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Our Checklist for Enjoying Any Cruise


pstoker
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I’m relatively new to posting in Cruise Critic, but I am an experienced cruiser. I have traveled mostly with Holland America Line (still my favorite) National Geographic/Linblad, and Grand Circle. I have never been on a cruise where I was universally miserable the entire time nor have I gone on a cruise expecting perfection. I think many who cruise for the first time have an inordinately high expectation of what will happen on the cruise. So, I've decided to share what I have found to be helpful when cruising.

 

 

1)[Prepare your logistics ahead of time].

 

 

My wife and I have discovered that flying the same day your cruise departs is quite a gamble. We have been fortunate not to miss a departure, but we have come close.One time we were processing in as the lifeboat drill was taking place. I strongly recommend planning your vacation, so you arrive in your departure ports day or two before your cruise departs. This allows you to have contingencies in case and airport suffers a power outage, planes go down for maintenance issues,or whatever other unforeseen circumstances occur. Have a solid backup plan.

 

 

2)[Don’t forget those things you cannot function without].

 

 

I love checklists, but my wife and I have an empty suitcase we keep in our closet. The week before our trip we start dropping things we don’t want to forget in the suitcase before we begin packing. This works for us, and may notwork for you but you should have a place to put items you cannot forget to pack so it will trip your memory when packing time comes.

 

 

3)[Learn about the place you are traveling to before you go].

 

Use the internet, library, or people who have been there before to getan understanding of culture, amenities, and things to avoid when you are at a certain location. I recommend learning the polite words in the host language before you travel. You don’t need to be fluent but words and phrases likeplease, thank you, excuse me, and where is the toilet are immensely helpful. Donot assume that everyone should understand English just because they are a tourist port.

 

4)[Prepare for lack of activity].

 

 

Sea days can belong days. Not every ship is packed with activities. My wife and I are avid readers and load our devices up with plenty of electronic books before we travel. Remember travel games (for kids) and favorite DVDs (many cruise ships have DVD players in room). If your traveling with children, plan activities on sea days. You can arrange a ship spotting contest with your kids or identify constellations games (I know its crazy, activities that are fun and educational). Many shipshave charity walks on deck on sea days or other activities but don’t rely on the ship to fill your day.

 

 

5)[Exercise].

 

 

I know we defer healthy eating habits,diets, and New Years resolution when we travel but we also do this for so many other things in life. If you are able, avoid using elevators (they won’t work in emergencies so train yourself now). Plan walking events, uses stairs, have a small workout routine in the morning (plan for a minimum of equipment).

 

 

6)[Eating].

 

 

I recommend the dining room experience.The portions are gourmet rather than American so you not getting the sheer amount of food your used to but you’re probably getting the right portion size.Lido dinning is OK occasionally, but it is very easy to lose self-control and over eat. If nothing else, go to the Lido once and observe how people eat and act. That by itself can be enough to deter you from eating there.

 

 

7)[Adapters and chargers].

 

 

Some cruises are about power strips but bring 220/110 adapters for your laptops. Most laptops today are built for dual voltage. Since most cruise ships are built in Europe, they tendto have very limited 110 options in public spaces. Our last cruise the room only had one 110 outlet and there were no 110 outlets in public spaces. Don’t forget camera battery chargers, USB and data transfer cables. Options to get these on ships or in ports are surprisingly limited.

 

 

8)[Read your programs].

 

 

You get a program in your room every night. Read through it, don’t just toss it to the side. Time zone changes, meeting places, tender schedules, and entertainment are included in the programs. I’m amazed at how clueless some people appear because they didn’t take the time to read what was provided.

 

 

9)[be on time].

 

 

If your tender is supposed to leave at 8am be at the meeting place at 7:45am. Don’t be “that guy or gal.” Others want to enjoy their vacation in a timely manner. Being late is rude, especially if it is within your power to be on time.

 

 

10)[be civil].

