Tips for First Time Cruisers

When it comes to boarding the ship on cruise day, everyone is excited. The result is a huge rush of people at the start of check-in unless your cruise line uses staggered check-in. It can take an hour or more to get through security and check-in. Instead, wait until about an hour before the boarding window closes. By this time most people are on the ship and check-in takes just a few minutes.

Cruise lines offer early debarkation for passengers who can carry all of their luggage. In our experience, the majority of passengers opt for this route. The result is a long wait to get off the ship. Headed to the Caribbean? The ports you visit thrive on tourism and make things easy for tourists.

They will all gladly accept U.

If you just loved the Chicken Parmesan from a few nights ago, ask for it again. Chances are high that they will whip up a serving for you, no questions asked. On most vacations, room service is an expensive luxury. Some cruise lines are charging for certain items on the menu, but they will be clearly marked.

Cruise lines know that people want to let loose and have a drink or ten! Still, most cruise lines allow you to bring aboard some alcohol when you embark at the start of your trip. Drink packages seems like good deals, but the rules can make them quite pricey. For instance, many cruise lines force each person in a cabin to buy the package if any passenger buys it.

This keeps you from sharing drinks. As well, you have to buy the package for the entire cruise. Finally, with high daily prices, you usually have to drink drinks each and every day you are on the cruise to come out ahead. For most passengers, they are actually better off buying drinks individually.

Want to board first? Want to be first off the boat? Great, hope you like standing in line. It will mean you spend less of your vacation waiting around and more time enjoying your trip. They are typically right at the cruise terminal, so you unload and head right to check-in. Of course, they charge for that convenience. If you search for parking lots near the port , you can usually find lots that are nearly as convenient, but at a sharp discount to parking at the port. Plan to stay in town the night before your cruise? As an incentive to attract guests, many hotels especially in smaller port cities like Galveston offer free parking if you stay a night with them.

Tipping is a fact of life on a cruise. And while many cruise lines have switched to including gratuities with your cruise fare, there are still situations that call for tipping the old-fashioned way. There are horror stories after horror stories of people coming back from their cruise with unexpected cell phone charges.

Turn your phone off or put it on airplane mode before your cruise leaves the shore. But if you are the type that makes a lot of noise ahem… enjoying your vacation with your partner, perhaps? Most passengers will eat their dinner in the main dining room, but they actually serve breakfast and lunch there too. Head over if you want something a little fancier. Not always, but often the cruise lines will simply dub a fruity cocktail the drink of the day and charge the same amount as usual. With everything seemingly so perfect on the ship, it can be easy to think that ports of call are perfect as well.

To be fair, ports you visit will be pretty safe, especially in the tourist areas. The fact is that most people will never use the travel insurance that they buy. Travel insurance can help covers costs of getting sick or injured, as well as compensate you for travel delays, lost baggage and more. You can read more about travel insurance and what it covers here.

Have your heart set on Cozumel?

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Just know that cruise itineraries can change for any number of reasons. Whether it be an issue with the ship, weather, or even riots in port. Keep in mind that this is a pretty rare occurrence, but it does happen. Cruise lines are happy to offer this service, for a price.

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All the cruise lines will offer a shuttle that runs from the airport to the cruise port, but the catch is they are expensive. Services like Uber and Lyft are also cheaper. Every cruise website offers the same fares these days. Book directly with the cruise line to cut out the middleman in case there is an issue with your reservation. Save the space and leave the hair dryer at home. Each cabin comes with a hair dryer for your use. Even better, let the breeze on the top deck dry your hair for you. From portable fans to laptop and tablet chargers to nightlights to curling irons, the need for outlets in a cruise cabin is always increasing.

One thing to know — adapters with surge protectors are forbidden. Save yourself from walking into furniture and stubbing your toe by packing a simple plug-in nightlight. Anytime you leave your cabin, be sure to put any valuables in the cabin safe. But it acts as a good deterrent from crimes of convenience and provides you with a little piece of mind.

They can easily be looked under or above, and someone could look around the side of them if they really wanted to. We all know drinking is part of cruise culture, but the cost can soar quickly. Most of the party bars near the cruise terminals will have drink specials designed to get you in the door. With more than a dozen decks on a cruise ship, going up and down via stairs is time-consumer. Plus, it will help you work off some of those buffet calories. On these nights, plenty of people dress up, while others just put on a pair of nice pants and a button-down shirt.

Grab a drink from the bar? Keep this in mind and double-check the itemized receipt before you sign as there is often another line for write-in tips. Unless the service was simply above and beyond, there is no reason to give a second tip on your drink. So yes, wear the sunscreen, as well as a broad-brimmed hat to keep the UV rays off you as much as possible.

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The last thing you want is to look like a lobster on day 3 of a week-long cruise. News stories always hype up the biggest, newest cruise ships, and the cruise lines charge a pretty penny for sailings on these boats. These ships are still in great shape and are often refurbished , but offer fares that are hundreds of dollars less than a similar sailing on a new member of the fleet. Most of us are used to air travel, where you are charged sky-high fees for checking in baggage.

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