fare. Just simply enter your desired cruise line, destination, dates, and length of the cruise so they can email you back with the available discounts.

Want to get a stellar view? Call an agent who can tell you which rooms provide the best sceneries throughout the whole journey. Anxious about seasickness? Get a room in the middle part of the lower deck. Feeling very adventurous? Go for the edges in the upper deck. Also, never book a room near the elevators!

2.Get a Travel Insurance

Cruise smart. Enjoy living in a luxury residence and feel protected at the same time by getting travel insurance.

Got sick onboard or fractured your ankle while getting on the ship and needed a doctor? Missed your flight and consequently, missed your ship? Had your baggage taken to another vessel and you had to buy an entirely new wardrobe? Knowing full well that anything can happen to you while cruising, your travel insurance can keep the niggling worries at bay.

3.Research Ports Beforehand

You just don’t show up on a luxury cruise ship and not try to relish the most out of it!

Ports of call are a huge part of the cruising experience, whether they are set for a whole day or just for a few hours. Read about the ports you’ll be visiting and take note of the travel sites you wish to go to, such as churches, museums, flea markets, and more.

Plan your itinerary accordingly to be able to appreciate every stop. And believe us, you don’t want to run like The Flash just so the ship won’t leave you behind.

4.Join Facebook Groups

As this is your first cruise ship adventure, having a lot of questions is normal. And if you want answers even before boarding, join some of the many Facebook groups made for your chosen cruise line.

There, you’ll find enthusiastic people that can give you genuinely helpful and practical tips. You can also connect with travelers who are looking for people to travel with to save some cash or maybe just for companionship.

5.Download the Cruise Mobile App

Most luxury cruise ships of today already have mobile apps that you can use onboard even without buying their usually expensive Wi-Fi package. Impressive, right?

Some apps let you view the daily list of activities, make reservations for different amenities, buy foods and drinks, book shore outings, and a lot more features. Others even have in-app messaging so you can contact other passengers without moving a single inch from where you’re currently relaxing.

6.Do Not Overpack

While you want to bring everything you deemed important in your travel, always keep in mind not to overpack!

Bring a few outfits you can mix and match and save some luggage space for all the little purchases you’ll make along the way. Most luxury ships have laundromats anyway. A small price for laundry services in exchange for souvenirs to memorialize your voyage is worth it, no?

Have a carry-on bag for your prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, seasickness pills, first-aid kit, sunscreen, sunglasses, camera, and phone charger that you can take everywhere. Also, don’t forget to stuff some basic toiletries, flip-flops, magnets, and over-the-door organizers inside your baggage for a more efficient excursion.

7.Be at Departure One Day Ahead

This is an important reminder: The ship will not wait for you!

Passengers missing their ship happen way too often than one would think. And a foolproof tip to avoid this situation is to arrive at your departure area a day before the ship sets sail. This will also help you recover from jet lag if you’re from overseas.

8.Wifi Hacks

Countless travel newbies had paid horrifyingly exorbitant money for simply making the mistake of using their phone data to stream videos, make Facetime calls, and send emails during the cruise.

To avoid this happening to you, we recommend you put your smartphone on airplane mode as soon as you step inside the cruise ship, turn on your Wi-Fi, and buy a Wi-Fi package for all your texting, calling, and surfing needs.

However, some onboard WiFi packages can get super expensive. So, to minimize your Wi-Fi usage, try downloading your emails within 30 seconds or less and just read them offline. When sending an email, pre-compose your message in your notes app, paste it into your email, send it, and disconnect right after seeing the “sent” notification.

9.Choose to Stay In

You can always choose to stay inside the cruise ship when shore trips are out of your budget. Most of the ship facilities remain open anyway, so you can still have fun onboard. Without the majority of the passengers, this is even a better opportunity to capture breathtaking, people-free photographs.

10.Ask About How Tips Work

It is vital to know that nowadays, many luxury cruise ships are automatically deducting the tips and gratuities from your card at the culmination of the voyage unless you choose other options. Avoid tipping twice by asking the customer service about whatever amenity you wish to use. You may still tip an outstanding employee directly so he or she doesn’t have to split it with others.

Conclusion

These are all the tips and travel hacks for first time cruisers that I can think of right now. I will regularly update this post with each cruise I go on, to give you the most up to date and relevant information. So be sure to bookmark this page, and check back before your cruise for a refresher. If you have any cruise tips I missed, feel free to jot them down in the comment section below. Love having other Culture Trekkers contribute to a better travel experience for all. Cheers and Bon Voyage on your first Cruise!