First-Time Cruise: 6 Stress-Free Options

Table Of Content

• Ports of Call Aren’t Always Disneyland
• Food tours are a great way to see a city, taste local dishes, and learn some history.
• First Time Cruises for Couples
• Convenient Port Canaveral “Park & Cruise” Hotels
• Consider booking tours through third-party sites.
• Cunard Line To Experience Victorian Cruising
• Norwegian Cruise Line: Best First Cruise For Solo Travelers

Food throughout the ship is high quality, influenced by James Beard Foundation-affiliated chefs and served by expert waitstaff. Weeklong cruises to Alaska or the Mexican Riviera are as romantic as you want to make them. But tops on my list of romantic Celebrity cruises would be a 10- or 11-night sailing that includes the Greek Islands.

Ports of Call Aren’t Always Disneyland

This is a social ship with an outgoing crew and like-minded passengers looking to have a good time. Theme park-style features like the SkyRide, waterslides, and rope courses add to its appeal. Many travelers enjoy, for example, taking repositioning cruises. These happen typically as the seasons change and cruise lines move their ships from one region to another (between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, for example).

Food tours are a great way to see a city, taste local dishes, and learn some history.

You’re likely to have the most fun on a cruise that you’re excited about rather than a trip you have to talk yourself into booking. When it comes to atmosphere, we understand that what’s perfect for one person may not be ideal for another. With that in mind, we think that Carnival’s “Fun Ship” atmosphere has broad appeal. Life aboard the ships is casual and laid back with a festive feel.

After 17 Royal Caribbean cruises, my family and I tried MSC Cruises for the first time and here's what we liked and didn ... - Royal Caribbean Blog

After 17 Royal Caribbean cruises, my family and I tried MSC Cruises for the first time and here's what we liked and didn ....

Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

First Time Cruises for Couples

It’s an easy way to save $100 or more if you plan to stay the night before anyway. Instead, your cruise keycard and a photo ID (like a license) are asked for. Having a copy of your passport or birth certificate are simply nice to have in case you need it. They will provide something to show any officials in a pinch, and you can keep your real documents safe on the ship. For most people, the first stop is to the cabin to drop off their bags and get settled in. This is a chance to find where your room is on the ship and get acquainted with where you’ll be living during your cruise.

Meanwhile, as the largest cruise line in North America, Carnival also offers a continuous schedule of departures to meet any schedule. A quick search on Orbitz shows nearly 1,650 departures in 2019 alone — or nearly five sailings per day on average. For comparison, Norwegian Cruise Lines shows about 450 departures in 2019, or less than one third that amount. On the flipside, older, smaller ships usually don’t have all the bells and whistles but have a slower pace and are usually cheaper to sail for your vacation. As well, you often find that these ships sail on shorter cruises.

Cruise ships arrive back in port early in the morning, but it can be several hours before everyone is off the ship. As well, you then have to get to the airport, get through security, and find your gate. A departure time of noon or later gives you plenty of time so you don’t have to stress if there is a delay getting to the airport.

The line has a broad range of itineraries that make it easy for solos to explore the globe. Additional costs include staff gratuities, port fees and taxes, and transportation to and from the port. Beyond that, you can spend a lot or a little on extra-fee restaurants, soda and alcohol, shore excursions, spa treatments and souvenirs. The ships fall just short of true luxury, offering comfortable cabins, multiple food options included in your fare and exciting itineraries you may not find on other lines. As well, many cruise lines make every adult in the cabin buy the package if one adult does. This is likely to limit “sharing” of packages (which is against the rules).

While the problem isn’t as big on newer ships where more outlets are included, many older ships have only one or two spots to plug anything in. So if you want to charge your phone and use a hair straightener, then it’s one or the other. Activities are planned throughout the evening, including the sailaway party that’s held on the pool deck. The ship’s casino will open up once the ship is far enough offshore, and of course, bars will have the drinks flowing.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Best First Cruise For Solo Travelers

If you do have issues, be sure to see Guest Services before you leave. Every cruise line does things a little differently, so no two lines are exactly the same. But in general, we find that the experience is largely the same when it comes to the mass-market lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and the like. Passports can allow for faster re-entry into the U.S. but are also helpful in the event that you need to head home in the middle of the cruise. You’ll have to jump through bureaucratic hurdles if you need to fly home from a foreign country without a passport.

They might go to the same sites but in a small van instead of a big motorcoach. You might have just six or eight other people on a tour with you instead of nearly 40. If your group is big enough, you might even be able to book a private tour with an independent tour operator. I am, of course, too cool to ever put a key card lanyard around my neck, which means I lose my card once or twice on every trip. My cruise team colleague Ashley Kosciolek also escews landyard-wearing on ships, but that didn't stop her from writing this wonderful guide to the coolest cruise lanyards around.

The most popular entertainment might be the evening theater shows. Other nights it can be a live game show (spin-offs of “The Newlywed Game” are especially common). But there will be some big event in the theater almost every night. While we will get into all the details of your first cruise below, let’s start with a general overview. The specifics might vary from line to line, but the general aspects of your trip will be similar.

Any time you buy a drink, or a meal, or get a spa service — any sort of service that’s delivered by a staff member — you can expect an extra charge on top of the menu price. You’ll spend a lot of time walking on the pool deck of your ship where everything from kids splashing to passing rain showers can make the walk slippery. The last thing you want to do is hurt yourself on your vacation.