10 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Cruise

In September 2022, I was really craving a vacation but wanted something affordable and easy. I was about 2 months away from moving out of NYC for good so decided to take advantage of several cruise ports being right at my fingertips! About five days prior to departure, I booked a 6-day, 5-night cruise out of Manhattan on Norwegian Cruise Line that was headed to Bermuda. I was so excited, but there was a lot I wish I knew before my first cruise!

Well, fate had other plans. The day before departure the island of Bermuda was side-swept by Earl, a category 4 hurricane! Norwegian quickly re-routed us and now instead of heading to the beaches, we were heading to New England. We docked in Newport, RI, Portland, ME, and St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was definitely a little bit of a disappointment but I would happily put my safety above anything else.

Update: I booked a second cruise in March 2023 and eventually made it to Bermuda! Read all about it here.

Note: The below 10 things I wish I knew before my first cruise may not be applicable to your cruise. I was on the ship Norwegian Getaway and some of the policies and procedures may be specific to Norwegian Cruise Line. However, whichever line you are booking your first cruise with, these may give you food for though to research on your own!

Tipping Culture

The first thing I wish I knew before my first cruise is their tipping structure! The day before embarkation, I stopped at the bank and made sure I had enough $1 and $5 bills for my 6-day cruise. On my entire first day, I was leaving money for the employees everywhere- in my stateroom, at meals, when they cleaned my dishes at the buffet. Later that night at dinner, a woman saw me leaving cash on the table. She asked if I knew I didn’t need to do that. Turns out, the cruise line charges each passenger a daily fee (for me it was $16/day, but it can vary) as crewmember gratuities on your last day. It was a little bit of a shock to me to get stuck with a $100 bill at the end of the cruise, but I suppose it did make things easier.

Boarding Times

One thing I didn’t realize is how carefully calculated the boarding process is on embarkation day. They have it down to a science! I was planning on working most of the day and arriving to board as late as I could. However, when I did my “check in” a day before, I was required to pick a window of time for my boarding. This threw me for a loop! They give you a 30-minute window to arrive to help space people out. I suppose this makes sense, but since I booked so last minute a lot of the “good times” were already taken. I guess the lesson here is to check-in for your cruise early for the best time options!

Stateroom Steward

Another thing I didn’t even know existed- stateroom stewards! Basically you get a designated member of the housekeeping staff that maintains your room for the entire cruise. I was lucky enough to call Freddie mine, he was my Costa Rican angel. Another surprise? They clean your room multiple times per day! I anticipated the typical mid-morning refresh, but I feel like every time I came back to my room I had a freshly made bed and fresh towels in my bathroom. Such a pleasant surprise! It also took me a few days to notice the “Do Not Disturb” light switch inside the cabin. Freddie was so diligent that he did walk in on me a few times. Thankfully I wasn’t doing anything more embarrassing than taking selfies on my balcony. Lol!

Main Dining Rooms are All-You-Can-Eat

We all know the buffet is all-you-can-eat, but I had no idea about the main dining rooms! It wasn’t until I sat down for dinner one night and asked the server which was better- the chicken or the steak. It was then when he told me I could get both! Whaaaaa?! He explained that the menu is just laid out into starters, mains, and desserts, but you can actually get as many of each as you’d like. In the mood for a smorgasbord of appetizers? Go for it! Two desserts? Yes, please!

Reserving Tender Times

Another thing I wish I knew before my first cruise is that some of these ports are too tiny for our massive cruise ships! Therefore, the ships anchor out away from shore and “tender” us to the port. Basically, you get on their smaller life boats on the ship, and then they pick you back up at shore to bring you back. I didn’t realize that you need to reserve your times to get off the ship! I am an early riser and was so excited to get up and on the first tender our to Newport. It wasn’t until I asked an employee where the line was that she told me I needed to reserve my spot in a “group”. The earliest group I could get was in #10 so I had to sit around waiting as they called every group before me to board. No fun- book ahead!

The Entertainment is Top Notch

I’m a Broadway girlie, which I guess sort of makes me an entertainment snob. I know, I hate me too. When I saw there was a showing of The Million Dollar Quartet on board, I of course reserved a seat right away, but was keeping my expectations in check. Oh boy was I blown away. The talent was spectacular! Of course their sets and such are more limited on a cruise ship, but it really was one of the greatest shows I’ve seen! I was really impressed by the insane talent that a cruise ship was able to attract. I kept saying to myself that most of these actors should be on Broadway! If you have a chance to see a show onboard, definitely do it.

Shore Excursions

I’m not a big “organized tour” girl and much prefer exploring on my own. However, when your time at port is so limited (sometimes only a few hours!), it’s important to take advantage! When we got re-routed to Canada and stopped in St. John, New Brunswick I thought to myself – “When am I ever going to be back here again?” When I booked my cruise they gave me a $50 shore excursion credit, so I decided to look into one. I should have guessed this but- the good ones fill up fast! I ended up getting my third-choice excursion, but dang, still disappointing. Book these well ahead of your cruise for best offers!

Memorize Your Room Number

Sounds simple enough, right? But man oh man did I struggle with this. I didn’t realize that almost every time you would book a tender, get a pool towel, or speak with guest services, they would ask you for this! 8-4-7-4… 8-7-8-4… 8-7-7-4… I would stutter every time. I knew exactly where my room was, but the number? No clue! Once you check in, I’d recommend making a note in your phone right away so you always have it. I was surprised with how many times I needed to know it!

Tip: never, ever write your room number on your key card! If you ever lost that, it would be bad news bears.

Views from Sea

This might be a moment where you want to smack me and yell “duh!” but I didn’t realize how incredible the views would be from sea! Yes, the views of the big blue ocean on “sea days” were great, but I loved the port days best! I quickly realized how beautiful it is to watch the ships slowly roll into and out of the cities. The views you get as you slowly approach the shore offer such a unique vantage point! Whether you’re pulling back into a big city like NYC or small towns like Portland or Newport, it’s worth getting out of bed early for! Either sip some coffee on your balcony or make your way up to the top deck to take it all in.

It’s Possible to Have Budget-Friendly Fun!

While on board, it may feel like everything is an upcharge. From specialty restaurants, to playing Bingo, to even having your picture taken. I’ll admit, that was a bit discouraging but I was firm on spending as little extra money as possible- and I still had a blast! The only things I spent money on during my cruise was a shore excursion (with a credit!), a few Bingo cards, and WiFi. Other than that, I stuck to complementary dining and entertainment! If you go into your cruise sticking to your budget, you will be amazed how easy it is to fill your day with activities (and your belly with good food!). Don’t fall victim to the constant upcharges and enjoy everything complementary that you already paid for!

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