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The excitement and confusion that first-time cruisers experience can be a bit overwhelming. There’s definitely a lot to learn and do before embarkation day. But don’t worry- we’re here to help you have a blast!
Cruising is a fun and cost-effective way to travel, especially if you’re cruising on Carnival. It’s known as the fun ship for a reason!
As first-time cruisers, it can be hard to know what to bring and expect on your very first sailing.
It doesn’t even matter how much of an experienced traveler you are in other arenas. Everything you do on a cruise is just different than other vacations. From food, to staterooms, to itineraries and passports, and everything in between.
That’s why I put together this list of everything I wish I knew before setting sail on my first cruise. There are even a few secrets on this list that the most experienced cruisers won’t be able to tell you.
The best part is that some of these tips aren’t necessarily specific to Carnival. In fact, they can really be used as a rule of thumb for first-time cruisers on all cruise ships.
7 Tips For First-Time Carnival Cruisers
1. Bring A Jacket
Cruise ships get cold! It doesn’t matter if you’re going to the Caribbean or during the dead of summer.
The night breeze on the water can be chilly. The weather conditions are misty and windy out at sea no matter where you’re going.
After a couple of minutes of stargazing on deck you’re going to be damp and cold.
2. You Don’t Need A Passport For Closed-Loop Cruises
What is a closed-loop cruise?
A closed-loop cruise is the same a round trip for flights. It’s when you leave and return back to the same cruise port.
So if your ship departs from California, spends a couple of days visiting Mexico, and returns back to California then you don’t need a passport! Bring a birth certificate and ID and you’re good to go.
The opposite is true for open-loop (or one way) cruises. If your ship leaves from California and it’s last stop is Mexico, you’ll most likely need to bring your passport.
3. Is The Drink Package Worth It?
First let’s go over some of the facts and things to consider.
Buying drinks a la carte on the boat can cost anywhere from $8-$15 with a gratuity fee added. The current cost for a Carnival Cruise drink package is $59.95/per person/per day.
Keep in mind that you have to pay for the drink package every day of the cruise, including the days that you get off and spend time in port.
During those days you probably will not use the full benefits of your drink package because you will not be on the ship most of the day.
Also it’s important to remember that you can bring one bottle of wine or champagne per guest age 21+ for your room.
Note: In my personal experience, the drinks were not strong at all.
So, is it worth it?
If you’re gonna drink more than 3 beverages a day, then yes. You will just about break even with the daily cost of the package. We all love to save some money!
If you’re going to drink less than four drinks a day or spend nearly half of your cruise days in port then a la carte seems to be the better option.
It really just depends on you!
4. Be Prepared For An Itinerary Change
This is something nobody tells you as a first-time cruiser. The cruise destination can change unexpectedly.
Safety reasons like really bad weather, rocky seas, or needing a smaller fairy boat to transport you to the dock are common reasons why some ports may get canceled. It’s usually a last resort and not something the crew wants to do either, but it does happen.
On my first cruise, we were supposed to port in Catalina Island, but couldn’t because of choppy waves.
Catalina Island’s water is too shallow toward the land for our ship to park at the dock. A small fairy boat was supposed to come out and take us the rest of the way to the island but it couldn’t safely handle the weather conditions.
So we were refunded the port fees and our itinerary changed to an extra sea day.
5. Rocky Seas Can Cause Plumbing Problems
Rocky ships can occasionally lead to shower and toilet drains leaking.
Many frequent cruisers have never even experienced this so it’s safe to say that this does not happen often. It’s very rare and only on really rock ships, but it is possible.
According to my TikTok commenters (who dragged me over this tip) this has never happened to them, but it happened to us so I’m just putting the warning out there!
Don’t leave your clothes on the bathroom floor in a hurry like my boyfriend did. Yikes.
6. Buy Sea Sickness Medicine Before Hand
When it comes to the most important things to pack for your first cruise, motion sickness medicine is on the top of the list.
Whether you get motion sick super easily (like me) or have never gotten motion sick before your cruise (like my boyfriend), take this advice and bring the medicine! It’ll cost you $10 at most and can save your whole vacation.
The cruise golden rule: It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
You may think you know your motion sickness limits, but the ocean will trick you and sea sickness is NO joke.
Our whole cruise vacation was almost ruined by sea sickness, but luckily I was prepared.
If you don’t want to take medicine, that’s fine. There are natural remedies for motion sickness too.
But I cannot say this enough, bring something! Buying some on the boat is going to be much more expensive.
7. Does Unlimited Food Really Mean Unlimited?
Yes, it does! There truly are so many things to eat for free on a cruise.
Maybe this one seems obvious to some, but the words “for free” and “unlimited” always make me skeptical.
What’s the catch? Little portions? Only certain items are available?
Nope. Surprisingly there is no fine print.
You can go get a full plate dinner in the buffet hall then head over to the main dining room for round two. Judgment free!
Tip: I personally enjoyed breakfast most in the buffet, lunch at Guy’s BBQ and Shaq’s Big Chicken, and brunch/dinner in the main dining room.
Do you have any good tips or stories to share with first-time cruisers? Did you know about any of the tips on this list? Comment down below!
Bon voyage sailors!
