Cruising has never been more popular but there’s still plenty of people that have never been on a cruise. I’ve helped several people book their first cruise and I know a number of people that will be calling me to book their first cruise when they’re ready. Unlike most vacations where you just need a place to stay, a flight and possibly a rental car, there’s a lot to know about cruising. This article cannot possibly cover everything, but I did want to discuss some of the most common issues I address with my first-time cruisers. This list is in no particular order.
1. You usually don’t need a passport, but its still a good idea to get one
I’ve heard a number of people tell me that they haven’t gone on a cruise because they don’t have a passport. For most people going on a cruise, you don’t need one! You just need an ID and your birth certificate when you are leaving from and returning to the United States. This is called a closed loop cruise. Now there are a handful of countries where you need a passport regardless but those are not common cruise ports so I won’t address them here.
Let’s look at two examples. The first one is a 30 day cruise that leaves out of New York City and travels to Europe and then comes back and then sails over to the Caribbean. There are 15 ports in 14 different countries. It ends in Miami. You would not need a passport for this cruise. This is because it begins and ends in the United States. Compare that to the second cruise (which I booked for two clients) that starts in Miami and ends in the Dominican Republic just 3 nights later. Despite how short this cruise is, you’ll need a passport because it does not begin and end in the United States.
Regardless, I strongly suggest getting a passport because it just makes things so much easier. Carrying your birth certificate around is clumsy and not everyone has easy access to it. Also, if you’re gonna lose an important document, would you rather lose your passport or your birth certificate? You really don’t want to lose either but you’ll have several passports in your life but only one original birth certificate.
2. Which line to choose?
This is going to vary based upon personal preference, but for the average person, I’d suggest a resort line like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL. I do not suggest MSC for first time cruisers because it’s just such a different experience. There’s been so many complaints about MSC that I would not want a first-time cruiser to get turned off to cruising if their MSC experience isn’t great. You really can’t go wrong with the other three. A travel agent can help you decide if you are on the fence.
3. YouTube has a wealth of information on everything cruising
Curious about what a ship is like? Well if you go to YouTube, you’ll find at least a dozen ship tours and reviews from various YouTubers on just about every single ship. Some of these people cover every inch of the ship. When I take a cruise, I pretty much watch every video on the ship I’ll be on. Sometimes it helps you find hidden areas. For example, I was on a Carnival cruise that had a free sauna (most of them charge a fee now) but it was hidden away. I was in there almost every day. One the final day another passenger told me that he had no idea it was there until someone told him. He wished he knew about at the beginning of the cruise.
You can also use these videos to determine if these ships are right for you. Maybe the ship is too small, too big or just isn’t your style. Wouldn’t you rather know that before you spent all that money? Some travel agents want you to book anything but I want you to have a great experience, so I’d rather have you not take a trip then take a trip and have a bad experience. Watching these videos ahead of time can help you avoid disappointment.
4. There are a wide variety of cruise ships
Ships vary wildly even in the same line. I’m going to use Royal Caribbean as an example here but this applies to several different cruise lines. You can’t just book a cruise line and expect to have the same experience regardless of ship (with a handful of exceptions like Viking where all the ships are pretty much the same at the moment). So looking at RC, they have Vision of the Seas which is a very small, old ship that has next to no bells and whistles like you’ll see on the commercials. On the other hand, they have the Wonder of the Seas which is one of the largest ships ever built and has so many features it’s hard to experience them all in one cruise. And of course, they have ships in between where there’s some features but not a ton.
Which one is right for you? It really depends on what you’re doing and why you’re going on a cruise. Are you cruising Alaska? Well, some of the best itineraries are on the older ships because the cruise lines know that you are there for the itinerary and not the ship. If you’re just going on a standard Caribbean cruise, then you’ll find some of the better ships. For many people, the ship itself is the destination. Some people love the small ships while others find them boring. Some people love the mega ships while others find them overwhelming. You’ll have to decide what makes sense for you, but I usually suggest my first-time clients take a medium sized ship that has a lot of features but not so much that you get overwhelmed. But again, you have to decide what works for you. Watching YouTube videos can also help with this.
5. What about the weather?
In general this usually isn’t a big issue but if you are sailing close to the start or end of some seasons, you have to be a little careful. Cruise lines have been pushing the seasons out further and further. The beginning and end of the Alaska season can be pretty cold. Same with the beginning and end of the Bermuda season. Bermuda is not like the Caribbean where it stays hot all year. The Bahamas in the middle of the winter can also be a little iffy sometimes. While I don’t think you’ll be cold, the water might not be the warmest to swim. A lot of people associate the Bahamas with the Caribbean but that’s not accurate. The Bahamas has weather more similar to Florida. The Caribbean is further south so it stays warmer all year.
Another weather consideration involves cruises out of the New York area in the winter. You can get some fantastic deals for 7 and 9 day cruises but you have to realize that for at least part of the cruise, you’re not going to be on the pool deck getting a suntan. At the very least, that first and last sea day will be really cold as you’ll be off the Mid-Atlantic coast. While there will likely be plenty to do inside, you have to decide if you’re interested in that before you book.
6. Gratuities will add to your cruise costs
For decades, you would go on a cruise with a bunch of cash and you’d tip your cabin steward and your waiter (since you had the same waiter every night) on the last night of the cruise. NCL changed all of that with Freestyle Cruising and all the other lines followed suit. Since you may now have a different waiter every night, gratuities are now automatically charged to your account at the end of the cruise. Each line has their own fee but their around $15 to $20 per person, per night and possibly more for higher end cabins.
