Tuesday, April 23, 2024

121+ Tips and Tricks for Cruises: Your Comprehensive Guide

cruise tips and tricks

They often let the passengers sail on the cruise, and bust them when they come back. Get it cleared up before and you won’t have anything to worry about. No, you don’t have to buy a tux or an evening gown for your cruise. You won’t be out of place if you do, but formal night actually isn’t that big of a deal.

Book extras like drink packages online ahead of time for huge discounts

cruise tips and tricks

Check out the various stands set up around the ship on your embarkation day, to see if these offers appeal to you. When you arrive at your cruise port, you’ll be dropping your luggage off at the cruise ship. However, your suitcases won’t be delivered to your cabin until several hours after you board your cruise.

Cruise Travel Hacks Repeat Cruisers Know (and you should too)

6 tips for booking your 1st cruise - The Points Guy

6 tips for booking your 1st cruise.

Posted: Sat, 01 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cruising generally involves foreign ports, so make sure your passports and visas (if necessary) are up to date. Those pesky self-printed luggage tags will save you hassle once you get to the cruise ship terminal. Sure you can rely on ship-organized shore excursions, but it is much more rewarding and more cost-efficient to explore independently. The ship’s official shore excursion offerings can give you ideas to research.

Making the Most of Your First Day

Generally, pets are not allowed on cruises, with the exception of service animals. Always check with the cruise line regarding their specific policies on service animals. It’s advisable to arrive at the port at least 2-3 hours before the ship’s departure time. This ensures you have ample time for check-in, security checks, and any last-minute requirements. Smoking policies vary by cruise line and even by ship within a line. Typically, smoking is restricted to certain designated areas and is prohibited in cabins and on balconies.

Always use your cabin safe. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing

Some cruise lines allow passengers to bring a limited amount of alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages, which can save you money on drinks while enjoying your time at sea. That means you have to find somewhere to park your car while you’re gone. The cruise ports all have on-site parking, usually located within steps of the cruise ship. While it’s extremely convenient, you’ll pay for that convenience. Instead, look for off-port parking that can be as much as 50% cheaper.

Seasickness Tips

If you're traveling overseas for a cruise, we recommend traveling to the port two or even three days in advance. Not only will you ensure that you don't miss the ship, but you'll also have time to recover from jet lag. European cruises, in particular, can be port-intensive, with lots of touring, so you want to be refreshed and ready to hit the ground running right after the cruise begins. This is important to do if you want to be sure to get a seat for a specific show on a specific night.

Many new friends you make onboard will be friends for the rest of your life. You can meet people at bingo, at a show, or just sitting in the bar or the restaurant. But, however you choose to do it, once of our major pieces of advice is to make the effort to make new friends as you travel.

Is there a limit to how much luggage I can bring?

While many lines have some things for free like continental breakfast, they often now charge per item or a flat fee (order all you want for one price). Even though room service isn’t always free, still don’t forget to tip $3-5 to the waiter who brings your food. Each day the bar will have a different drink of the day special.

Book your next cruise while still on board your current cruise

Your travel agent will get full credit when you book another sailing while on board a Royal Caribbean ship and can take over the booking later. Given TPG's origins as a points and miles website, we'd be remiss if we didn't remind you to maximize your credit card points while making purchases on Royal Caribbean ships. The way to do this is to tie a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases to your onboard account. This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit). There's also the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which brings 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining.

If you plan on mixing and matching and re-wearing some items, you can even take a photo with your phone as a reminder. There is usually no better view than from the jogging and walking tracks. They’re usually located at the top of the cruise ship and you can see the sea in every direction. Perhaps start the morning off with a 30 minute walk or head to the track later in the day. Cruise ship buffets are usually really good, but they get especially crowded on embarkation day. Head to the Main Dining Room instead for a quick sit down meal, or look for any of the amazing casual restaurants that might be open on boarding day.

Unlike a hotel room, the beds can adjust based on what you want. But if you are cruising with a friend, you likely don’t want to actually sleep in the same bed. One tip for selecting your cabin is to look at the upper decks. Instead, cabins come with a small clothesline in the bathroom or you can bring magnetic hooks to dry things (see below). If you have wet pool towels, you can exchange them out for dry one at the pool deck.

If you break a rule, they will usually just ask you to stop doing it. It’s rare they will kick you off the ship unless you are endangering other passengers or causing a disturbance. We’d suggest everyone download the app before your cruise to use onboard. It’s much faster to download over home wi-fi instead of using your cellular network or the ship’s Internet. Everyone seems to have their own home remedy for curing seasickness.

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