If you plan to cruise for the first time, the experience can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. As a first-time cruiser, making mistakes is inevitable and can make you hate cruising forever.
Booking to an unofficial excursion vendor, packing the wrong things, or having no idea what is included in your excursion fee are just some wrong decisions that can mess up your first cruise experience.
However, you can actually cruise like a pro when you know the right things to do and what to avoid while on board even when it’s your first time.
A crew member shares on a vlog the common mistakes that first-time cruisers make. Lucy, known as @cruisingascrew, is working on a Royal Caribbean cruise. With her almost a decade of experience, you can rely on what she learned while on board.
To ensure smooth sailing from embarkation to debarkation, take note of these common mistakes:
1. Bringing prohibited items onboard
Lucy recalled how she was surprised at how many times people would bring prohibited items such as kettles, steamers, irons, and coffee makers. These also include candles, extension leads, and plugs.
Cruise ships are subject to international maritime regulations and safety standards. These appliances can pose a fire risk if left unattended or malfunctioning. It can also cause electrical overload as cruise ship cabins have limited electrical capacity.
She underscored not to waste your valuable luggage space by packing these prohibited items as they will get confiscated as soon as you get on board. Instead of wasting space on these items, you can pack a few more dresses or shoes.
2. Not putting your phone on flight mode
Lucy learned this in her first cruise ship contract. She was new to ships and did not think of putting her phone on flight mode.
She recalled making hour-long home phone calls and incurring expensive bills. You can even incur charges by just receiving text messages. To avoid this mistake, communicating via social media apps would be a great option.
After all, you don’t want to miss enjoying being onboard by being engrossed with your phone all the time. As Lucy said: “Just put your phone on flight mode as soon as you get on board, and don’t take it off until you disembark the ship.”
3. Not signing up for anything
This mistake happens a lot to first-time cruisers when they come on board. First-time cruisers get so excited when they’re on board that they miss signing up for anything.
Lucy said: “They don’t sign up for anything and on the second or third day, they decide to sign up for an aqua show or comedy show or at a restaurant they want to book but it’s fully booked for the whole cruise and they’re annoyed.”
Cruise ships have limited space for everything and have a first come first serve policy. Lucy shared that most cruise lines have apps[4] [5] you can download before you get on board so you can book anything ahead.
4. Not booking travel insurance
First-time cruisers overlook the need for travel insurance when embarking on a cruise ship and think it is ridiculous.
Not for Lucy as she talked about the importance of getting travel insurance because accidents may happen and you may not like paying the expensive bills out of the blue.
She explained; “If you come on a cruise ship and you break your ankle or get really sick and you have to go to the onboard medical facility, it’s expensive. It’s very, very expensive.”
5. Not booking a travel agent
Lucy recalled when her parents regretted booking a cruise because they did not like the atmosphere inside when they came on board.
As a first-time cruiser, you may not want to book the wrong cruise that does not suit your taste and may turn you off for another cruise trip.
Booking with a travel agent can guide you toward choosing the right cruise line. You can also stroll in this blog the current trends and most up-to-date information you need about cruise lines.
6. Not bringing medication with you
Lucy shared that every cruise ship has a necessity store where you can buy toiletries or medicines, but the price can double from the normal, making it look expensive.
Cruisers may find it ridiculous to bring medications on board, thinking they will be fine throughout their sail and that accidents will not happen.
However, prevention is better than regret. You have nothing to lose if you bring medicines and they don’t consume much space in your luggage.
7. Not bringing your booze
Bringing your drinks may sound like a crazy idea because you think all drinks bought outside the ports will be confiscated and returned to you at your exit. However, you can actually bring some qualified booze.
Lucy said: “The options are, you can bring two bottles of wine or two bottles of champagne per stateroom. And then you can bring 12 standard cans of non-alcoholic drinks of your choice.”
As she shared, what you cannot bring on board is any hard liquor like whiskey, vodka, gin, or anything of that nature. Bringing your drink can save you a penny than buying packages on board.
8. Only eat at the buffet
Another mistake that people make is eating only at the buffet every night. Lucy recalled her experience on a cruise where they only ate in the buffet every night and later realized that the main dining room was included in the cruise fee.
She explained: “The only thing is you will have to pay a gratuity to your waiter which will be added to your bill at the end of the cruise.”
Don’t make this mistake when you go onboard, or you will miss the opportunity to seize and enjoy the things included in your cruise fee.
9. Not researching your ports
Lucy recalled when she got on a cruise and they did not book any excursions onboard because they were too expensive. They did not research any of the ports, and they spent the days just wandering around aimlessly.
While this was fine as she said and they still had a good time, they realized it would have been more beneficial if they were aware. However, there is a difference when availing at an outside company or directly booking onboard.
If you book an excursion on the cruise line, the cruise line will wait for you if you’re stuck in traffic or the excursion is delayed, But if you book it through an independent company, the cruise line may leave you behind.
10. Booking an early flight home
Don’t book yourself an early flight to go home. This is another mistake that Lucy observed all the time to people.
As she said: “They booked a flight home at 10:00 AM. It’s going to be a stressful day because even if you get off the ship at 6 AM and the airport is closed, there may be a delay, a ship can’t dock in time because of bad weather, or there may be a medical emergency..”
The crew member recommends booking your flight home from your cruise after 2:00 PM. It might mean that you’re sitting around in the airport for a few hours but as Lucy said, she will do that rather than running through the airport.
Those are the common mistakes that a crew member like Lucy has seen over and over again in first-time cruisers. Now you can be a savvy cruiser and enjoy a seamless sail when you take heed of the list above.
Thanks to her video, you do not have to make these mistakes even if you’re a first-time cruiser. Act like a pro on your first voyage and you will not hesitate to crave more cruise ship adventures in the future.
