10 Cruise Mistakes We Will Never Make Again
Vložit
- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- Want more? Our intro to cruising master class is here! Https://cruisetipstv.thinkific.com/co...
Visit our wonderful sponsor here: cruiseline.com?
Hey Cruisers, In this video we are going to look at some of the lessons we've learned over the many years of cruising. We like to think these are 10 cruise mistakes we will never make again.
Shopping the following affiliate links helps us out, and you don’t pay a penny more.
USA
www.amazon.com/?tag=cru0f-20
Canada
www.amazon.ca/?tag=cru0f0e-20
UK
www.amazon.co.uk/?tag=cru0f02-21
You can also browse our shop, filled with our fave cruise related amazon products:
Www.amazon.com/shop/CruiseTipsTV
Our preferred cruise travel insurance providers:
Allianz:
www.kqzyfj.com/click-8522770-1...
Travel Guard:
www.kqzyfj.com/click-8522770-1...
Steals of the Day on Luggage and Travel Gear:
ebags.evyy.net/c/1138683/2142...
Another awesome video! I related so much to these tips! Your elevator experience is the exact reason why I avoid a room near the elevators. I kinda have a fear of elevators and rooming next to one creeps me out! Your experience is the reason why!! Lol.
Scott Singer Cruises I
I was near an elevator, but two or three cabins down. Had no issues except for kids screaming down the hallway. But the kids scream all the way down the hallway. I think a couple of cabins away from the hallway is ideal, especially mid-ship above the promenade deck and not right below the lido deck.
Glenn Quagmire so funny thanks for making a funny comment
I'd like to add: Don't book a room next to the kids area. Our last cruise (Mexican Riviera), our cabin was literally right next to Camp Carnival. Our cabin was mostly soundproof , but everytime we opened our door, we were bombarded by kids running either to or from the kids area. And we did hear a little in our cabin. Never again. Actually, I think they changed the room cuz I woulda noticed if I had picked a room there!
If you're next to elevator that means you book an "inside cabin" Inside cabins are cheaper but I would avoid them at all costs...
Don’t over pack!! Dragging your luggage through airports, on and off ships, or through customs is bad enough...but dragging it back home with clothes you never wore is the worst!!!...set out your clothes before packing, and then put half back in the closet, and you will be fine...most ships these days don’t have the dress codes of old, and, trust me when I tell you that the 500 strangers you pass on the ship today don’t know you already wore those shorts!..especially in tropical climates...everything gets wrinkled anyway!...just relax and enjoy!
1.Comfy shoes 2. Medicine for whatever you might need. 3. Sunscreen, 4. Turn off your Data Roaming, put cell phones 8n airplane mode. 5. For more relaxing time, go for a longer cruise like 7-10 or more days. 6.Watch time zones and explore, on your own staying close if not with group.
a few years ago we booked our flight for the morning of a DECEMBER cruise from Michigan. BIG MISTAKE. A horrible ice storm hit that morning. We just boarded the plane and had to get off so runway and plane could be de-iced which took 2 hours. Then we got back on and had to sit a few more hours. We finally made it to florida and hired a driver to get us to ship. He was literally speeding and passing people on the shoulder of expressway to get us there on time. He got us there in the nick of time which we tipped him $100. We still had to run to check in but made it. Now we pay for a hotel room the night before. That would be my biggest tip to cruisers.
We are cruising in September out of Baltimore, which is about a 6 hour drive for us. My mom, whom I am bringing along, was assuming we were going to drive to the port the day of. Oh no, I'm not going to get up at the butt crack of dawn and drive all day then board the ship right away... and pass out by dinner lol! We always get a hotel, we try to get a snooze and cruise package so we don't have to worry about parking no matter what port we travel to! Less stress and much better experience!
I've done the exact same thing! Flying from Maryland to Cape Canaveral! It was a nightmare!
The next time we went, we booked a room for the night before the cruise. We still flew into Orlando (and it's quite a drive from there to Cape Canaveral) but had time to see the Kennedy Space Center and relax the night before.
ALWAYS book a hotel the night before.
dont do that
@@elizabethdavis9801 I wholeheartedly agree, and we have been on about 20 cruises.
