How to Cruise Like a Pro: Travel Tips You Should Know as a First-Time Cruiser

Posted on Sep 7 2017 - 10:38pm by Olivia Williams Jones

Cruise vacation provides a unique experience. Since you are not limited to a single location, it is easy to feel disconnected from the world on a cruise. After all, that is the point. If you decide to embark on such a journey, it can be one of the greatest adventures of your lifetime. Everything is neatly wrapped up into a package of pure hedonism: comfortable accommodation, effortless transportation, various awe-inspiring locations, delicious meals and smashing entertainment.
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If these attributes are enough to convince you and you want to learn how to cruise like a pro, here are some travel tips you should know as a first-time cruiser.

Pack smartcruise

Let us discuss the first advantage of the cruise that has already been mentioned in the introduction – you get to travel to numerous locations, yet you will only unpack once. A cruise ship is your hub of entertainment and your home away from home. You will rarely stay in one location longer than a day and you should always have a trusty backpack prepped. Fill the backpack with things that are necessary for a daily excursion – one extra t-shirt, a bottle of water, and a tablet. Keep your wallet and your phone in your pockets. If you suffer from hearing loss, you can follow this guide which has some tips on how to travel with hearing loss. This is all you need – pack as light as you can and leave the rest of the stuff in your room on the ship.

As far as packing for your cruise goes, try not to pack more than one big suitcase. After all, you’ll get a chance to wash your clothes on the ship, so you do not have to bring along the entire wardrobe. Take a close look at the itinerary for your cruise before you pack and check if you will need at least one formal attire. Shoes are the most important thing – pack the most comfortable sneakers you have, two pairs at least, and one pair of formal shoes. Fitness clothes are a must – there are gyms and various sport venues on the cruise ship.

Choose a specific cruisecruise

There are many types of cruise programs you can choose for your perfect vacation. These programs are fashioned to follow a particular theme and focus on specific things, such as carnivals or historical locations or tropical islands or entertainment shows. This gives you an excellent opportunity to sift through reasonable deals for Carnival cruises and find the one that will give you everything a cruise can offer for less money, which you can use to spend on day trips and sea excursions on a power catamaran for example. Knowing where to find the best deals (and when) is another trait of a real cruise pro, but there is no specific instruction that can get you faster up the learning curve. Since various agencies offer different deals all the time, the best course of action is to just start scanning the internet for the best deals. Cruise Critic’s review website is a good place to start. Look for early-bird rates and last-minute deals.

As far as tech goes

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Check with the cruise agency how much using the internet and Wi-Fi costs. You’ll be surprised to learn that roaming charges and Wi-Fi can take a sizeable bite out of your travelling budget. However, remember you are on vacation. The point of the cruise is to disconnect from the world and enjoy yourself. Keep your “outer world” contacts to a minimum and use applications, such as magicApp or Viber to make phone calls by using wireless network – no matter what it costs, it surely beats the roaming price tag.

Alcohol is a touchy subjectcruise

Alcohol policies on cruise ships are a complicated subject. The regulations themselves can be mind-boggling, but they usually boil down to a simple thing – you can bring one 750 ml bottle of wine onboard with you. It’s best to nip that hope in the bud. Even though cruises are all-inclusive packages, your bill can really turn dizzyingly big if you drink alcohol onboard. That bottle you’ve brought along with you seems like a small thing, but it can mean a lot in the long run, and avoid drinking alcohol on a cruise in general – there are a plethora of other activities to enjoy that are bound to keep you busy.

In my opinion, all the advantages of a cruise vacation boil down to great organization. You do not have to bother with organizing your own adventure. Everything is prepared for you and there is a schedule so that you won’t have to worry about planning. The impression of your first cruise will hardly wear off for months after you have returned home. Soon enough, with these tips and a little bit of cruise experience, you will become a cruise pro who shares advice online.

Olivia Williams Jones
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About the Author

Olivia is psychologist and entrepreneur from Brisbane. Mother of two beautiful children and proud owner of two silly boxer dogs, Teo and Mia. She is passionate about writing and always inspiring her readers to be clever in their lives. Her motto is "Be the change you want to see in the world".