A Beginner’s Guide to Cruising

The World’s Largest Cruise Ship, for now

I’m from a family of cruisers. While my five cruises on three different cruise lines pale in comparison to my mom’s 20ish cruises, it has given me some knowledge about cruising. I’ve tried to make this post as comprehensive as possible for a first-time cruiser. Given the length, I indexed the post so you can jump around.

Also, this post largely applies to ocean/sea cruising NOT river cruising. I’ve done both and have a post coming on river cruising. Some of this applies to both, but know that a lot of it is more for your typical ocean cruise.

Contents:

Many megaships offer Broadway style shows

How to Pick a Cruise: Pick a Departure Port, Pick a Destination, Pick a Ship

The three biggest decisions you need to make when choosing a cruise (IMHO) are where do you want to leave from, where do you want to go, and what kind of ship do you want. How important each of these is to you will dictate what your options are. For example, three recent cruises I’ve booked were each chosen for a different one of these reasons – one because we wanted to sail from Baltimore, one because I wanted to go to Glacier Bay, and one because we wanted to sail on the Icon of the Seas. Let me explain-

Where Do you Want To Leave From

I’m going to state the obvious here: not all ships go to all the places. Where you leave from will heavily influence your itinerary. For Caribbean routes, ships leaving the mid-Atlantic tend to only go to Bermuda or the Bahamas, unless you are doing a 12+ night sailing. Ships leaving from Florida typically go to more islands or Mexico on shorter routes. For Alaska, Inside Passage routes only leave from Vancouver (Seattle is the other main departure port for Alaska). Europe also has different routes departing from different ports. I know a lot of people who prefer to drive to a cruise. If that is you, it will likely limit your options.

Where Do You Want To Go

Caribbean? Alaska? Mediterranean? Hawaii? There are cruises pretty much anywhere in the world where there’s water. Many people who love cruising first choose to cruise, then choose a destination. If you have a specific Island, country, or destination, that will likely narrow your options. For example, I am determined to go to Glacier Bay National Park while in Alaska. While most cruise lines offer it as an excursion option, only a few actually cruise into the park. Of those, Holland and Princess were the only kid-friendly options for us. See what I mean?

What Ship Do You Want To Be On?

In today’s world of endless options, cruise ships range from boutique adventure cruises or river cruises with a few hundred passengers to mega ships that are floating cities of nearly 10,000, with plenty of options in between. My best advice for picking a ship is to know yourself (or your traveling group) and know what kind of vacation you want. There are all kinds of different types of cruises for different people (and then there are people who are not cruise people at all, but hopefully you aren’t reading this).

Here are my hot takes:

Like lots of activities and meal choices? Go with a larger ship. There will be various dining options, multiple pools, water slides, and entertainment options.
Don’t fancy spending time with 6,000+ people in a confined space or feeling like you need to do 10 activities a day? Don’t book a megaship. Personally, I love a smaller ship and don’t mind going to main dining room every night and doing the same things every day. That said, I am an outlier in a family that LOVES a megaship and to be fair, I had a blast on the Icon of the Seas.
The cruise line you choose matters. Disney caters to kids, Royal Caribbean is awesome for multi-generational groups, Viking does not allow kids. Do some research and you can likely find a cruise line to match your ideal vacation. FWIW my family is pretty Royal Loyal as my mom will tell you.

Three examples of picking a cruise:

Departure Port – For my grandmother’s 80th birthday, we wanted to do a family trip with 15 people. We opted to cruise out of Baltimore for the ease of travel for the group. Given that there’s only one ship that sails from Baltimore for Royal Caribbean, it was a matter of selecting a date that worked for everyone.

Pick a Destination: In Alaska, Glacier Bay dictated my cruise line options. After a lot of research, I determined that of my ship options, the Princess Sapphire had the most amenities for young children. Once that was settled, we picked the date and booked.

Pick a Ship: My brother wanted to go on the Icon of the Seas – the world’s largest cruise ship. We booked it nearly a year before it actually launched and sailed the week of its 1-year birthday. That was the first date available that worked with everyone’s schedules.