Big yes about the flying. My wife and I flew from Brisbane to Sydney earlier this year to cruise on a repositioning to Seattle. Our 1005 flight was cancelled, and a replacement flight didn’t depart until 1350! We got to the port with only about 15 minute to spare! Talk about stressful!
Mine was a 7am flight that was cancelled and didnt get out until noon. With the cruise transportation to the pier waiting for our flight we arrived as they were shutting down the check in. Luckily there were about 30 of us on the same flight.
CALL YOUR PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER!!! Most of them (especially if you are unlimited data) cover cruises in places like the Bahamas and the like but you have to get it flipped on. Every carrier is different though.
Pack your medicines or the most important ones in your carry-on bag. If your main bag is delayed getting to you or lost, you could have a bad vacation. Also, carry any prescription narcotics in your pocket, especially through TSA inspection points in airports. Make sure they are in the labeled bottles from your pharmacy. If you are a chronic pain patient, you know which pills I am talking about. Many TSA scanners are thieves and I have had a TSA agent help themselves to my pain meds; some or even all of them while doing a "further inspection" of my carry-on bag.
The news is more frequently doing stories about unscrupulous TSA agents who are thieves.
Glenn Quagmire wait, I carry "those pills" I always watch my bag go through the scanner, how did a TSA agent take your pills from your carry on bag? I can see meds getting ripped off from a checked bag though.
Great Video. Thank you for posting. This was informative and helpful.
I absolutely LOVE cabins near the elevator, we barely heard a thing and so convenient hop on and off so easily and get back to the room !
100% agree.
Barbs Smith a
We always try mid ship glass elevators! Our favorite spot for sure noise hasn’t been a problem, usually longer cruises though, and Holland America or Princess, not the “party cruise lines”
Thank you for the tips!
Thanks! You just reminded me to pack my Sun Screen.
QualityChildcare1 haha that's a good thing !
Great tips! On our first cruise we did research and didn't book any excursions. Then when we were in port we ended up doing the same your as the cruise line (they were right behind is the whole time) except theirs was in a big bus for $175 pp or so, and ours was $10 for all 12 of us! (We tipped too of course!)
+kaitlin pica I think if I were to choose one reason why I prefer non-ship sponsored tors it would definitely be the smaller crowd and prices. You hit the nail on the head.
Great information, thanks for sharing your video with us
Really enjoy your videos going on a first time cruise with about eight other ladies so excited thank you for all your great tips and advice
I LOVED your advice about booking and exploring shore excursions not affiliated with the ship. I use to always just stick with what they offered in their packages. Don't get me wrong, I've only experienced great excursions through the cruise lines. I watched your video and boy was I ever glad I did! My husband and I had already booked a cruise to Alaska, for the honeymoon we never had. The longest cruise we ever were going on and we "mapped out" our excursions for the different islands/ports... we wanted to book asap as prior experiences taught us that some of the popular fill quickly.
About 2 weeks before we were to fly to Vancouver, my sister and niece had a catastrophic loss. They needed to come and stay with us. Well, they obviously needed some positivity and love. Royal Caribbean was FANTASTIC and completely accommodating when I asked if I could change our suit into 2 staterooms. I travel a lot for work so airfare was covered with mileage (those miles do add up). Our only concerns were amenities, cocktails, snacks and excursions. I realize cruise ship don't like this BUT.... at our first port of call we went to a ABC store and bought our own "duty free" spirits and snacks. We bought one cocktail and then slipped back to our room for refills. As far as excursions went, my husband and I were pleasantly surprised that when you chat with locals, they're happy to share the hidden treasures. For example, there is a Bald Eagle/Rapture sanctuary in Ketchikan through National Parks. They say it's free but we had such a beautiful time that we felt a generous donation was in order. They simply have a donation box. There were nature paths, live exhibits and lectures and fabulous photo ops. We found similar experiences in Skagway and Juneau but not as note worthy at the sanctuary in Ketchikan. Once we were away from the ports of call, Alaska took on a whole different experience. The ports are inundated with tourist shops, jewelry and fur shops. We're not big shoppers but the ABC stores were great for snacks, forgotten items... and of course spirits. It must sound like we are a bunch of lushes! LOL!We were on a needed trip away.
In the long end, we really enjoyed the cruise's pass by the glaciers and weren't left feeling like we missed out by skipping out on the helicopter ride or glacier hike.
