This is where I share stories, lessons, and advice from my travels around the world.
Cruising Through The Holidays
Many of the on board activities were linked to the season. Holiday songs were performed in the piano bar, sung in the pub, and played softly in the background in the wine lounge and the dining rooms. On the cruise’s first day, the ship held a tree lighting ceremony at 9:50 PM. The place went dark and then the tree lights popped on. There were so many lights on that tree, that it lit up not just the tree, but the whole area. For those who enjoy playing trivia and games on board, the ship offered, in addition to such usual trivia sessions as true or false trivia or 5 O’clock trivia, several holiday oriented trivia sessions like a Name that Holiday Tune and a Christmas movies visual quiz.
Cruising Through The Holidays
There is nothing like singing Christmas carols in the Caribbean.
When many think about the winter holiday season, they experience both the joy of the season and wonder how they will accomplish all they need to do for the season. To help keep the joyous aspect of the season and to alleviate any worrisome problems related to the season, make an easy choice. Just remove yourself from home and instead send yourself away to paradise on a holiday cruise. Why cruise for Christmas? Because as it turns out cruising and Christmas go together really well. Cruising through the holidays offers you a chance to relax and at the same time experience a beautifully decorated seasonal location with plenty of holiday themed events and other activities. Cruising offers an easy opportunity to gather your family and friends together, but also allows for each person to have their own personal space and time.
Christmas or Hanukkah cruising not only helps make family and friends gatherings easier; it offers you the choice of being engaged with activities and people or simply relaxing alone choosing to do nothing much at all. The wonderful thing about a cruise ship is there are so many activities to do on a cruise. The ship offers something available to engage everyone, no matter what their ages or interests. A cruise ship also offers plenty of places to be where you can chill out and do what you want to do when you want to do it. Cruising allows each person to be as busy as they wish to be, but still allows for quality family or friends gathering time at dinner in the dining room or a casual restaurant. Most ships are beautifully decorated for Christmas so you are in surroundings that contribute to a festive mood, but you did not have to lift a finger to do any of the decorating. For me, that is part of what I like about cruising - its festive, but it is fairly effortless on my part.
Get off the ship and catch some thrills.
Holiday Cruise - Getting Ready To Go
An important aspect for a successful holiday cruise is to prepare for it. While I know that sounds like you just added a layer of more issues to your season prep, it really does not take that much time and effort to get ready for a cruise. You need to decide on certain aspects of your cruise ahead of time so you can have what you want in place when you get on board. Because it is the holiday season, many others also want to get away on a holiday at the same time so often cabins on a ship sell out completely. Since most schools are out for the holidays there will be many families with children on board; however, don’t fret that will ruin your cruise as most smaller children spend their time with their families or in the kid’s club. I’ve gone on two Christmas cruises and while both ships were full, the children on board were not a problem at all. In addition, the cruise ship even when traveling full of passengers, offers so much to do and see, that it never felt really crowded in any one place. I have spoken with several people on a holiday cruise and each one has stated in their own way what a good idea it was since they had extended family members joining them to celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. Each said that the a holiday cruise was a great opportunity to gather all family members of any age together in one place for a certain period of time, but without anyone having to serve as the host or coordinator for food or activities. So anyway with that in mind, as you get ready to plan your holiday cruise, be prepared to make some choices about what you want and what your expectations are before you go to actually book your cruise.
Choices you need to make include: where to go; how long a cruise you want; how much you want to spend; and whether you want an inside, oceanview, balcony, or suite type cabin. Remember to consider if one cabin can house the number of people in your immediate party or do you need to book more than one cabin? If you need more than one cabin for your family, you might want to book two cabins that have a connecting door between them or maybe consider paying for a larger cabin or suite. All these factors affect how much you need to spend to get what you want.
Once you have made your choices, then take a look at the different cruise lines that offer a ship going where you would like to go. You can do this yourself on the cruise line’s websites or go through a travel agent, either an online agency or at a travel agency near you. One good way to find out about what is offered by each cruise line is to check out some of the large cruise travel agencies online. Doing so will usually give you a good idea of what is offered for the dates on which you can travel. There are many online travel agencies, but you might try these websites to get an idea of prices and itineraries of holiday cruises:
https://www.expedia.com/Cruises
https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/
You can also check directly with each of the main cruise lines used by most people in the U.S. to see what they are offering during the holiday season. Try these:
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/
Adventure awaits!
First, decide where you want to go. Somewhere warm is usually the first choice of many holiday cruisers. That generally means somewhere in the sunny Caribbean, but for some it may mean the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, or even South America or the South Pacific. Decide on how long you want to be gone on your cruise and add in at least one pre-cruise night in the port town your cruise is leaving from. Why add that one extra night? It’s because it is winter in North America and you should arrive a day ahead of your cruise departure to help ensure avoiding any inclement weather related airport or driving delays.
Second, choose how long you want your cruise to last. Most holiday cruises last seven days which gives you a chance to both enjoy many activities, different ports, and relax on board. Taking a shorter or longer cruise affects the cruise price. For most groups of families or friends, a seven day cruise offers the best balance between getting away long enough for a real vacation and getting time off from work and/or school.
Third, decide what ports are important for you to see and experience. Decide if you want more ports - a port intensive cruise or if you want fewer port of calls. More ports means you will most likely find yourself off the ship exploring the sights or experiences daily and then returning to the ship for the later afternoon and evening. Fewer ports of call means you can have more cruising at sea days on board enjoying the ship itself, but you will visit fewer places or islands on your trip.