What To Expect On Your First Cruise

Most cruises will have a mix of sea/cruising days and port days. There are several options for meals, but traditional dining is at a set time (more below). There are activities and entertainment options throughout the day and night. Also, most ships have a weird art gallery and art auctions. I own multiple pieces of art procured on cruise ships. I’m not sure why this is a thing, but it is. Here are the things I think are most helpful to know before you cruise:

What’s included – most cruise lines include your accommodations, taxes, and food in the main dining room/buffets in the base price. Water (not bottled), iced tea, and juices are included. Alcohol, sodas, wifi, and “specialty dining” are typically add ons. Some cruise lines like Viking include more in their base price. Others, like Norwegian and Princess offer bundled packages or freebies to add-on during booking. More about add-ons below.
Getting to your departure port – depending on where you are cruising from, you may drive or fly to your ship. If driving, check out off-site parking options; they could save you a good amount of money, depending on the port (like Miami). In other ports (like Baltimore and Bayonne), it’s not as much of a difference, and it might not be worth the hassle of needing to take a shuttle. If you are flying, the best practice is to arrive the day before departure, just in case. I’ve found it to be totally fine to fly out in the afternoon of disembarkation.
Embarkation Getting on the ship can be a little crazy, depending on the port you are leaving from. In our experience, the Port of Miami is the highest level of chaos; allow extra time if leaving from there. Smaller ports like Baltimore or Bayonne tend to be easier and faster to embark from. Expect to wait in lines, go through check-in and security, very similar to airport security but without liquid restrictions (although you couldn’t bring open food/drinks in with you in Miami). Pay attention to what your cruise line allows or doesn’t allow, because they will search bags and remove items that violate policy (think extension cords, alcohol, etc.).
Luggage – You have two options for luggage – bring it all with you or leave your “checked” bags to be delivered to your room. Bags typically arrive in the hallway outside your room by 8 or 9pm. You might get them earlier, but there are no guarantees, so pack whatever you will need for your first day – bathing suits, dinner clothes, sleep things for kids – in your “carry on” bag that you will keep with you. Rooms typically are ready for passengers by 2-3pm, whereas you can generally be on the ship by noon. Plan accordingly.
Safety Drill – At some point on your first day, you will need to report to your muster station for a safety briefing. Royal Caribbean has started doing this as soon as you get on the ship, which is nice because then you don’t have to stop whatever you are doing to report to your muster station. While everyone hopes you do not need to use this information, please pay attention and take it seriously; it can be life-saving. Kids will also get a bracelet to wear at all times on the ship that has their muster station on it. If you lose it, kids’ club will have new ones. Also, it might be better to put it on the legs of little ones vs the wrists. And don’t worry if you feel like the lifeboats don’t have capacity for everyone on board, they do. I found a fun YouTube video that shows how if you are interested.

All About Dining – most ships will have a main dining room serving an a la carte menu for three meals a day and a buffet restaurant. Bigger ships generally have pizza places and multiple grab-and-go / fast-casual options. Many ships also have “specialty dining” a la carte restaurants with a theme like Japanese hibachi or Italian. These nearly always have an upcharge, although some number of nights might be included in a promo package at booking. Some cruises include room service as well, albeit often with a small service charge.

All the various food venues will have different times that they are open. On the larger ships, there’s generally something open nearly 24/7. On a smaller ship, be sure to check schedules because you can find yourself in a lull with no snack options for a few hours.

What’s the deal with the main dining room(s)? – For dinner, if you want a sit-down dinner without paying extra, you will be in the “main dining room” or equivalent. Most cruise lines offer the option of traditional or “my time” dining. With traditional dining, you are assigned a set seating time at the same table every night. This means you dine with the same people and have the same servers. If you are in a group, be sure the cruise line links your reservations for dining to sit you together. Whoever you booked with can do that for you, or call the cruise line directly.