Thank you for your very valuable advice! I'll also take your advice and not bring those dressy heels as I've never worn them (despite constantly packing them). ❤️
Awesome information! Love it, so much! My first cruise in 16 days! Thanks..
Bon voyage!
Another great video, thank you.
My rookie mistakes:
- way too formal on formal nights ( it’s not like the titanic)
-not enough daytime, casual clothes ( I thought I would pretty much live in swimwear)
-not enough underwear (I didn’t account for wanting to take 2 showers a day like I often did)
-not packing warm enough clothing (it was cold and windy mornings and evenings.)
- not bringing small-bill cash for excursions and tipping
I think most of my mistakes were all in my packing. I listened to some bad advice. Well, maybe not bad advice but at 20 I listened to someone at 50 about packing advice, with a very different “cruise style” I guess. I packed only dinner dresses (she told me formal nights were basically prom levels of formal too, haha) swim suits and coverups. For a 7 day Cruise I literally brought one pair of shorts, one pair of capris and a t shirt. and I had the pants and sweater I wore on embarkation. I wore them way too much and was too stubborn to fork out money for laundry service because Royal Caribbean at the time didn’t have self-service laundry.
For us when we flew I honestly didn’t think they would say anything because of the big bottles of sunscreen and body wash I had him on my carry-on bag and they took him away at the airport and also when we were watching a movie by the pool we didn’t know that we could borrow blankets instead of towels to cover ourselves. It was so cold some of the times and we were both just huddled with one towel then we saw that you could get a blanket it was so funny
Great tips! Im not sure i can make Mondays live stream so posting a few of my tips here for first day carryon packing. On your phones you can also turn off voice and data roaming domestic and international and still be able to use the ships wifi package if you purchase it. Also, Its good to pack magazines or a book and earbuds or earphones. Also bring a small bottle of headache pills or any meds you might need while waiting for you luggage to show up.
I have my second ever cruise next year and I'm trying to prepare for it. I found your channel and I've been hooked ever since. All your videos are helping pass the time unti I'm aboard the Star Princess. I'm can't wait! Keep up the great work!
Thank you for watching! I know you'll love Star Princess.
Very clear and interesting, thanks
Mistake when we booked our cruise online. We booked the WRONG SHIP!! We had been looking at different cruises on different dates so I noticed within 24 hours that we booked the wrong ship. RCL let us change the reservation because it was within 24 hours without a change fee.
Thanks for sharing they are good tips
It didn't happen to me, but on my first Princess cruise several years ago I met a woman in the self-service Launderette on board the ship who told me that during our stop in Jamaica she and her mother had gone outside the port and taken a cab to see the sights in the area at an agreed upon price. When they were on their way back to the port, but still some distance away, the driver stopped and told them that the price they had agreed upon was only half and that he needed an additional amount to take them back. Until they paid him he wouldn't budge, so they ended up paying him double the original price. When they got back to the ship and complained there was nothing that could be done.the cruise excursion desk had warned passengers at the shore excursion talk and in the short excursion literature that was put in the rooms, to only take cabs that were licensed and had a certain symbol on them to indicate as much.To save money these ladies bypassed the licensed cabs with set pricing and made a deal with an independent cab that ended up costing them moneywise and ruining their day in port. It's good to try to save money, but we need to do our homework and stay safe.
.
Aimee Rogers very good to know!
yes, on a boat to a beach...$5 pp..once on the boat they said another $5 pp for return boat ride...but didnt tell us that before we got on the boat, so instead of giving him a $10 we had to search for a $20 in our beach bag...good thing we brought more money along...didnt expect to spend anything other than the boat ride to the beach as nothing else was there to buy that we were interested in. Live and learn...and maybe ask before getting on the boat AGAIN how much the ride will be. Everyone on the boat was shocked about this
Great tips!
Thanks for the advice.
hi shari i love your cruise advise! my hubby and i have been on many cruises & cruise lines but you can never get enough advise& tips.
That’s so sweet, thank you!!
So helpful!! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, save some of us from learning the hard way. We are always freaked out about roaming. Also relate to the sunscreen screen and burning easily. - Tony
Totally! Airplane mode is a life saver!
Good topic, thanks!
We always flight out the day of the cruise from to Charlotte, NC to Miami or Fort Lauderdale airports. Never had issues nor any travel issues with weather in winter months.
