If you’re a first time cruiser, you might not know how to make the most of your time on board. You’ll probably make a lot of rookie mistakes. To help you out, here are some cruise tips on how to avoid wasting time during your cruise. I’m also sharing my travel websites password tracker as a free printable below.
9 Ways First Time Cruisers Waste Time on a Cruise
1. Not Printing the Luggage Tag
Many first-time cruisers make the mistake of not printing their luggage tags in advance. They don’t realize just how crucial it is to have these tags pre-printed.
At the cruise port, there are usually porters ready to take your luggage in for check-in, but without your tags, they won’t be able to do so. This means that you’ll have to fill out the tags manually, which can be a complicated process. You will need to know your stateroom number, and on some cruise lines, such as Princess, you may also need to provide the Luggage Door/Deck number.
This can be a stressful experience, and it’s best to avoid it altogether by printing your luggage tags ahead of time and attaching them to your suitcases. For more tips on how to make your embarkation day go smoothly, check out my guide on 16 ways to board the ship faster.
2. Lining Up at Guest Services
Cruise newbies often make the mistake of lining up at the guest services desk for basic questions, such as checking their account balance. They fail to realize that the line for guest services can get quite long, and waiting for over 30 minutes just to ask a balance-related question is a waste of time.
Instead, you can easily check your cabin folio on the cruise app or TV. It’s best to avoid visiting guest services if possible during your cruise vacation. However, if you must go, try to do so late at night or early in the morning when there are fewer people in line.
You should also be aware that the guest services desk is open 24/7, so you can always come back later if you see a long line. Trust me, it’s better to avoid guest services if you can!
3. Not Booking Shore Excursions in Advance
One common mistake that many first-time cruisers make is waiting until they board the ship to book their shore excursions. Unfortunately, they do not realize that many of the popular cruise shore excursions have already been sold out by then. To avoid this situation, it is best to book your shore excursions before the cruise.
By not booking shore excursions in advance, these newbie cruisers end up wasting ther time lining up at the shore excursion desk! Waiting in line at the shore excursion desk is a major time waster and can easily be avoided.
That’s why it’s best to book your shore excursions online before you even get on the ship. If the excursion you want is sold out, you should consider booking a private shore excursion from an outside tour operator such as viator.
The shore excursion offered by the cruise line is usually more expensive because you are paying a premium for the guarantee that the ship won’t leave you behind. But in my experience, independent operators often offer the same tour at a lower price and sometimes it’s even the same tour company as the cruise.
To save money on shore excursions, I always compare the prices of the cruise shore excursions with those available on Viator. This has helped me save a lot of money over the years.
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4. Going on the Tender Boat at Peak Times
Many new cruisers make the mistake of attempting to board the tender during peak hours and end up wasting a lot of time. To avoid this, find out the night before from the cruise staff when the peak times are.
That way you can wake up at just the right time to get your tender tickets, which are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Have one person from your group get tender tickets for everyone while you have breakfast. By the time you finish your breakfast, your tender tickets should be called, making your actual wait time short and the tender boarding process much smoother.
Alternatively, you can pay extra to skip the lines. For example, Carnival Cruise’s Faster to the Fun package gives you priority tender boarding, and you can avoid the wait altogether.
5. Waiting for a Table
One common mistake among new cruisers is waiting for a table during peak dining hours. They tend to aim for the 6:30 to 7:30pm slot, which, unfortunately, is the time when everyone else is also trying to get a table.
A better strategy is to get a table during an earlier or later time slot to avoid the long wait in line. That way, you can maximize your time and not waste it standing around, waiting for a table.
6. Not Making Dinner Reservations
One thing that first-time cruisers often don’t realize is that they can make dinner reservations even if they choose to do anytime dining. This means they don’t need to wait in line for a table!
It’s best to book dinner reservations for every night of the cruise to avoid the inconvenience of waiting in line.
Plus, if you’re traveling with a large group, it’s a smart move to book dinner reservations, since it can be challenging to get a table for a big group. Depending on the cruise line, you can reserve dinner for every night of your cruise via the cruise app or by contacting the Food and Beverage department. It’s best to get this out of the way on the first day of your trip!
For those cruising with Carnival, it might be worth considering purchasing the Carnival Faster to the Fun package, which provides priority dinner reservations.
7. Not Downloading the Cruise App
Many novice cruisers make the mistake of failing to download their cruise app ahead of time. A smart move is to download the cruise app at home ahead of embarkation day.
By doing so, you’ll have one less thing to worry about on the day of departure, and you can avoid any possible delays in downloading the app onboard.
In fact, several cruise lines require passengers to download the app in order to make reservations and bookings onboard.
By having the cruise app on your phone, you’ll save precious time since you can immediately reserve dinner, excursions, and other activities as soon as you board the ship. Some popular cruise activities tend to sell out quickly, so it’s important to have the app ready to start making bookings the moment you step aboard.
8. Not Reserving Shows
Cruise lines allow guests to make reservations to watch a show. This can be easily done through the cruise app, but many first-time cruisers don’t realize they can make reservations.
As a result, they end up having to wait in line just to get in the theater. It’s smart to make reservations for shows in advance so you don’t have to wait. Do it on the first day and make a reservation for every night.
Although making reservations is not mandatory to attend a show, it will save you time because you can walk straight into the theater.
9. Long Buffet Line
Newbie cruisers often waste precious time by heading to the buffet when it’s crowded, only to find themselves standing in long lines and waiting for a free table to become available.
To avoid this, it’s essential to know the best times to visit the buffet and when to steer clear. For example, during embarkation day, the buffet can get extremely busy, and it’s best to dine at the Main Dining Room or one of the eateries near the lobby.
Similarly, on sea days or in the morning on port day, the buffet line tends to get long as people go there for breakfast. To avoid the crowds and have a more relaxed dining experience, skip the buffet during these times and dine at one of the specialty restaurants or the main dining room instead.
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