1. Picking a cruise line.
Personal Photo
Just pick Royal Caribbean. Carnival is good too, but Royal is so beautiful and relaxing but also fun and entertaining at the same time.
2. While packing, plan 2 outfits for each day.
Pack one for the pool or your excursion and one for dinner and evening festivities. This way you won't overpack and you won't under-pack either. Those rooms are very small and you don't have room for an extra load of laundry.
3. Bring cash.
This way you can set a budget for your trip, spare yourself from a call to the bank about your debit/credit card, and you don't have to worry about your information getting stolen in another country.
4. Pack your old prom dress or that fancy dress you never have anything to wear it to.
Captain's Dinner
Personal Photo
Cruises have 2 fancy dinners (on a 7 day-er). This is the perfect time to break back out those dresses you didn't think you'd ever get to wear again.
5. You can worry about your diet when you get back.
Fried Octopus
Personal Photo
Cruises are all you can eat. Go to the buffet at lunch and load up on all the things you don't get to eat at home. At dinner order that extra appetizer or entrée that sounds good or even 4 of them. Your waiter won't even give you a second look. They see that every day, and I mean it's included so if you want to get your money's worth...
6. Check out all the things to do on the boat.
Boats have basketball courts, waterslides, mini golf, and even ice skating rinks. They have comedy bars, karaoke, nightclubs, and casinos. There are so many things to do so feel free to indulge.
7. Don't feel obligated to check out all the things on the boat.
It's your vacation. Relax by the pool, lay in a hammock all day do what ever floats your boat because you're on vacay baby!
8. Feel free to hang out by yourself some.
Those rooms are small and it doesn't hurt to hang out alone sometimes. This can help you and whoever you're with to not bite each other's heads off by the end of the trip.
9. Don't pay for the expensive wifi package.
On my most recent cruise my friend and I got the social media package and her parents go the more expensive package. Theirs didn't work at all, and ours worked just enough. The social media package was only $5 a day which for a cruise is pretty astonishingly cheap, so if you want to post on instagram and keep your streaks on snapchat I recommend that. I do not condone anything higher than that because it simply didn't work. It was supposed to include email, streaming, and internet and it did not work one bit. Going off the grid is always awesome too! You get to disconnect from reality, and just be present with the people you're cruising with.
10. Talk to people on the boat.
Didn't have one with a stranger so here's me & han
Personal Photo
Talk to your waiters and the people on your cruise. It's amazing the places people are from and where they've been and what they do with their lives. The waiters especially. They are from allover the world.
11. Tip your waiter.
Mom and Marvin
Personal Photo
Shout out to Marvin and Dejan. My waiters from my 2 cruises. They are some special people and I'm not sure how much they get paid, but it's not enough. They embark on these cruise ships for 6-12 months at a time away from their families, remembering everyone by name, and serving people everyday nonstop. A certain gratuity is owed at the end of the trip but the ass-hole host gets most of the stash. The waiters are usually working the cruises to send money back home to their families because that is the kind of amazing people they are. Therefore, if you can slip them a lil extra tip because they deserve it!
12. Excursions.
The beach in Cozumel after I swam with dolphins & manatees.
Personal Photo
Go on an excursion if there is a travel advisory on the island because it is unsafe not to or just stay on the boat. Most places you can catch a cab to a nearby beach and relax for the day, but some of the excursions are awesome. Use your judgement on what is worth the money or not.
13. It is safe.
It might seem scary to be on a big boat in the middle of the ocean, and you may have seen headlines or read stories of ships that have had problems or maybe 'The Titanic' is your favorite movie. The technology they have on boats nowadays is incredible. They have cameras underwater and radars and every tool necessary to keep their passengers safe. They give weather updates anytime there is something to report to calm the passengers and let us know they know what they're doing. If there were to be a problem they have plenty of provisions for safety and survival such as lifeboats packed with food and water as well as more than enough life jackets for everyone on board.
14. SUN SCREEN
A cruise is the perfect place to get a beautiful bronzey tan. I mean what else would you want to do on those sea days? The Intensity of the sun in the Caribbean is so high therefore just make sure you at least have some sort of SPF on your body or else you'll end up with sun poisoning like I did.
15. We're here for a good time not a long time
"I haven't had a good time in a long time" The cruise will be over before you know it, but just remember to feel blessed and live in the moments (Sorry I couldn't decide how I wanted to finish the article. Shout out to Drake).
