If you have never cruised before, you may have some questions. If you've cruised before, I'd love for you to share your experience in the comments. A helpful site is Cruise Critic. Here are some of the things to think about when cruising:
I had finished writing this post and asked Les the #1 priority when choosing a cruise. His reply, "Your travel companion!" Oops! I didn't mean to leave that off my list, but I kinda thought it was a no brainer. He's always my #1 choice.
#1 - Where Will You Go?
This is our number one priority when choosing a cruise. It may be the newest ship in the fleet, but if it's going to be cruising the Hawaiian islands, Les and I will probably pass! Three of the ports on this cruise were places we had been before (Civitavecchia, Sicily and Naples.) We decided we wanted to go to Greece, with bonus days in Rome, so we were willing to revisit Sicily and Naples. Our Sicily experiences couldn't have been more different - Ancient Tindari in 2011 and Mountain Biking Mount Etna in 2016. Repeat ports are not necessarily a bad thing!
#2 - Work With a Travel Agent
I cannot stress enough how much our travel agent helped us! We did not pay her a single penny - her income comes from the cruise lines. If you're looking for a travel agent you don't need to live in Simi Valley - Paula is licensed to work with customers in the entire state of California. I did not see her face to face until the week of our trip - we did everything by phone and email. Check out Paula's Travel HERE.
#3 - Book Early, Really Early
We booked our cruise 12 months in advance. We paid about a 10% deposit at the time of booking then watched in amazement as our price dropped, dropped, and dropped. Almost $1400! We would not have known this or known how to take advantage of these prices without the help of Paula.
#4 - Does the Cruise Line Matter?
We have cruise a grand total of three times, so we are not experts at all! We cruised Carnival in 2008 (pre-blogging days) and again in 2011. This time we cruised Royal Caribbean. There were definitely some differences that I'll get into, but they did not spoil our trip, nor did they make us like Carnival any less. We've all read horror stories about problems on cruise lines, but I think they can happen on any cruise line. Just like things can go wrong with airlines and hotels chains, it's what happens when things go wrong that can make or break a company.
#5 - Your Cabin Location Does Matter!
In 2011, our room was directly above the casino and our balcony overlooked a Jacuzzi. It was noisy day and night! I explained that to Paula and we looked at the deck plans to choose our room. Paula did a great job getting us a quiet room.
#6 - How Do You Deal with All the People?
Surprisingly, it never seems like there are a lot of people on the cruise ship once you set sail. The first day can be a little busy with everyone getting on board. The cabins usually aren't available until after 1:00, so everyone heads to the cafeteria. It can take a little work to find a table at breakfast or lunch, but it's really not bad. I was surprised the first time we cruised!
#7 - How Much Should I Pack?
Les and I are pros at packing due to our frequent travels. We have medium size suitcases that even when packed as full as we can get them, they are never over the allowed weight of 50 pounds. They usually come in around 35-40 pounds. We both wore everything we packed at least twice. And I can't stress enough the importance of comfortable shoes!
#8 - Can I Do My Own Laundry?
This, of course, can make a huge difference in your packing! There were laundry rooms available on the Carnival Magic, but none on Jewel of the Seas. Fortunately, I knew this in advance. Royal Caribbean does have laundry service, which can get very pricey. On cruises over seven nights, they have "Wash and Fold Laundry" available. Basically you put as much as you can in a single laundry bag and it gets washed and folded for $30. There are restrictions on what can go in the bag - basically underwear, t-shirts and pajamas. So what did we do? We hand washed a couple of things just about every evening and let them dry on our balcony. I definitely prefer Carnival's laundry rooms, but we made it work. A blow dryer works if you need something dry in a hurry, we know from experience!
#9 - How Can I Get Rid of Wrinkles?
Sorry, I have no magic face cream for you! But if you're trying to get rid of travel wrinkles in your clothes I have found the secret - Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus. This stuff really works! There are no irons available on Royal's ships (there were ironing rooms on Carnival) so I needed to figure something out. I was really impressed with how well this worked. Most of my clothes were slightly wrinkled from being in my suitcase. I lightly sprayed them, pulled on the wrinkles with my hands, then hung the clothes up. That's all it took! Les even packed a shirt that made it to his closet straight from the dryer - it had major wrinkles. I sprayed it, then used one of the hangers from our room to "press" out the wrinkles and it looked fine. If you are a frequent traveler, get yourself a bottle of this. I only found a 33 ounce bottle, but it can easily be poured into a small spray bottle.
#10 - Do I Need Formal Clothes?
This is really up to you. Les and I have plenty of opportunities to dress up at home, so we really don't like to use suitcase space for fancy clothes. For dinner wear, I took two skirts and a few nice tops to mix and match, while Les took a few nice shirts and a couple pairs of slacks. He didn't pack a tie or sport coat. There were two nights on our cruised that were "Formal" dress for dinner. We did not feel under-dressed at all. Yes, there were people in very fancy clothes (tuxedos and gowns) but there were just as many who were not dressed up.
#11 - Should I Pay for International Roaming on My Cell Phone?
