12 Tips for Smarter Cruising

Amazing service, all you can eat buffets, and endless fun. Cruising is the life. If you have never been cruising or if you have cruised before and want a few smart tips for the next time you go, this blog is for you. My husband and I have been on a total of 8 cruises and each year we go, we try a different ship with different ports to visit. We love to travel and cruising has become one of our favorite ways to see the world.

We have sailed with Carnival almost every time we have taken a cruise. We’ve always had excellent service and feel like we are getting more than what we pay for. Carnival has a loyalty program and for each day you are on a cruise, you receive a point. On your first sailing, you are in the blue category and receive a blue room keycard. On your second cruise you move into the red category, and then to move up to gold you have to acquire 25 points. After you acquire 75 points, you become platinum. The final category is Diamond at 200 points. Each category has rewards that you receive; the higher the points, the better and more rewards you will get.

After a few years of cruising, we had the opportunity to upgrade to a higher level of status if we booked our cruise by a certain date. Umm, yes please! We were upgraded to Platinum, which was a huge step up from where we were as Red at the time. We had a priority phone line we could call anytime. We didn’t have to wait in line for customer service. We got free gifts such as a pin with the ship name and year on it, and a to-go cup. Free laundry service was included, which was really nice to have because there wasn’t as much laundry to do when we got home. We had priority boarding and debarkation. We also had anytime dining, so we didn’t have to go at a specific time. It was wonderful.

We are currently gold and it will be a little while before we actually become platinum, but it was nice while it lasted! We really thought that was a great idea for Carnival to give you the opportunity to experience what it is like to cruise at a higher status. It was an amazing experience!

After 8 years of cruising we’ve had a lot of fun on our trips. We fell in love with the beauty of the Caribbean and loved the incredible service provided on the ship. When we first started cruising, we didn’t do research on some of the things we chose to do and we really wished that we did! I’d like to share some things with you that would be helpful to know before you leave for your next cruise.

Here are 12 tips to help you get the most out of your cruising experience.

1) Don’t Book Your Cruise Until You Are Offered a Special Rate

The best time to book your cruise is when there are specials. If you book your cruise when there are no specials, then you are missing a great opportunity to either get upgraded for that specific cruise or get a discount. You can join the cruise line’s email list in order to get these deals or you can check their website occasionally for specials.

Another option is check a discounted site such as Priceline. The times we booked with Priceline, we received onboard credit and discounted hotel rates.

2) Choose (and read) Your Excursions Carefully

The total time of each excursion includes travel time. The excursion isn’t really 4 hours long if it says travel time is a half-hour or an hour. Be sure to read the whole description carefully.

When you are choosing your excursions, sometimes it can be difficult to know which one to choose. There are typically similar excursions that vary in price and activity. Be sure to read closely what you are getting. Some excursions offer a “dolphin encounter,” but usually that does not mean you get to swim with them. It’s usually an opportunity to see a dolphin and pet them. It will say swim or snorkel if you actually get to do so.

Make sure you have enough time on your excursion. Some are short, while others give you more time. And when you return from the port, always give yourself at least a half-hour to get back to the cruise ship if within walking distance, in case there are lines to get back on the ship or you have trouble finding your way back.

When you have the choice to either to do an excursion or not, a good deciding factor would be if there are a lot of places within walking distance that you can shop and eat or not. Puerto Rico was one of my favorite ports of call and the best thing about it was almost everything was within walking distance. We did not book an excursion, we explored the island and took photos. It was beautiful.

If there are things to do within walking distance, then you could always explore the island and do an excursion at the next port. Of course an excursion is going to be more fun in most cases, but if you want to save money or take a beach break (unless you want to do a beach break excursion and have access to a private beach), then don’t worry about an excursion at that port of call.

Also consider active travel advisories when you decide whether or not to explore a destination on your own. From my experience, I prefer not to walk near where the locals live in Jamaica, Belize or Honduras. The locals are very persistent in selling their local fruits and items to you, and then try to introduce you to their friends so you will buy from them too. Stay in the tourist areas to avoid this.

3) Book Excursions Before You Leave for Your Cruise

It takes time to review each excursion, so it’s best to avoid taking away time to enjoy your cruise by planning in advance. It is much easier to book your excursions online before you leave. Be sure to read reviews, because you will find out more about the excursion by reading how other people’s experiences were. Also, excursions can book quickly and you will be guaranteed a spot if you book ahead.

4) Take Your Own Soda or Seltzer

You will get free water (that doesn’t taste good unless you put lemon in it), lemonade, coffee, hot chocolate, and juice. If you want soda, seltzer, or bottled water, then you will need to take a pack with you. You can carry it with you and they will let you take it on board. Who wants to pay $3 a can/bottle on the ship?