Generally, there are two seating times – 5:00/5:30pm or 7:30/8:00pm. The early slot is by far the most requested so if you want that you should make sure to confirm that in advance, as soon as you can. Advantages of traditional dining are you do not need a reservation and you get to know your wait staff who serve you the whole cruise. Disadvantages are this is the least flexible option ever and if you won’t make your seating you will need to go to the buffet or pay for specialty dining. We asked the main dining room manager of the Icon how long they wait before allowing walk-ins in the main dining room. He said to be safe, be no later than 15 minutes for your set time, or you might have to wait until a table opens up, or go to the my time dining area.

My time dining allows you to show up and get a table. It may vary across cruise lines, but on Royal Caribbean, you can start to arrive for my time dining after 6:30pm or you can make a reservation for a set time after 6:30pm. If you don’t have a reservation, they will find you a table when they can. A lot of the time the dining rooms are 2-3 levels and one level is dedicated to my time dining. Advantages are you are not locked into a dinner time. Disadvantages are you may need to wait for a table.

What’s the food like? – In my experience the food on cruises ranges from surprisingly good to mediocre. And you will likely experience the full range across the day and trip. I’ve had a stellar breakfast followed by a disappointing lunch, then an outstanding dinner. I typically find the food similar to that at an all inclusive or chain restaurant, with some exceptions. The dining room tends to have theme nights and menus that follow the themes (Italian, seafood, formal night, etc.).

Menu in the main dining room on formal night

Is specialty dining worth it? – It depends. If you love dining out and great food, it can be worth it. If you are happy with eating in the main dining room or mixing it up in the buffet, you absolutely do not need specialty dining. I typically book a BOGO dining package, getting 2 nights of specialty dining for the price of 1.

Formal nights – The dress code in the main dining room will vary by cruise line, but is typically resort casual to formal, think pants, dresses, nice shorts for men. The exception is formal night, when pants are typically required for men, and people will go all out. That doesn’t mean you have to though. I usually wear a nice dress (think Lily Pulitzer, not cocktail), and my husband wears khakis and a polo or button down. But there will be people in black tie attire. It’s usually a fun night, the dining room will have a nicier menu (think surf and turn), and it’s a great night to get family photos!

What’s up with my Sea Pass/Medallian/Sail & Sign/Key to the World/Etc. – Most cruise lines track everything you do on the ship with your room key equivalent. What they call it varies by cruise line. This will be your lifeline to everything – getting on and off the ship, getting into your room, getting towels, paying for anything on the ship, etc. Princess’s medallions also have geolocators in them so you can order food and beverages directly to wherever you are on the ship. Creepy, but kind of cool? Everyone, no matter their age will get a card and will need to use it at some point, and anytime you leave the ship. Most people get a lanyard or wristlet to keep them on them (more on that in tips & tricks below).

Beach Towels / Life Jackets – Most cruise lines supply beach towels for use on and off the ship. You check them out to your room key and will need to return the same number of towels to the same room key or get charged. You’ve been warned. Life jackets for kids are also provided for use in the pools and on the private islands. Some pools may require weaker swimmers to put on a life jacket.

On Board Activities – Every ocean ship, no matter how small will have plenty going on. Check the app each day for various activities for kids like dance parties, games, and contests. There will be live music, dancing, shows, all kinds of entertainment. Beyond that, what’s available on board will vary based on what kind of ship you are cruising on. Many ships also have Casinos for those 18+ or 21+ in Alaska. Casinos take cash and pro move – there’s always an ATM in the casino if you find that you need cash (U.S. Dollars typically) while traveling.

Sea days – Pretty much any cruise itinerary will have sea days where you are on the ship the entire day. These can be low key or action packed depending on the ship you’ve chosen. If you are on a mega ship, try to book your activities in advance or they may be booked out on your sea day. For example, when we cruised the Anthem of the Seas, my mom made reservations for iFly and the North Star months before sailing. I thought she was crazy but then I learned both of those activities were fully booked out on sea days several weeks BEFORE sailing. Most cruise lines will have tons of activities on sea days, so be sure to download the app and check the cruise planners (I think most lines have stopped printing them). There will be scavenger hunts, art auctions, pool parties, lots to do. There’s also usually a formal night at the main dining room on one or more of the sea days.

