Going on a cruise? Here are the do’s and don’ts you NEED to know…
- Allie Mobley
- Mar 20, 2017
- 2 min read
I am going to step away from my normal storytelling routine here. For spring break this past week, I went on a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas with a group of good friends. I had a wonderful time, but there were definitely a few things I wish I would have known before embarking on the wild ride. Here’s a list of some “head’s ups” you might need to know if planning a cruise…
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT bring your family on a cruise during the month of March, especially if you have younger kids. It literally pained me to see drunk college kids stumbling around in front of children, taking over the pool, etc. Save the trip for a different month.
The water bottles in the room that look so appealing when you get home at 3 am? Don’t drink them. Suck it up and pour water from the sink. My friend was charged an extra $20 for guzzling down the bottles.
Ah, the night club experience. Most cruise lines have one single club for night life, and after about two nights of doing the wobble, you’re probably over it. It seemed as though there were the same types of people there every night: creepy old dudes, college kids getting yelled at for having drinks on the dance floor, wanna-be professional break dancers, and the moms doing the step-touch with their gal pals. My advice would be to go to a late-night comedy show or to check out one of the other bars on the cruise.
Don’t buy Dramamine. If you are feeling sea sick, you can head to the medical center on the boat and purchase nausea pills for $3. Apparently Dramamine being helpful on a cruise is a bit of a myth. I took the nausea pills from the cruise line and felt like a new person in a couple hours.
You don’t need to pack your entire wardrobe. During the day you are in your bathing suit, and at night you wear nice clothes for dinner. You don’t need to bring any of the in between. I recommend bringing a hoodie or sweatpants of some sort- on the last day, my cruise was caught in a storm and it was 40 degrees outside.
If you are claustrophobic, just don’t attempt it. Stay at a resort. Rent an Airbnb. The rooms are TINY, and when you couple that with a rocking boat, it can be a recipe for disaster.
At dinner, order everything on the menu. Seriously. You paid how much for unlimited food? Get your money’s worth! The food was incredible. Lobster ravioli, frog legs, prime rib, bacon-wrapped scallops, need I say more? Don’t even get me started on the desserts. The waiters expect you to order a lot, so order it all and every one can have a bite of something new.
Lastly, actually go to the events the cruise has planned. The comedy shows had me in tears, and the Harry Potter trivia was an excellent break from the sun. Grab an itinerary when you get on board and make sure to go to at least one event per day.
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