Great tips, thanks.
We always fly in a day before. Saves a lot of stress and you get a nice little day trip out of it.
Ditto...just walk on with our beach bag. Don't need to worry about when suitcases arrive at your suite. We're usually poolside with a beer within ten minutes of boarding.
On my first cruise I lived in Seattle and the cruise left at 6 p.m. in Vancouver, BC. I caught a bus at noon for Vancouver. It was connected with the cruiseline so the ship wasn't going to leave without us. If the bus wasn't partnering with the cruise line I would have left the day before. On the other cruises I've taken I lived further away from the port of departure that required me to fly so I left the day before. It was very nice because I got to enjoy spending the night before in the hotel and enjoying things before the cruise.
ALWAYS fly in the day before! Too many things can happen if you cut it close. Flight delays, traffic in port city. Lost luggage is a pretty big one- you get to the ship on time, but without your luggage.
So great, especially the bit about port times! It didn't happen to me, but there was this lady who missed the boat leaving one of the ports and had to be ferried out to the ship.
Thanks for everything. A lot to think about before traveling.
#CaribbeanCruising
Might I add, keep cruising. You will learn something new every time. I'm booked on my fifth cruise since getting the bug in 2012 for November 2018. This one is a 17 day cruise with 7 ports from Perth to Sydney.. Last one was a 13 day New Zealand cruise with 7 ports, every single port on consecutive days, and by gee it got hectic toward the end, and I was thinking I wouldn't make it due to my arthritis.... The next one has either one or two sea days between each port.
It's so funny, I've heard others say this, but my husband and I LOVE being near the elevator. We've not heard any noise and it is so handy, since my husband is in a wheel chair and it's very difficult to pass through the hallways, especially at dinnertime.Another great video though. :)
These are such great tips! We are going on a cruise next week and I’m determined to not overpack like I did last time!
Have a wonderful cruise!!!
I am loving this live stream
I agree with this lady completely about the cruise excursions. I always get a taxi and I don't have to wait on the same few people who can never make it back to the bus on time. So! I see more for half the price.
Once again your video was awesome you rock sister
Ahhh first time cruising in 6 days and we fly in toFlordia at 5 am the day of. Praying it goes well. I didn't know to do the day before until wayyy to late
Did the new shoes one..and realizing I left my passport at home once we got comfortable by my sister almost 3 hours away the day before. Good thing it wasn't further and my husband asked then and not the morning of the cruise.
Wife is a nurse and she brings probably 10 pounds of "just in case" meds. It has really paid off. One cruise we were on I had cold symptoms on the 2nd day. I am good as long as I have some Dayquil. Dayquil on the ship comes in a small bottle and costs around $12. In port we were able to find the bigger bottles for less.
Haha, that is the PERFECT example.
Thanks! I agree with them all.
thanks for that - No 5 was the one that we'd not thought of... our cruise departs 18:30 and we thought flying from NZ to Sydney Australia on the morning of our cruise would be fine but so many people warned us against it and advised us to fly in the day before - which we are now doing :-)
Good choice ;-)
The sunscreen one is soooo true! I didn’t forget to pack it but forgot that we had carryons only and wasn’t allowed more then 100ml and stupid me bought a full size sunscreen bottle which, of course, got confiscated at the airport before even taking off... ugh!
And the excursion tip is a good one! We were were given such good advice from our travel agent that we kinda did all that you mentioned: on ship excursion, walked around and found others AND, due to being motorcycle enthusiast, researched our ports for said tours beforehand. Ps Aruba has great motorcycle tours/rentals
Thanks for the video. Definitely a good idea to pack enough sunscreen and maybe even keep some in carry on because you might be out in the sun a lot before your luggage is at your room. That and I am pretty sure those stores are not even open until after they have sailed.
+Glock2201 very true!
My first cruise was back in 1998 and the mistake I made was not during the cruise but at the end...... Dont not go back to work the day after your cruise! Take a couple extra days off. You'll need it....
I live in south florida so going to port is a 20 min drive but I will never take uber there again bc it's chaos and you'll be waiting forever especially with a kid when time to go home. I will forever just drive over to port myself
Thank you Sooooo Much!
Totally forgot to add Heartburn meds
Ah- good one! That's a must pack.
