A few weeks ago, I went on my very first cruise and it was amazing! The only thing that could have made it any better was if I was a little more prepared. So here are some tips I have on what you should consider before going on your first cruise.
1. I highly recommend going on excursions. If you dock, there isn't a whole lot on the islands to do unless you go on an excursion. There are some shops to explore, some have more than others, but those don't take a lot of time. We had docked at three different islands, and only booked an excursion at two. Each of our excursions took just enough time that we still had enough time to explore the shops on the dock, and get back to the boat with plenty of time before we sailed off. On our last island, Jamaica, we did not plan an excursion, but we ended up riding a bus around the island.
2. Get a waterproof camera. If we didn't have ours, we wouldn't have gotten half of the pictures that we did. Mostly because our excursions all involved water, but most do.
3. Make sure you have some way of keeping time. There aren't a whole lot of clocks on the boat, and everything is very time oriented. So it is really convenient to make sure you have some way of telling time.
4. If you are a drinker, sneak on som alcohol. For. Sure. This is probably my biggest tip to give. Basically any drink that you get will end up being $10, after automatic tip and tax. And that adds up real quick. It is pretty easy to sneak stuff on when you get on the boat. Just have it in your suitcase, in a container that is not suspicious.
5. Go to the earlier dinner time. Our time was set for 8 every night, It was nice because we had plenty of time every night to shower and get ready after getting back on the boat. But that was also the time that a lot of entertainment was happening, that we missed out on. You are able to set your own time, but you have to do that on the boat, not in advance.
6. Don't overpack. I took out half the stuff I had planned to pack, and still had too much. I am always over packing but for this I packed WAY too much. There is not a lot of extra room in the rooms, but there is a lot of storage.
7. Try. All. The food. Everything. Want three starters? Order them. Don't know if you want steak or lobster? Order them both. Can't decide what dessert to get? Get em all. It is your vacation, you got it!
8. Get to the boat early. Actually get everywhere early, especially when it comes to entertainment on the boat. Theree will be lines and a lot of people, no matter where you go.
