How do you maximise your cruise experience.

How do get the most out of your cruise?

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This might sound funny, but I maximize my cruise experience by spending a lot of time before the cruise on CC/roll calls/etc researching the best excursions, places to eat, pre-cruise hotels, etc, and features of the ship of which to take advantage. The last thing I want is a feeling of "Oh, I wish I had done that" after a cruise is over. I know some people just cruise with no planning at all and enjoy the spontaneity of combining relaxation and new things to do. But I feel like if I'm going to spend a lot of money to go on a cruise, I'm going to squeeze every penny's worth out of it. One might think this dampens spontaneity- not really. There is always plenty of relaxation time planned in my cruise itinerary, one because I like to read and the other is that it's impossible to be in "go" mode all the time.

Depends on what we want out of our cruise experience. Some cruises we just want to relax, no excursions, no plans. That is what we did on our last cruise. I chose a new ship for us in a balcony room with islands we had been to multiple times so we didn't feel the need to do any excursions. Some cruises we want to explore. We did this on our last NCL Jewel cruise where the ship was a repeat but the islands were new to us. We planned excursions ahead of time to explore the new ports. Some cruises are family vacations where I mix beach days and excursions with the family. I try to get an island or two or a ship that is new to us. I always do my research whether planning excursions or the ship we are going to sail on to make sure it is something we want on our vacation.

This might sound funny, but I maximize my cruise experience by spending a lot of time before the cruise on CC/roll calls/etc researching the best excursions, places to eat, pre-cruise hotels, etc, and features of the ship of which to take advantage. The last thing I want is a feeling of "Oh, I wish I had done that" after a cruise is over. I know some people just cruise with no planning at all and enjoy the spontaneity of combining relaxation and new things to do. But I feel like if I'm going to spend a lot of money to go on a cruise, I'm going to squeeze every penny's worth out of it. One might think this dampens spontaneity- not really. There is always plenty of relaxation time planned in my cruise itinerary, one because I like to read and the other is that it's impossible to be in "go" mode all the time.

This is exactly what I do too.

We always have a plan for what we're going to do each day.

Some days our plan is to just "wing it" ... but it's still a plan! :D

LuLu

We cruise to unwind, relax, and just chill. Love to see new sites and take it moment to moment. Time to take the edge off and get ready to start planning the next cruise. :cool:

We use cruises primarily to explore potential return sites for extended land vacations or to experience first hand one-of-a-kind experiences (e.g., Vatican, Hubbard Glacier, etc.)

That said, we try to pick start/end ports that have good reasons to extend our pre/post cruise time. It makes the most of airfare while allowing more in depth exploration of two port cities. This summer, it will be Lisbon/Rome. Last year, it was Vancouver/Seattle.

Since we've done yacht charter to the Caribbean and a cruise there as well, most of that area is no longer on our radar (if we want exotic beaches plus interesting cultures, we'll head to the Pacific)

Advance planning is key - talking it up on your roll call may give you some ideas, but whatever you do, have a "Plan B" so if something falls through you won't feel lost. Also, if at all posdible take advantage of the travel involved: spend a few days pre- or post- cruise in the area; the port may be dismal, but there will always be something worth doing/seeing in the immediate area.

We usually mix it up between excursions and relaxation. We travel as an extended family so there are always varied tastes. We have cruise 18 or 19 planned in June back to the Caribbean. We haven't been there for a about 4 years. Our last two cruises were to the Med. These were very port intensive and we had VERY little time to relax. Every day was planned months in advance. This will be my Grandson's first cruise to the Caribbean as a 21 year old. He has a friend going along and they want to have NOTHING pre-planned. He's been to all the islands before and this time I have no idea what his plans are other than having late dinner with us in the MDR. This will also be the first cruise where my daughters and I will be sharing a cabin and just have the three of us to decide what we do. They have decided they want to do the spa, beach, shopping and relaxing...maybe with a trip on a boat around one of the islands. I still come here and TripAdviser to see if there is something I don't want to miss because it's harder for me not to plan ahead.

