Your First Cruise - What You Need To Know
Just a few things that might educate the novice cruiser.
1.
Size of ship 2.
Itinerary 3.
Hidden Costs I would always say to anyone thinking of booking their first cruise to do it, because you can always say that it isn't for you after you've tried! - I think cruising gets a bad press, mainly from those people who haven't even given it a chance.
I'm going to have to assume that you started like me and saw a deal that you couldn't refuse with one of the big cruise companies offering a week or so on one of their huge monster ships.
You're in the UK or Europe.
A general rule that I've found is, that the bigger a ship, the more facilities it has, but the noisier it is.
A big ship full of energetic children will be a noisy environment for most of us looking for a quiet break.
It will not be so intimate and you may be less likely to make new friends.
However, if you want to play golf, endlessly watch movies and play trivial games then it may be a better solution for you.
When I'd tried a few cruise companies with different sizes of ship, I quickly moved to the smaller ships, with fewer facilities.
The next thing is that if it's the itinerary you go for, i.
e.
where you go that is important, the big cruise companies tend to do long trips that take you usually around the Mediterranean or around the Caribbean.
Twice a year, they swap over and do the opposite itinerary.
Other cruise companies have specific areas of the world they tend to stick to.
There is usually no cash on the ship.
You will have your credit card scanned on boarding, so anything you buy or owe the cruise company will be debited from your account at the end of your cruise.
You will sometimes have to give up your passport as well.
Any purchases on board are usually in US dollars.
Service charges of around 15% sometimes apply to all drink purchases, which will really rack up the cost of your cruise, so it is sometimes better to get an all-inclusive drinks package, which tend to be very expensive.
As well as service charges, there will be a daily charge for cabin staff to clean your cabin.
These charges can be around $10 per person per day, so a fourteen day cruise would now cost you $280 more! This charge is usually unavoidable, but you can try to contest it if you want, but will have to fill in various forms saying why you think you shouldn't pay.
A cabin with a balcony isn't all that great unless you are going to spend a lot of time there.
There are lots of places on board to relax outside, especially if you look for them! Oh and if you think you will feel yourself swaying about, it just doesn't happen, unless it's particularly stormy or you are going through the 'Bay of Biscay'.
- Enjoy!
1.
Size of ship 2.
Itinerary 3.
Hidden Costs I would always say to anyone thinking of booking their first cruise to do it, because you can always say that it isn't for you after you've tried! - I think cruising gets a bad press, mainly from those people who haven't even given it a chance.
I'm going to have to assume that you started like me and saw a deal that you couldn't refuse with one of the big cruise companies offering a week or so on one of their huge monster ships.
You're in the UK or Europe.
A general rule that I've found is, that the bigger a ship, the more facilities it has, but the noisier it is.
A big ship full of energetic children will be a noisy environment for most of us looking for a quiet break.
It will not be so intimate and you may be less likely to make new friends.
However, if you want to play golf, endlessly watch movies and play trivial games then it may be a better solution for you.
When I'd tried a few cruise companies with different sizes of ship, I quickly moved to the smaller ships, with fewer facilities.
The next thing is that if it's the itinerary you go for, i.
e.
where you go that is important, the big cruise companies tend to do long trips that take you usually around the Mediterranean or around the Caribbean.
Twice a year, they swap over and do the opposite itinerary.
Other cruise companies have specific areas of the world they tend to stick to.
There is usually no cash on the ship.
You will have your credit card scanned on boarding, so anything you buy or owe the cruise company will be debited from your account at the end of your cruise.
You will sometimes have to give up your passport as well.
Any purchases on board are usually in US dollars.
Service charges of around 15% sometimes apply to all drink purchases, which will really rack up the cost of your cruise, so it is sometimes better to get an all-inclusive drinks package, which tend to be very expensive.
As well as service charges, there will be a daily charge for cabin staff to clean your cabin.
These charges can be around $10 per person per day, so a fourteen day cruise would now cost you $280 more! This charge is usually unavoidable, but you can try to contest it if you want, but will have to fill in various forms saying why you think you shouldn't pay.
A cabin with a balcony isn't all that great unless you are going to spend a lot of time there.
There are lots of places on board to relax outside, especially if you look for them! Oh and if you think you will feel yourself swaying about, it just doesn't happen, unless it's particularly stormy or you are going through the 'Bay of Biscay'.
- Enjoy!