 

 

You are on a cruise, for some people just to take a small cruise is a bucket list item. For the duration of your cruise your only real function is to relax and enjoy yourself. If you cannot manage to smile and be nice, stay in your room so that others don’t have to share in your misery. Remember you are on a ship where your politics, religion,or worldview are largely irrelevant. If someone butts in line in front of you,let it go, Karma will take care of them in the long run. You acting defensive or aggressive will only make you and other miserable and will most likely get you labeled as “that guy or gal.”

 

This if far from an all-inclusive list but it may help new people think and prepare for an experience that should beenjoyable. I hope you find this useful.

Edited by Host Walt
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Excellent list that really covers the waterfront...especially your last point [Be civil].

 

Enjoy the opportunity to meet many of your fellow passengers and learn about their hometown and their motivation(s) for taking the cruise.

 

On our very first cruise about 30 years ago we were seated at a 6-top with a farmer and his wife from the mid-west whose kids chipped in to buy them an Alaskan cruise for their anniversary, the ship chaplain and a guy whose objective was to sail on as many cruises as he could. We found ourselves being among the last tables to leave because we were so deep in our conversations.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a great post, especially the last bit of advice about civility. I see a wide variety of posts about never booking anything below a suite or that a guest didn't get the service they expected with many that mention small details they feel ruined their experience. We have met people on every cruise that were incredible, some were passengers and some were members of the crew. We certainly can't afford a suite and after more than a dozen cruises, we still have that feeling of excitement when we board the ship.We have to save and we consider it quite a luxury to be able to go on a cruise and we have no problem showing respect for the hard work of the crew. We took an aunt, who LOVED cruising, in between her radiation and chemo treatments. We didn't tell anyone how much this cruise meant to her. She raved every night about the way the crew pampered her, the food, the entertainment and her joy and the peace she found just looking out at the ocean. You never know who you are pushing in front of, or shoving out of the way. You never know how hard it was for them to get to go on this cruise. Please be mindful of how many stories you don't know about the thousands of people on the ship with you and be appreciative for the experience.

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Great tips. I especially like the one in your intro...don’t go on a cruise expecting perfection. That is true for anything in life and so many people forget that or never learn that so they are miserable. Nothing ever measures up to high expectations because none of us are perfect.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I apologize for the words that are crammed together. I pasted my post in from MS Word and apparently Word doesn’t play nice with HTML

I did a little re-formatting to make your list a bit easier to read.

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I sure wish more people would use the "be civil" frame of mind. I'm in customer service in the repair/maint section of a automotive dealership. I admit if someone starts off nasty and/or rude, my desire to actually resolve the concern actually drops right off the scale. Sure, let them vent, get to the root of the concern and help find a resolution. A little politeness will go a loooooong way.

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I’m relatively new to posting in Cruise Critic, but I am an experienced cruiser. I have traveled mostly with Holland America Line (still my favorite) National Geographic/Linblad, and Grand Circle. I have never been on a cruise where I was universally miserable the entire time nor have I gone on a cruise expecting perfection. I think many who cruise for the first time have an inordinately high expectation of what will happen on the cruise. So, I've decided to share what I have found to be helpful when cruising.

 

 

1)[Prepare your logistics ahead of time].

 

 

My wife and I have discovered that flying the same day your cruise departs is quite a gamble. We have been fortunate not to miss a departure, but we have come close.One time we were processing in as the lifeboat drill was taking place. I strongly recommend planning your vacation, so you arrive in your departure ports day or two before your cruise departs. This allows you to have contingencies in case and airport suffers a power outage, planes go down for maintenance issues,or whatever other unforeseen circumstances occur. Have a solid backup plan.

 

 

2)[Don’t forget those things you cannot function without].

 

 

I love checklists, but my wife and I have an empty suitcase we keep in our closet. The week before our trip we start dropping things we don’t want to forget in the suitcase before we begin packing. This works for us, and may notwork for you but you should have a place to put items you cannot forget to pack so it will trip your memory when packing time comes.

 

 

3)[Learn about the place you are traveling to before you go].

 

Use the internet, library, or people who have been there before to getan understanding of culture, amenities, and things to avoid when you are at a certain location. I recommend learning the polite words in the host language before you travel. You don’t need to be fluent but words and phrases likeplease, thank you, excuse me, and where is the toilet are immensely helpful. Donot assume that everyone should understand English just because they are a tourist port.