Fourth, decide what type of cabin room you want. An inside cabin is usually the cheapest, but can be small and offers no window to the outside world. If you are intending to be out and about, only wanting to use your cabin to sleep and shower in, then an inside cabin offers you the best price. An oceanview cabin offers you some type of porthole window so you can see outside and is often also offered at a very good price. A cabin that comes with a balcony where you can open the door and walk out onto your own private space to see and smell the ocean is offered at a higher price than either an inside or oceanview cabin. Some type of suite cabin will give you more cabin space and a larger balcony, but these usually come at a much higher price point. Check the prices, cabin sizes, and number of people a cabin can sleep before making your cabin choice. Make sure it can handle the number of people in your party who will stay in the same cabin with you. I’ve stayed in an oceanview, balcony, and a small suite cabin and have enjoyed them all. I find I like the larger space of a suite cabin and balcony, but when the price really matters I am fine with an oceanview cabin because I do like to at least be able to see directly outside.
Fifth, decide what time you want to dine daily and where you want to dine, at least in general. When you book the cruise you will be usually be asked if you want traditional early (usually 5:30 or 6:00 PM) or late (usually 8:00 or 8:30 PM) dining or anytime/my time dining. If you want to eat at the early time most cruise days, be aware that it is the popular dining time for families with younger children or older adults so sign up for it when booking. If you wait to do so closer to your cruise departure date, this dining time may not be available. The option of anytime or my time dining is also very popular. When you choose this type of dining, you are able to either make daily reservations for your choice of dining time or to go to the dining room to eat without a reserved time and wait until a table is available. It works much like reservations at a restaurant in your hometown does. It means you may have wait for a table to become available and you will often not have the same server or table at every meal. If when you get on board and find that you do not like your table, your seating time, anytime dining or have other dining concerns, be sure to talk to the person at the Food and Beverage Hospitality Desk about it. That person can often make a switch for you between times or tables as needed.
Soak up some vitamin sea.
Boarding Your Ship
Once you have selected your holiday cruise and paid for it, get ready to enjoy the experience. While there may be trouble still out in the greater world and world peace remains elusive, it is with a distinct feeling of seasonal joy that I tramped up the stairs and over the ramp to enter my 2019 Christmas cruise ship. Helping me to feel joyous was the knowledge that I was here in warm San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was about to travel to many other warm and beautiful Caribbean islands. My 2019 Christmas cruise was a port intensive one with stops every day, but one. My family and I went to ports in St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. Once on board, the ship’s many holiday decorations set the mood for me and everyone to be in a holiday mood and have a festive cruise experience. The extremely large green Christmas tree on the ship’s main gathering place on Deck Five was large enough to soar up several decks. Surrounding the tree were boughs of greenery on the balconies with wreaths and golden ornaments everywhere. The ship looked like several artists had gotten together and decorated it for the season. It was beautiful and I think these decorations set the tone for our holiday season on board the ship. I thought the decorations on my first holiday cruise in 2018 were beautiful and could not be beat. I was wrong, as on this December 25, 2019 holiday cruise, it was obvious that the ship’s crew was into establishing that more was merrier. Everywhere you looked there was something to remind a cruiser that it was the Christmas and Hanukkah season. Even my fellow passengers got into the decorating act by decorating their cabin doors for the season. Some cabin doors were very well done and artistic, while some were more just plain fun or displayed a child’s seasonal art. Looking at some decorated cabin doors I did wonder if this is a really good way to help a cruiser find their own particular cabin after a few drinks around the ship?
As I traveled around the ship exploring its many bars, lounges, sports facilities, and pools, I noticed that holiday decorations were everywhere, not just in the main public spaces. Even the pool areas sported some type of wreaths, greenery, or ornaments. In the main dining room there was more greenery strung around it and its main stairway linking the three dining room floors together was hung heavily with boughs and ornaments. Up in the casual buffet restaurant visitors were treated to a beautiful and very large seasonal snow village display. The village setting was decked out in red, green, and gold with plenty of ‘snow’ spread throughout it. Also provided was a seasonal welcome aboard really large sheet cake for those who came there for their first cruise chow down (lunch). Even as large as it was, that cake was all gone by dinner time. In addition, the casual dining areas, such as the 24 hour cafe, the pizzeria, and other snack areas, were decked out with ribbons, garlands, and many small trees with tiny lights or globes on them. The great decorating effort by the ship’s staff established a holiday seasonal feeling as did much of the music played in the various venues throughout the ship.
You can take a cupcake decorating class!
Activities On The Ship
Many of the on board activities were linked to the season. Holiday songs were performed in the piano bar, sung in the pub, and played softly in the background in the wine lounge and the dining rooms. On the cruise’s first day, the ship held a tree lighting ceremony at 9:50 PM. The place went dark and then the tree lights popped on. There were so many lights on that tree, that it lit up not just the tree, but the whole area. For those who enjoy playing trivia and games on board, the ship offered, in addition to such usual trivia sessions as true or false trivia or 5 O’clock trivia, several holiday oriented trivia sessions like a Name that Holiday Tune and a Christmas movies visual quiz.
One popular program with the cruisers was the 8:00 PM Christmas Eve Caroling sing a long. Led by the ship’s entertainment staff in front of the ship’s large Christmas tree, many people gathered to sing traditional and contemporary seasonal songs. Song books were handed out so that everyone could know the words and follow the tune. While that may sound boring to some, it actually turned out to be fun and a good reminder that this was a season of good cheer and good will to all. Early on Christmas Day at 7:30 AM, that special holiday fellow Santa, arrived beside the Christmas tree. All children on board were invited to meet with Santa and receive a small gift from him which is, of course, really from the cruise line. For those who were still on board at 1:00 in the afternoon and later again at 5:00 PM, there was a Christmas scavenger hunt that I heard many families participated in. Evening entertainment on Christmas included a Christmas Friendly Feud game show, a family elves disco, a name that Christmas tune trivia game in the piano bar, and a holiday PJ movie night of How the Grinch Stole Christmas out beside the main pool. Proving that you can only get as bored as you want to be, cruise entertainment that evening also offered karaoke, dancing under the stars by the pool after the Christmas movie was over, an excellent and must see ice skating show, a cash prize bingo game, and that cruise traditional but funny program, the Love and Marriage Game Show.
