So you’ve never cruised before and you’re wondering where to begin. We’re here to help! Let’s start off with the basics and what you’ll need to know prior to booking your cruise.
Being a first time cruiser you may be completely lost on everything from where to book, which cruise line to book and what itinerary and ship to book. There are an abundance of cruise lines one could book through but for this article we’re going to keep it within the United States and commercial cruise lines.
Generally there are a few top named cruise lines departing from the United States. Those cruise lines being Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruise Line, and Princess Cruise Line. All of which offer great cruises and itineraries for different types of people.
The majority of cruises leaving out of the United States are located in Florida. Either in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando (Port Canaveral), or Tampa. Though there are other cruises out of California, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Washington, Maryland and New York.
Travel
Now for the pricing and travel. Cruise prices vary on season, ship, itinerary, and cruise line. When booking a stateroom your pre, and post-cruise travel is not included in your booking price unless otherwise stated. Meaning you need to book your flights both to the cruise and back home while keeping on cruise schedule. Usually you’ll need to be checked-in and on the ship by 2-3 pm on the first day of departure but you cannot start checking in until about noon. On the last day of your cruise you will arrive back at where your cruise first departed and usually have to be off of the ship by 10 am. After departing the ship you’ll have to wait in line at U.S. Customs. So make sure you book your flights accordingly and your departure from the ship since customs can take over 2 hours!
May, June, July, and August are considered to be peak season. If you’re planning on booking during those months you can expect your cruise fare to sometimes be double the price of what it usually is. The months of January, February, and March are what’s called the “Wave season”. Wave season is essentially the “Black Friday” of cruises where cruise lines will offer their best deals persuading people to book. The rest of the months, September-December are known as “Hurricane season”. Prices will generally be cheaper during this period since there is a chance for hurricanes to “ruin” your vacation. But have no fear, the employees of the ships are well trained and avoid storms and hurricanes without a problem. The worst that can happen is you miss an island or two and possibly get stuck at sea for an extra day or two. Hey! on the bright side that’s an extra FREE day or two of vacation! And if you miss an island the cruise line usually makes up for it by discounting your next cruise or giving you on-board credit.
Rooms
When looking at different staterooms to book you will find staterooms varying from:
- Interior Stateroom
- Oceanview Stateroom
- Balcony Stateroom
- Junior Suite Stateroom
- Suite Stateroom
An interior stateroom is a standard room. This will include a queen sized bed that can split into 2 single beds, a folding couch, closet (with safe), T.V., and a private bathroom with a stand up, walk-in shower. During a 7 night cruise on a newer, larger ship, you can expect this room to start at anywhere between $500-$1,300 USD per person depending on season.
Picture Credit Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
Oceanview Stateroom‘s are very similar to interior staterooms but also come with a small window. This room is always on the lower decks of the ship. $500-$1,300 USD per person depending on season (7 Night Cruise).
Picture credit Icruise
Balcony Stateroom‘s can vary depending on ship. They are on the higher decks of the ship. Some ship’s such as Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis Class” ship’s have different balcony views. Some of which over look a “Boardwalk”, and “Central Park”. And other standard balconies that you’d find on other ships that have an ocean view. $700-$2,000 USD per person depending on season (7 Night Cruise).
Picture Credit Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
Junior Suite Stateroom‘s are balcony stateroom’s with a lot more room inside and a larger balcony. Sometime’s these are also called “Mini-Suites”. $1,200 – $3,000 USD per person depending on season (7 Night Cruise).
Picture Credit Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
Suite Stateroom‘s are the top of the top in both price, space, and deck on the ship. There are several kind of different suite rooms, most of which have 2 floors and a Jacuzzi on the balcony. $2,000 – $10,000 per person depending on season and suite (7 Night Cruise).
Picture Credit Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas
Itineraries
Now that we’ve gone over the different type of staterooms let’s talk itineraries. The most popular itineraries are “Eastern Caribbean” and “Western Caribbean” which usually consist of a combination of the following (varying):
- Nassau, Bahamas
- CocoCay, Bahamas
- St. Thomas, USVI
- St. Marteen, USVI
- Puerto Rico
- St. Kitts
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Cozumel, Mexico
- Honduras
- Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico
- Key West, FL
Picture – St. Thomas, USVI Cruise Port
Each cruise will stop at 2-4+ ports during the course of the cruise depending on the length. For example 2-3 night cruises out of Florida may only go to Keywest and back or Bahamas and back as to where a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise will stop at Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico before returning to port.
When booking a stateroom you will notice a “Gov’t taxes and port fees” charge. This charge changes based on your itinerary and is added to your stateroom booking once you go to checkout. Depending on cruise line the charge will be around $100 or $250 USD. This is a one time fee per person in each stateroom.
Ships
Every ship has it’s own unique decorations, and entertainment. You can choose to go on the largest ships or the smallest ships. Ship size is all about preference. Some people enjoy the larger more spacious ships which have more passengers while other people may choose a smaller ship because it can dock at ports the larger ships may be unable to. Another reason to choose a smaller ship is that it’s less walking. The downside of smaller ships is when the ocean is rough you will feel the waves more than on the large ships. If you’re a person who sometimes gets seasick, you may want to lean towards a larger ship to better avoid seasickness and pick a room in the middle of the ship on a higher deck.
Larger ships also mean more entertainment and restaurants giving you more to do on-board. Although there will be more passengers you shouldn’t feel like it’s “too crowded”. There are benefits to taking all different ship sizes and they vary on the cruise line. We suggest the larger ships for your first time cruise to get the full experience.
