The 12 Signs You're An Expert Cruiser (Most Don't Know)

want to be an expert before you ever take your first cruise or maybe you've taken plenty but you want to test what you know about being smart when you sail that's why after dozens of cruises I've rounded up things that I think expert Cruisers know that many may have no idea about after you Cruise a few times you start to learn where the gouges are on a cruise and how to avoid them to save yourself some cash I'm talking about things like toiletries and medicines on the ship I remember finding an $18 bottle of cough medicine on a cruise one time the experts know to bring anything that they might need or wait until Port to pick something up cruise transfers from the airport are highly priced and if you traveling with two or more people it just about is always cheaper to take an Uber or a cab travel insurance sold through the cruise lines is another spot that you've got to watch you can buy through the cruise line and it's pretty convenient I I will admit but going to a third-party insurer often gives you higher limits for about the same price and sometimes less now there are plenty of things that are simply expensive on a cruise but the pros know how to save money when they can now on the flip side of knowing where not to spend money expert Cruisers know where there are deals on the cruise ship over the past few years a number of lines have rolled out bundles with these you pay a little extra for for the cruise fair but you get things like gratuities a drink package and Wi-Fi included with your trip now if you aren't going to purchase these things otherwise it's not a good deal however many people do and the cost of the bundle can be much less than buying these packages individually as well even without bundle season Cruisers know to book anything that you want on board ahead of time restaurants Wi-Fi and drink packages are always discounted if you buy them before you Cruise simply buying them here instead of on the ship saves you money and finally if you don't get the drink package experts know to take advantage of allowances for beverages that you can bring on board just about every Cruise Line lets you bring on a bottle or two of wine or champagne and mini lines allow a 12pack of soda or other non-alcoholic drinks might not sound like much but considering the prices on the ship it quickly adds adds up to savings if you've cruised enough then there has to be one spot that you may be like me and you've tired of it I'm talking about the buffet the buffet on a cruise is a staple of dining it's open for every meal and most people will find themselves eating breakfast and lunch there maybe even dinner in some cases now I'll be honest the buffet to me it's serviceable on every line I've sailed I'm convinced they all source the food from the same spot eating it occasionally it's fine however eating it every day it gets old pretty fast that is why those in the know make it a point to skip around and try different spots to eat even if it does mean having to pay for meals and specially restaurants at times if you're on the cruise ship for a week and eating tons of meals in the buffet frankly I think you're doing it wrong two questions a lot of people have are is a balcony cabin worth it and and where on the ship should I choose my room when it comes to these two questions I like to use something that I call the rule of 51015 it's easy to remember and gives you an easy rule of thumb first the five if you are sailing on a cruise of 5 days or longer then yes get a balcony with that length of time you'll have enough time in the cabin that you'll want the extra space the fresh air and The View on shorter trips you are usually out and about exploring the ship and P so much that you can't really get your money's worth for that extra cost of the balcony then comes the 1015 when you sail and you're selecting where your cabin is I like to book anywhere from deck 10 to deck 15 the layout of a cruise ship is that you have your main prominade and indoor areas usually around decks 6 through 8 and then you have the main outdoor areas at the top of the ship these days on the big ships that's anywhere from decks 16 to 20 since these are two spots you'll spend the most time it makes sense to be between them so it gives you easy access without a ton of stairs or waiting on an elevator 51015 if you're taking a cruise as a one-off vacation then one great thing is most trips from the united states allow you to sail with only a birth certificate and a driver's license so you can actually travel to a foreign country without the need of getting a passport but expert Cruisers know that it is so much easier with a passport now I'll admit getting one of these can be a pain but the benefits are really nice in cruising first should anything go wrong during your trip and you have to come home early from a foreign Port passport simply makes things much easier honestly however that's unlikely most cruises they go off without a hitch the real benefit of a passport is getting off the ship not always but but if you have a passport these days you simply walk off the ship on dis embarcation day you take a photo at the kiosk and you're on your way to the airport or your way home if you have a birth certificate then you often have to wait in line to meet with an agent who reviews your documents it can simply be much more time consuming let's face it these days staying connected isn't just a luxury it's a necessity for many of us and the cruise lines they are happy to help you stay online for a price Wi-Fi packages are available on any ship that you sell but of course the cruise lines have broken it down into different levels you pay less but still a lot and you get a slower speed or pay even more and get faster access now it's tempting to go cheap here and save some money but those who have been around the block know that that is a mistake even the fastest connections on a ship are slow by land standards a decent speed for the fastest con connection is 3 to 5 megabits per second your home connection is likely closer to 100 not only are the slower connections simply not as fast in some cases I've seen them as slow as under 1 megabit per second but the slower speeds often come with less access as well things