You still have the ability to tip with cash if you’d like in addition to the gratuities charged to your account or in lieu of that. If you want to adjust your gratuities up or down, all you need to do is go to guest services and they’ll take care of it for you. Cruise lines have also been pushing people to pre-pay gratuities but this is basically giving them a free loan. You gain nothing by doing this and I don’t suggest it.
7. There’s so many ways to spend money
Cruise lines make their real money from on board spending. Everywhere you turn, there is something to buy. Clothing, jewelry, photos, art, bingo cards, gambling, excursions, food, decorations for your cabin, the spa, internet access, cabin upgrades, priority boarding, fitness classes, etc. It’s endless but its also optional. You can have a great time on a cruise without spending a dime. Now I’m not saying that none of these expenses have value but some of them, like the art auctions, are just rip offs. Veteran cruisers know what to avoid and what to consider but new cruisers are susceptible to falling into a lot of traps. For them, this is all new and since they didn’t know to research this stuff ahead of time, they may decide to go for it. Although some people have internet access, you’re still a captive audience for the most part and the cruise lines know that. Add in the unlimited drink package that most people have (more on that in a bit) and you’ll see people taking YOLO a little too far.
Understanding all of this and researching them all ahead of time will help you stay out of trouble. However, I need to emphasize that it’s not just that you can spend money on a lot of things on your cruise, it’s that the cruise line will do everything they can to get you to spend as much as possible. Everything is on sale, everything is a special and everything is a deal. Guess what? The same stuff will be the same prices on the next cruise. There’s so much hype to get you to part with your money. If you don’t believe me, go to the jewelry store and look at anything for five seconds. A salesperson will be on top of you right away trying to sell you something and they do sell a lot of stuff. They’ll also tell you that there’s a big sale on one piece of jewelry or another. I’m not saying that you cannot get a good deal there, but most people probably have no idea what they are buying or if they are getting a good deal. They just fall for the hype. Don’t be one of these people. If you’re gonna buy something, know what you are buying and why. Plan for it ahead of time.
For more information on this topic, check out this article on mandatory expenses that you should consider and this article on optional expenses to consider or avoid.
8. It’s easy to over spend
Related to the previous point, I wanted to highlight this issue and keep it separate because it is very important. You won’t really need your cash while you’re on your ship, just a credit card on the last night to pay your bill. Everything from a beer to a diamond tennis bracelet will be charged to your cabin and this is how people get in trouble. Handing someone a $100 bill for something has a bigger psychological impact on you than buying something for $1000 with your room card. It almost doesn’t even feel real. I’ve talked to one guy that bought a $4000 watch that he wasn’t planning for. He didn’t even know how he was going to pay for it.
I’ve also heard from people that had such a high bill that their credit card couldn’t cover it. This likely happens at least once every cruise. You’ll get summoned to guest services and be forced to sign a promissory note which will make it near impossible for you to contest the debt later on. If you don’t pay your bill by a certain date, you’ll be sent to collections and barred from the cruise line in the future. If you don’t sign the promissory note, they won’t let you leave the ship! This happens because people go overboard (no pun intended) since it doesn’t seem like real money especially with the alcohol flowing.
I strongly suggest setting a budget and that you keep it small. If you have a good time, there will be other cruises. Don’t feel like you have to do it all on this cruise. You can usually check your cruise account on the app if you want to see where your bill is. Just keep in mind that gratuities may be added daily or at the end of the cruise so be sure to factor that in. Do not go over your budget, do not fall for the hype, do not fall for the sale nonsense and don’t buy things you didn’t plan on buying.
9. Should you buy the drink package?
This is a personal decision. If you want to make it a booze cruise and you know that you’ll be spending most of your time on the ship drinking as much as possible, then go for it. Otherwise, you may want to skip it unless you’re getting a good deal on it as part of a package. NCL doesn’t always have the best cruise fares but they often have good deals on packages that will include the drink package among other things. When you break down the cost of everything you’re getting, you’ll see that the drink package could be priced pretty reasonably. Other lines charge more just for the drink package but the cruise fares are lower. In that situation, you may want to go without it to start to see how much you drink. Drinks cost around $10 to $15 so you have to decide how many of those you’re going to have to see if it’s worth it. Once you have your first cruise under your belt, you’ll have a much better idea if you should get it in the future.
Keep in mind that the drinks are often watered down, at least in my opinion.
10. Book shows, excursions and restaurants in advance
Whether its a free ice skating show, a specialty restaurant or an excursion, I strongly suggest booking everything you can in advance, especially on the bigger ships. There’s only so much space and veteran cruisers know that several things will sell out or otherwise fill up in advance. While the new mega ships have a ton of public venues to space out the crowds, there are some popular shows that everyone wants to go to. With ships that hold over 7,000 people, these shows just cannot accommodate everyone. Many people get on these ships looking forward to doing various things only to find out that they’ve been sold out for months.
As soon as you book your cruise, create an account with the cruise line and look at your cruise. What can be booked in advance? When does that booking window open? What are you interested in? If you want to do something, book it now because the specialty restaurants often fill up and excursions do sell out.
Conclusion
I can probably add 20 more things to consider but I wanted to hit the most important points that new cruisers should consider. Cruising might not be for everyone, but in my experience, 9 out of 10 people absolutely love it and will be looking to book their next cruise right after the end of their first one. Understanding these issues ahead of time will help you have a better cruise experience. I know that your vacation time and money is limited so I want you to get the most out of your time and money. That’s why I’m the travel agent that saves you money. Join our Facebook group to learn more ways on how to save and to be notified of the best cruise deals out there.