10 Best Cruise Tips for Beginners

If you’re a beginner to the world of cruising, all your options may be a bit overwhelming. In this post, I’m here to help first-timers and more experienced travelers with the best cruise tips for booking and enjoying your next cruise. My husband and I have cruised just the two of us and with friends and family. We’ve done round-trip and one-way cruises in the USA, the Caribbean, and Europe, so we’ve enjoyed a wide variety of cruising experiences.

This is the first of many posts to help you with planning and navigating the cruising industry, so if you’d like to see more as they become available, be sure to sign up for my occasional email newsletter below and follow me on Facebook and Instagram where I announce new posts right away.

Shop for Cruises During “Wave Season”

Did you know there’s an awesome sale period for cruise travel called “Wave Season”? The months of January, February, and March are typically when cruise lines run massive sales to get as many people as possible to commit to booking a cruise in the coming year or more. And you only have to put down a deposit in most cases. That gives you time to save for the balance of the cost.

You may see offers for upgraded cabins, free drinks on board, free gratuities, free airfare, and/or reduced cruise prices. Other offers can be shipboard credits to spend on your cruise, your 3rd and 4th guests free in the same cabin [great for families], or upgraded dining options.

CruiseDirect is offering a “Catch the Wave Cruise Sale” this month. Plus, even if you’re not booking during Wave Season, CruiseDirect always guarantees the best prices.

Book More Than a Year Ahead, if Possible

This may be a tough one for some folks if you don’t have a lot of control over your schedule and long-term planning for time off work or away from home. However, if you have the luxury and foresight, you can often get some excellent deals by booking a year or even two years ahead.

You’ll have a greater selection of sailing dates, destinations, and cabin options. When it comes to smaller ships or themed or specialized cruises that often sell out, you’ll have a better chance of booking the best ones a year or two ahead as well. Booking farther ahead also gives you a chance to set aside or earn more money to pay for the trip and allows more time to research and plan your vacation.

Insider cruise tip: Did you know that another great perk of booking your cruise way ahead is that if the ship starts to fill up and there are still cabins available in better categories, you may get bumped up to a better cabin? For example, if you book an oceanview cabin, you may get bumped into a balcony cabin. Or if you book the cheapest inside cabin, you might get bumped up to an oceanview cabin. Of course, there are no guarantees, but it can happen if there’s more demand for the lower-priced rooms as the cruise date gets closer. Wouldn’t that be a nice bonus?

Repositioning Cruises Can be a Great Value

You may be asking “What’s a repositioning cruise?” A repositioning cruise is when a cruise ship relocates from one main departure port to another. For example, a ship sailing in the Caribbean for the winter months needs to move from Miami to Seattle to sail in Alaska in the summer months.

A repositioning voyage that moves a ship from Miami to Seattle can be booked as a one-way trip at a nice discount. There are usually portions of that trip that can be booked separately too. For example, we won a one-way Princess cruise from Long Beach, California to Vancouver, British Columbia [Canada] on a 4-day repositioning cruise in the spring several years ago and loved it!

Some repositioning cruises go from Florida or the Caribbean to Europe in the spring and the other direction from Europe to the USA in the fall. These are ships that have been cruising the Caribbean in the fall and winter and are moving to European or Mediterranean cruises for the summer months. Our daughter, who’s an author, took a repositioning cruise from Florida to Spain and used all the days at sea to work on her writing. It was perfect for someone who wanted a big chunk of time with few distractions. When you cross an ocean on a cruise ship it can be the ultimate in relaxation.

Save Money on Last Minute Cruises

If you’re good at impromptu adventures, then booking last-minute cruises could be a great cruise tip for you! I love setting out for parts unknown on short notice. My husband isn’t quite as thrilled with the idea, but sometimes I can talk him into it. We’re finally at a point in life where we can book a last-minute cruise if we want to.