Other activities to consider on board your cruise is seeing the ice skating show and/or diving show if your ship offers them. Both are excellent and it is amazing what can be done by a performer when the ship is moving at sea. Usually there is at least one or two theatre production shows. These can be either good or not so good, but you can leave anytime you find yourself not really enjoying the show. If there is a comedian or a magician, consider seeing those shows as they are usually quite good. Many professional entertainers cycle through cruise ships and their performances are often enjoyable. On this 2019 holiday cruise there was a late night adult comedy performance offered, but I found I was too tired that evening to actually make it to that show. One show I did get to see was by a magician named Jasen Magic. I made it to his performance despite having spent the day on St. Kitts hiking up and down the 3,792 foot tall Mount Liamuiga volcano. Jasen was extremely funny and involved the audience in his magic tricks and humor. His show was fast paced and included improv humor along with mystifying tricks. He was well worth making time to go see. I recommend going to any show you see associated with his name.
The main dining hall is a great option for your holiday meal.
Holiday Dining
On Christmas Day the main dining room menu featured that traditional holiday meal standard - roast turkey with dressing, several different types of potatoes and vegetables, along with pumpkin, pecan, and apple pie a la mode. Also offered was a ham dish along with a vegetarian option.
On this cruise I did not dine in any of the extra charge specialty dining restaurants on board; however, each of those featured a holiday menu based on their specialty food types. On my previous holiday cruise I did dine in the specialty steakhouse restaurant. There the dinner started off with a glass of champagne and proceeded to offer a large variety of entrees and sides. Both years, in the specialty dining restaurant and in the main ship’s dining room, one of the desserts offered to everyone was a tasty traditional French yule log, a Bûche de Noël.
If you are interested in dining in the ship’s extra charge specialty restaurants, then try to make reservations for them prior to getting on board. Doing so helps to ensure you can get the dining restaurant and time you prefer. Go to your cruise line’s website as soon as possible and find where you can look at its cruise planner section. Depending on your cruise line you may need to have your cruise confirmation number and sign in to access it your particular cruise or you may be able to take a general look at the dining offerings without signing in. Once on the site, take a look at the cruise dining venues and the dining packages and places offered. Specialty restaurants do have a per person charge, although they can be somewhat cheaper if you book them in a package such as committing to dining in three of them during your cruise. Be aware that even if you book a specialty dining package for all the evenings of your cruise, that it will not usually include dinner on Christmas Day. If you want to book a Christmas Day meal at a specialty restaurant, then do so prior to your cruise. In my experience, Christmas Day meals are usually sold as separate tickets outside of a package and they do cost more than the regular specialty meal charge. That said, if you board without any specialty restaurant reservations and decide you want to give one a try, you can check at the specialty restaurant itself and make your purchase arrangements then for what is available. You may not get the cheapest price point on it, but you can usually get into the specialty restaurant of your choice. If you decide to not try a specialty restaurant or cannot get a time at the place you want, remember the main dining room is still a very nice place to eat and that there are usually several other non-charge venues to eat at on the ship.
As an aside to the more traditional holiday seasonal dining on board, I believe nothing says Christmas more than learning how to make a good spicy guacamole and a great margarita with alcohol included. This cruise offered a fun class on how to make both of these. It included a complete lunch and drinks. The guacamole was prepared by the participants for their tables. I enjoyed having the ability to make the guacamole as spicy or not spicy as I wanted. A word of warning, if you are going to make it spicy, do a good job of mixing up the guacamole ingredients, so one poor soul doesn’t get hit with all the heat while taking one bite. As for the holiday season since guacamole is based on an avocado, the guacamole was green and my margarita had streaks of red in it. Since these two products contained both red and green colors, I considered these to be part of my seasonal celebration.
Keeping old traditions while starting new ones.
Your Own Cabin
One great way to bring the season closer into your life on board is to decorate your cabin for the holiday. Come prepared to personalize it by jazzing it up for the season. This doesn’t really take much effort, just a bit of prior preparation. On a previous cruise I saw a cabin where someone had wrapped up the cabin’s pictures on the wall in colorful wrapping paper and added ribbons and a bow. It made them into your own personal presents hanging on the cabin wall. If you like that, take it further and consider wrapping your whole cabin door.
I recommend to really personalize the holiday season in your cabin that you find a space somewhere in it and set up a small tree you brought with you. I know cabin space can sometimes be cramped, but there is usually some type of nook or place where you can add a tree. I purchased a small fake green tree and a small light-up plastic tree. I put both these onto a ledge in my cabin. Underneath it, I put out some small wrapped presents brought with me to open up on the actual holiday. If you don’t think you have space in your suitcase to bring gifts with you, see if you can find some type of gifts to purchase at a port of call stop before Christmas. These don’t need to be large or expensive, just some small things that you think your family or cabin mates might like. Then put them underneath your cabin tree. Put some window clings onto the mirror in your cabin or try some magnet decorating on the walls (they are metal). On your cabin door consider decorating it with a Santa figure or some holly with berries or maybe a seasonal card. Before your cruise, you can cut out a Christmas card or scene and paste it onto a flat magnet to arrange for your own personal holiday design you can place on the cabin door. As I noted before, a holiday design of some type on the door does make your cabin distinctive from all the others lining the hallway.
This drawing by a Spanish Captain was made as he was being held at Castillo de San Cristobal on mutiny charges.
