Categories: First Time Tips

Tips for First Timers

Timezones – Remember to set your watch to “ship time,” as your cruise progresses, you can easily gain or lose an hour without noticing!

Ear Plugs – If you are a light sleeper then these might be helpful both on the flight and the cruise ship. They allow you to sleep through all the noise that happens in the corridors and from the neighbouring cabins.

Dining – Many people worry about assigned seating but if you have assigned seating in the dining rooms, then the people you sit with are likely to be scarily similar to you. The Maître D intentionally seats similar people with each other – so you will get couples with couples, singles with singles, seniors with seniors. It’s a great chance to meet new people and make friends

Don’t be Late – This has to be the most important rule – the ship won’t wait for you! Each cruise line has a port agent that can help if you do miss the ship, but you really want to avoid this! Most people fly to the next port to meet the ship there, but you will have to cough up the money to do this!

Be friendly – Not just with your fellow cruise lovers, but also with the crew members. They are likely to hear the same questions over and over, so try and ask them something different. Find out what it is they like about life at sea, or what they miss from life on dry land?

Martin Bowe

Martin has worked in the travel industry for the past 12 years, starting as a tour operator selling luxury 5* holidays and becoming a cruise specialist for Cruise 1st in 2008.