17 CRUISE TIPS AND TRICKS: THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GOING

Looking for some cruise tips and tricks?

Going on your first cruise can be nerve-racking and stressful, especially if you’re going on a longer cruise.

A few months ago I went on my first cruise which lasted 3 weeks, so you bet I was overthinking everything. That’s why I decided to compile a list that would have been very helpful to have when I was packing and thinking over various parts of our cruise itinerary.

We went on a cruise with MSC, so these tips and tricks are 100% applicable to any MSC cruise, but all the other cruise lines are similar enough for this to be useful to anyone who’s going on a cruise.

This is a detailed insight into everything I wish I’d known before my first cruise.

Read more >>> MSC MAGNIFICA CRUISE REVIEW

BEST CRUISE TIPS AND TRICKS:

TIP #1 – Choose your cruise line carefully!

Although they maybe stop at same ports of call, majority of the cruise lines today offer quite different experiences. Write down your preferences and choose the company according to those, just to be sure you won’t have a bad experience.

For example, we were on a tight budget with this cruise and we choose MSC because it was the best company within our budget. If you have a better budget and are a big foodie, maybe choose some other company as MSC doesn’t offer 5-star food. Also, if you’re younger and looking for a good time, Carnival Cruise might be better for you than some other cruise lines.

TIP #2 – What’s the best cabin option for you?

There are several different cabins onboard, and you’ll choose one according to your budget. The cheapest one is the interior cabin with no windows. If you have a bigger budget you can choose between cabins with a window, a balcony, or a suite cabin.

If it’s within your budget, book a cabin with a window at least. We originally booked an interior cabin with no windows. Luckily, we got an upgrade to a cabin with a window, and thank God we did. Sunlight was such a crucial aspect of our time in our cabin that I really don’t know what I would have done if we did not get the upgrade. Daylight in the morning was my favorite part of our days!

TIP #3 – What clothes are a must-have?

Definitely bring warmer clothes! It doesn’t matter if you’re cruising the Caribbean where you’re dying of heat, the AC on the cruise ship works overtime. On my cruise ship (MSC Magnifica) it was really cold, so even when we were in the Caribbean, I wore long sleeves and leggings while on the ship. It can also be quite windy outside in the evenings, so it’s good to have a light jacket or a sweater.

Also, don’t overpack. I thought I needed to look nice every time I leave my room, so I brought way more clothes than it was needed. I ended up being in the same 3 sweaters and leggings because you really just want to be as comfortable as possible. The only time you’ll actually care about how you look will be during dinner and on your excursions.

TIP #4 – Bring snacks!

While there’s an abundance of food onboard, I’m sure you’ve got some snacks you’d really like to have with you. The food on our cruise was great, but we missed snacks we could eat while watching tv or reading a book on the deck.

You might be able to buy them onboard, but everything is so expensive (think 8-10 dollars for a chocolate bar)! If you buy your snacks before boarding or in one of your ports of call, it will be much cheaper! We really enjoyed having some Pringles, a few chocolate bars, and Nutella for the pancakes during breakfast!

TIP #5 – Don’t forget your water bottle!

Maybe this doesn’t seem like something of importance to you, but it totally is! If you don’t have a drinks package or you don’t want to spend lots of money on drinks onboard, it’s good to have some water with you at all times. It’s not really practical to carry small plastic cups around the ship, which is your only option if you don’t have a water bottle. The best way to stay hydrated is to fill up your water bottle in a restaurant or in your cabin and carry it around with you.

TIP #6 – Magnetic hooks and towel clips will save you!

This was one of the most useful tips I’ve read before going on my cruise. The magnetic hooks were so useful in our cabin! We hung our hats and beach bags on them, as well as wet swimsuits in the bathroom. If you have more than one swimsuit, their storage space in the bathroom might not be enough for you. These magnetic hooks could help you out a lot!

Towel clips were super useful when we were reading on deck chairs outside. You can clip your towel easily to your chair and it won’t bother you if the wind is blowing. You can also just leave for a bit and reserve your chair that way!

TIP #7 – Don’t overpack for formal night!

Although you might think you need to prepare an outfit for every dinner and have extravagant clothes, most of the time people on our cruise were more than chill. I’d say less than half of people onboard actually showed up dressed according to the dress code.

Also, the dress code was often repeated, so one outfit might be perfect for several evenings. Some of the dress codes we’ve had were: all black night, all white night, elegant, Italian night, the 90’s, the 80’s…

TIP #8 – Bring wrinkle release spray!