Pro tip – don’t sleep on the sea day “excursion” options. There are often all access tours, special dining options, or sushi/cupcake classes that are super fun. My favorite thing to do when cruising is to take an all access ship tour!

Port Days – Port days are hectic, I’m not going to lie to you. Getting thousands of people on and off ships is a lesson in logistics. If you have booked an excursion through the cruise line, you will likely get to disembark first. Budget at least 30-45 minutes to get off the ship. Then you will do some type of customs/immigration, depending on what port you are in. Generally, you only need your sea pass or equivalent with you, not your passports, but check in your app for your port. Some, like the U.S., might require documentation. Personally, I do keep my passports with me when off ship because I don’t want to be caught without them in case of emergency. My mom does not as she feels they are safer on the ship.

Be sure to bring whatever you need with you because while you can come and go from the ship, you will need to wait in line and clear security to do so, then wait in line to get off again, so it’s a bit of a production. In my experience, cruise lines will have options to grab water and towels as you leave. Make sure you are back to the ship with time to spare because they will leave you if you are late and be sure to double check what “ship time” is before you get off the ship because it might vary from local time. The ship will depart based on ship time! They will have ship time, local time, and gangway up time posted near where you disembark. What is ship time? It’s the time set by the captain the ship adheres to. It might be local time, or it might be an hour off, if you are crossing a time zone breifly. We recently went across 2 time zones but only adjusted 1 hour which was super confusing to me. Want to learn more? This post breaks it down (and is a great website to figure out time zones).

So what do you want to do on a port day? You have a few options for what to do on port days. A surprising number of people stay on the ship. There are discounts at the spa and on cabana rentals and such things. Most likely though, you will want to get off the ship. If you are cruising the Caribbean, you will likely have a port day at your cruise line’s private island. These days are great! They feel like an extension of the all inclusive experience of cruising, but with beaches. But, if you are in a port on an island or in a town/city you will need to decide if you will book an excursion or explore yourself.

Typical island transportation. Not car seat friendly.

Excursions Vs Doing-It-Yourself: Cruise lines will offer great experiences and take care of all the logistics for you. You are first off the ship and guaranteed the ship won’t leave you. The trade off for this convenience is price. Excursions through the cruise line are always more expensive than doing it yourself or going with a third party option.I like to peruse the excursion offerings, then see if it’s worth just doing the activity on my own, ending up with a mix of cruise line excursions and direct bookings. I tend to do an excursion for an experience-type thing or something that would involve multiple stops/transportation needs. Examples include island tours, dolphin excursion, anything with a plane or helicopter involved, fishing trips, etc. For simple things like spending the day at the beach or walking around the city, I tend to go it alone. For example, in Alaska, there’s an excursion for the Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan. But the only time on offer by Princess is very early, whereas the show runs every 90 minutes and it’s a 5 minute walk from the dock. I booked a 11am show directly. On the other hand, I booked a float plane lunch excursion through the cruise line because that just seemed like too many logistics to do myself.

So what’s it like to go it alone on a port day? It depends on the port. Some ports are easy, and you can get off, get a cab or bus and head to a beach or destination. Others are more complicated and it can be easier to do an excursion. Do a little research and see where you will dock and what your options are. If you are traveling with kids, you may want to bring your own car seats if you plan to take cabs. We’ve found some islands like Bermuda and St. Kitt’s super easy to get to a beach with amenities. St. Thomas was harder for us because we docked at the farther port (the other port is literally in the middle of downtown). In Europe, it depends how close the port is to the city. The further out you dock, the more likely I am to book through the cruise line to guarantee return to ship.

A lot of people book excursions through a third party like Viator. This can save a ton of money and they will typically meet you at the dock. Keep in mind that your cruise line will not hold the ship for you if you are late. If you go this route be sure to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship. My mom often does this and simply allows a 2-hour buffer between the end of her tour and when the ship departs. Check your detailed cruising itinerary for the details on the time you will arrive and depart in each port. That will also help you gauge if you should do an excursion or explore on your own.