In 2011 we turned our phones off before we landed in Barcelona and left them off the entire time. We loved being unplugged and never felt like we needed them. This time we did a lot more exploring on our own and could have used our maps. I had my phone with me in Athens - the restaurant had free Wi-Fi, so I was able to use it there. But paying for a roaming package is something we will do next time.
#12 - When Should I Book Shore Excursions?
We did our research and booked all excursions in advance. It makes planning and packing easier. We didn't book excursions for every day and some were just transfers then we spent the day on our own. I think we've gotten more comfortable exploring foreign cities by ourselves and will probably book even fewer excursions in the future. If your port is close to the city center then you really don't need to book a tour unless there is something you really want to see with a tour guide. A woman on our shuttle back to Rome told us she used Cruise Critic to book a private tour guide for her group and the guide was fantastic. So options are available, just do the work in advance. Don't arrive in a port without some prior knowledge and at least a little bit of a plan. Half day tours are great because you can spend some time on your own as well.
#13 - Do I Need to Buy A Drink Package?
Les and I don't drink any alcohol so those drink packages didn't matter to us. There are unlimited soda packages, but we have never bought them either. Coffee, juice, tea, and water are always included so you won't go thirsty. If you need your Diet Coke or fancy coffee, it might be better to just buy them when you want them. I think you have to drink a lot to make the package worthwhile.
#14 - How is the Food?
There were some differences in food on the two different cruise lines. Breakfast was about the same on both ships - a variety of buffet stations. Lunch was also a buffet, but Carnival had a better variety. There was a significant difference on the dinners. On the formal night on Carnival, steak and lobster was one of the menu options. If you wanted steak and lobster on Royal it was available for an additional charge. Overall, I think our dinners were better on Royal, it probably helped that we had a table for two so our service seemed better. Our head waiter, Marvin, was really good. He also had a helper who brought our drinks. After the first night, he knew we wouldn't want any alcohol, so he brought us tea right away.
#15 - Will I Get Seasick?
I have only gotten seasick one time on our three cruises. This was a day at sea in 2011. I don't really blame it on the sea. I have gotten carsick in the past and it's usually if I'm reading and the road is winding. The one time I got seasick, I was reading on our balcony and the sea was a little rough. On our second day at sea, I started to feel a little sick while I was reading, I quickly put my Kindle down and did not get sick. Dramamine is all I've ever needed.
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| Les can read and sail without getting seasick! |
#16 - What About Tipping?
The standard way to take care of tips is to have it added in your bill upfront. It is a daily amount so you don't have to worry about tipping your room attendant or your server at dinner or anyone else who provides assistance. This does not include your guides on excursions, it is customary to tip them. Cruise Critic has a helpful article about that here.
#17 - What is the Deal with Recommended Shopping?
I don't remember hearing this as much on Carnival, but Royal Caribbean really pushed their approved stores. Every night in our Cruise Compass a map was included of the next day's port. Shops and restaurants were named as recommended shopping. We never bought anything from any of the shops listed! I have since learned that cruise lines rake in a profit every time you buy something on shore at their recommended stores.
#18 - Why the Shopping Stops on Excursions?
We have noticed that almost every shore excursion includes a stop in some kind of shop. A cameo maker, a leather shop, or a pearl factory. We always feel like these are a waste of our vacation time and not what we paid for! Again, we've never bought anything at any of these places. Just like the recommended shopping, most sightseeing excursions include extended stops at souvenir shops chosen primarily for the size of the kickback they provide to the tour operator and cruise line. Another reason to not book a full day excursion, but head out on your own when you can.
Have you ever cruised? Share your stories in the comments!
If you haven't cruised, have I scared you away or are you thinking about taking one now?
2 comments:
Love this.
I'm still awaiting my first cruise but I've read extensively about them (due to previous trips not panning out!!!!!!!!).
I like how you guys were able to save so much money with the help of the travel agent!
In regards to the shore excursions provided by the cruise, I've read that those can also be marked up quite a bit but I get that it's also most likely the safer option.
How did you stay active while enjoying the meals on board? I read that Bro. Les did the spin classes. Did you run on the track?
I hope you can take a cruise someday. They really are a lot of fun. And I had no idea our travel agent could save us so much money, without charging us a penny! We will definitely use her again. She wasn't pushy but was very helpful.
Great questions!
1. Yes, I'm sure we paid more for excursions provided by the cruise. We just didn't do enough research in advance. Next time! Although, we had trip insurance and that would cover anything we booked through the cruise line, so there is that feeling of safety. If something happens to your bus, the ship is not going to leave without you. If you're on your own and something goes wrong, you're on you own and the ship sails on!
2. I didn't do any running, but we walked over 40 miles during our trip, plus the 5 mile bike ride. I took my running watch and wore it whenever we were off the ship. We also did a lot of walking on the ship and only took the elevator once. Our room was on deck 8, the cafeteria was on deck 11, the main dining room was on deck 5, and the gangway was on deck 2 - so lots of stair climbing! Also, the portions are not huge like in American restaurants, so while we enjoyed the food we didn't pig out! I think the food in Rome was just so much fresher - I never felt overfed and bloated after a meal of pasta or pizza.
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