Susan's Homeschool Blog

Here are my top 10 not-so-wacky travel tips for going on a cruise:

1. Don’t book your cruise during hurricane season.
2. If you only have one carry-on, this expedites the process of boarding and disembarking the ship. You save a couple of hours of standing in line each time. (Also, to catch multiple flights to your destination, you need to travel light.)
3. Use the free dining room for breakfast and lunch instead of the buffet, unless you’re in a hurry to get to an excursion. The food is better, it’s quieter, and the ambiance is more relaxed.
4. Shore excursions can be half the price if you don’t book it through the ship. (On the other hand, you can be stuck with nothing to do. Ask a random worker on the ship, not at the front desk. A random worker will be more honest with you.)
5. Take at least one formal outfit. There is at least one dinner that’s formal. They don’t tell you this on their website, as far as I can tell.
6. A room with a balcony is well worth the upgrade. We practically lived out on our balcony.
7. For the sit-down dinners, you can order many appetizers. You can order two meals if you want to. It does not cost extra. So if you can’t decide between two meals, get both. I ate the meat and vegetables off each plate and left the carbohydrates. That way I didn’t feel too full for dessert. (On the other hand, don’t be so gluttonous that you become fat on the cruise. Moderation is what I say.)
8. Even if you don’t drink, you will feel slightly tipsy on the ship at all times, especially towards the rear of the ship. Don’t fight it; just enjoy the tipsy feeling.
9. Cabin decks have hallways that run the entire length of the ship. If you get lost and you’re on the wrong end of the ship, use cabin decks to get to the other end of the ship faster than going up, across, and down again.
10. Take plenty of pictures. But don’t forget to live in the moment. Being there and experiencing the moment is more valuable than pictures.