Have the Perfect Day and Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island

Add on costs – Depending on your cruise line, be prepared to pay extra for a lot of things. This is always my husband’s biggest surprise and complaint. Some extras that you will likely pay for unless bundled in your booking – alcohol, gratuities (charged per person per day), speciality dining (i.e. typically any sit down restaurant that’s not the main dining room), bottled water, sodas, coffee drinks that aren’t simple drip coffee (i.e cold brew and lattes), smoothies, arcades, wifi, photos, special activities like Crown’s Edge, Escape Rooms, etc. You can quickly rack up thousands in extra costs. I typically book a beverage package so I don’t have to think about how much I’m drinking or what it costs.

On board photo pricing on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise

Photo packages – I LOVE booking a photo package. I love that photographers roam the cruise ship. I love doing family photos before or after dinner most days. I love the silly photos on port day. I LOVE IT ALL. So I buy a photo package because otherwise it will cost a fortune. Book it in advance during a sale and it’s actually pretty reasonable. I did a 100 photo package for my Icon Cruise and paid less than $2 a photo. If you didn’t book one before you sail, try to book one early in the trip. It will only get more expensive as you get closer to the end of the trip. Do photos earlier in the trip, they usually do not have the photographers out and about the last night. Check the fine print on photo packages, they may not include “group photos”, special event photos (i.e. weddings), or specialty dining photos. My experience is the tech they use for facial recognition on Royal’s photo package did not enforce the group limit, but it did exclude specialty dining. And heads up on Royal Caribbean’s photo packages – you need to add all of the photos you want in your package BEFORE your last day. They cut off access to the photos in the app the second you scan your sea pass to disembark. (Yes, I learned this the hard way. Yes, they did end up giving me the 25 photos I was still owed, it just took several emails and some manual work.)

A typical Royal Caribbean balcony stateroom. This is a Central Park balcony.

Size of room – Unless you’ve booked a high-end suite, your room will be small. Like really small. Typically, you have 2 single beds that can be pushed together and connected to be one big bed (you can request the set up that you want). If you have more than 2 people in the room, you will either have pullman style bunks that fold down from the wall or a couch that functions as a bed. If you search your room category and ship, you can usually find a video walkthrough to give you an idea of what to expect.

The good news is you probably won’t be spending a lot of time in your room so the size isn’t terrible. Because the room is small, you are going to want to maximize the space you have. Store your luggage and anything you don’t need regular access to under the bed. The walls are almost guaranteed to be magnetic, so buy some magnetic hooks to hang things up. Think hats, lanyards, sweatshirts, jackets. Get whatever you can off the floor because you will likely barely have room to walk around. You’ve been warned.

Sea sickness – If you tend to get seasick, come prepared. I don’t care what kind of ship you are on, what route you are cruising, or where you are on the ship, at some point that boat is going to rock and roll. Lots of people bring Bonnie or similar medicine. You can get a prescription for a patch or look into the bands that are supposed to help. My brother-in-law says Sudafed or Dramamine are good options. I bring some ginger chews just in case because I rarely get seasick. If it’s a rough day, it will typically rock less on a lower deck, towards the middle of the ship.

Wifi – Assuming you pay for the wifi, in my experience it’s actually really good, unless you are trying to stream content or do video calls. Then it’s a bit spotty, even if you are paying for “streaming speed”. A lot of cruise lines will bundle wifi with drink packages or “club level” type perks (The Key is Royal Caribbean’s version of this). It’s worth looking into if you are planning to get a drinks package.

Ducks – Somewhere along the way, hiding ducks on cruise ships became a thing. As in rubber duckies, like you see in Jeep culture. Our kids LOVED looking around the ship for ducks and had a blast hiding some for others to find. You should mark them with a tag or sticker saying something like “Oh what luck you found a duck! Keep or hide, you decide. Last name, Ship, date”. While I didn’t do that on our last cruise, I will for the next one. You can buy the stickers or tags on Etsy if you are into that kind of thing. Don’t hide ducks in merchandise shops or anywhere that could lead to danger, like around pools or railings. Also, some cruise lines, notably Disney, are cracking down on the trend and discouraging the ducks.

