I took my first cruise on the largest ship in the world, the Wonder of the Seas.
Choosing a room at the front of the ship made it less enjoyable.
I regret sailing for seven nights on my first cruise.
There are some things I would do differently to save money and make the most of my trip after returning from my first cruise.
I have traveled by car, bus, train, and plane, but boats of any kind were 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 when I went on my first cruise to the Caribbean for a reporting trip.
The largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, was where I embarked on a seven-night voyage. We sailed to Roat, Honduras, as well as Costa Maya in Mexico, and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.
I made a few mistakes that made my trip more expensive and less enjoyable than it could have been, even though I was on a large vessel in the middle of the ocean. I think I would have had a better time if I had avoided these mistakes. If I find myself on a cruise ship again, I will do things differently.
The world's largest cruise ship has 8 neighborhoods spread across 18 stories.
Booking a seven-night trip for my first cruise experience made me feel overwhelmed.
Cruises can be as short as three nights or as long as several weeks. When booking my cruise, I thought I'd have a week to get used to the lifestyle.
I was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 I was grateful to be out in the ocean, but by the fourth day, I felt like I was ready to leave the ship.
I wish I had booked a shorter trip for my first time since cruising was a new form of vacation and transportation for me.
If I were to do it again, I would travel with someone else.
I think the trip would have been better if I had a friend with me.
While there were many social activities on the ship, I still felt lonely. I would love to have a conversation with someone who knows me or have a conversation with a loved one. Being surrounded by so many people made me wish I could be with them.
I will bring a crew if I cruise again.
I was prone to motion sickness and booked a room that felt the strongest on the ship.
I spent seven nights on deck 8 in a 179- square-foot ocean-view stateroom for $2,000. Insider paid for my cabin.
There was a private bathroom, a king-size bed, and an ocean view in my cabin.
It was a midtier room, a step above interior staterooms, a step below staterooms with a balcony, and two steps below a suite.
I felt motion in my room since it was at the front of deck eight. The front of the ship is one of the worst places to feel motion, according to seasoned cruisers who spoke to me. They said the higher decks in the middle of the ship feel calmer.
Some nights were rockier than others. I heard and felt thunder beneath me on the worst nights. Large pieces of furniture falling down sounded like loud thumps in my room. I feared the worst when this happened, but over time I realized that this was a normal part of cruising, but one I would never get used to.
I would choose a room in the middle of the ship.
I spent 7 nights in a room on the world's largest cruise ship. Take a look at the place.
I might have gotten more sleep if I remembered to bring earplugs.
It was nearly impossible for me to sleep because I heard sounds that reminded me of thunder every few minutes.
I might have been able to rest more if I had earplugs. I decided to sleep with my earbuds in because it was so loud, but I woke up with one ear bud that was too far into my ear.
I didn't bring cash because it was necessary for tipping bus drivers and tour guides.
I learned that cash is a must on cruises. Although you can tip the cruise ship members with a credit card at the end of your trip, you need cash to tip the bus drivers and tour guides during excursions at the ports.
The Royal Caribbean website states that there are ATMs on the ship, but they have withdrawal fees.
I wasted space in my suitcase on dresses that were not enforced.
I knew cruises had formal nights going into the trip. I brought a nice dress to wear whenever I needed it. The dress code was not strictly enforced after the first formal night. People wore a variety of outfits.
I relaxed my look on the other two formal nights, but I felt like I wasted a lot of space in my suitcase with the dress. I will not bring it with me next time.
I didn't make reservations for the week as soon as I boarded the ship, so I missed some shows.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship was full of activities and restaurants that I could go to any time, but there were some restaurants that required reservations through the app.
It was difficult to get day-of reservations for many shows I wanted. It was a mistake to wait until the last minute.
The circus-like water acrobatics show in the Aquatheater was the most popular and hard to get reservation. I tried to get one on the day of the event, but was not able to find one until a show two nights later.
I will make all my reservations for shows as soon as possible.
Before my trip, I reserved all specialty restaurants, but I wish I hadn't booked so many because the included restaurants were so delicious and diverse.
Most meals, snacks, and drinks are all-inclusive as part of the cruise rate.
More than a dozen restaurants with specialty offerings like sushi are not included on large ships and incur additional charges, either as a one-time fee or by the dish.
Specialty restaurants can be reserved as soon as you book your trip. Specialty restaurants were booked for every night of the cruise.
I was surprised to find that some of the most delicious and satisfying meals I had were in the restaurants that were included for guests. The main dining room served a three-course meal with different menu items each night, and there were a number of buffets with different types of food. My cravings were satisfied by the complimentary options. The main dining room was one of the best places to eat.
I didn't have time to try all the buffets or eat in the main dining room more than once since I booked so many specialty restaurants. Next time, I will save money and eat more included meals.
I felt like I was wasting time when I booked two excursions with beach stops.
Guests can book excursions through the cruise line at each port stop. There are activities like hiking or ziplining. Guests got access to a beach club with lounge chairs on the excursions I booked at Costa Maya and Cozumel.
I went to a beach club in Tulum after a long tour of the ruins and it was nice to relax and enjoy some of the clearest ocean water I had ever seen.
I went on a tour of the island before going to the beach. I wish I could spend more time on the island since I felt like I got my beach fix the day before.
I will only book one excursion with beach time next time.
I went to the Caribbean for the first time on the world's largest cruise ship and wish I had more time in these 2 ports.
At the end of my cruise, I made a mistake by booking a night flight that left me in the airport for 14 hours.
Passengers disembarked in the morning at the end of the cruise. The scheduled port arrival time is not the exact time I would be off the ship.
When the ship docks at the port is when the scheduled arrival time is. There is an inspection that can take anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour or more, according to the article.
I booked a night flight because I would rather wait at the airport all day than miss my flight home.
I definitely overdid it. I arrived at the airport at 9 a.m. and my flight was delayed for two hours.
I will book an afternoon flight at the end of my cruise to avoid spending 14 hours in an airport.
I left the ship thinking that cruises are not for me. I might have had a different conclusion if I had not made these mistakes.
A lot of the mistakes I made had a huge impact on my travel experience. If I could be a cruiser, I would have to take another trip that would take into account the lessons learned.
I just went on my first cruise and here are 15 things that surprised me the most.
The original article can be found on Insider.
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