One thing that could save you on a cruise is wrinkle release spray! If you don’t know, you cannot bring an iron or a steamer onboard as they’re potential fire hazards. That’s where the wrinkle release spray comes in very handy. The spray is usually very cheap and it does a great job to keep you presentable after getting your clothes out of your luggage!

TIP #9 – Drinks packages – yes or no?

On MSC cruises, your drinks are not included. You have two options – pay for every drink you want individually, OR get yourself a drinks package for the duration of the cruise. The packages are pretty expensive, starting at 50 euros per person per day. If you’re not sure you’ll be able to drink that much, maybe opt out of drinks packages.

When it comes to individual drinks, sodas are 3.5-4 euros, cocktails 8-12 euros, beer 6-7 euros. There’s also an option where you can get Dine and Drink package. That means you can have unlimited drinks but only during meal time. Those packages are 30 euros per person.

TIP #10 – Get a good portable charger!

One of the biggest life-savers on this cruise was a great portable charger! We have a Redmi 20000mAh power bank and we can use it for days before charging it again. This was an absolute must on our excursions because we’d be out for hours and we’d never know if we would find a power outlet somewhere. We took a lot of photos so our phone battery would die throughout the day. This power bank was always there to save the day!

TIP #11 – Bring your own medicine!

Bring all the medicine you need, and also whatever you think you’ll need. While there’s lots of over-the-counter medicine onboard, it’s very expensive. It’s totally unnecessary to spend money on painkillers onboard when you can bring them yourself for much cheaper. Always have something for headaches, nausea, indigestion and so on.

There’s a medical center onboard which you can use in case of something more serious. Keep in mind that you need travel insurance if you don’t want that doctor visit to be an enormous expense for you.

TIP #12 – Ear plugs could be useful!

Something that might be important, depending on the cabin you booked, are ear plugs. Some cabins are really close to the disco club, which can be really loud for many hours during the night. Others may be near the engine of the cruise ship which can be quite noisy, especially when you’re trying to sleep.

We had really bad weather on night and our cabin was creaking for hours due to the swaying of the ship. We wished we had some ear plugs but we didn’t think about that before embarkation. Now I wouldn’t go on a cruise without them!

TIP #13 – Multi-outlet for technology!

Multi-outlet can be very useful if you plan on having lots of technology with you. We had our phones, cameras, a laptop, a power bank… You don’t have that many outlets in your cabin, so make sure you bring a multi outlet where you can charge several devices on one power outlet. Power strips (electrical cords) are not allowed onboard due to being a potential fire hazard. Therefore, multi-outlets are really the best option.

TIP #14 – Don’t board without sunscreen and aloe vera!

An important thing to bring on a cruise if you’re cruising in the summer (or generally warm destinations) is sunscreen! When you’re on the ship’s deck sunbathing, it’s often quite windy and you don’t really feel how strong the sun actually is. Well, guess what? It’s pretty strong, and you’re probably going to catch a sunburn up there. Keep reapplying sunscreen at all times, and be ready with some aloe vera to sooth the burning skin afterward!

TIP #15 – Bring your own fun!

Depending on the length of your cruise, you might want to bring additional fun activities for you to do. While there’s plenty of things to do onboard, there will definitely be some days when you won’t be interested in spending time with a bunch of strangers.

In that case, you have to find your own way to pass the time. We mostly grabbed deck chairs, found a secluded part of the ship, and read our books in the afternoon. It’s also a great idea to bring cards or smaller board games. You can play them in one of the bars with your friends, family, or partner.

TIP #16 – Can you surf the internet?

Well, on our MSC cruise the internet was not included. That means that if we wanted to be online, we had to choose a package. It was either 7-10 euros per day of the cruise, or 20 euros once for 24 hours of unlimited internet.

So, as internet wasn’t really affordable, we did not have access to the MSC wifi. We used our mobile data wherever we could, or asked for WiFi where we couldn’t. You can also use a really good and easy to use e-sim card – Airalo.

TIP #17 – Are tips included?

On our MSC cruise, tips were included. That means that before we even boarded our cruise ship, we had paid the amount MSC decided is good enough to be shared in tips. We did give additional tips to whoever we felt did an exceptionally great job, especially to our housekeeper! If you don’t have to pay in advance, make sure you tip the crew well, they’re very hardworking!