After being on two cruises now and having our third booked, it’s safe to say I’ve picked up some tips already. Probably from all the mistakes we made on our first cruise, but I’d like to think from how perfect our second one went instead. Planning a cruise vacation? Perhaps a last minute cruise? Here are 10 tips to help you make the most of your experience and have the best possible time!

Research Your Ship and Itinerary

• Before booking a cruise, research the ship and itinerary. Smaller ships tend to be less expensive and offer fewer amenities, while traveling during the off-season can lead to markedly cheaper fares. Everyone says you need to make sure the cruise line is for you and they’re not wrong. We would have hated going on a super kids orientated cruise and for that reason we could have picked an adults only cruise, there’s a cruise line for everyone!

Look for Last Minute Deals

• Consider waiting until the last minute to book your cruise. Many cruise lines offer significant discounts within the three months leading up to the sailing date to fill all cabins. If you can travel at a moment’s notice then this is so ideal for a last minute bargain.
• Be patient and flexible when searching for deals. Waiting for the right opportunity, being open to different sailing dates and destinations, and considering repositioning cruises can lead to significant cost savings.

Study the Layout of the Ship

• Familiarise yourself with the layout of the ship to make the most of the onboard facilities and activities. This can help you plan your days effectively, ensuring you don’t miss out on any experiences. We studied the cruise plan and ran pop quizzes beforehand to make sure we wouldn’t spend too much time lost and wandering around. It really helped us and on our second cruise we didn’t waste a single minute!

Plan Your Days Using the Newsletter

• Most cruise lines provide a newsletter each night detailing the next day’s activities. Use this to plan your activities and make sure you don’t miss out on the best things, we went to see everything from a magician to Bingo and theatre shows at night. There’s so much to do! We even ended up at a coffee painting class one morning and absolutely loved it, you can really make a cruise into whatever type of holiday you want.

Book Shore Excursions Wisely

• Instead of cruise-run shore excursions, consider planning your own activities with local operators at the ports of call. This can help you save money, support the local economy directly, and avoid crowded and overpriced excursions. We’ve never booked an excursion and instead just watched literally hundreds of cruise vlogs, I knew exactly where to go, how much, and how to get there thanks to them! This especially came in handy in Norway.

I honestly can’t wait to cruise again, it’s such an incredible way to travel and there’s truly nothing better than waking up in a new country or city every morning! Have you thought about cruising before? What would some of your tips be?