Shore Excursions and Activities On Board
Check your cruise line’s shore excursions before you go on the cruise. You can find these listed in the planning section of your cruise line’s website. Check what is available for each stop and think about whether you and any others you are with would enjoy that excursion. Be aware that many cruise line shore excursions can get crowded so think about whether it is the right choice for you. If you are worried about getting back to the ship before the all on board time, then choose a ship shore excursion. If it comes back late, the ship will wait for you. If you want a different or less crowded shore excursion, then you have some other choices to make. You can research a destination and then arrange for another private shore excursion company’s tour, hire a taxi once on the location’s pier to take you on a tour or to a specific destination, or perhaps rent your own car at the destination if car rental is easily available. If you just want to walk around a port or town, you can do that too on your own. Just be sure to have a map with you or your cell phone’s GPS activated so you don’t get too lost. At all times, remember to be back on board by the posted on board time. Always keep your watch or cell phone on ship’s time, not the local destination’s time. You don’t want to miss the sailing or be one of the “pier runners” that everyone watches and hoots at from their balconies or higher public decks.
On Christmas Day, you should consider whether you wish to go ashore or stay on board the ship. Both are good options and offer different ways for you and your family or friends to celebrate the holiday. Depending on where your ship docks on Christmas Day the shore excursions offered by the cruise line will differ; however, most warm weather cruises will have a choice of several beach excursions and several types of land explorations. If you want more variety or fewer people on your shore excursion, consider exploring the options of a private vendor’s tours. Book your chosen shore excursion as far ahead of time as possible to ensure you get what you want. You may also select to go to a public beach and see if you can grab a taxi to and from your selected destination. Another relatively easy option would be to go to a resort for a day, but again I recommend booking your resort day pass before you leave for cruise to ensure your ability to use it as planned on the holiday. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that many destinations often will not offer all the open stores, businesses, restaurants, and government services that you would usually find. Taxis may not be plentiful as usual and public bus transportation may be limited or not offered at all. Factor all this into your decision about what to do for the holiday. This year my family decided to make things easier by booking a ship’s shore excursion for us all to an Antigua beach which included transportation to and from the beach, a full lunch, drinks, and loungers with umbrellas. It was not the greatest shore excursion I have ever been on, but we were at a beach on Christmas with plenty of food, drinks, and someplace to relax without much effort on our part. The reason I say it was not the greatest was that many other cruisers apparently wanted the same easy kind of visit and the beach was way more crowded than I liked. Still, it did make for a warm on the beach day and we were back on the ship later in the day with enough time to enjoy some of the ship’s holiday activities. Another option to consider is to just stay on board for the entire day. Your ship will usually provide an entertaining array of things to do throughout the day. Choices offered on my ship this Christmas Day included: raffles and games in the Casino; spa services with special massages; various bar and trivia games, wine tasting; a cake decorating class; a Jenga competition; two different Christmas scavenger hunts; pool games; table tennis competitions; a Bachata dance class; and various Christmas movies on your cabin TV, on the big pool side screen, and in the theatre. All these were in addition to the more usual cruise ship on board activities like the Belly Flop contest, hot tubs and pools, different venues with live music performers, karaoke, dancing on the deck in the evening, and a Love and Marriage game show in the middle of the evening made for one packed day. Staying on board means you won’t lack for things to do. It also means you can relax by the pool, on the decks feeling the sea breeze, or in your cabin or on your cabin’s balcony if you have one. Whatever you and your family and friends chose to do, it is important to remember it is your day to celebrate the season and be happy for the chance to be together.
Thoughts on Shore Excursions For First Time Cruisers
Think about your time – it’s valuable. Think carefully about how long you want to be on a shore excursion before you book it.
Shore Excursions – Or Leaving Your Ship And Exploring Ashore
Use your cruise to explore new interests or places.
Cruises these days go so many places around the world. So use your cruise as one way to see different places and help you decide which ones you would like to go back to and spend more time visiting there. If you visit one island in the Caribbean or in Hawaii that seems like a place to linger, then you can plan to make a longer land based vacation there later. If you visit a place that doesn’t appeal to you, cross that one off your vacations wanted list and move on.
You can also use your cruise to investigate an interest or sport you already have or think you’d find interesting. For example, like to golf? Cruises give you a chance to golf at varied types of courses almost anywhere (you can rent clubs and shoes at most courses or you can take your own onboard). If you like to cook, cruising can give you a chance to try different cuisines and cooking classes around the world (Jamaica, think jerk chicken or in Spain, making and sampling many kinds of tapas). Also, don’t forget cruises often offer varied types of cooking classes, including making sushi, right onboard the ship.
Sometimes an organized shore excursion is the only way to see a sight within the set number of hours your ship is in port. Sometimes an organized shore excursion is necessary to visit a place or have a particular experience because it is not available unless booked that way. That can be the case in exotic far-away places and even in America or Canada. Be sure to factor that into your considerations when thinking about what to do and see on shore.
Check out shore excursions from private vendors at your cruise’s port stops in addition to the cruise line’s offerings.
Considerations to think about the regarding the cruise line’s own shore excursions. When it comes to going ashore to sightsee, eat, drink, or play most cruise lines arrange for a variety of shore excursion offerings you can take. While still at home, you can usually view these offerings online and purchase your tickets online. That means you know what you will do at any given stop before you leave home. If you can, that is probably the best way to book a ship’s shore excursion as you know you are on it before you leave home. The shore excursions offered by the cruise lines are offered based on what they know most people want to do at a particular destination. Such shore excursions are usually well organized and vetted for guest safety.
If you are interested in going ashore somewhere where you don’t feel comfortable going alone or somewhere you don’t speak the language, then it can be a good idea to book your shore excursion through the ship. Remember you can book it online in advance or once on board through the shore excursion desk. For example, if you are on a cruise to Mexico and getting to your selected Mayan ruin destination will take more than an hour going just one way, then consider booking that excursion through the cruise line. If something happens to delay your excursion from getting back to the ship before sail away time, the ship will wait for you to return. If you booked that excursion through a non-ship vendor, you might get back to find you missed your ship. That can and does happen. The ship cannot wait past a certain time, and if you are not onboard by then you have missed it. I once got back from a shore excursion late enough to be past the all onboard time, but thankfully not past the deadline must sail away time. Remember you don’t want to be one of those pier runners trying frantically to get down the pier before the ship leaves.