Picture credit ShipMateApp – Largest Royal Caribbean Ship Compared to Smallest
What’s included
Food, beverages, and toiletries are always included when booking your stateroom. Although the included items are limited. The main dinning room and buffet are always included in your booking. You can expect to find delicious, well-prepared food at both but there will be a few “specialty restaurants” on-board that will not be free. You do not need to dine at them but if you do expect to pay a pretty penny since most of it is considered 5-Star.
Picture – Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas Main Dinning Room Lobster
Free beverages on a cruise are usually limited to flavored water, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, tea, and water. Which can usually be found in small snack shops on-board or at the buffet. Sadly, soda, specialty coffee, and alcohol will usually require you to buy what’s called a “drink package”
Drink packages vary from the very basic and cheapest (Soda) to the most expensive (Alcohol). When you buy a drink package it will allow you unlimited drinks for the cruise and sometimes a limited edition cup with a lid delivered to your stateroom the first day of your cruise.
If you decide on buying a drink package you can expect to spend anywhere from $64-600 depending on the package and cruise line. The package is also person specific so if 2 people in a stateroom want soda, e.t.c. they’d both have to buy the package since every refill you will need to show your Seapass or have your cup. Anybody caught sharing their package can have it confiscated with no refund. Not to worry though, the ship’s beverages are usually just fine and if you ask a snack shop or bar you can usually buy bottles of water for $1-3 USD.
Also included in your cruise fare is the entertainment! Entertainment varies per ship but is always spectacular in it’s own way! On-board you can expect to find comedy shows, bingo, musical theater performances, guest interactive shows, live bands, karaoke, bars, casinos and even movie showings. Get out there and have fun!
Picture – Royal Caribbean’s Oceanaria Aqua Show aboard Allure of the Seas
Excursions
What are excursions? Excursions are activities that you can pay to do at each port of call. It is completely free to get off the ship at each of your port of calls and walk around the city and even go to the beach. But if you want a more luxurious, laid back, or active and historical adventure you’re going to want to book excursions. Excursions can vary from your very own beach cabana, to jet skii rentals, snorkeling, zip linning, rafting, historical tours, four wheeling, or a boat ride out to a private beach with a local made lunch. Each excursion can be booked online after booking your cruise or once you get on-board. If you book online before your cruise you will usually save money since they will be cheaper than on-board. By booking ahead online you will also insure that you get to go on that excursion you’ve been looking forward to since they do sell out of spots. You can expect to pay anywhere between $10 for a simple guided city tour to $100+ per person on more active or luxurious excursions.
On-board
Once on-board you will have your Seapass and be allowed to head to your stateroom and wait for what’s called “Muster”. Your “Seapass” will be your room key for the week and will also be used when you purchase anything on-board since there are no cash transactions on-board aside from the casino. Your Seapass can be connected to a credit card or act as a debit card with a $500 expense limit to be paid in cash on-board before departing the ship on the last day. While you are waiting you will see luggage being sorted and delivered to rooms before and after muster. Many people head for a nap and a shower or the buffet but those who want to experience it all head up to the top deck and watch as the ship departs the port before muster. Muster is a mandatory gathering of all crew members and guest aboard by U.S. Law. It is roughly a 15-30 minute process where you will hear the captain come over the intercom to start and close the safety drill. During muster all guest must stay quiet and listen to or watch a short film in designated areas explaining what to do in case of an emergency. You can find your area code on your Seapass! This drill is done once per cruise.
Shortly after muster finishes you will be allowed to start enjoying your cruise vacation. You can either head off to bed or head out and explore! The ship will take days to get used to and find your way around!
Sea days and Port days
Depending on your itinerary you will have a few “sea days” where you are just cruising the ocean all day and a few “port days” where you will stop at pre-determined islands. During sea days you just hang out! Perhaps head up to the sun deck and hang out by the pool or engage in on-board activities and shows going on during the day. During port days the ship will dock for a certain period of time allowing you to get off the ship and walk around. Just be sure you know what time your ship is leaving because they will not wait for you! Always bring a watch and set it to ship time! Ship time is based off of the location the ship originally left. If the ship leaves out of Florida, ship time will be based on Eastern Standard Time. You want to be back on-board roughly an hour before port departure.
Overview
Let’s do a quick overview on everything we talked about and stuff we may have missed!
What’s Included:
- Food (Buffet, Dinning Room, Snack Shops)
- Beverages (Water, Lemonade, Ice Tea, Coffee, Tea, Flavored Water)
- Toiletries (Toilet paper, Towels, Soap, Shampoo)
- Entertainment (Musicals, Casino, Comedy, e.t.c)
What isn’t included:
- Airfare
- Taxis
- Specialty Restaurants (~$30-60 per plate)
- Drink Packages (~$64-600 per person)
- Internet (~$100 per person)
- Excursions (~$25-$100+ per person)
- On-board Spa Packages (~$60+)
What’s a good stateroom price (7 Night Cruises):
- Interior ($600-850)
- Balcony ($700-$1,200)
- Junior Suite ($1,300 – $3,000)
- Suite ($3,000 – $6,000)
Where to book:
We’ve covered about all of the need to know basics. Now it’s time for you to decide on your cruise! Which cruise line will you choose and where will you go?!
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
Picture | RCCL – Haiti, Labadee port
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
Picture Credit | Celebrity Cruises
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
Picture Credit | Royal Caribbean
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Adventures And Deals 