A cruise ship employee has revealed the seven essential tips that novice cruisers should consider if they want a smooth journey.
Lucy Southerton, 28, from Birmingham, who has built up an impressive nine years of experience on board, recently took to her YouTube channel Cruising as a crew to explain how starters should prepare.
The clampwhich is part of an extensive series helping travelers embrace the cruise life, covers everything from basic needs like travel insurance and Wi-Fi to purchasing alcohol.
Sailing to four corners of the world can be tricky for a first-time holiday, but the professional traveler made sure to cover enough details to put incoming cruise-goers at ease
She first emphasized the importance of travel insurance and instructed her 68,000 subscribers to arrange this once they have booked their cruise.
Lucy Southerton, 28, from Birmingham now sails the world and gives advice to travelers on her YouTube channel Cruising As Crew
She first emphasized the importance of travel insurance and instructed her 68,000 subscribers to arrange this once they have booked their cruise
1. Take out your travel insurance as soon as you book
Lucy explained that it’s important to be a little organized when it comes to your cruise, citing the endless possibilities of unprecedented things that can go wrong as a reason to be on time when it comes to getting travel insurance .
‘Make sure you have travel insurance as soon as you book your cruise, especially with a cruise holiday you never know what will go wrong.
‘The cruise could be cancelled, your flight could be cancelled, you could miss our flight, your flight could be delayed and you could miss the cruise!’
She emphasized, “YYou never know what’s going to happen If this happens, make sure you book travel insurance as soon as your cruise is booked.”
2. Check whether all your belongings are allowed on board
While this may seem obvious, Lucy explained that passengers often don’t read basic instructions.
While guns are clearly prohibited, more innocuous things like ‘letter openers’ are also at risk of being confiscated, so it’s always worth a quick Google search so you don’t lose any valuables.
She said: ‘Before you pack for your cruise vacation, I recommend checking the cruise line’s website to make sure there are no prohibited items you might consider taking with you.’
3. Prepare for bad WiFi
Lucy explained that even if you plan to purchase the cruise ship’s WiFi, it will likely be of poor quality, so prepare in advance and make sure you have all the apps you need for your stay.
She said: ‘Most of these cruise lines now require you to download an app on your phone, but you have to download these apps before you board.’
4. Tell your bank
One thing many travelers overlook is telling their bank about their cruise trip.
Transactions in multiple different time zones can be flagged as suspicious activity if you don’t inform them.
Lucy said: ‘It’s super important when you go on a cruise ship because you’ll be in a different destination every day, so if your bank doesn’t know you’re on a cruise it looks extremely unreliable.
‘One day you buy something in Kazimir, the next day you buy something in Miami, so it looks strange make sure your bank you’re going to hop from destination to destination’.
5. Book things in advance
Lucy said: If you have something in mind, whether it’s a restaurant or a show, book it in advance.
“Make sure you book before you board, or as soon as you board,” the ex-cruise ship worker explained.
She added: “Sometimes you can book these events through the app, but I’m still a fan of booking in person.”
Lucy recommended confirming that our online booking is still valid once you board the cruise ship.
She said, ‘I would even do this before you even get to your cabin, before you go get some food, I would make sure everything is booked’.
Lucy explained that most people go to their cabin, eat and then book everything, but if everyone else does this too you will have to tolerate long queues or, in the worst case, not be able to get one.
She emphasized, “As as soon as you board your crewhip, make sure you book everything you want to book for your cruise’.
6. Be patient with guest services
Lucy says: If you have something in mind, whether it’s a diner or a show, book it in advance
Lucy’s last tip for new cruisers was about the tips that go to cabin stewards and sometimes waiters
Lucy recommends avoiding stress on the first cruise by waiting a little longer to resolve issues more efficiently.
She said, “If you need to go to guest services for some reason, you may have a billing issue, a cabin problem, avoid boarding – when everyone goes to guest services with their complaints and questions’.
The benefits of postponing your trip to guest services means you can avoid the long lines and be seen much more quickly when you drop by, as most people instinctively seek help on the first day of the cruise.
Lucy added, “I promise you that the day after embarkation there will be no one there, that you will see someone right away, that your problem will be solved immediately.”
She also noted that staff will be less stressed on the days after embarkation, so chances are you’ll experience a more pleasant service.
7. Tips
Lucy’s last tip for new cruise goers was about the tips that go to cabin stewards and sometimes waiters.
She explained that there is an option to pay tips in advance, but you don’t have to choose to do so.
However, she warned that while this was ‘absolutely fine’, these will be added to your total bill at the end of your cruise, so don’t be surprised if the total is higher than you expected.
The veteran cruise ship worker has seen many people get confused over the years because they didn’t think to factor this into their budgets, so it’s best to pay it at the time to avoid stress.