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Gearing up for your first-ever cruise vacation is an exciting time, and if you're a savvy traveler, you probably spend a lot of that time researching all the important stuff you need to know when you get on the boat: don't be late for port departure times, pack a bathing suit and a couple outfits in your carry-on so you can relax while waiting on your luggage, make sure you have something on standby to settle your tummy if you get seasick, etc.
Those are a couple of the big things that are important to know, but there are a lot of smaller, lesser-known "cruise rules" that can still have a pretty big impact on your inaugural cruise experience. Here's a couple of smart tips to get you started:
Cruise vlogger @cruiseandsmile is a great source for cruise advice in general, and this video alone had some important tips. Personally, I think the muster drill one is something that everybody should be aware of even if they're on their first-ever cruise , but sometimes people still miss stuff like that, especially when everything's new and overwhelming. Muster drills provide essential safety information, and all guests are required to attend them before setting sail. If you don't show up at the main one, crew members will summon you (potentially over the ship's intercom, as one commenter added) and make sure you're at the next one. Just go ahead and get it out of the way ASAP so you can settle in and relax!
Related: Cruise Experts List Common 'Sea Day' Mistakes They Wish People Would Stop Making
Her baggage advice bears repeating, too. Figuring out what to do with your stuff can be confusing amidst all the boarding bustle, and while you can haul your own bags up to your room, you don't have to. There will be cruise employees at the gate that you leave your bags with, and as @cruiseandsmile mentioned, there's probably going to be a lot of other baggage there too. Pro tip: as I mentioned above, make sure you have a bathing suit and a couple changes of clothes in your carry-on bag . It can take hours for your luggage to show up at your room, so having some options in the carry-on frees you up to explore (and even swim in the pool while most guests are still waiting on their bathing suits)!
One caveat, though: her buffet tip about not clearing your own dishes may be true for some cruise lines, but as a few commenters pointed out, that's not necessarily true for all, including Carnival Cruise Lines . If you can't find any trash cans or dish drop-off spots in the dining room, that's probably a good sign that you don't need to worry about it, but when in doubt, ask the staff!
Other Excellent First-Time Cruise Tips
This video got the ball rolling, but @cruiseandsmile's followers also had some great first-time cruise advice of their own!
"Join your ship's Facebook group. You'll get tons of good tips. It's the name of your ship and embarkation date," advised @mtnfreak33.
"What I hear on Royal Caribbean on like Day 3, 4, 5, is people not knowing that Cafe Promenade is free," added @disneymatt.
"Another one- many countries won't allow you to wear camo off the boat," said @ghostxmafiaa.
This last one was actually news to me, so I looked it up, and it's apparently true of a lot of places, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Antigua, among others. According to Reader's Digest , this is because in many of those countries, camo wear is reserved for military personnel (and in some cases, because of potential gang affiliations too). Maybe just leave the camo duds out of your luggage!
You could research what to do for your first cruise for hours on end, and you'll still have stuff that you'll only learn once you're on the ship. Don't worry about not knowing everything, though. Just make sure you're aware of the essentials, keep an open mind, and remember to relax!
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