Forgot medicine on last cruise and did the phone thing once! Luckily it was just a few text messages at a nickel each. The medicine was a problem since we began with two sea days. BP wasn't a big deal but the GERD medicine was a killer. Luckily, in almost every Caribbean port, you can get these types of medicines without a prescription, I got 6 pills of each in St. Maarten for $8.
Texts on Carnival are .50 cents for incoming and $1 for outgoing. Wow. .05 cents is a bargain!
So your number 1 mistake really tickled me. When picking a cabin location I always try to be as close to the elevator as possible. I absolutely love the convenience of not having to crawl through a long hallway before I can gain access to the elevators. You mentioned the noise from the elevator of medal hitting together. Was the cabin on the inside by chance. We always take a balcony so, the elevator would never be on a adjacent wall. Well, at least on the ships I’ve been on. Also, I know how people tell me how they worry about traffic outside their cabin. I have never heard foot traffic once the door is closed. Of course, every cruiser is not wired the same.
I just found your videos and fell in love with them! Also, huge fan of Princess as well. Number 1 line for me. Reason being, fantastic itineraries! When you have cruised as much as I have, I want something beyond a vanilla Caribbean cruise. I know, that’s a bit mean. I shouldn’t say that, but I’m sure you understand what I meant was in the best of spirit.
Going on the Grand Princess 15 day sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii for this year’s Christmas/New Year’s Cruise. Always been a bucket list item for me. Second 15 day Princess sailing I’ve done. Just loved the last one. Best cruise ever. Most gregarious passengers I ever sailed with. And I think as a whole, most cruise lovers are gregarious. I suspected that on a 2 week cruise, the passengers are pretty hardcore lovers. Perhaps, that’s why.
Thanks so much for sharing! Rick
I forgot to pack any panties when I went on the QE2 about 25 years ago.. I ended up buying one pair from the Harrods store on board and paid $27 for a pair of silk ones. I washed out one while I wore the other pair. I never wore those panties again because they fit too tight. We still laugh about it but I don't forget my underwear anymore.
Oh NOOOO!!!!!!!
+CruiseTipsTV have you ever gone commando? it works and you dont have to foolishly pay 27 bucks...nuts!
I did the same exact thing on my first cruise!! Lol
Panties?
@Carol Parham Talk about getting your panties in an uproar!
We were on our way to a Mediterranean Cruise 14h by car. The day before embarkation we chose a hotel, wich has the same name as an Italian city. Guess what happened when we rewrote the destination we wanted to go to?
So our ride was 3hours longer and we had to be fine with another hotel.
Finally we made it to ship the next day...
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Can’t agree with the 2-3 day cruise. I had a ball. No party animal here.. I’m in bed by 9.30 and still enjoyed myself, wandering, eating, reading, napping and the odd drink.
They definitely have their place! Sometimes, a good weekend break is PERFECT. I think the two nighter just wore me out ;-)
I lost two cruises due to flight cancellations and/or delays from NYC to Fl. Did not have cruise line insurance. However I did purchase one with a Citibank card that secured the transaction and refunded 100%. On the 2nd one, still didn't learn, purchase with American Express and to my surprise they do not cover unless you book through they travel services!!! By now I learned...and I discarded the AMEX cards!!! I do leave home without them!
I specifically try to get a room by the elevator. You had one bad experience with mechanical problems but that's got to be rare. They're designed to be quiet. I mostly book on Royal Caribbean and the people around the elevator are usually older.
My blunder (I hope to not make again), my wheelchair wheel broke on day 5 of a 7 day Alaska cruise...needless to say I didn't get to see Victoria BC because I can't walk very far... I wasn't going to pay exorbitant price to use 1 from sickbay...
Hi
Can you tell me where in Europe is the best place for cruising and what month is the best time for visiting for 2018?
Leaving without my passport... I thought it had been packed, but had a funny feeling that something important was left behind, 2 blocks down the road. I turned around, didn't even know what I was looking for, until "Ah-ha!", looking in the safe.
+thejokerspeaks eek!!
thejokerspeaks lol this was me in Sept. Got 3 blocks from my house and my friend asked if I had my birth certificate..had to turn around.
