Things you should know before going your first cruise.

Hello little blog, long time no see. 

As some of you may know, I’m going on a cruise in a month’s time, my first ever cruise and to say that I was excited would be the understatement of the century.

Choose your ship wisely

The cruise company and even the ship you choose can greatly impact your holiday as they each offer something different. Some are adult-only, others are family friendly and great for kids whilst cruises like Saga and Fred. Olsen is pretty exclusively for an older clientele. My mother, father and I are going on a P&O Cruise on the Britannia. This is a ‘Food Heroes’ themed cruise and we will be joined on board by Eric Lanlard. 

This is the perfect cruise for a foodie like myself as not only will I joining Eric Lanlard in the kitchen for a masterclass with the Cake Boy himself but will also be going on an additional baking course and have afternoon tea at the Epicurean on our final sea day.

Research the ports.

Much like if you are going on a city break or a weekend away, your time in port can be very limited. Most of the time you’ll arrive in a town in the morning and then leave in the early evening the very same day. It's therefore worth doing your research before you go and having a plan in mind. 

Our week-long cruise to the Norwegian Fjords will be stopping at Stavanger, Alesund, Olden and Bergen and I am looking forward to visiting the ‘Swords In Rock’ monument in Stavanger and Rosenkrantz tower in Bergen. 

Take ID ashore

When you go across border lines whilst on board you do not get your passport checked in real time. At least I hope not, I don’t fancy being woken up at 2am because we have arrived in Norway. 

Instead, passport checks (and sometimes bag scans) happen when you go ashore so make sure to remember your passport and all other travel documents before leaving the cabin. 

Inside Cabins are a good choice for first-time cruisers.

Picking a cabin for the cruise can be a sticking point for many. After all, a balcony has outside space and is often bigger. BUT its also a lot more expensive, sometimes three times more so than an indoor cabin!

As a first time cruiser you need to ask yourself, is it really worth it? How much time am I going to spend in my cabin anyway? 

The way I look at it there are 3 main reasons why an inside cabin is best for the first time cruiser:

1. You are only really going to use your cabin when you sleep - with so much stuff to do and explore on the ship, do you want to be cooped up in your cabin?
2. Good for those who need a blackout to sleep. - If like me, you need complete blackness to sleep then an inside cabin is best. There isn't a window so you won’t be woken up with the rising sun
3. Sit down your rocking the boat. - No seriously. Your inside cabin is going to situated in a more central part of the ship which means less rocking. Great for landlubbers and less chance of getting seasick….at least in your cabin.

You can get seasick.

*Spoiler Alert* you are on a ship and that means that you can get seasick. 

Top tips for avoiding this that I’ve seen include; 

1. looking out of the window, or failing that because you have an inside cabin and don’t have a window,
2. turn on the TV in your cabin and choose the ships camera option
3. Go to the ship’s medical centre and ask for an injection of Phenergan.

Other useful tips include:

1. Take your own tea bags, especially if you are partial to a certain type of brew. I’ve heard it said that a lot of cruise liners stock Lipton’s so if you are a Yorkshire Tea kind of gal you better pack some tea bags.
2. Bring an extension lead, this may come in handy if you have many things that you want to plug in, or if there are a few of you sharing a cabin.
3. As soon as you board, locate your life vest and try it on. Then you can ask for a replacement before it’s too late.
4. Most cruise ships will provide you with a daily program with a full list of what’s happening on board including any classes, theatre shows, discos and kid’s clubs. It's a good idea to keep this on you at all times, even when going off the ship so that you can stay in the know with what’s on.