This isn’t the case on every cruise line. Royal Caribbean will not allow you to take water or soda with you on the ship.

5) Don’t Feel Overwhelmed

When you look at the Fun Times (for those that haven’t cruised, it’s the daily paper itinerary of what is going on that you receive in your room) for the day, don’t feel overwhelmed when you see that there is something going on almost every minute of the day. There are a lot of options to choose from, but you can decide on what sounds most interesting to you.

It’s best to factor in at least an hour for any meals that you eat in the formal dining room and plan your activities around it. There are several events that are recorded and replayed on your TV for you to watch in case you miss them.

6) Shop for Jewelry Abroad

If you are looking for jewelry or enjoy shopping for it, be sure to shop while at the ports of call or onboard the cruise ship, because it is tax free (excluding Key West). Also, you will have a large selection of rare gemstones such as Alexandrite and Tanzanite. Most places will offer warranties so you won’t have to worry about not being near a store that sells what you purchase.

7) Bargain for Better Deals

While you are shopping in the Caribbean, you can often bargain for a better deal. Start low and work your way up until you can get them to agree with you. You can always bargain at Straw Markets. Some stores will also bargain with you, but not all. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

8) Use Caution While Shopping

Be sure to be careful when shopping in developing nations. There has been increased crime to tourists in the Caribbean areas due to poverty. Straw Markets are similar to flea markets here in the U.S., but they have souvenir items for the tourists to buy. In these types of places, locals will often come up to you and put beads around your neck to say how pretty it looks on you, then ask you to pay them for it.

Hair braiding is another common one, where a lady will come up to you and ask you to sit down and start braiding your hair. The next thing you know she will be telling you that’s $7 a braid!

The last time I went to a Straw Market was in Jamaica. I went to one booth and then as I walked away, the lady walked me to her friends booth and so on. This kept on until I told them I had to go. They are often a little pushy and if you pick up something they will try to sell it to you. Straw Markets are the cheapest but will also put the most pressure you to buy. If you want to feel more comfortable shopping, it’s best to stay in large groups in the areas the cruise ship recommends shopping.

9) Get a Better Deal on Excursion Photos

A couple years ago my husband and I did our first dolphin excursion. It was very pricey, but well worth the experience. The only drawback was, you couldn’t take your own camera to use. After the excursion we were told that we could buy all of the photos they took of us for $69.99. There were only about 10 pictures that they took of us. I wanted the pictures bad enough that although I knew it was crazy to spend that much, I was willing to pay extra to get them. It was frustrating.

While in line we overheard a lady say that she was from Carnival and she was getting a copy of the pictures to take to the ship for them to sell in the photo store. My husband convinced me to wait and look at them there. Sure enough, we got on board and the photos were printed and priced individually. Not all excursions offer photos, but for the ones that do, be sure to ask if you can purchase them on the ship to get a better price.

10) Take Two-Way Radios (walkie talkies)

While cruising, you won’t be able to use your cell phone for service because international rates are high and you will need a way to communicate with your family. Two-way radios work great for this and are inexpensive to buy.

11) Take an Underwater Camera or an Underwater Camera Bag

Before we purchased a GoPro, my husband found an underwater camera bag that we put our digital camera in and it never leaked. All of our pictures turn out great! We have used underwater cameras before and they work well if you remember to use the flash, but using a digital camera is even better because the pictures are much more clear. It’s great to have an underwater camera to capture what you see while snorkeling or other underwater excursions to show your family and friends when you get back.

If you have the budget for a waterproof action camera, then I highly recommend a GoPro. We have had the best underwater and excursion footage from our GoPro 8. It takes the clearest photos and smoothest video content that we’ve ever captured!

12) Take Advantage of Wifi at Ports

When you are at each port of call, if you make a purchase at a coffee shop or restaurant then you may be able to use their wifi. This is a great time for you to get a chance to make calls or text using an apps like Kik, Google Chat, or Facebook Messenger.

Other Reminders

• Use airplane mode. Remember to put your phone on airplane mode the moment you lose signal as you sail away.
• Take a power strip. In the last room we stayed in there was 1 outlet, and all the others were European outlets. So if more than one person plans to charge their phone at night or if you need more than one outlet at a time, you will definitely need a power strip.
• Hair Dryers are provided, but you have to hold the button down while you use it. If that doesn’t drive you crazy, I don’t know what will.
• Use your Carnival Credit Card or apply for one before you go. If you have a Carnival card, you can have them put all of your charges on it to receive twice the amount of points per dollar on board. The more points you have, the more you have to trade in for onboard credit, gift cards and other gifts.

Happy Sailing!