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Whether you are a seasoned cruiser or are going for the first time, here is the ultimate guide of cruise mistakes you must avoid. 

1. Ignoring the Daily Schedule

Every day, there is a daily itinerary full of information that is distributed to all cabins and staterooms. These itineraries provide a detailed list of the activities and entertainment options that are scheduled for the day. They also provide valuable tips and tricks to help you make the most of each day, whether it’s a day at sea or you are visiting a port-of-call. Each cruise line also has an app that lays out the day’s schedule so that you can be aware of everything happening aboard the ship. Many people don’t realize that these resources are available or don’t pay attention to them, and then they miss activities that they would have loved to participate in. It is so important to utilize these resources so that you are aware of everything that is going on and get to enjoy everything that the ship has to offer! 

2. Underestimating Embarking and Disembarking 

Getting on and off of the ship is no joke. There are literally thousands of people on the 

ship at once, and it can be extremely chaotic to make your way on and off of the ship. Understand that this process is going to take longer than expected. Give yourself plenty of extra time, especially if you are trying to get off of the ship at a port-of-call and are trying to make it to an excursion in time. There are certain times of the day that are busier than others, so you’ll want to leave early in the morning or later in the day to avoid the crowds and long lines. 

For your initial boarding, I would recommend leaving your large bags and luggage with the porter before boarding so you don’t have to haul your luggage during this chaotic process. When getting off of the ship for good, leave your luggage outside of your stateroom door for pickup and they will take it off of the ship for you, making that process much easier as well. 

Make sure you give yourself plenty of extra time to get on and off of the ship. It’s not the easiest process ever, so make sure you are prepared. 

3. Forgetting Seasickness Medication 

Many first-time cruisers underestimate the movement of the cruise ship. Although the ship is large, there will be times that you feel the ship moving. Even if you don’t normally get seasick, it is very important to make sure that you bring some sort of medication or patches to prevent motion sickness. An easy, prescription free option is Dramamine. Make sure you come prepared with medicine to help prevent and treat motion sickness medication, and make sure you actually use it!

4. Not Understanding Onboard Spending 

Although a lot of the food, drinks, and activities on the ship are included in your base cruise fare, not everything is. Rather than charging cash or swiping your card as you’re purchasing items, the boat will often just charge your room. If you’re unaware of this happening, it’s not super obvious this is happening. To avoid getting a large charge on your room after your cruise is over, it is very important that you understand how onboard spending works, and what is included and what is not included on your cruise. 

5. Forgetting Practical Items

The first time I went on a cruise, I forgot to pack sunblock with me. I figured that the cruise ship would have sunblock available for purchase. While this was the case, it was exponentially more expensive than it would have been if I had purchased it on shore. I paid nearly triple the normal price for the bottle of sunblock. Because I was desperate, I bought the sunblock anyway. 

I learned a very valuable lesson. Make sure that you don’t forget any items you are going to need during your cruise, including sunblock, sunglasses, toothbrush, toothpaste, medications, or swimsuits. While these items may be available for purchase on the ship, it will be extremely expensive. 

6. Ignoring Time Zone Adjustments

Sometimes, the time zone onboard the ship is different from the time zone at the port-of-call. This can be extremely confusing, especially if you need to make sure you get back on the cruise ship in time. The cruise director will make it very clear what time it is on the ship, and whether or not that time matches the time at that port-of-call for the day. It is very important that you do not ignore these messages and that you manually adjust the time on your phone. You will always want to make sure that you stay on ship time, regardless of where you are at. 

7. Poor Excursion Planning

Some travelers over plan their shore excursions and don’t have time to do everything they wanted to. Some people pick the wrong kind of excursions for their group, and choose something that is too hard for some people in their group. Some people rely entirely on shore excursions that are sponsored by the cruise line. While this can be a safe option to ensure you make it back before the ship leaves, these can often provide limited options that are extremely expensive compared to independent excursions. Do your research and make sure you know what shore excursion options are available for each destination you visit. Plan realistic excursions based on the time and energy that you have for each day. 

8. Ignoring Safety Protocols

Each time you board a cruise ship for the first time, they will assign you a safety meeting checkpoint and ask that you stop by to do a safety briefing. This provides you with critical information advising on what you need to do in case of an emergency. Experienced cruisers may ignore this and skip the safety briefing entirely. This is very unwise, and make sure you attend and adhere to all safety protocols. It only takes a few minutes, and it will keep you safe for the duration of your cruise. 

9. Forgetting Essential Travel Documents

Depending on your country of origin and your destination, different documentation is going to be required to board the cruise ship. You may need to provide a passport, birth certificate, visa, and cruise pass, or any combination thereof, to embark on your journey. If you forget any of the critical travel documents, you will be denied boarding and will not be able to embark on your vacation. It is ultimately your responsibility to know what the required travel documents are, and make sure you have them as you go to get on the ship. 

10. Not Respecting Other Passengers

On one of my recent cruises, I was lounging on the pool deck as this woman began screaming across the deck at her daughter. She kept yelling, “Stop doing that right now!” over and over again. It was very disruptive, and I was not sure what her daughter was even doing wrong to warrant that kind of reaction from her mother. After about 30 seconds of this woman yelling across the pool deck, she was quickly approached by the security guards. She was told that she needed to stop screaming at her daughter and that she was being extremely disruptive and disrespectful to the other passengers trying to enjoy their time on the deck. The woman was extremely embarrassed and quickly left the pool deck.

If you are not respectful of the other guests on the ship, the crew members will quickly resolve this and correct the situation. Make sure you don’t put yourself or others in this awkward situation and be respectful of others around you. 

These are the top 10 cruise mistakes I recommend avoiding. What else would you add to this list? Drop them in the comments!