All that being said, you still can have a great shore excursion booking through an independent vendor or by going out on your own to explore. An independent vendor can offer a shore excursion with fewer people on it usually at a lower price than the cruise line’s shore excursions. Also, an independent vendor often can tailor your shore excursion to what you want to see or alter the tour stops to make sure guests have the time to see what interests them the most.
Most independent excursion vendors are keenly aware of when your ship leaves port. They work hard to be sure you get to sightsee what is promised and get you back in time. You can probably safely use an independent tour vendor for excursions that are about sightseeing around a town, for a food or drinks tour, or for activities such as diving or snorkeling. If you are in Caribbean and want to go snorkeling, then you should consider an independent vendor. Depending on the port, there should be many companies to choose from. Check them out online before you book. For example, Aristocat Charters in the British Virgin Islands is one vendor that offers several great snorkeling and beach visits to choose among. Try to get reviews and feedback from people who have toured with an independent vendor. There are many sources for looking them up, but you can try such sites like the Cruise Critic message boards, Facebook, Trip Advisor, Expedia, and other travel websites.
Think about your time – it’s valuable. Think carefully about how long you want to be on a shore excursion before you book it.
Shore excursions, whether through the ship or an independent vendor, are offered in different time lengths. How long you will want to be on a trip depends on where you want to go, what you want to see, and how long you can tolerate the traveling required. When you want to go somewhere that is further away from the port remember to consider the travel time necessary to get there and back along with what kind of travel it will take to get there. Consider whether you really want to book any shore excursion that lasts longer than three to four hours. If the excursion turns out not to be what you thought it was or you get sick, most people can get through that amount of time before they return to the ship. If you book a shore excursion for six to eight hours or more, than you are likely stuck with it until it is over.
Make your own shore excursion. Exploring on your own can be fun, rewarding, and cost less than an organized shore excursion.
Since you are going on a cruise you know when you book what ports your ship will stop in (weather and sea conditions can alter stops, but that is rare) . You can just get off the ship, pick a taxi vendor, and wing it by going where he or she suggests or takes you to. You can just get off the ship, make your way into town, and explore it on foot. That way you can stop at what catches your eye or what you think will be an interesting place to investigate. However, if you can bring yourself to plan ahead some you are more likely to have rewarding and interesting experience. First, make sure you know what could be a dangerous part of the town or country. Looking that up online should give you an idea of where not to go. You can generally find such information on travel websites, the U.S. Department of State website, or in crime reports or warnings posted by localities and local law enforcement. Once you are armed with such information, then you can start looking at what kind of places you do want to see. Check local travel, welcome, or business websites to see what are local highlights. Once you know what is there to explore, think about what you really would like to see or do. Note a place’s open hours, admission charges, and locations. Your time in a port is limited, so use it wisely.
Get yourself an old fashioned map of your port and look at it so you can plot out the best routes between various places. Note any hills, rivers, or other impediments between two places so you can plan how to cross or conquer that hill. Once you know that kind of information you know what you can expect to see and about how long it will take you to get there, experience it, and move on. Use your phone’s map to help you only if you have it set for overseas travel without excessive use charges or have pre-arranged the charges for outside the U.S. use before you left the U.S. Otherwise, the cost of using your Google Maps or other mapping service can result in huge charges.
Once you are on your way, remember you are exploring. Enjoy yourself, stop and smell the roses or take in the view. Sample at the chocolate factory, check out that bakery, or hike up that hill to see what is on the other side. If you come across something that interests you and that you did not plan to do, enjoy it and adapt your plan as needed. Remember, the only thing you have to do is get back to the ship by the all onboard time!
Dining For First Time Cruisers
Use the main dining room to save money and eat well. You don’t have to pay for the specialty dining restaurants to eat well.
Main Dining Room
Use the main dining room to save money and eat well. You don’t have to pay for the specialty dining restaurants to eat well.
These days many cruisers have stopped using the main dining room for dinner. They have been lured by the promise of better or different food at upscale charging dining places on the ship. While the food in those places can sometimes be better, usually it is not that much better as to be worth an extra $30 to $50 dollars per person per meal.
Note, though that some ships do not even offer a main dining room; these are usually on some of the newer ships. Such ships often offer instead several smaller venues that people can try on different nights. Since many people like to change it up on a cruise and they really don’t want to stop to change for dinner any more, cruise lines are offering more casual eateries. Royal Caribbean even has a Johnny Rockets and a Sorrento’s pizzeria on many of their ships. But, if you like eating at a set time where you know where you will sit and be served by servers who know what you like, then nothing beats the main dining room.
There are usually two traditional seating times in a ship’s main dining room. Often the early dining time is at 5:30 or 6:00, while the late dining time is at 8:00 or 8:30 PM. Eating early or late is definitely a personal preference. While you can change your usual time to eat because you are on a cruise, I think most people like to eat around the time they usually do.
Early dining time means, of course, that you eat earlier. That’s especially good for those who like that, for older folks, and for younger children. The downside to it means you might have to stop what you are doing mid to late afternoon, go get cleaned up (think leaving the pool, taking a shower, and getting nicely dressed) so you can be in the dining room by 5:30 or 6:00 PM. The upside is you will finish your dinner usually by about 7:30 and are ready to do something different for the evening – to participate in activities, listen to the piano player in the bar, or go see some entertainment shows.
Late dining time means you can stretch your afternoon activities out and have a few drinks before dinner. You can even have a late afternoon snack to tide you over until dinner time. Eating at the late dining time means you probably will have the opportunity to see an entertainment show earlier in the evening before dinner, spend time at the pub, or finish watching the sports game all before you go to eat. Late dining usually lasts about one and ½ to two hours for your meal. Afterwards, you can then pick your late night evening entertainment choices such as karaoke, comedians, or silly fun game shows.