You’ll need to remember that you may not have the best selection of cabin locations and some cruise perks, excursions, or dining reservations may be sold out. But if you’re willing to take the leap you can always find amazing deals on cruises at the last minute because the cruise lines would rather get a little less money than have an empty cabin on the ship.

Cruise Tips: Buy Travel Insurance

If you were living under a rock in 2020/21 you may not remember all the passengers on cruise ships and other places that were trapped at destinations and couldn’t get home during the pandemic. If this didn’t convince you to buy travel insurance, I’m not sure what would.

In any case, unless your schedule is totally wide open and you don’t have to return to a job on a certain date, or you have impeccable health and good luck, then you may want to consider buying travel insurance. You can sometimes buy insurance through your cruise line, but it’s quite possible that it won’t cover everything you need.

The website InsureMyTrip is an excellent source to shop for travel insurance. You’ll find a wide variety of plans and prices to fit every situation. Cancellation insurance covers your costs and reimburses you if you have to cancel the cruise. God forbid that you get seriously ill onboard and need to go to a hospital in one of the ports. Insurance can cover that. Some plans cover lost luggage, buying replacement clothes, or getting your luggage where you need it along the ship’s route.

You can even buy insurance that covers you if you don’t make it to the ship before it sets sail, or if you don’t get back to the ship in time during a port stop or shore excursion and the ship leaves without you. Yes, that can happen.

Choose the Best Cruise Cabin Location

This is one of the best cruise tips that I learned from a travel agent when we booked our last cruise. No matter what size or category cabin you choose, ALWAYS choose a cabin on a deck that has other guest cabins above and below it.

Terry and I found out the hard way about this on a few previous cruises. We didn’t know this secret to remedy the problem until recently. On one cruise we were on the deck above the staff lounge area. The crew was awake and socializing/partying at all hours of the night and we could hear them. We didn’t always sleep well.

On another cruise, our cabin was right above the gangway. The gangway is essentially a metal ramp with handrails bridging the small gap between the ship and the concrete pier in ports. When the ship docks, the metal bridge makes a loud noise when it clangs onto its connection. This usually happens very early in the morning and it woke us up quite often before we were ready.

Another important consideration is if you have a sensitivity to seasickness. If that’s the case, then you’ll want a cabin in the middle section of the ship and on a lower deck. These are 2 of the best cruise tips for choosing your cabin, but there are more things to consider that I’ll cover in a separate post. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Instagram to hear when new posts come out.

Pack Light

I always travel with ONLY a carry-on rolling suitcase and a small day daypack, even when I go on a cruise. I’m able to do this by using compression packing cubes and travel packing envelopes to save space and stay organized. We recently went on a 7-day Norway cruise, plus almost 2 weeks of travel time before and after the cruise and I was able to stick with my system.

If you happen to choose a fancy luxury cruise where you’re wearing formal attire for several nights, you may need to bring a garment bag for suits and gowns. Terry and I aren’t big fans of formal attire, so we avoid those kinds of cruises, but to each his own.

The good news is that for most cruises, you’ll be able to drop off your luggage at the cruise terminal when you check in on embarkation day, and they’ll have staff that take your luggage to your cabin so you don’t have to lug it around the ship. The same can happen on the last day when you’re leaving.

Arrive at Least One Day Early

Arriving a day early is one of the best cruise tips to help you keep your sanity and avoid the possibility of missing the ship sailing entirely. There’s always a chance of a flight being delayed or canceled on the way to the cruise terminal city. Think about hurricanes in Florida, missing an airport connection, or normal flight delays anywhere.

Another advantage of being there early is the chance to explore a new city before your cruise. I mean, you’re already paying to get there, so you may as well enjoy some time before you leave on the cruise. On our last cruise to Norway, we spent three nights in Amsterdam before we went to the ship! It was already one of my favorite cities, so I was excited for the chance to dive a little deeper into the culture and attractions. We actually stayed on an amazing houseboat!