Writing thank you notes is a kind gesture for crew that went above and beyond!

Tipping – tipping culture on cruise ships seems to be changing, with many of the cruise lines increasing the gratuity rate everyone is charged leading to a reduction in the expectation you will tip on everything everywhere. That said, there are still some folks you are going to want to give some cash to. These include your room steward, particularly if they’ve done a fantastic job or went out of their way for you. Your wait staff in the main dining room if you’ve eaten there more nights than not. Your favorite bar tender if you have a regular spot you end up at a lot. Excursion staff that go above and beyond. Outside the cruise line, you will want to tip people that help with baggage, do transport, etc. If you want to be really classy, bring thank you notes and leave your gratuities for those that went above and beyond with a handwritten note. They will have envelopes and a drop box at guest services for tips if you don’t give them directly to people. Also make sure to make note of any staff that really stood out and mention them in your survey. The cruise lines actually do put value in it and it can mean a lot for the crew!

Luggage in the hall the night before disembarkation

Disembarkation / Luggage – All vacations come to an end eventually. Disembarkation is as hectic as embarkation but with sunburn. Typically, if you are using the “checked” baggage process, you will need to leave your luggage in the hallway by 8 or 9pm the night before disembarkation. You will also be assigned a time to get off the ship, when your luggage will be ready for you. Make sure you have everything with you and you’ve downloaded any photos/gotten anything you need out of the app. Once you tap off the ship you are done and cut off. We generally take our luggage with us for disembarkation, skipping the checked bagged service, mostly because we aren’t packed by the luggage drop time. That then allows us to leave on our own time and not very early or very late. Once off the ship, you will clear customs and immigration and you are on your way.

Tips and tricks

I’ve mentioned some of these above, but in case you’ve jumped to this section, I’ll go through them again.

Magnetic hooks – your walls will likely be magnetic. Bring hooks to keep things neat and tidy in your room.
Lanyard/wristlet – you are going to want something keep your sea pass/room key/medallion in. I personally like a wristlet (I use these with these). My mom loves a lanyard (like these). My sister does a cellphone/key combo like this. Buy in advance or pay more on the ship. Some lines give you a basic free option as well.
Book things in advance – Excursions, on ship activities, beverage/wifi packages. Book it all in advance and watch for sales. Royal Caribbean does a fabulous black Friday sale. You can also cancel and rebook if prices drop. Just be aware that it may take awhile for your refund to post and you wouldn’t want to cancel something like a sold out excursion in case you couldn’t rebook. You will 100% pay more money for everything once your ship sails. The exception is sometimes they will run a promo for dining or drinks, like a 10 drinks for $80 or BOGO specialty dining. But no guarantees on that.
Port day discounts on ship – Typically, the spa and any on board special attraction/amenity will be cheaper on a port day because most people will want to be off the ship. But, you can still take advantage if you come back to the ship early on a port day because generally the discount is for the entire day, not just the hours you are in port.
Use the app – Download your cruise line’s app in advance and get familiar with it. It will be your lifeline during your cruise. Everything is done on the app these days.
Bluetooth Speaker – We always travel with a speaker so we have music in the room when getting ready, hanging out, etc. It makes it feel more like a party.
Outlets/ Extension Cords – Cruise lines have a lot of controls around outlets. There likely won’t be many plugs and your cruise line probably limits the amount of 110 outlets you can have on a power block. Google your cruise line and their limits. I travel with a cruising approved extension cord with two 110 outlets and 2 USB plugs. Power block/cords with multiple USB ports only are usually ok because they draw less power than a 110 plug.
Laundry line – I had serious envy of people who brought a simple magnetic clothesline for their balcony for wet things. Will be bringing one for my next cruise.
Magnets for doors – Your door will be magnetic and lots of people bring magnets to decorate doors. It’s fun, and makes it easier to find your door. Etsy and Amazon have tons of options.
Book with a travel agent – They are typically free and can make things like processing final payments, booking excursions, linking dining reservations across different reservations, getting rooms together, and other perks easier. Alyssa (@DishingonDisney) is my go-to agent for cruises. And I have to shout out my friend CIRE travel for high-end travel (if that’s your thing).
Book your next cruise while cruising – Did you love it? Book your next cruise while cruising for various discounts and perks. This is actually how I ended up booking the Icon of Seas cruise 2 years out. My brother and sister-in-law wanted to book their next cruise…