like streaming are normally not allowed some social media apps may not be available as well spending the extra money it's a pain but it is the smart move now even even those who Cruise a lot can't always be flexible with when they sail sometimes even if you are flexible you have to meet the schedule of others that you're traveling with but those that can know that sailing when school is in session is the right play first the prices for cruises can drop drastically during the school year at this time it's more difficult for families to sail meaning Cruise Lines drop prices to keep ships full it's common to pay hundreds of dollars less for the exact same cruise by sailing outside of times like spring break or the summer as well during times like the summer your ship is also likely to sail with more people with kids being able to sail during the school holidays that means often a third or even fourth person is in a cabin adding to the number of passengers on the ship sale outside of these times and not only is it less expensive but is also likely to have more Elbow Room if it's your first cruise one thing you might not know to do is to check your state room account but if you're a cruise veteran then you know to keep an eye on what you're spending everything you spend on the ship it's tracked via your room key card you want to drink you swipe your card and then that amount is put onto your account at the end of the cruise you simply pay off the balance in one transaction what Pros know is that occasionally wrong charges can make their way onto your your account I'm talking stuff like a 2 a.m. drink at a bar when you were sound asleep in the cabin it seems to happen every four or five cruises for me your account is kept in real time and you can check it at any time from The Cruise Line app or on the Stater room TV you want to keep an eye on it from time to time if you do have a wrong charge Guest Services they can get it cleared up in just a few minutes with each cruise that you take you'll get a little smarter about your packing first time you go you're likely to bring a lot of things that frankly you don't need and not bring things that would have been useful that's why those that have Cruis quite a bit they have become really good at packing smart first if you were headed to the Caribbean for a week and you're bringing two huge suitcases I'm sorry but you're doing it wrong it is perfectly fine to wear the same clothes a couple of times during a 7-Day cruise and when you pack those bags you have so much more to Lug around from the car or the plane to the cruise port but then there are smart things to pack I'll always suggest all the over-the-counter medicines that you think you even might need it's not easy to go grab something in the middle of the night if you need to battle a headache or an upset stomach shoe organizers that hang over the bathroom doors they are great for keeping small items from cluttering up counter space around the cabin and towel Clips are something that many people don't think about but the breeze when the ship is underway makes them worth it to bring I've put a link in the description below for other smart things that I think you should pack I highly encourage you to check it out now there are a lot of things that you can learn about cruising from those that have been on a lot of cruises before but only through your own experience can you really figure out which line you like the way that those who have cruised the lot already know I'll be forward about 80% of any cruise on any one of the major lines it's going to be roughly the same you hang out by the pool you eat dinner in the dining room you hit the same ports even but there are differences in The Vibes and the atmosphere on different ships some are more focused on families and outgoing fun others are focused on adults and affluent customers with a more refined atmosphere but sometimes you won't know what you like until you actually try it out for example I had never sailed Princess Cruise Lines until recently I'm normally pretty active on my cruises and like having lots to do but I love the calmer and the relaxed Vibe on board so it's a good idea to try a few lines and you never know when what you might like actually changes over the years food is a major part of a cruise and cruise experts know a few secrets about it that first- timers might not that's ESP especially in the case of the main dining room there are some things that you learn simply after going there time and time again in the dining room you're given a menu and then ask for an appetizer a main entree and a dessert but you can really order whatever you want don't decide between two appetizers get them both or order seconds for your meal although some lines are starting to charge for an extra entree but beyond that if there's something that you really want just let your waiter know and see what they can do even if it's something off menu they can sometimes accommodate you the final thing is something that anyone can keep in mind whether they've sailed once or aund times but it's something that I think also deserves some attention especially these days if you are headed on a cruise then you really want to check your attitude for 99% of people this is no problem but we all do get a little edgy sometimes and on a cruise there are a lot of people in close proximity sometimes other people can be loud or annoying or rude or the Wi-Fi might be slow on board or the waiter can get your order wrong or the cruise might have to cancel a port due to weather inconveniences and annoyances they can happen even when on a vacation but if you adjust your attitude you just let it roll off your back it will make the entire trip much more enjoyable that's one sign that you're an expert Cruiser thank you for watching and getting a glimpse into what those that have cruised a lot know can make your trip a lot better if you like this video be sure to subscribe and check out the other helpful cruise videos on the channel and of course you can always visit Cru le.com for way more on everything cruising until next time happy sailing

Channel: Cruzely.com

Views: 148,135

Keywords: cruise, travel

Id: wdAi6hz4dvE

Length: 13min 27sec (807 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 24 2023