We always wait until we're a mile from the house to check for those things. We almost make a point to check our list 1mile down the road, it's a weird way we double check everything but it works!
thejokerspeaks omg, i did this same thing when we took our first cruise. But i didn't realize the error until we were in Florida. I had to ask my brother to fax the birth certificates (back then you didn't have to use a passport) to our hotel. Thankfully the cruiseline accepted the faxed copies so we could board. That was so stressful wondering if we would be allowed to board. Now, the passports stay right in our carry on bag at all times!
We drove one time from South Florida to Cape Canaveral and we got there at 3 o’clock it was very stressful
I heartily recommend using the Alaska Toursaver BOGO coupon book if cruising and/or land traveling in AK. We bought ea. Of our shore excursions for AK at half price, and the full fare cruise excursion passengers were on same tour, so no problems getting back to ship. Well worth the $90. First time cruisers.
NATE, Were they all buy one get one free. What did you use yours for?
I did a back to back cruise on the Carnival Inspiration in 2016. The 4 day cruise was pretty great but everyone on the 3 day cruise was really loud.
Very interesting. Have a nice day now.
I know this is two years old however it’s worth hearing again. Mine was not realizing the tip was already included at the spa. I added a “good” tip. And wondered why I was so popular on our next visit!! Lol 😆 ugh
Wow, we always book by the elevator and never have issues..but I definitely agree about the shoes. I never take anything but flats and sneakers!
Yes, I booked a room right by the elevator on the Carnival Freedom and it was great! No extra noise, in fact i think we had less because there was a cleaning closet between us and the elevator. I actually made sure to book by an elevator again for my upcoming cruise. I guess all experiences vary!
This is good to hear. I booked one right by an elevator (some sort of room in between, closet or storage ) on the Freedom and I thought about changing it, but now I won't! Thank you
Do you have any suggestions related to short-wave/radio wave trackers? We will be on the Sensation this July with a 13 o girl and 15 yo boy. I have walkie talkies but I am thoroughly hooked on the gps tracker on their phones-which we will lose while on the ship...in airplane mode ;-)
I'm basically of the opinion you NEVER go on a shore excursion arranged by the cruise line, unless you like paying five to ten times the amount you can get a tour from the wharf. One one excursion, the ship was charging $95 for what you could get for $17. Plus they left the museum (which had free entry) [Te Papa in Wellington, NZ] after an hour. Doing it on your own you could stay for much longer than that.
If you travel at all, for work, for pleasure, these tips apply in almost all cases. Yes, if you are on land, near a major city or town, you can find stores for certain items that you need, but do you really need to spend time looking for essentials on your vacation or work assignment?
How long does it take your bags to get to your room? I would like to know more about that process. Things like how to minimize lost luggage, is there a limit on how many bags or how heavy, etc
I've only been on five cruises. For my Caribbean cruises, I've not had a problem flying in the day of the cruise. For the Alaskan cruise and the Med, you absolutely need to fly in at least one day in advance.
The mistake that I will never make again on my next cruise is that I will not feel embarrassed to ask for seconds in the main dining room. Not knowing the policy in Dining Room in my last cruise and I was still hungry, so after dinner, I went up to the Buffet Dining to finish my dinner.
Good one!
EmperorWildManChan will ug
EmperorWildManChan my favorite thing to ask for more of was shrimp cocktail
We always fly in a day or two and relax, shop or whatever. Then we stay in the same hotel (with early checkin) on disembark and miss the airport hassles of all the cruise passengers.
Great video!!! My mistake was I left my sons epi-pens and allergy medicine at home. He’s anaphylactic to peanuts. It made for a very worrisome cruise.
Susan S my girlfriend left her epi pen and accidentally ate cashews on the first night -__- thankfully that's one of the nuts shes only mildly allergic to.
Always book your cabin away from high traffics areas. Casino, Theater, piazza, Etc.
Vlogtoberfest has been so much fun! Thanks for all of your hard work!
+Paula Malcomson thanks!!
True! Flew in the day of once...plane hit a bird and lost an engine. Had to return to the airport and wait hours for a new plane. Barely made the ship and only with the help of the Carnival kiosk lady who put us (and about a dozen other cruisers on our same flight!) on the Carnival shuttle. We'd planned to save money taking Uber, stopping to buy our soda and wine on the way to the port. That was out the window! Now we go the day before and chill. Except for our next one: Princess has good flight prices and a guarantee that you'll get on the ship if you book through them so we're trying "day of" again.
