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Top tips for first-time cruisers

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MSC Preziosa. Image courtesy of MSC Cruises.

MSC Preziosa. Image courtesy of MSC Cruises.

I’m getting ready to go on a cruise for the first time ever and it’s all very exciting. MSC have invited me to experience one of their Mediterranean cruises with my daughter and to write about it on Mums do travel. We’re setting off once my daughter finishes her GCSE exams and we can’t wait.

MSC Cruises

We’re sailing from Venice and stopping off at a different Mediterranean port every day: Bari, Katakolon, Izmir, Istanbul, Dubrovnik and then back to Venice. MSC Cruises have 12 ships. The ship we’re going on, the MSC Preziosa, was launched in 2013 and is huge – it can accommodate up to 3,502 guests and has wonderful things on board like an award-winning spa, a 4-D cinema and a pool with a retractable roof.

Our cabin has a balcony so I’m hoping that I won’t get seasick.

MSC balcony cabin. Image courtesy of MSc Cruises

MSC balcony cabin. Image courtesy of MSC Cruises

I’m not sure what to pack but I’m really looking forward to relaxing with my lovely girl and seeing some amazing places. As I’ve never been on a cruise before I asked some bloggers who know a thing or two about cruising for some tips.

Cruise advice

BritMums co-founder Jen Howze says she’s really enjoyed the cruises she’s been on and she’s given me this great advice:

  • DO read through all the excursions before you go, earmark a few that look good, then book them. I initially thought excursions would be like outings organized by the teacher, but they were actually really cool.
  • DO plan to stay one day on the ship while it’s in port. It empties out with so many people going on excursions and you get a real sense of having the place to yourself with a couple hundred of your closest friends. It’s easier to take advantage of all the facilities without all the crowds and was kinda blissful to sit in the poolside bar while daughter swam in the relatively empty pool.
  • DO take in a show. The ones on the cruises I’ve been on have been AMAZING! West End quality with high production values.
  • DO try the different restaurants. Even if you find a good one, resist the impulse to eat in it every meal.
  • DO get up early. We were out on deck by 8am most mornings and had the outdoor basketball court, the mini golf, the ping pong tables, the mini football tables, etc all to ourselves. Where was everyone?
  • Don’t pack more than one book. You won’t get to it.
  • Take a hat with a string to hold it on, for upper deck activity when the wind whips up.

Thanks Jen, that’s really helpful. I’ll have to sneak the hat-with-string into my suitcase when my teen isn’t looking though as I think it may be classed as an embarrassing object.

Last year Penny Alexander and her family were chosen to go on two family cruises with Carnival Cruise Lines. Penny’s written about their experiences over at A Residence and she’s given me this advice:

  • My top tip….people worry about what to wear but most family friendly ships are very relaxed about attire, although embrace formal nights if they exist, do pack something smart and make the most of an amazing opportunity to have a professional photo taken with the ones you love while you are feeling relaxed and sun kissed!
  • Although the inclusive restaurant food is generally one of the main attractions, the service and food with Carnival was certainly amazing, it can be worth paying the small supplement to dine in speciality restaurants, for a small cover charge you can taste even more incredible cuisine and service.
  • Get up early and see the sunrise, especially if it coincides with arriving in a new port, it is amazing to see a new port unfold in front of your eyes from the balcony or deck with a cup of coffee. Try not to miss the sail aways too, one of my favourite things was to say goodbye to a port with a cocktail.

Thank you Penny, I definitely want to get up early and watch as we sail into port.

Lucy Campbell of Family Affairs is a seasoned cruise expert and regularly writes about Disney cruises. She gave me this practical tip:

  • Be concious of the small amount of storage space and that you have to carry bags up and down different floors potentially. There are lots of shops generally on board so no worries about running out of essentials.

I’ll aim for minimalist packing then!

Texan expat Selena Jones of Oh, the places we will go is a big fan of cruising and is planning to go on another one soon. Her main piece of advice to me is to dive into Cruisecritic.com.  Selena says that this website has loads of helpful articles and the forums are terrific. Thank you Selena, that will help my research.

My last cruising tip is from Penny McCarthy, editor of Parents News, who says: ‘Have a great time, go to the gym daily……average weight gain 2lbs a day’. Eek…I’d better cut down on the biscuits and chocolate before we leave then!

Thank you to everyone who sent me these tips. If you’ve ever been on a cruise do you have any other advice for us? If you’ve not been on a cruise is there anything you’d like me to find out about on our trip? I’ll be writing all about it when we get back home.

Family travel lowdown

The seven-night MSC Mediterranean Cruise we’re going on costs £1059 per person including staying in a balcony cabin and return flights from London Heathrow. Thank you to MSC for arranging our cruise.

