Cruising Dave - Cruise Blog » Tips for New Cruisers

New Cruisers Tip #10: Air Travel

Dave — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:13:46 +0000

It's best to fly in the day before you sail.

[/caption] So you want to take a cruise, but there are no cruise terminals where you live. You will have to fly to get to the ship. I’m going to give you some tips (and correct some myths) to make this hectic part [...]

New Cruisers Tip #9: Choose the Right Line

Dave — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:21:05 +0000

All cruise lines are not created equally. Some are geared toward families, others toward adults only. Some are meant for fun, while others are meant for pampering and luxury. This tip for new cruisers deals with the aspect of choosing the right cruise line. All too often, I read about people who had a lousy cruise [...]

New Cruisers Tip #8: Docking vs. Tenders

Dave — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:41:40 +0000

Because I didn’t make yesterday’s post an actual tip, I felt I should make up for it today by giving another tip for new cruisers. Today’s tip concerns the way your ship will stop at a port. There are basically two ways this can happen. You may have heard of the different methods, so I [...]

New Cruisers Tip #7: Ship Size

Dave — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:33:26 +0000

As a new cruiser, you might think all ships are about the same. That’s not the case though. Cruise ships come in many different sizes. And those different sizes correlate with different atmospheres onboard. Cruise ships can be relatively small (<50,000 gross tons) to huge (>150,000 GT). There are many in between as well. The basic [...]

New Cruisers Tip #6: Making Reservations

Dave — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:06:57 +0000

You’re on your first cruise, and you want to get the full experience. You go to make a reservation to get a massage, or for a dinner at a specialty restaurant, only to discover that all the ideal times have been taken. You’re now stuck getting a massage during your dinner time, or eating at [...]

New Cruisers Tip #5: The Life Boat Drill

Dave — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:54:17 +0000

You’re on deck sipping on your drink (or at the buffet like me) a couple hours after boarding your cruise ship for the first time, when a ship officer comes on the PA system and announces that in a little bit everyone will have to put on their life jackets and head for their “muster [...]

New Cruisers Tip #4: Cabin Selection

Dave — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:37:41 +0000

It’s time for another tip for new cruisers. This time I will be discussing cabin selection. The first thing you need to decide is what type of cabin you want. These are the basic categories. They might vary from line to line, and there will be others that probably won’t be mentioned because they are simply variations [...]

New Cruisers Tip #3: Buffets

Dave — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:41:07 +0000

(Before I start, I want to apologize for not getting the second post in yesterday as I promised. I got caught up in some other stuff and never got a chance to post.) As I mentioned in my first new cruisers tip article, there’s a lot of free (included) food on a cruise. What I [...]

New Cruisers Tip #2: Dining Requests

Dave — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:55:13 +0000

Another common misconception for new cruisers is with dining requests. I’m not sure if this applies to all cruise lines, but it does with the ones I’ve been on. When you book your cruise, you can specify if you want “early” or “late” seating. The cruise lines call these “requests.” And there is a good reason [...]

New Cruisers Tip #1: It’s All Free!

Dave — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:40:59 +0000

Being a seasoned cruiser, it’s second nature for me to know what’s free and what’s not onboard a cruise. However, when I have discussions with people who have never cruised before, I realize that it’s not so obvious to the first-time cruisers. When I mention “everything” is free on a cruise, one of the most [...]