8 expert tips to make the most out of a cruise
Why do we like cruises so much? Well, you can prepay for pretty much everything, you only need to find your room and unpack once, you won't get lost or have to deal with language difficulties. These are just some of the reasons the cruise industry is growing.
That's all true but you can make your holiday even more special by following these tips on how to make the most of your cruise.
1. Organise then relax
It doesn't matter if you're not first in the queue for lunch, or that you haven't booked for dinner. The best way to make sure you enjoy your holiday is to do a good walk around of the ship on the first day so you know what's what, and then chill. You won't get bored and you won't go hungry - promise - but if you try to schedule everything and worry about missing out, then you will feel on edge the whole time. You can also pre-book a lot online regarding diet, activities, and shore tours. It's worth spending the time to do this.
2. Your cabin
Take some time to check it out when you first go onboard. It took us three days to work out that we could adjust the air conditioning. And no, you can't take your own alcohol on board. Your bag will be scanned and it will be confiscated (but returned at the end of the cruise). Ask your cabin steward to show you around too - the cabins aren't big but they do have lots of storage and features you may not find easily yourselves.
3. Shore tours
Book early as they fill up fast. You can pick your shore tours before the boat even leaves the dock. That said, I'm agnostic on these. We did two. The first in Suva was lovely, it was a cultural excursion and we visited a village for a kava ceremony and dancing. The second, in Nadi, started off well but that last 40 minutes (of a three-hour tour) were spent in a tourist shop being urged to spend up big. Not impressed. But those in our party who chose tours that simply went to a resort for the day were very enthusiastic indeed.
4. On board pools
You have to try them. Sure, you may be going to a beautiful tropical island for swimming, but there's something totally cool about swimming in a pool in the middle of the sea. Note - they are very deep, six feet, because when the boat moves, the water slops about so needs to be deep to make sure you aren't suddenly left high and dry. There's also a spa pool, which is a must visit. Who would have thought sitting in a hot tub in the tropics would work - but it does. Note: on our ship there seemed to be plenty of room and sun loungers for all. There was no need to scramble to bags them each morning.
5. Themes
Yes, these can seem cringe worthy in the promo material, but they really are fun. Dressing up and pretending seems to give people free licence to talk to one another and get into the spirit of things. You're missing out if you don't embrace them. Same with the evening shows. Sure they can be a bit cheesy but they're fun – and free!
6. On sea days
Take the opportunity to try things you wouldn't normally. There is a daily list of activities, so pick something random. Who knew vegetable carving was a thing? Or that you could learn the difference between etchings and engravings while bobbing around in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We didn't try the quizzes or cocktail making classes, but only because the pool beckoned, not for lack of interest. There's a daily newsletter that has a timetable of all the activities - read it through, there's an amazing variety. Pick a couple each day and throw yourself into it.
7. Ask questions
The crew are pretty knowledgeable and friendly, and will do their best to help you. Want to know what that star is, what the spice is in your favourite dish, how fast the ship is going? Just ask. There's usually a noticeboard, updated daily, about the weather and the course, but if you want more information, ask away. Similarly if the outside table you have your eye on for breakfast has other people already there, just ask if you can join them. We did and nobody complained (at least not to our faces).
8. Technology
The biggest tip I can give you is to make sure you log off properly when you've finished surfing the net on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Wifi isn't cheap on board and you have to log out properly each time or you'll use your full allocation (that you pay for) before you know it.
Four things you didn’t know about cruises
- During a 7 night Fiji cruise, the kitchen uses several thousand eggs. That's a lot of eggs.
- There are three staff members for every passenger. It works, you will certainly feel well looked after. Our cabin stewards delighted us with towel-animal creations. We had a dog, a monkey, and a pig.
- Ships always travel full up. There are often special deals near to departure time to make sure all cabins are full. This can work in your favour if your schedule is flexible.
- They limit the number of children on board so the kids' clubs and programmes don't get overcrowded. The two pre-teens in our group certainly seemed happy, opting to stay in the club rather than joining their parents for dinner some nights.
Do you agree that a cruise is the perfect holiday? Or do you prefer a different kind of vacation? Are there any trip plans on the horizon?
Let us know on the comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Written by Ellen Read. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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