 

4)[Prepare for lack of activity].

 

 

Sea days can belong days. Not every ship is packed with activities. My wife and I are avid readers and load our devices up with plenty of electronic books before we travel. Remember travel games (for kids) and favorite DVDs (many cruise ships have DVD players in room). If your traveling with children, plan activities on sea days. You can arrange a ship spotting contest with your kids or identify constellations games (I know its crazy, activities that are fun and educational). Many shipshave charity walks on deck on sea days or other activities but don’t rely on the ship to fill your day.

 

 

5)[Exercise].

 

 

I know we defer healthy eating habits,diets, and New Years resolution when we travel but we also do this for so many other things in life. If you are able, avoid using elevators (they won’t work in emergencies so train yourself now). Plan walking events, uses stairs, have a small workout routine in the morning (plan for a minimum of equipment).

 

 

6)[Eating].

 

 

I recommend the dining room experience.The portions are gourmet rather than American so you not getting the sheer amount of food your used to but you’re probably getting the right portion size.Lido dinning is OK occasionally, but it is very easy to lose self-control and over eat. If nothing else, go to the Lido once and observe how people eat and act. That by itself can be enough to deter you from eating there.

 

 

7)[Adapters and chargers].

 

 

Some cruises are about power strips but bring 220/110 adapters for your laptops. Most laptops today are built for dual voltage. Since most cruise ships are built in Europe, they tendto have very limited 110 options in public spaces. Our last cruise the room only had one 110 outlet and there were no 110 outlets in public spaces. Don’t forget camera battery chargers, USB and data transfer cables. Options to get these on ships or in ports are surprisingly limited.

 

 

8)[Read your programs].

 

 

You get a program in your room every night. Read through it, don’t just toss it to the side. Time zone changes, meeting places, tender schedules, and entertainment are included in the programs. I’m amazed at how clueless some people appear because they didn’t take the time to read what was provided.

 

 

9)[be on time].

 

 

If your tender is supposed to leave at 8am be at the meeting place at 7:45am. Don’t be “that guy or gal.” Others want to enjoy their vacation in a timely manner. Being late is rude, especially if it is within your power to be on time.

 

 

10)[be civil].

 

 

You are on a cruise, for some people just to take a small cruise is a bucket list item. For the duration of your cruise your only real function is to relax and enjoy yourself. If you cannot manage to smile and be nice, stay in your room so that others don’t have to share in your misery. Remember you are on a ship where your politics, religion,or worldview are largely irrelevant. If someone butts in line in front of you,let it go, Karma will take care of them in the long run. You acting defensive or aggressive will only make you and other miserable and will most likely get you labeled as “that guy or gal.”

 

This if far from an all-inclusive list but it may help new people think and prepare for an experience that should beenjoyable. I hope you find this useful.

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much very helpful infomation

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  • 4 weeks later...
Excellent list that really covers the waterfront...especially your last point [Be civil].

 

Enjoy the opportunity to meet many of your fellow passengers and learn about their hometown and their motivation(s) for taking the cruise.

 

On our very first cruise about 30 years ago we were seated at a 6-top with a farmer and his wife from the mid-west whose kids chipped in to buy them an Alaskan cruise for their anniversary, the ship chaplain and a guy whose objective was to sail on as many cruises as he could. We found ourselves being among the last tables to leave because we were so deep in our conversations.

 

Sounds like wonderful dinner companions!

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I love this post so very much, thank you. Your post would be great for "Old Cruisers", too. I'm going to try to link this to Holland America's Thread because my philosophy is the more you know before, the more you can prepare! Oh yes, you already said that!

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Thanks for your list. I travel light, so I'm always posting this for new cruisers: Remember it's a cruise and not a permanent relocation. It is a 7 day (or whatever) vacation, and you don't need a UHaul truck to bring all your luggage to the pier. Limit shoes, learn to mix and match outfits, and use the laundry service (not the laundry room yourself) for briefs, tees, sox if needed.

 

Keep track of what you didn't wear or use, and don't bring it on your 2nd cruise. Repeat as necessary for subsequent sailings. Enjoy!

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