Thinking about taking your first cruise? As cruise lovers, we highly recommend this way of traveling and we encourage you to experience adventuring to beautiful places via the open waters.
There’s much to love about taking a trip this way. Exploring many new and gorgeous lands in one vacation, meeting new people, finding out about different cultures, and eating and playing and – well – let’s just say that a cruise can bring many memorable moments and leave you with tons of stories to remember and tell for a lifetime.
But, before you go on your first cruise, there are some things you should know about. Read up on the following bits of advice and tips for first-time cruisers when it comes to packing, so that your initial journey will be smooth and most enjoyable one. Then, stay tuned for our next posts on advice and tips for saving money on a cruise and having the best time possible.
Pack Appropriately
When you cruise, it’s important to pay a great deal of attention to what you pack (or shouldn’t pack). Depending on where you are cruising to, the necessities and luxury items you’ll want with you will different. But, the approach to choosing what to accompany you is much the same no matter what destination you’re heading for. So, consider the following advice when planning what to pack on a cruise ship:
- Pay attention to your shoes. Shoes can take up a lot of room in a suitcase, much more room than clothes do. This means that you should limit yourself to four pair: one for active activities (snow-protective shoes, if needed), one or two for casual places on the ship (closed toed shoes or flip flops – or both), and one for dressy nighttime functions.
- Wear clothing more than once. You don’t have to pack an entirely different outfit for each day of your cruise. Mix and match tops, shorts, pants, and skirts throughout your trip. Before you leave, make sure you have something to put together for outdoor adventures, lounging around the ship, and getting dressed up in the evening. And, of course, pack underwear and socks for each day. But, coordinate while reusing pieces as much as you can.
- Always take a jacket. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, you should always bring a jacket. The locale you’re traveling to may dictate a heavy or lightweight jacket, but regardless, always make sure you have one with you. It can be unexpectedly freezing, windy, sandy, sunny, or whatever on deck – or on shore – so be prepared to protect yourself!
- Don’t buy travel-size toiletries. This may go against your instincts, but when you think about, you’ll probably see that purchasing products this way is not a good use of money or plastic. These little containers are expensive and not so kind to the earth. Instead, buy refillable jars and bottles, and then fill them up with products from larger value-sized containers.
Check back with us tomorrow for more advice and tips for first-time cruisers, including recommendations on getting the best value for your money when cruising.