Like the video! As a Floridian I am ashamed to admit that my wife and I didn't think to pack sunscreen for one of our cruises. We had to buy on ship and it was the most expensive sunscreen we've ever bought!
I’d rather book excursions through the ship. That way if the excursions run late, the ship WILL wait for me.
Most of the times the ship excursions are worth it (if worried about money...just take one or two for the week)....we have taken off ship "excursions" and 1/2 the time they turn out and 1/2 they are a disaster, and costs us about the same (maybe a little less, not much). Getting back to the ship is never a worry, just pay attention to the time. The problem is "safety" (two different taxis drives were "adventures"; one said he'd drive us to his mother's clothing shop, refused to stop when we requested and only after being yelled at by my 200 lb, 6 ft husband, he admitted that his mother's shop really was one hour drive away in a completely diff. city; and another taxis we got off the cruise terminal suddenly "broke down" in the middle of nowhere, shaddy road, we thru the grace of God got a wonderful "angel" lady to stop her taxis and give us a ride, and we literally had to have the new driver drive like crazy bc the previous person had us followed and followed us back to the cruise terminal...and we had our two teenage girls w/us in that 3rd world country! Or the off ship excursion that was a little cheaper but added diving, which my husband likes, on a glass bottom fish viewing boat where 1/2 our family got sea sick, which we never do, and we tried not to throw up for most of it...we were told by experienced cruisers that that would never have happened in a ship-sanctioned excursion as if any complaints like that, the ship wouldn't carry them. Sometimes, if you are not going to just walk into town and look around or just get a ride to a beach, it's better and safer to book thru the ship. Getting back in time will be the LEAST of your worries, trust me!
I'm doing my first solo cruise on Satuday and I'm flying into LAX on Saturday (the same day) so now I'm a big nervous.
“Peaceful and relaxing” is relative. 3-4 day cruises are fantastic. I’ve done it 4 times. Disney Cruiseline has areas for ages 18+, no brats allowed.
That's true, but after about 20 cruises, we have found anything under 5 days is a "party cruise" with lots of drunk people, stripping contests (sponsored by the ship, BTW), etc. It depends on what you like.
Great reminder on the data plan. You said put on airplane mode. Can't we just turn off international roaming?
Upgraded to spa deck but my room is right next to the elevator 🤷♀️ should i change it now?
I didn't make any of these mistakes because I watched your channel before I went on my cruise and you SAVED us!!!
Ah, thank you Liz!
The shoes sounds like me and the Kentucky derby. We had to park about a mile away and 5in heels as a big no.
I got sunburned and had to of to cruise shops onboard and it was like $15 for a medium size bottle
Thank god, I haven't made any of your mistakes.
Great video though.
One thing though, I have T-mobile and they have contracts with cruise lines so I can surf and never had to pay a dime
I've forgotten about the data roaming....yep...had the $700 bill. What I do now take the sim card out; just for backup. :)
On the sunscreen issue, don't go without, if you forget to bring it buy it, no matter what the cost. We are just planning our first cruise for this coming December, but we learned our lesson at an amusement park. Forgot sunscreen went to buy it at park, $12 for a tiny little bottle, wouldn't pay it. Half a day in an ER and 3 lost days of work from severe sunburn after wish we had spent the $12.
Excellent tip sally! that sounds like a really scary experience and I appreciate you sharing this.
Don’t forget to call your bank or credit card company to let them know your are leaving for vacation or else they can block your credit card or bank card. Tell them the cruise line ship name the ports you visit departure and return date.
Umm. I got a tour from a guy at the pier ... AND HE GOT ARRESTED WHILE ON OUR TOUR! , I will always pick one from a ship from now on, because shit can happen
The difference is, you need to research and make sure an independent company is reputable BEFORE you leave for your cruise. Picking one up on the pier is probably not the best idea. We've booked independent excursions for years with far better experiences than ship ones, but you have to do your homework.
Taunya Hagen waa it in bermuda? Guy named mike?
Taunya Hagen da actual fuq
Taunya Hagen ~ I don't know where you were. In Alaska, I had great success talking with locals at casual restaurants just having coffee. It saved us hundreds. We used the cruise transportation or taxi services only. I'm sorry you had that bad experience.
