New to cruising…my top tips.

For those new to cruising booking your first cruise is very exciting but it can also seem quite daunting.  Are you thinking of cruising and not sure where to start? Here are some of my top tips.

Don’t book the wrong cruise line or ship…There are so many cruise lines and so many ships to choose from it is important you choose the right one for you. You can choose from family friendly, to adult only, 6 star luxury, small intimate ships or huge super liners. If your usual holiday is staying in a luxurious 5 star hotel then choosing a cruise on board the Island Escape would be a big mistake,  if you are looking for a quiet relaxing cruise with no children then Independence of the Seas during the school holidays would be a huge no no! Be sure to select the cruise line and ship that meets your needs.

Choose your itinerary carefully…..your itinerary is very important. Think about where you would like to visit, what you want to do when get to the ports of call. Other things to think about are how many days at sea will there be, for some passengers they love the relaxing days at sea and for others they are keen to get off the ship as much as possible. What will the weather be like, do you want an action packed itinerary or do you want to relax on a beach. The way not to choose your itinerary is based on the price, don’t do it just because it’s cheap!

Choose the right cabin ..do you want an cabin with a window, or are you happy with an inside cabin. Are you looking for a suite… what kind of suite, would you like a butler. There are so many different grades of cabins to choose from and I find that there are always lots of questions about the choice of cabin. You will probably hear that choosing a mid- ship position lower down the ship is a good place to be, the reason being is that this is where you will feel the least amount of motion. Are you willing to let the cruise line choose your cabin number? There are lots of offers especially if you are booking your cruise last minute where you will choose your cabin grade and the cruise line will allocate the number of your cabin. Great if you don’t mind where you are on board and the deals can be fantastic value.

Never Ignore passport and visa requirements…this seems an obvious one to point out but one of the most important. If you don’t have the correct length of time remaining on your passport or you haven’t got the right visas then the cruise line can stop you boarding your ship and also the port authorities can refuse you to let you off the ship. It happens and to miss your cruise because of this I’m sure you will agree would be devastating….so make sure you know the requirements and check your passports and visas way ahead of your cruise.

Do pre-book…. there are lots of extras you can pre -book before your cruise and save your self money by doing so. Do you want to pre- book any drinks packages? If the answer is yes do your research, speak to your cruise specialist and find out what is on offer. You can book the packages before you leave for your cruise and will sometimes find they are better value by doing so. Are you going to do any shore excursions? The cruise line will offer their excursions and you can of course book these on board the ship. There are other companies who offer shore excursions and again you will find them much better value, the company we recommend can save you up 60% so worth pre- booking them at home before you sail off.

Experience the all your ship has to offer….when boarding your cruise ship I always like to see my ship as one of the destinations. You  explore and make the most out of your ports of call so don’t forget to do this on your ship. A cruise ship is like a floating resort with so much to do and experience on board. Whether it being relaxing in the spa and or booking a special meal in one of the speciality restaurants make sure you get the most out of your time on board. Do you know you can sometimes do virtual tours of your ship on line before you book. You can read up about what your ship has to offer and speak to your cruise specialist. Once on board talk to the crew and of course the other passengers who can give you some fab tips of what to do on board.

Don’t skip your cruise specialist… Trying to book your very first cruise on your own I think  is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. I can’t tell you how many times I speak to customers who are new to cruising and they tell me they have been going through web sites and not getting very far as they really don’t know what they are looking for. Worse still you book your cruise and it’s not what you wanted at all. Choose your cruise specialist and they will then guide and help you find your perfect cruise. As a cruise specialist my job is to know all there is to know about cruising and all that goes with it. I use my knowledge and experience to find you your cruise holiday and not only that I can then give you all the help and advice you need. There is no such thing as a silly question…so ask away and if I don’t know the answer I will go away and find it for you. I love speaking to my customers when they return from their very first cruise and it has been everything they ever imagined it would be and much more…usually they are already thinking about their next cruise!

So if you are thinking of booking your first cruise get in touch.  I would love to hear from you, call me on 0800 408 6101, or email [email protected]