Our first dozen cruises were for seeing and exploring new places so we made sure that each cruise had at least one new port, even the ta's. We did lots of research, did sightseeing and organized excursions, making sure we experienced as much as possible.

Now our cruises are mostly relaxation times. In some ports, when we've visited there before, we stay aboard the ship. I read, watch movie, nap, journal. Hubby takes part in several shipboard activities and chats with passengers.

How one maximizes their cruise experience depends on what they want from the experience: knowledge? New experiences? Fun? Relaxation?

I consider a cruise to be a vacation...so we want some sort of relaxation built into our time!

ON a cruise, knowing something about the ports you'll visit will allow you to make the most of your time ashore, so read up on your ports!

We like to explore the islands and see wildlife. That maximizes our cruise experience.

We have been to the Rain Forests in Puerto Rico, Dominica, and Martinique.

We went to La Restinga Lagoon in Isla Margarita. We also went to a rescue zoo there and saw many species.

We went in a glass bottom boat in the Bahamas and saw great fish and sea life.

We have toured all around Aruba, Curacao, and Barbados- great memories.

So our cruises have been about exploring, as well as about enjoying the cruise ships.

Don't over plan and don't overeat!!!.....I make a plan but if it doesn't work out due to weather,not feeling well we just go with the flow....I usually have a plan b to go to but you can't see everything everywhere....

I too am a planner, definitely not a last minute traveler.

We plan stays at the before and after ports, and try as much as possible to not have round trips.

I don't take a phone, tablet, etc. I don't even take a camera unless it is someplace totally new.

I like to be open to the serendipity of travel.

Do something that's new to you. Eat something you have never tried before. The amazing thing about cruising is the variety of experiences it offers.

For us, it's about not trying to squeeze in so much on board or in port.

In fact two cruises ago, my hubby decided it was past time to take another vacation (it would be exactly five years between cruises with only a two-day trip up the coast during that time away from home). During that period, he had lost his mother after a terminal illness where he was the one who helped her put her affairs in order and he also had a workers comp stress case at his workplace going on (and a boss who continued to pile things on even then). So he said let's repeat the previous cruise but not do any excursions. There wasn't a need for flights or hotels so I only had to book a car service for the ride to the port.

As usual, I read up on the ports (even though we've been there before). We didn't plan anything on board, but that's usual for us. He brought his guitar and played it every sea day.

And while in port, we'll often change plans even while in port.

For us, the goal is to relax. And no worrying about maximizing anything.

How do get the most out of your cruise?

By pretty much doing whatever I feel like, without worrying about what I think I "should" do or what others expect me to do. If I don't want to eat in the MDR one night, I won't. If I feel like going to bed at 8:30 pm, I will. If I feel like sitting in the dark on the Lido deck in the breeze instead of going to the show that night, then that's what I'll do.

For me, cruising is all about freeing myself from expectations and just relaxing. I can't relax on land the way I can on a ship in the middle of the ocean.

Number one is to go on your trip expecting the best but willing to overlook small details that may go wrong. If something happens, take a deep breath and ask yourself "is this important enough to ruin my day/trip?". 99% of the time, the answer will be 'No'. We've survived and learned to love telling tales about overflowing toilets, missed ports, illness that caused us to miss a much-anticipated activity, a rare bad meal or server, strange table-mates - these events are so much outnumbered by the good things that it doesn't matter in the long run.

We research ports and decide if there's any 'must see/do' potential; if so, we plan it, either through the ship or independently. If not, we wait until we get on the ship or even until we arrive in port to decide what we feel like doing. Once on the ship, we check each daily newsletter for the next day and decide if there are any "must do's"; if not, we just let the day happen.

The major things we do pre-plan are transportation (with a backup plan if appropriate), all necessary documentation, and any medical necessities. The rest of it is all an adventure waiting to happen!