Keep in mind, the main dining room is a great place to meet new people. The dining room offers table tops of varied sizes. To meet more people be sure to request a six, eight, or ten top table preferences when you book your cruise.
If you want to have a smaller table or a table for only two, you’ll have better luck achieving that by choosing a free style or my time dining experience in the main dining room. Doing so means you still eat in the main dining room, but can do so at the time you choose, not the set two traditional dining times the cruise line offers. This type of main dining room experience means you may not get the same servers each meal time, but you can choose a time you find comfortable for eating. Most often you can reserve a time ahead, but it usually works fine to keep it flexible and walk up to the dining room when it is open and you want to eat. You’ll be put on a list to get the first available table of the size and location you want just you would at a restaurant in your hometown. Rest assured, the main dining food offered is the same, it just happens at the time you want, not at the pre-set dining two times.
The main dining room experience means you will have a server seat you, put your napkin on your lap, bring your drinks, have a menu of choices each evening, and someone will take your order.
Always remember when it comes to cruise dining - if you like it, you can order more. If you want two appetizers, main courses, or deserts or all of those, order them! Many people do and some eat two or three appetizers rather than eating the main course. If you want ice cream and it is not on the menu, ask for it. You will likely receive it. Try two different deserts. If you don’t like something, ask for something else! Your server will take care of it. They want you to be happy and have something you like.
Main Dining Room on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas
Pro Tip: Use the main dining room at lunch or for breakfast to avoid the crowds. Other dining options will see a surge of people during these times.
Who doesn’t like be served your meal? It’s easier than going to the buffet, but be aware there are fewer menu items to choose from.
On many cruise lines during at sea days, the main dining room is open for breakfast and lunch. The dining room may seat you at a table as you come in with others or they may seat your party at separate tables. That depends on the cruise line or even the ship. The dining room may also provide a separate area for repeat cruisers. For breakfast and lunch the menu can vary, but often there will be both a menu of choices along with a short buffet line in the dining room. You can have what you want within their choices, but there still is no charge. However, remember that eating in the dining room at breakfast or lunch does take more time than eating at that other main ship eatery, the casual buffet. The plus to eating in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch is there is less noise or confusion and someone delivers what you order to your table.
ProTip: Drink water or coffee or tea.
You’ll have enough food; you won’t miss the soft drink or alcohol. Drinks usually included with the meal are water, coffee, tea, and milk. If you want a soft drink, beer, wine, or mixed drink, that will have a cost.
2. Casual Buffet.
Pro Tip: Use the casual buffet on the ship. You can eat there from a large smorgasbord of choices at no additional cost.
The varieties of choices at the buffet are simply amazing – there is literally something for everyone. When you go to the buffet the first time, be sure to walk through the whole place. Often there is more than one serving area and multiple seating areas. Many people never make it all the way to the back so there can be plentiful seating back there. Some ships even have an open balcony eating area in the back or side of the buffet. Check it out first and then select your food and seating.
For lunch, you will usually find kid and fan friendly food like hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixings, tacos, panini, one to two soups of the day, several different types of breads, sandwich makings, and hot dishes like roast beef, stews, chicken, and varied cultural food specialties of the day.
For lunch, dinner, and at an afternoon snack time, take a look at the many desserts available at the buffet. The variety offered usually runs from fresh fruit and cheeses to cookies, cakes, pies, etc. Note, there are sugar free options available. Day to day the ships change the desserts offered, so look them all over and make your choices.
If you need gluten free food, and don’t see any then ask. Usually the cruise lines offer gluten free choices at each meal and they are glad to assist in making sure what you eat is gluten free.
Drinks such as tea, coffee, lemonade, flavored waters, and water are free. Milk, both low-fat, whole, and chocolate are free. Also, there is usually almond, soy, lactose free milk available too. However, just like in the dining room sodas, beer, wine, and mixed drinks have a cost.
For breakfast, there is any number of ways that eggs, bacon, and toasts are served. You can get an omelet made to order. Also available are: cereals, fresh fruits, grits, oatmeal, croissants, donuts, and more. If you don’t see what you want – and you will – ask a server to help you find what you are looking for.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to try the buffet for dinner.
The buffet at dinner is usually less crowded than earlier in the day. The dinner buffet often offers its own variety of main dish choices, sometime also includes what is being served in the main dining room, and a server will still get you your drinks and help as needed during your meal. Best of all, you can eat when you want during the dinner buffet hours and you can dress casually.
The biggest downside to the buffet at breakfast and lunch times is it can get crowded and noisy. So many people all looking at food and crossing paths with each other can lead to confusion and congestion. Just remember, there is plenty of food. They will not run out; you will get what you want so be sure to take it easy and enjoy the variety.
3. Pizza, Pizza, Pizza.
Most ships have free pizza available somewhere on the ship at any hour. Your job is to just to look for it and then enjoy it. Some cruise lines serve better pizza than others, but it is almost always free. When you need something to cut the alcohol and satisfy your food craving at 3 AM, find the pizza!
4. Snacks.
Pro Tip: Many types of snacks are available onboard. There will be places from a small café to a pub offering light meal items or snacks to satisfy your cravings. Check for places on your ship that are not the main dining rooms, buffets, or specialty dining places.
Ships often have snack places or smaller cafes somewhere on the ship. Some ships have more than one or two of these places. They will offer a more limited choice of food than the buffet, but what they do have is usually tasty. And it’s free! These places may only be open at lunchtime or for afternoon snacks, but there is usually one such place that is open 24/7 or almost round the clock. Go get a wrap, a sandwich, a salad, a cookie, yogurt, or a smoothie. You have worked up an appetite lying in the sun, so you need that cookie or two!
5. Ice Cream and Specialty Coffees.
Pro Tip: Find the soft serve free ice cream on the ship. It’s free.
