Deen on Deck. It's a travel blog.

I’ve noticed a lot of folks asking for tips for new cruisers lately, and, honestly, I’m here for it. Clearly, they have WAY more foresight than I did when I took my first cruise. I thought, “Yup, I’ll show up at the port, get on the boat somehow and go from there…” While that IS what ended up happening, there are still a few things I know now, that I wish I’d known then:

1. You can find out nearly every detail about your cruise before you set foot on the ship. Back in the days of the Love Boat (I know, I’m very old…), cruising was all one big, romantic mystery. You didn’t know what you were going to eat, what the ship’s activities would be, which shows would be running… heck, the port stops and shuffleboard were just about all you could count on. Thanks to the magic of the internet, we can now find out nearly everything in advance, and plan accordingly: menus, shows, what time Harry Potter trivia starts (because there’s always HP trivia…) and theme nights are all at your fingertips.  Facebook (I guarantee you there’s a FB group for your specific cruise, and they know EVERYTHING). Sites like Reddit, Cruise Critic, Prof. Cruise, Cruise Hive, etc (there are hundreds, just Google)… will be able to provide you a level of detail that will astound.  

2. The main dining room is always included, and often for more than just dinner. I’ve heard several tragic stories (and I love food, so this really does hurt my heart) of new cruisers believing that only the BUFFET is complimentary and that the MDR is one of the upcharge dining options (to be fair, it does look fancy). Not true, of course, and it’s often open for brunch and lunch, and the occasional afternoon tea! Check those FB cruise groups to find out what your particular dining options are — you might also find some of the specialty restaurants are complimentary for lunch seatings or an included afternoon tea. All kinds of surprises, I’m telling ya.

3. Speaking of food, we cruising freaks all know this, but some first-timers are either not aware that cruisers are not limited to one appetizer, one entree, one dessert… one ANYTHING in the MDR. Feel embarrassed by your desire for five appetizers? I get it — I was one of those shy people myself. I got over it. Trust me, your servers have seen it all and are happy to bring you anything you want, with zero eye-rolling. In fact, ours insisted we try a couple of apps at every dinner. So feel free to order often, adventurously, and without judgment.  Edit:  Carnival now charges $5 for the THIRD entree, and any beyond that.  Appetizers and desserts remain complimentary and unlimited.   

4. You don’t have to stick to the official cruiseline shore excursions. Other companies offer the exact same excursions and they’re very good. Now, this one is a tad controversial, because there are folks who will ONLY do “official” excursions because they come with a guarantee that the ship will not leave without you. While that is reassuring, I’ve been on tons of non-ship shore excursions (Trip Advisor and Shore Excursioneer are the ones I book through) and have never ever felt unsafe, or had any problem making it back onto the ship with plenty of time. Some have even come with a guarantee to get you to the next port, free of charge, if anything were to happen. They offer the exact same types of activities for much less than the CL charges. Completely up to you, but I prefer to save my money for drinks!

5. You should get the drink package! (Or maybe you shouldn’t…) People love to say there’s a hard and fast answer to this one (basically whatever they do themselves) and there just isn’t. The feeling of being able to drink as much as you want and not worry about how much it costs IS certainly a joy, no doubt. But, if you’re like me, and get loopy after roughly two drinks, then you’ve just paid at minimum $35 each for them. Not a very good deal. So, it remains a math problem. How much does the drink package cost per day? (Keep in mind everyone in your cabin over 21 MUST purchase it, or no one can). How many drinks will you realistically drink per day? Divide. If the drinks are costing you under $10 each… it’s probably a good deal.

Some things to keep in mind: Carnival’s drink package is NOT unlimited. You are actually cut off at 15 drinks per day (and I’ve known many to try to challenge and surpass that lofty number). The drink package may or may NOT work on the CL’s private island. Drinks are only included up to a certain dollar amount. For example, at the time of cruising, these Bamboo Room drinks were $17 each — the drink package only covers $15 drinks and lower. You’ll be charged the difference.

6. Merchandise often goes on sale in onboard shops on your last cruise day.  NOT debarkation day (then those stores are closed), but the last FULL cruise day. You’ll see $10 t-shirt sales, cruise photos going for half price, and various % off sales in the stores. While the prices for most things still won’t be any cheaper than you can find online, if it’s something that you KNOW you can’t get at home and is not going to sell out (like your own cruise pics), then it pays to wait.