 

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  2. Phoebe @ Lou Messugo says

    I’m a mega-traveller (?!) and always swore by independent travel and have always taken my kids along for the ride so I was surprised to find myself booking a cruise for the first time last year. (It was such a bargain I couldn’t NOT!) It was on an MSC ship too. We loved it! I agree with Tim Millea about NOT going on the organised tours. They are a total rip off (like he says, it’s a massive industry out to make money). Go on to forums (like cruisecritic mentioned before) to find out about transport from the port into town and then explore the town yourself. It’s what we did with a 7 and 13 year old and it cost us a squillionth of the price and as far as we were concerned we had a much more authentic time at our own pace. I’d also say watch out with the drinks’ packages. Yes they are cheaper to order in advance if you plan on drinking limitless sodas per day (for kids) or 10 beers + a day or whatever. But if you’re only going to have a couple of drinks then they too are total rip offs. My husband and I had a couple of beers/cocktails every evening and a bottle of wine and this was much cheaper than any package. You can get all the prices before you go and work out what’s best for you. Remember that most days you aren’t even on the ship for long. Have fun! I’m sure that no matter what, you’ll enjoy it!
    Phoebe @ Lou Messugo recently posted…Postcards from Aix-en-ProvenceMy Profile

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  6. Lori says

    Great tips! I’ve never been on a cruise and have a slight fear of being out at sea but my father-in-law takes them ALL the time and absolutely loves them. I’d have to gear myself up to crossing the channel on a ferry first I think. x
    Lori recently posted…THE COMFORT OF HOME // HOUSE TOURMy Profile

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  19. Keri-Anne says

    I have never been on a cruise and it is always something i have wanted to do. It’s so strange to think of all of these things on one boat! My sister’s best friend works on a cruise ship as an entertainments manager and loves it that much, she has been doing it for the last 7 years! I hope you have a wonderful time x
    Keri-Anne recently posted…Siblings {June}My Profile

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  25. Stephs Two Girls says

    Wow, that room looks amazing! How fab to be able to go into lots of ports – love the sunrise watching idea, and cocktails at sunset. I love the sea but my other half gets v seasick so would sadly never agree to a cruise 🙁 so enjoy for me!

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  26. Tim Millea says

    Top tips?

    Yes pack light. The devil is in the detail of this. It is a change of attitude from ‘I might need this’ to ‘I absolutely need this’. Weigh every single item on kitchen scales. Put the detail in a spreadsheet and experiment with different capsule wardrobes. There are three main scenarios to consider: ‘daytime’, ‘evening’ and ‘pool’. Everything packed within each scenario must co-ordinate.

    Regarding evenings, ignore the chorus of those who do not like dressing up. “You don’t have to”, “it’s relaxed” etc.. This comes from the scruffiest people aboard. “Always over-dress” is my advice and the easiest way to do this is not to pack any casual clothes at all, other than for the pool/beach/sunbathing scenario.

    I would never do a ship’s tour. One, I am not the right height to sit on a cramped bus and Two, what is the point of being whisked away in a bubble of cruise passengers to overly-obvious tourist sites when you haven’t even visited the place you arrived at or spoken to the locals there? Learn the difference between being a traveller and a tourist.

    Arm yourself in advance with information you may need. This includes thorough research regarding every port of call as well as the cruise experience on board. Once onboard you will pay heavily to use the ship’s internet or even more to take the advice of ship’s staff. A typical example is that of being sold ‘shuttle bus’ tickets into town. No cruise staff member is allowed to tell any guest about the public transport available and yet those crew allowed off the ship for the day go straight to the bus or tram stop at the dock. Do your research in advance and you won’t need to buy an expensive shuttle bus ticket or even follow the crew off the ship.

    Buy drinks packages in advance. They cost less than buying onboard and much less than not buying a package at all.

    Don’t be taken in by the romance of a cruise. It is a ruthless, mega-billion industry and guests are there to be financially exploited in more ways than can be imagined. This may sound cynical but with this attitude you have a chance of getting best value from your cruise. In the end it is a compromise but it should be a compromise of your choosing, not the line’s.

    If ever you have the choice between a balcony cabin OR all-inclusive my advice would be all-inclusive. All-inclusive works well with an inside cabin as the all-inclusive ticket gives you freedom of the entire ship at all times and the inside cabin is then used just for sleeping, washing and changing. More time out of the cabin means more time socialising and meeting and spending time with new people usually form the most lasting and endearing memories of a cruise. On the other hand, if you are the introvert that just wants to read on your balcony, it would be cheaper to stay at home.

    Finally, take a few things that can be given as presents. Many of the cultures represented by the hard-working staff onboard disrespect money offered as tips. U.S. cruisegoers need to be especially aware of the difference to their tipping culture. The staff will take it, of course. However, a personal gift will be much more appreciated and better remembered.

    That is all my tips, for now.

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  28. Trish - Mum's Gone To says

    Ooh very envious, Gretta. I’m sure you and your daughter will have a wonderful time, with or without the hat-with-a-string. I think I would disown you if you wore one too, (sorry Jen!).

    It’s a few years since our one and only cruise but we did have a fabulous time round the Med. I agree with the others, make sure you make the most of the mornings when you arrive in port and the evenings when you leave, it’s a magical time just watching from the deck or your balcony.

    We loved having a balcony as it can get busy on deck. Just be careful when you open your curtains in the morning as one or two places are very close to the men working in the ports. You don’t want to give them too much of a thrill.

    I’m not normally a good sailor but had no problems with seasickness on a big ship although it did feel a little weird for the first few hours.
    Trish – Mum’s Gone To recently posted…Waxing lyrical about having a BrazilianMy Profile

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  2. […] (Before we left I asked some other bloggers who are experienced cruisers for their advice – here are their tips). We’re travelling as guests of MSC and now that we’ve got the hang of life on board I […]

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.