As someone who finished their second cruise this past summer, I feel qualified enough to give you my advice on how to have the perfect cruise. Heed my advice, you won’t regret it. Let’s get into it!
When they say cruising 101 is flying to port at least one day before your cruise leaves, they are not lying. Listen to them! I went on my first cruise last summer, and I quickly learned first-hand why this is a general rule. My flight was at 8 p.m. and was supposed to arrive at midnight. Then, I was planning on going to Magic Kingdom for the day, with my cruise leaving the day after. We get ready to take off, and that’s when they realize that there is a mechanical issue with the plane. After failing to fix the issue where we were, we had to go back to the gate and wait there for another two hours. Then, we had to deplane and board a completely different plane, a process that took another hour. The possibility of the flight being canceled altogether was mentioned, but thankfully that did not happen. Our plane, which was supposed to arrive in Orlando at midnight, took off from Boston at midnight, leaving us to arrive in Orlando at 3 a.m. All is well, right? Even if our cruise was on this day, we wouldn’t have missed it! Well, think again. We waited until all the baggage was unloaded on the baggage claim, until essentially everyone left, and our suitcases were still nowhere in sight. We go to the help desk, and what do we find out? Our bags were in Detroit. Somehow, when switching between the planes, all of our suitcases were forgotten, and the fastest way to get the bags from Boston to Orlando was to send them from Boston to Detroit, and then from Detroit to Orlando. If our cruise had been on that day, we would’ve had to either miss it to pick up our bags from the airport, or go to Walmart and purchase everything last-minute for the almost week-long cruise. That’s what I ended up having to do for Disney (I was literally in sweatpants and it was like 100 degrees), but one day vs one week, I know which one I’d pick. My dad picked up the bags, and we were all set for the cruise. So if this story teaches you anything, it should be to please, fly in the day before.
If you’re planning on going on a cruise to the Caribbean, listen up! Wear. Your. Sunscreen. That sun is like no other. As someone who tans easily and spent five days in Florida before my cruise this year, I did not tan that much. As someone who also tried to spend as much time as possible outside in New England, such as going to the beach, I did not tan that much. One day in The Bahamas? Boom. Tan. That was also while wearing sunscreen. Areas like my shoulders and back got a little more than just tan. Trust me, you will have no problem getting some color if that’s what you desire, and it is not worth potential sun poisoning and ruining the rest of your vacation by being in agony.
When it comes to itineraries, there is no shortage of things to do while on a cruise. If you want to make the most out of the week that you have and do everything you want to do, I would suggest planning before your cruise even starts. Now, I’m the planner type, so I usually go pretty hardcore when compiling what I want to do. You don’t need to go super hardcore, but at least sit down the first day and note down what you want to do across the week. This will keep it in the back of your mind, and you won’t look back, realizing that you missed it and regret it. Obviously, the point of a vacation is to relax, but you also want to be prepared. A little planning can go a long way.
My final tip is to keep an eye out for the themed nights! Don’t forget your formal wear, or your all-white outfits! I’ve been on the same cruise line twice, so I’m not sure if the themes are universal across all cruise lines, but make sure you’re aware of the themed nights specific to your cruise so you don’t miss out!
I hope this helps, whether you’re going on your first cruise ever or just preparing for another cruise in the future. Have fun, make memories, and wear your sunscreen! :)
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