When you go on a cruise for the first time, you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. If you hate it, you’ll most likely never do a cruise again in your life. If you love it, you’ll be bitten by the cruise bug and want to keep going back whenever you get the chance. That’s how it was for me. It’s not necessarily the sea life that appeals to me, but rather the fact that you can unpack for the week and the ship takes you from place to place. You don’t have to worry about train timetables or driving. And best yet, it does most of the traveling while you’re sleeping, which leaves your days wide open for activities. Here are a few tips for first time cruisers that I’ve learned along the way.
Bring Magnetic Hooks
I wish someone had told me on the first cruise that the cabins were completely metal! Bring along some strong magnetic hooks and you can place them on the walls of your cabins. These can hold your purse or tote bag, your jacket, or other small items. Cruise ship cabins are small (unless you can afford to splurge for the suites). You need to make the most use out of the available space. Placing small items on the hooks can help keep your room tidy.
Store Your Luggage
The space underneath your beds is wide open. Your luggage can stow away underneath the bed giving you more walking space inside your cabin. I have been able to fit 2 extra large suitcases underneath with no problems. You can even pack your carry-on bags inside the large suitcases to condense even more space.
Order Water for Your Stateroom
If your cruise line offers cases of water in your options of items you can pre-purchase before your cruise, do it! It is much cheaper than buying water on the ship and so much more convenient. Typically, you will not have the option to have a case of water delivered once you have boarded the ship so take advantage of the offer before your sail date.
Bring Magnets for Your Door
The doors to the cabins are also metal. The cruise ship hallways can be extremely long and all the doors look exactly alike. One way you can help yourself recognize your door is by bringing a couple of colorful magnets that you can stick on the door which will help you locate it faster.
Bring Post-It notes or a Magnetic Dry Erase Board
Cruise ships offer a lot of different activities on board. Some of them you may want to do as a family, and others you may want to do separately. You will not have cell service on board and if you do accidentally answer a call or make one while on board, you will definitely pay for it. And it’s not cheap. The easiest way to keep in contact with your family while on board is good old-fashioned messaging. You can leave post-it notes for each other with your current location, or you can put up a magnetic dry erase board and leave messages there. It really is the best way to communicate if and when you do split up on the ship.
Bring Lanyards
You can get a package of lanyards really cheap on Amazon. The ones I purchased had a top that seals shut. These are what you will put your cruise cards in. Your cruise card will be your room key and your credit card should you go to a bar or restaurant on board, so this is NOT something that you want to lose. If you have the kind that seals, you can even wear them in the pool so that your card stays safe. You really won’t have a need to carry a purse around while on board the ship unless you need a small bag during formal nights. Your lanyard with your cruise card is really all you need!
Bring Your Own Medicine
Can you get ibuprofen on board if you get a headache? Absolutely! But it will cost a lot more than if you had just brought some of your own. The same goes for anti-nausea medication. The ship’s doctor can dispense medicine but it won’t be cheap. Also, bring your own sunscreen and aloe just in case. On my first cruise, I underestimated the strength of the sun even on a day when I wasn’t directly exposed to it. I came back on board looking like a lobster and paid dearly for it. I managed to find a tiny bottle of aloe on board but it cost $13 for that tiny bottle. After that I learned my lesson, and now bring my own just in case.
Bring Proper Dinner Attire
Most cruise ships do not allow shorts or swimsuits in the main dining area in the evenings. They are usually only allowed in the buffet restaurant. Most dining rooms require dress pants and a polo shirt for men and a dress or dress pants for women. I know most of you are thinking “I’m on vacation, can’t I just wear what I want?” And yes, you can most of the time, but for 1-2 hours a night, you may have to be “business casual” for dinner. After that, you can change right back out of those clothes and into something more comfortable.
Most cruises will have 1-2 formal nights while on board. You can still enter the dining room in dress pants and/or a dress, however there are a lot of passengers who will be a little more dressed up. Think cocktail dresses and formal gowns for the women and suits or tuxedos for the men. If you don’t want to participate, you can eat at a different restaurant that night. We have done that on many formal nights! If you do participate, don’t forget to pack proper shoes and undergarments to go with your formal wear as well.
Bring Small Bills/Currency
While it is free in most cases to have food delivered to your state room, you should tip the staff member that brings it to you. $1-2 is usually enough. You can also choose to tip your stateroom attendant a little more each day by leaving it in an envelope for them. So, make sure you have a few $1 bills for these kinds of things.
Bring a Nightlight
Cruise ship cabins are extremely dark at night and if you have to make a midnight bathroom run, you may want to see where you’re going. Be advised that there is a step up into the bathroom in most cases, so a nightlight will definitely help you not to trip.
Bring Bathroom Spray
Your stateroom bathroom will not have a fan. And the bathrooms are really tiny. So any smells tend to linger. Bathroom spray keeps everyone happy!
Bring Clothespins and an Extra Swimsuit
Each shower on board the cruise ship will have a clothing line that you can pull out to hang up wet clothes. Use the clothespins to hang up wet swimsuits to dry. Wet swimsuits can usually take a full day to dry though, and if you’re wanting to go swimming the next day, you should have an extra swimsuit to wear while the first one is drying.
If you Need Something, just Ask your Attendant
Staterooms each come with two separate beds that can be pushed together to make one bed. If your room is not set up correctly, just let your room attendant know. If you need more blankets or more hangers, let them know and they can bring you more.
Use the Drawers or Shelves
Some staterooms have a dresser, and some have a closet with shelves. And since you’ll be staying for a week in most cases, you should definitely utilize them while you’re there. I take some anti-bacterial wipes and wipe them down before putting anything in them first. Then I take our packing cubes and just set them in the drawers or on the shelves. It makes finding things so much easier because all of our items are separated and you can see where everything is.
Pack your Carry-On Bag Wisely
You should always pack your medicines, jewelry, and electronics in your carry-on bag for the airlines. The same goes for the cruise ship. But you’ll also want to pack your makeup, pajamas, and a change of clothes in the bag that you take on board with you. When you arrive to the cruise terminal, the staff will usually take all of your large bags upon arrival. These bags will be delivered to your stateroom throughout the evening.
Some could arrive late in the afternoon and some may not arrive until after dinner. So if you need to change clothes for dinner that night, you’ll need to have them with you in your carry on. Some bags have been known to arrive really late and if you have an early bedtime or your kiddos do, you’ll need to have a set of pajamas in your carry-on to change into for the night. Most likely, your bag will be sitting outside your stateroom in the morning.
Bonus: Disembarkation
Disembarkation is the fancy word for the day you leave the ship. You will usually receive a notice a couple of nights before the end of the cruise letting you know what time “your group” will leave the ship. You’ll also have luggage tags to place on your bags. This is because you will generally leave your bags outside your stateroom door the night before you leave. Staff members collect them while you sleep and put them in baggage holds.
This is common practice if you are taking the ship’s transportation back to the airport. If you are not, you can opt out of leaving your bags outside the door and carry them off the ship yourself. If you leave them outside the room, make sure that you have your change of clothes for the morning, your toiletries and makeup, electronics, jewelry and valuables, and all medications with you in the room…..not in the bag in the hallway.
Following these tips will help you get more out of your cruise. Cruises can be a very fun experience for both couples and families. And if you go, I hope you enjoy it so much that you get the cruise bug and want to go again and again!