The soft serve ice cream is often on the pool deck somewhere. Follow the kids and you’ll find it. The ice cream is really a custard type, but it can satisfy that ice cream urge. Avoid the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and the Starbucks type coffees – those have a cost and that will add up quickly.
6. Room Service.
Pro Tip: Know what your ship provides for free through room service and skip the rest.
Some cruise lines provide free room service, some charge for it. Some charge for certain things obtained through room service and not others. Don’t forget, that even if the room service is free you still need to tip the delivery server.
7. Alcohol.
Pro Tip: It Is Not Free. Stay away from alcohol if you are on a tight budget.
Charging for alcohol is how cruise lines make mucho money. That being said, if you want a drink, you are on vacation. Just remember to watch the cost as it adds up quickly. To have an alcoholic drink, but at a lower cost: look for the drink of the day, don’t get the drink in the fancy glass you have to pay for, and check out that bucket of beer offered on the pool deck. Some venues on the ship will offer happy hour specials or sports events specials so consider those as a way to imbibe.
If you plan to drink a lot, then consider buying a drinks card or package if your cruise line offers one. When considering a drinks package, check out what alcohol and brands are covered, the cost of it versus buying one to two drinks a day, and where on the ship you can use it. If you plan to drink a lot on your cruise, it is usually cheaper to buy the drinks card or package, than to pay for single drinks. If you don’t drink much, then be aware that purchasing a drink package means you probably would need to drink 5 to 6 mixed drinks every day just to break even on the cost.
Selecting A Cruise For First Timers
Supply and demand rules cruising, just like any other trip. Where you want to go and when influences cruise prices. When much of the US is shivering from winter cold, visions of a warm Caribbean sun and blue water tempt many to travel. So prices tend to go up then. You’ll see a similar effect on the prices of cruises when schools let out for summer vacation and when most spring breaks occur. Consider avoiding those times if possible.
Top Eight Things to Consider When Booking a Cruise
Sunset over the Caribbean
Cruising can be fun, but a cruise can have a costly learning curve. Here are my eight things to consider when going on your first cruise.
1. Location, location, location. When booking a cruise keep in mind that old real estate truism.
Supply and demand rules cruising, just like any other trip. Where you want to go and when influences cruise prices. When much of the US is shivering from winter cold, visions of a warm Caribbean sun and blue water tempt many to travel. So prices tend to go up then. You’ll see a similar effect on the prices of cruises when schools let out for summer vacation and when most spring breaks occur. Consider avoiding those times if possible.
You can save some money by traveling during the spring or fall months. I recommend checking out the average temperature and rainfall where and when you are considering traveling. Once you have picked a timeframe and location, then it’s time to move into checking out where the cruise lines are sending their ships at those times. Look at the itineraries available and their prices.
For places like Alaska, you do need to keep in mind that if you want to have the best weather then the crowds and higher prices are unavoidable. It’s simply a matter of spending wisely to get the experience you want to have.
Tourists going ashore at Sint Maarten
2. Know what you want to do.
Seriously consider what you want from your cruise. Are you someone who wants to spend time onboard relaxing, soaking up some sun, and enjoying the ship? Are you someone who likes variety and wants to visit many places?
If you are a person who like to lounge around, needs to recuperate from working, enjoys sampling varied onboard activities (such as sushi classes, entertainment shows to belly flop contests, and play trivia), or lounging by the pool, then choose a cruise with more at sea days.
If you are easily bored, like to be on the move, like exploring new places, like a variety of activity choices, or shopping, then choose a cruise with many ports to visit.
3. Find the company that fits you.
Once you know about where you want to go and when along with what you would most enjoy, consider what cruise line and which ship to choose.
I always recommend a first time cruiser stick with the larger lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, or Princess. They know how to package an experience that meets the needs of most people across all ages. They offer popular destinations and a good variety of cruise lengths consisting of both at sea and in port days.
These cruise lines also offer a good variety of ships to choose among. They go to many different places with each offering a fun variety of onboard entertainment.
If you think you’d like a really big ship with plenty to do on board, Royal Caribbean offers the largest cruise ships afloat. Their really big ships can carry as many as 6000 of your closest new best friends, but the ships are designed to spread out the crowds between activities, pools, and different eateries.
Carnival offers fun slides and play areas. Norwegian says dress casual and enjoy multiple choices every day for dining.
For some of the best prices, consider the medium sized ships carrying around 3000 to 4000 passengers. These size ships are a nice mix between size and amenities. Big enough to offer lots of onboard activities and still small enough to fit into many different ports.
Some of the smaller ships, carrying 2500 guests or less, are known for their beautiful sea views, wonderful service, and the convenience they offer of sailing out of close to home ports such as Galveston, Texas or Baltimore, Maryland. Still remember that some smaller ships can be quite expensive since they carry fewer passengers.
Cruise ships docked at St. Kitts
4. Select your itinerary and your ship.
Once you know what you would most like to do, then it’s time to consider an actual itinerary and your ship. Knowing what you would most like to see or do helps you decide which line and ship to pick.
For Alaska, remember you will want to be able to see the outside easily and be outside often. You want a ship with lots of windows and ample deck spaces for everyone to use while viewing the scenery and wildlife. You want to go mid-June through the middle of August.
If you want to go swimming and sailing, then the Caribbean has many different beautiful beaches to choose from. You can go most any month, but during the winter months it is usually expensive since everyone wants a winter break. Early fall is hurricane season, but that can mean price drops. For time on a beach at a good price, consider a stop at a cruise line’s own private island. Such a stop offers the beach experience with little to no extra cost as long as all you want is a beach and some sun. Lunch on the island is usually included, but you can always return to your ship to eat.
If you want to explore North America, Europe, or elsewhere, cruises offer journeys where you can explore without having to pack, travel, and unpack at each stop. Consider your cruise an opportunity to sample places.