After bedtime balcony trapped, longing to be part of the action…

Cruising with Young Kids

I might do a longer post on this after our next cruise but for now here are the most important notes:

No Babies in Pools – Children must be potty trained to use the pools onboard cruise ships. No swim diapers allowed. Some Disney and Royal Caribbean ships have special baby friendly splash play areas that are excluded from this rule. I did not know about this rule prior to booking two cruises with a child in diapers…
Documentation needs – if you are U.S. citizens on a closed loop cruise — one that begins and ends in the SAME U.S. PORT — you may not need a passport, only a birth certificate/photo ID. Check with your cruise line if this is an option. However, having a passport for everyone is best in case of emergency or if you get stuck in a port. Need info on how to do that? See my post on how to start traveling for details.
Car seats – best practice is to bring them for young kids for port days, depending on what you are doing. We used them for taxi transportation in the islands. We typically travel with a Costco Serena for our youngest and a ridesafer vest for our oldest. We had family members who did not bring a car seat and they didn’t feel comfortable lapping small children as recommended by taxi drivers so they didn’t explore the ports beyond the immediate dock area. The choice is yours.
Crib / slumber pod / balcony – cruise lines will provide you with a pack’n’play or equivalent so no need to bring one, just be sure to request in advance and confirm at check-in. We brought a slumber pod on our cruise and given the tight quarters it was great to have it. The baby could go to sleep while the lights were on and we were moving around. We also prefer a balcony room so once the kids go to bed we can still hang out. Most cruise lines ban baby monitors, so we would leave the door cracked while outside, which would turn off the air conditioner. Just something to keep in mind.
Kids club – drop off kids club is usually included for ages 3+. A lot of ships also offer care for younger kids for an additional hourly cost. They generally have daytime hours, close for a few hours then reopen at night so parents can have a dinner out. Kids club can be a great option on sea days! My daughter LOVES a kids club. Depending on your cruise line, they may also offer tailored options for older kids and teens as well.
Stroller – being a small collapsible one that isn’t going to take up a ton of space in your room. You will want it on the ship and for port days. I found it easier to have the 1 year old in a carrier in some ports like Coco Cay, Royal’s private island. They also had strollers you could use on the island, which was cool.
Door stop – I wish I’d brought a door stop to hold the door open when bringing the stroller in and out. The doors are heavy and aggressively swing shut. It was a daily struggle with an easy fix. The room steward used a magnetic hook and a loop of rope to hold the door open which was also a handy trick. I’m trying both in July and will report back.
Bathing – Most cruise bathrooms will have a fairly small shower, although some cruise lines including Princess and Disney offer bathtub options. On our last cruise, since we flew to Miami, I just showered with the toddler. But, if we were driving, I’d probably bring our handy pop up laundry basket we use as a bathtub in our camper. Check the size of the shower though because my sister-in-law brought a blow up bathtub for my nephew and it didn’t fit!
Height requirements – Most of the water slides were 42″ or 48″ and strictly enforced. The dry slides and kids areas on Icon didn’t have height restrictions.
Kids spaces – A quick shout out to the Icon and Oasis class ships. The carousel and “family” aka kids areas are incredibly well done. They also offered kids’ show options and tons of fun activities for kids. Our daughters had a BLAST.

Overall, I love a cruise with a multi-generational group or for a special event (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). It will probably never be my absolute favorite way of traveling, but it’s definitely a trip I enjoy. I hope this is helpful and that you have a blast on your next cruise!

A Beginner’s Guide to Cruising

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