I don’t even dare to book any tours/excursions not done officially through the ship. Numerous occasions I hear that ship-booked tours run late and we’re just sat there waiting for the tour to come back. If you booked that tour yourself not via the ship, you can kiss goodbye to your cabin and belongings on board as the ship won’t wait for you.
One of my mom’s friends booked a glacier walk excursion on an Alaskan cruise, but the weather took a turn for the worse, so they were stuck up on a glacier over night, and had to be rescued by a helicopter the next morning. Luckily since it was booked through the ship they all caught a flight to the next port and met back up with the ship the next day, AND they got the excursion refunded and $500 compensation. Just another reason to book official tours/excursions through the cruise line.
For us it was booking a cabin over the auditorium. What's so bad about that? Well the Filipino crew members decided to party it up for two nights with a super loud live band past 3:00 am. It was apparently some Filipino holiday. The noise was so intense we could not sleep and suffered the ill effects of sleep loss during land tours.
On the phone thing: we put the phones into airplane mode on the gangway going aboard! Generally, in fact, aside from times when we want to use one as a camera, our phones stay in the safe in the cabin. Cruises are a time to unplug.
On excursions: non-ship excursions are great! The ship-sponsored excursions tend to be really crowded, while when we've done island tours in Roatan, it was 4 of us and a driver. Stingray City in Grand Cayman? Probably 15 of us on the boat with 2 dive guides and a pilot. Contrast that with the ship tours where they cram 50+ people onto the boat! The other tour tip I'd have is, taxi drivers tend to be SUPER knowledgeable about their island. We had a GREAT tour of Nassau with a driver we just flagged down -- "show us the things you'd want a tourist to remember about your city, and find us someplace that you'd go for lunch." Voila, a city tour, local cuisine, and it cost us like $20 (plus food).
Great tips- so true!
We used to do that also, but then we had several scary "adventures" in taxis in bigger and/or more 3rd world countries. Now, unless it's a small island or country that's not 3rd world and/or we have heard from others it's OK...we have learned (the hard way...like safety-wise) NOT to do that anymore. We used to say that also, tho. You're safe...until you're not, and then it's really just by the grace of God that you are able to get safely back to the ship...trust me.
Here are 3 DO NOT FORGET HINTS TO SAVE YOU ON A CRUISE EXCURSION:
1. Unless you are staying within the confines of the port, ALWAYS CARRY YOUR PASSPORT with you. In worst case, you could be in an accident in a foreign country WITHOUT YOUR PASSPORT, good luck trying to fly or get home without it.
2. Always carry the ships NEWSLETTER with you when going on any excursion. BECAUSE if you have any problem, like not retuning on-time - the news letter has the LOCAL CONTACTS for the cruise company.
3. MOST IMPORTANT: Always use the cruise company's excursions - never go out on your own. WHY - BECAUSE even though always more expensive than local sightseeing, IF the bus or taxi (or your rent-a-car breaks down) is late returning - the SHIP WILL ALWAYS WAIT FOR YOU (and in the absolute worst case - will get you to the next port of call at SHIPS EXPENSE). When you go out on your own - you are on your own if you MISS THE BOATS departure - and if you forgot your passport, good luck.
Michael Glick you gave the best advice!
I think it’s good to be aware (especially for people outside of America) that in most ships they’ll charge for healthcare, and it’s normally quite expensive!
Very true!
Very true. I got extremely seasick on one cruise. Ended up in the ship hospital to get a nausea shot. Thank goodness my insurance paid the bill. I only had to pay my $100 deductible.
Loved the room by the elevator!
I got one. Never book a guaranteed cabin room. I did this on the Norwegian Escape. That means they can assign you any cabin in the ship in that category. More likely than not it is not gonna be a good location, like near an elevator or in my case just above the ships stabilizer system. (lots of banging noises all night) You save money booking a guaranteed cabin but you have no control of what you will get and they will not change you once the cabin is assigned. It's better to be able to select your own cabin then you can research reviews on it on sites like cruisecritic.
Absolutely love your glam Halloween decor. 🎃
+Bethany Meyer TJ Maxx for the win on those! 😘
CruiseTipsTV score! Gotta love TJ Maxx