5 Cruise Planning Tips

When it comes to travel, most people I know nowadays are chomping at the bit. We all want to go to our cottages, camps, a tropical location or two, even just to our friends and families’ homes to say a long overdue hello. With everyone getting vaccinated it’s getting closer and closer to that time you’ll be able to travel and it’s exciting!

For those of us planning a cruise, I have a few tips and tricks for the planning stage to make your journey the best it can be.

#1. Get a room with a balcony.

This is an expensive option, but one that’s absolutely worth it. Leave the window open just a crack to hear the ocean at night, have breakfast on your patio instead of at a restaurant. Have a private space for relaxation post-dinner but pre-party, or just a place to read your book. Personally, I don’t think I’d even go on a cruise if I couldn’t have a patio. There’s no point. I could just go to a hotel and do all the same things I can do on a cruise, and be less dizzy. On that note …

#2. Take non-drowsy Gravol and reading materials, and upwards of four bathing suits.

All of these things will keep you comfortable during the trip. The Gravol will keep you from feeling sea-sick, the books will keep you entertained (the ship shops aren’t exactly Waterstones or Chapters), and the bathing suits will keep you from having to shimmy yourself into a wet bathing suit after lunch when you feel like going for yet another swim.

#3. Plan daytrips.

When the ship docks, everything closes. Why? No idea. I suspect it has to do with giving the staff time off or giving them time to do a deep clean of the place. Either way, you’re going to want to plan daytrips to explore the places you’re cruising around. It’s an amazing chance to see the local cultures between days of relaxing by the pool!

#4. Give yourself time!

Along with planning your daytrips, you need to make sure you give yourself time to get to and from your destinations and your ship. They do not care if you’re late, they’ll leave without you, so give yourself time to get lost, have emergencies, and be late all without actually being late. For everything else I give myself a solid hour, and for a cruise I think I’d give myself an hour and a half if not two hours between the end of my excursion and the time my ship left. I’d also be checking to make sure I had a reliable way home and that said way ran during the hours I needed them. No sense saying “I’ll just grab a cab,” if you can’t get one past 7 and you need them at 8!

#5. Remember there are different kinds of cruises!

Everyone thinks of cruises as either Caribbean, Mediterranean, or Alaskan, but there are Nordic, Middle Easter, Asian destinations, river cruises, adventure cruises on schooners, and some that will go up and down the North American coasts. Do your research, find some destinations you’d love to see, and see if a cruise will suit your needs!

Wash your hands, wear a mask, and stay safe gentle reader.