5. Booking Process Decisions.
To book a cruise you can book directly with the cruise line or you can go through a travel agent. My recommendation is use a travel agent. There are many that specialize in cruises. Go with a local agency (get your friend’s recommendations and the agent’s credentials first) or go through an online travel agency.
There are many online travel agencies that specialize in cruising so check them out. Most big warehouse stores offer travel services online. Even if you don’t book through them, some online cruise travel agencies have good websites providing easy to view ship itineraries and pricing. These can often be easier to use when looking for what ship is going where and when, than the cruise companies’ own websites.
A balcony room on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas
6. Cabins Types.
One thing to consider before actually booking is what kind of cabin you want on your cruise. The cabin you pick greatly impacts your cruise cost.
Four basic cabin types are: 1 - inside (no outside window or view); 2 - outside view (there’s a window, small to large depending on the ship and deck); 3 - balcony (from small with two chairs to larger) and a junior suite (just a larger floor or balcony space than a typical balcony cabin); and 4 - higher end suites (these cost the big bucks – only you can decide if you need the space, services, and perks a suite can provide).
All of these cabins come with their own positive and negative aspects. Inside cabins are less expensive, but small. The balconies and suites have more room, but cost more.
So you’ll pay more for space and any view. You’ll also often pay more for a higher deck and to be in the ship’s middle as well. It all comes down to how much you want to pay versus your cabin’s location.
Sunrise over the Caribbean
7. Three C’s – Cabin Costs Considerations.
Picking the right cabin, its size, location, and cost, is a very personal matter. If you want to go as cheaply as possible, then book an inside cabin on the lowest public cabin deck. It will be small, not have any window (some Royal Caribbean inside cabins do offer a virtual outside view on a wall of the cabin), and very dark when the lights are turned off.
Even the cheapest cabin puts you on the ship with full access to facilities and activities that everyone can enjoy. It will have a room steward to clean it (not you - you’re on vacation remember), a private bathroom, a comfortable bed, TV, and many varied spaces to store your stuff. You can travel on a ship quite comfortably in an inside cabin if you are not claustrophobic.
If you do need that outside view, then consider booking an outside window (ocean view) cabin. Such cabins often have a small window, a larger (usually round) window, or even on some ships a floor to ceiling window. They cost more, but do offer a chance to see what is happening outside your cabin.
Ocean view window cabins are often on decks two or three, but can be higher depending on ship design. Some of these cabins are located at the front of the ship below the bridge (ship steering area). Be aware you may experience more ship motion there than in other ship locations. If you do tend to motion sickness, it is best to go with a lower deck cabin in the middle of the ship since motion is usually felt less there.
Many people like to book a balcony cabin. That’s why you see so many of the newer ships built with multiple decks of balconies. A balcony cabin allows you to open a door and step out onto your own private outside space.
A balcony cabin can significantly add to your cruise cost so consider carefully if you think you will use it enough. A balcony can be a great place to get away from the crowds and have that drink, snack, or read mid-afternoon in private. Remember that if you travel at cooler times, you may not be able to get much use of the balcony. That view may still be worth it to you, only you can decide that. If you are traveling south along the coast from New York or Boston during late fall, winter, or early spring it will be a day or two before it is warm enough to really enjoy using the balcony.
A suite usually costs double to triple the cost of an outside or balcony room. It also comes with more space, a bigger balcony and some perks like special pool or shows seating areas, a suite guest club lounge, and/or special restaurants just for suite guests.
If extra space is needed, then check out the price of a suite against the price of two or more cabins. Sometimes a junior suite or above size suite can be more affordable for a family instead of paying for more cabins.
Before leaving the topic of cabins, it is worth mentioning that some cruise lines are offering some interesting alternative options these days: solo cabins, some even with a small balcony, for solo travelers; and family cabins that have separate bunk bed areas for children.
If you are traveling as a solo, then check on the solo cabin offerings as they mean you won’t have to pay a single supplement price to occupy a double occupancy cabin (the price standard for cruise cabins).
If you are traveling with children, consider booking two adjacent cabins with a connecting door. That gives a family two bathrooms and some privacy when the connecting doors are closed. Connecting cabins may be found in inside, outside, and balcony cabins. Some families even like to have an inside cabin for the kids across the hall from a balcony cabin as this still provides two bathrooms, some privacy, and a balcony to share at times.
A cruise ship departing Fort Lauderdale’s port
8. Book That Cruise!
Now that you know where you want to go, when you want to go, what kind of cabin you want, and the amount of time you have to vacation, it is time to book that cruise.
Book through your travel agent as the agent can help you find the best deal for your needs. The travel agent is likely to offer you an incentive as a “reward” for using the agent. Often it is some OBC (onboard credit – money the travel agent provides so you can purchase things or services onboard). It is a nice perk and is another reason to use a travel agent to book. If you get OBC, either from the cruise line and/or from your travel agent use it up before leaving the ship. It’s not hard to do as there are so many ways to spend it once on board. If the travel agent you use does not mention any type of perk or reward for booking through them, then ask about it.
Two other reasons for using a travel agent for cruise bookings: one, they know about cruise ships and itineraries and want to share that knowledge to your benefit; and two, they can help you when you need to change something or something goes wrong.
Usually my recommendation when traveling is to research it yourself and explore your own bookings, but cruising is different. You have to book a cruise trip through either the cruise line direct or through a travel agent. The cruise line is interested in getting your booking, but not necessarily in what is best for you. The travel agent wants to help you get the best cruise you can afford and want. They work for you to have the best cruise possible.
One last thing to consider about your cruise - trip insurance. How boring and not necessary you say? What happens if you break your leg outside the US and have to get treatment? Often your medical insurance will not cover such expenses. That means if you break your leg or worse happens, any medical expenses must be paid in full on the spot. Trip insurance is cheap and can help cover such needs if an emergency happens.