What’s NOT Said About Cruise Ships

Whether you study travel guides, watch YouTube, or listen to podcasts to learn about cruise ship travel, there will always be a mixed bag of information. Much of the information relates to the advertising or glory side of cruising. Though we’ve only been on two ships, there is some valuable information we felt was important to note for other first-time cruisers. One of our cruises had over 4,000 guests, the other had about 2,00 guests. These thoughts are not intended as negative put-down’s but as notations for the back of your brain in preparation.

• MOOOvvve Over. Some of the venues aboard the cruise ship have fantastic performers. They are so wonderful that most of the 4,000 patrons want to see them, but the venue cannot accommodate the quantity of people. Therefore, a first-come, first-serve procedure is created, and everyone wants to be first! Pack your patience. Get there early!

• Public restrooms need better deodorizers. Though they are not like a portable toilet, and they seem to be kept very clean throughout the days, there is always a lingering odor. Mornings are better for use of this space, afternoons should be spent in your stateroom.

• When the ship rocks, the walls knock. Just like airplanes make noise with the wind, the cabins on a cruise ship also make a fair bit of noise. Each metal cabin is stacked one on top the other, so when the surf is choppier, the cabins make more noise. Cabins higher up on the ship’s decks make more noise. Hangers in the closets clang, doors slam shut if left ajar and small items roll back and forth.

• Dry water. The water system on cruise ships can dry out your skin. It is best to pack your own lotion because a new bottle of lotion in the gift shop can cost $15-$100.

• Washy-washy. Thankfully, ships have many hand sanitizing stations at each restaurant and an employee ensuring patron use of these stations. Add this washy-washy routine to all the other handwashing and sanitizing you should do throughout the day and, again, it leads to dry skin. Pack your lotion for 50 washes a day.

• “Come and Get It.” Complimentary dinner venues that feel more like fine dining and serve off a daily menu have people lining up 30-60 minutes before the doors open. If you are able-bodied and have time to kill, this works fine. Some people with mobility issues can only shrug and say “maybe I can try tomorrow”. Norwegian did a great job on several occasions to bring the people with canes into a shorter line. We did not observe this on Cunard, but the cues were a bit shorter too.

• All day eating. Cruises used to have all you can eat dining in any venue on board. Now they almost exclusively have specific times and specific restaurants, cafes and bars. Many dining experiences are an up-charge and in some restaurants extra portions have a charge too. On Cunard, we noticed there was no options from about 2pm to 6pm, except for the up-charged locations, which are pricey on the two lines we sailed on.

• Laundry. There are very few restrictions on the amount of luggage you can bring on board, but keep in mind that you still have to get it to and from the boat, and for long term travelers, every suitcase is another boulder to drag on public transport and on stairs. One of our cruises had self-service laundry and the other only had a very expensive paid service. Check before sailing to see which. Whole blogs have been done about laundry facilities on board cruises.

• Geo-locate. Familiarize yourself with the ship as much as possible as early as possible. They are difficult to navigate around, and you will find yourself asking directions often. Priorities for us are the Purser’s, or Information/Customer Service desk, the Infirmary and the elevators in relation to our stateroom.

So overall, cruise ship travel is amazing. Come prepared and you will have more smiles on your journey.