Explore the Ship When You Arrive

If you’ve been aware of cruise ships for any length of time, you’ll know that each new ship that’s built adds more activities and amenities than the last. They have essentially become floating cities and sometimes be a bit confusing to find your way around.

You’ll want to do some research about what’s on board in advance on the cruise ship website or app. More importantly, when you get on the ship take a stroll around as soon as you have a chance to find all the fun to be had and get the “lay of the land” so to speak.

Check out the live music venues, game rooms, casinos, cocktail lounges, family fun, pools, slides and so much more. Many ships have original art to enjoy as you wander around. You may find a library where you can get newspapers and books to check out. There are often fitness centers, a spa, massage, yoga, and other health-related services. You’ll find gift shops, and evening entertainment that can include Broadway-style shows, comedians, jugglers, musicians, and more.

Check the Cruise Schedule Often

The cruise schedule is your friend. Most cruises have an app for your phone where you can find everything you need when you’re on board. For those who aren’t so tech-savvy, some cruise lines can provide a printed daily newsletter delivered to your cabin with the events of the day. They also broadcast cruise info on one of the channels on the TV in your room.

A Few Examples of Activities on Cruise Ships

Some of the more common activities available on many ships are movies under the stars, trivia contests, live musical performances, and cultural talks. If you’re a foodie and have an interest in culinary topics, look for specific voyages on the Holland America Cruise Line. They bring a guest chef on board to guide you through the culinary traditions of your destinations. Try local flavors at a food & wine tasting, and add a new recipe to your cookbook at a live cooking demonstration.

For those who want to stay more active, you may also find zip lines, climbing walls, dance classes, and sports courts like tennis, shuffleboard, or pickleball. Here are 25 examples of activities that may be available on your next cruise. Be sure to check the exact ship that you’re sailing on to find specific amenities.

1. Glass-blowing class on some of the Celebrity Cruise line ships
2. Pickleball
3. Bingo with prizes
4. Tennis
5. Game shows with prizes
6. Some Royal Caribbean Icon Class ships have ice skating!
7. Shuffleboard
8. Trivia contests
9. Walking or jogging track
10. Oceana Cruises offers Culinary Discovery Tours
11. Rock climbing wall
12. Mixology classes
13. Ziplines
14. Guest speakers: naturalists, photographers, kayak guides, astronomers
15. Surfing
16. Cooking demonstrations and classes
17. Movies under the stars
18. Artist-in-Residence art workshops
19. Dance lessons
20. Art shows
21. Wine tasting and education
22. Yoga
23. Escape rooms
24. Roller coasters
25. Go carts

With the wide variety of options available when you’re on the ship, it’s important to check the schedule so you won’t miss the fun…that is unless you plan to relax and not have to think about anything but sleeping and eating. That’s always an option too.

Enjoy the Pampering

If you’ve never been on a cruise and you’re normally a no-frills kind of person, you may be a bit overwhelmed at first. Sometimes I feel guilty about all the pampering when I’m on a cruise. All the food you can ever want to eat is available nearly 24 hours a day. This waiter [below] even removed the lobster from its shell for me when we were dining at Rudi’s Sel De Mer Seafood restaurant onboard our Holland America cruise ship.

One comedian on the ship joked that he got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the bed was made when he came out. LOL! On our Alaska cruise, we felt truly pampered as we relaxed on the deck chairs with hot chocolate and cozy blankets on one of the days at sea. There’s really no end to the pampering you’ll receive.

Cruising is quite different than other styles of travel. Check back soon for my post about how to decide if it’s a travel style that fits you. Terry and I love cruises to get an introduction to a region. We know that we can’t truly immerse ourselves deep in the culture because of the limited time in each port, but it’s a wonderful, low-stress way to explore a new place and one of the many ways that we like to travel.

More Travel Tips

You can also check out my Travel Planning page which includes a round-up of my most recent favorite planning tips.