12 Things I Learned From My First Ocean Cruise
In 2019 we decided to take a trip where we could visit a few different countries; that led us to taking our first ocean cruise. After some thought, we ended up taking a cruise with Carnival Cruise Line. We sailed from Puerto Rico with stops in US Virgin Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Martin/St. Maarten. Cruising is a whole different way of traveling, here are the 12 things I learned from my first ocean cruise.
Choose Your Destinations
There were so many different cruises to choose from, and this time we didn’t have specific countries that we wanted to see. We did want to see as many as we could in the time frame we had. We also wanted less days that were just spent at sea. These were both big factors in our choice of cruise. Some people may prefer more time on the ship, or want to visit certain countries.
Pick a Cruise Line
Different cruise lines appeal to different demographics, and have different price points. You may prefer to travel with a cruise line that is mainly young families, or perhaps seniors. Some cruise lines cater to a party atmosphere while others are much more quiet and laid back. Do some research before you book to ensure you end up with the type of vacation you want.
All Ships Are Different
All ships are not the same, so this may be a consideration when you decide which cruise to go on. Ships range in size, for example some may carry less than 1000 passengers, others may have 3500 or more. Your ship may be brand new, or it could be 25 or 30 years old. And there is definitely a difference in the specific amenities each ship has. Most ships have a variety of dining options, pool, live entertainment, shopping, exercise facilities, and often a casino. Some ships have more elaborate recreational opportunities, such a rock climbing walls, ziplines, go carts, surfing simulators, and skating rinks. New facilities are on new ships all the time.
Consider Using a Travel Agent
While we typically make our own vacation plans, this time we decided to use a travel agent. Using a travel agent really helped us navigate all the ins and outs of our first ocean cruise. Contrary to popular belief, using a travel agent usually does not cost any more money. They can certainly help though if your trip is complicated or if any issues arise. They also help it, as in this case, there are just many things you don’t know enough about to book your own trip.
Selecting Your Cabin
Once you’ve decided on your cruise, you’ll need to pick your cabin. You’ll have a choice of an inside or an outside cabin, and whether or not you want a balcony. We decided that we would like an outside cabin as we thought we would feel more comfortable being able to see out a window. While we initially wanted a balcony, we eventually decided against spending the extra money to get a balcony cabin. As it turned out, we didn’t spend much time in our room and the balcony probably would have been wasted on us. This is definitely a case though of booking a cabin based on your own travel style. If you think you may spend quite a bit of time in your cabin, definitely book an outside cabin and maybe a balcony if that’s in your budget. If you are more likely to be in your cabin only to sleep, you may be able to save some money by booking an inside cabin.
Where your cabin is located on the ship may also be a consideration. If you are prone to seasickness, or are worried about it, there will be less motion in a cabin located in the middle of the ship. Cabins at the front or back will have more movement. Cabins on the lower decks will also have less movement than those located on the higher decks. You should also take a look close look at what is next to or above a potential cabin. Because of noise, its probably not a great idea to be next to an elevator or below the kitchen.
Fly In Ahead of Time
We all know to expect the unexpected when traveling. No matter how much time you have allotted to get to your embarkation city, something could go wrong. For this reason, we think its always a good idea to plan to arrive at least a day before your ship departs. Flights and trains and buses can be delayed, roads can be closed. It would be a lousy start to your cruise to miss the embarkation and have to figure out how to catch up with your ship.
Embarkation Is A Full Day
You may expect to board the ship and then set sail, but it doesn’t quite happen that quickly. Remember there are a lot of people getting on a ship that has just returned from a cruise with another large group of people. Expect lots of line-ups as you go through the boarding process. Once onboard, you will likely not be able to access your room, and therefore your luggage, for a while. Most people pass the time exploring the ship or having something to eat. If you bring a swimsuit, this is an ideal time to check out the pool, as the first day is generally the quietest it will be. It could be quite late on that first day before your ship actually sets sail.
You Have Dining Options
Most ships have a few different options for you when it comes to meals. There is usually a buffet that is open most of the day. There is also a main dining room where meals are more likely to be served at specific times. Depending on the size of your ship there may be other specialty restaurants. You might be seated at a table with other guests, or sometimes just at a table on your own. Usually there is a dress code in the dining room but this varies between cruise lines. Quite often there will be one or two formal nights on your cruise where some people get very dressed up for dinner. One other feature on the cruise we were on was the singing waiters. Every so often throughout the meal the waiters would all gather for a song and dance routine. It was entertaining, but be aware that food service stops until they are finished.
Should You Get the Drink Package?
Drinks are generally a separate cost when on a cruise, but once again every cruise line will be a bit different. On the cruise we took, most non alcoholic beverages with the exception of pop (soda) and juice were free of charge in the dining room and buffet. It is possible to get a drink package for everything else, where you pay one set fee instead of charging every drink you order to your room. There are a few stipulations though. Every person in your room has to get the drink package. The package is only available for the full length of the cruise. If you purchase the alcoholic beverage package, you have to be 21 years old. You can only be served a maximum of 15 drinks in a 24 hour period.
Those were the basics, so did we go for it? While I like to indulge, the cost of the beverage package was such that we figured we would need to drink about six drinks each day to make it worthwhile. We knew we were going to be off the ship for a good part of each day whenever we were in a port, so for us it didn’t make sense.
Using the Top Deck
As a runner, I was quite excited to find out that there was a running/walking track around the top deck of our ship. I could imagine myself running laps while looking out at the open ocean, or while entering or leaving a port. There was also a mini golf course up there. Unfortunately, when the ship was moving, the top deck was usually closed because the wind was just too strong.
Activities and Entertainment
Cruise ships have top notch entertainment, there’s no doubt about that. There are some pros and cons to their shows and activities that we found. On our cruise, there were two bigger “shows” every evening at specific times. At one end of the ship was a full theatre and the usual evening show was a very professional Broadway type show with singing and dancing. I should add that it was a completely new show each evening. At the other end of the ship, our particular cruise featured a comedian. Each of those two shows ran twice every evening. What we found though was that the shows were repeated. The early show and the late show were the same, so there was no point going to both. We also found that sometimes the two shows on either end of the ship were on at overlapping times.
Aside from those shows, there were some trivia games, poolside music and games, a piano bar, and other presentations around the ship. We aren’t gamblers but many people enjoyed spending a lot of time in the casino. I found that I enjoyed the entertainment that we took part in, but there was a lot of time with not much going on.
Off the Ship
We like to experience different countries, so we were very excited to get out and explore every port we stopped at. Some people cruise more for the ship itself. Many people either stayed on board or just went to a nearby beach whenever we stopped in a new country. We had booked excursions in most ports. My advice here would be to research ahead of time and figure out what you want to do and see in each port. You can book excursions through the cruise line or separately, or you can just go and do things on your own. It is worth noting that we arrived in most ports during breakfast, and were off the ship before 9:00. We had a full day in most ports, having to be back on board by about 4:00.
Make sure you always get back to the ship on time. If you search for “dock runners” online, you’ll see videos taken from the ship of people running to make it back on time. You don’t want to be the star of those videos, and you don’t want to have to make your own arrangements to meet up with the ship in your next port.
Knowing all those things now, did I enjoy ocean cruising? Overall, I did enjoy our cruise. I thought it was a good way to get a taste of a number of smaller countries without committing to a longer vacation there. The time spent onboard the ship wasn’t really my favourite but I would try again maybe with a different size of ship, different cruise line, or in different area of the world.
