# First-Time Cruise Tips: 15 Things I Tell Every New Cruiser Before They Sail

By Alexandra Jones · Published 2026-09-11 · Cruise Tips

> Cabin choice, the fees nobody mentions, ship time, seasickness, and what to pack, from an advisor who books cruises every week.

The cruise fare is the cheapest part of a cruise. Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, port fees, and one shore excursion can add $1,500 to a family's trip before anyone has ordered a second cocktail. These are the fifteen things I go over with every first-time cruiser, in the order they come up.

## Before you book

1. Budget the fare plus about 40%. Port fees and taxes add $100 to $200 a person on a 7-night sailing and are not in the headline price. Gratuities are charged daily: $18.50 a person on Royal Caribbean, $17 on Carnival, $20 on Norwegian, $18 on Princess, $16 on Disney. For a family of four on a week-long cruise, that is $450 to $560 in gratuities before drinks.

2. Pick the cabin by location as much as by category. Low decks and midship move the least. Stay away from cabins directly under the pool deck or the nightclub and next to the elevator bank. A "guarantee" cabin is cheaper because the line picks the location for you, usually 30 to 90 days out, and you can end up over the theater. On a 7-night Caribbean sailing on Wonder of the Seas in April 2026, an interior cabin was $749 a person, an oceanview $899, and a balcony $1,199. The balcony is worth it in Alaska. In the Caribbean, an oceanview and a drink package is often the better trade.

3. Families of five need to book early. Cabins that sleep five exist on every line, but there are few of them, some can only be booked by phone, and connecting rooms sell out first. Carnival's Family Harbor cabins and Royal Caribbean's family staterooms are the ones I hold.

4. Know the final-payment date. Royal Caribbean takes a $250 deposit per person on a 6- to 9-night cruise and wants the balance 90 days before sailing. Norwegian's penalties start at 119 days. Disney wants the balance 120 days out on cruises of 6 nights or more. Miss the date and the line can cancel the booking.

5. Watch the price after you book. Royal Caribbean's Best Price Guarantee lets you claim a lower fare any time before final payment. Carnival gives onboard credit for price drops on most fares until final payment. I check every booking weekly; a $200 drop is common.

## The week before

6. Check in online the day it opens. Royal Caribbean opens check-in 45 days out, Disney 30 days, Norwegian 21, Carnival 14. The earliest boarding times go first, and an early slot means lunch on the ship instead of a two-hour terminal wait.

7. Pack a carry-on for embarkation day. Your checked bags can arrive at the cabin after sailaway. Put documents, medications in their original bottles, a swimsuit, a phone charger, and an evening outfit in a bag you keep with you.

8. Leave the iron and the power strip at home. Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Princess ban irons, steamers, and extension cords. Carnival allows a non-surge extension cord and nothing else. Magnetic hooks work on the metal cabin walls, and a lanyard for your key card is the one souvenir every cruiser ends up buying.

9. Bring the wine you are allowed. Royal Caribbean and Carnival let each adult carry on one sealed 750ml bottle of wine at embarkation. Norwegian allows wine only, with a $15 corkage fee. Disney allows two bottles or six beers per adult at each port. Liquor is confiscated until the last night on every line.

## On board

10. Do the muster check-in before you do anything else. Royal Caribbean and Carnival now run it through the app: watch the safety video, then walk to your assigned station and check in. The ship cannot sail until everyone has, and the announcements will find you at the buffet.

11. Decide on the drink package with a calculator, not a feeling. Royal Caribbean's Deluxe package runs $57 to $120 a day depending on the sailing, plus 18%. Carnival's CHEERS is $69.95 a day pre-cruise plus 20%, which is about $84 a day with a 15-drink cap. If you would drink fewer than six cocktails a day, pay as you go. Everyone in the cabin over 21 has to buy it on most lines.

12. Set your phone to airplane mode and buy Wi-Fi only if you need it. Cellular at sea bills at satellite rates. Wi-Fi packages run $18 to $40 a device per day on Royal Caribbean, $20 to $26 on Carnival, and $26 to $42 on Disney. The ship's app works without a package for dining, schedules, and messaging.

13. Formal night is real but flexible. Royal Caribbean runs one "Dress Your Best" night on a 5-night cruise, two on 6 to 10 nights, three on longer sailings. A collared shirt and slacks pass. Tank tops and bare feet do not get into the main dining room at dinner on any line.

## Port days

14. Live on ship time. The ship keeps its own clock and does not change it in every port. Your phone will. The single most common way people miss a ship is trusting the phone in a port that is an hour behind. Wear a watch set to ship time, and be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard, 90 in a tender port where boats ferry you to shore.

15. If you book an independent excursion, protect yourself. Ship excursions cost 15% to 40% more, but if the ship's tour runs late, the ship waits. If your own tour runs late, you pay your way to the next port, and the line refunds only taxes and port fees. Book independent tours in the first port of a long day, with a three-hour cushion.

## The one I put at the top of every packet

See your doctor four to six weeks before sailing if you have any history of motion sickness. The CDC lists diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate, and scopolamine as the standard options, all of which cause drowsiness, and notes that some antidepressants, painkillers, and birth control can make seasickness worse. Kids 2 to 12 are the most prone. On board: watch the horizon, drink water, eat small meals, and go easy on alcohol the first night.

If you are booking your first cruise, tell me who is going and which month, and I will send you three sailings with the real total, fees included. My [cruise planning page](https://etawithalex.com/categories/cruises) has the lines I work with, and my [Alaska guide](https://etawithalex.com/blog/alaska-cruise-for-first-timers) covers that trip in detail.

## Sources

- [Royal Caribbean, gratuities](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense)
- [Royal Caribbean, deposits and final payment](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/topics/reservation-payment-cancellation-policy)
- [Royal Caribbean, Best Price Guarantee](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/best-price-guarantee-policy)
- [Royal Caribbean, prohibited items](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/prohibited-items-onboard-policy)
- [Royal Caribbean, dress code](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/generic-onboard-dress-code)
- [Royal Caribbean, muster drill](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/muster-drill-onboard-safety)
- [Carnival, CHEERS beverage program](https://www.carnival.com/onboard/cheers)
- [Norwegian Cruise Line, onboard service charge](https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-is-onboard-service-charge)
- [Disney Cruise Line, gratuities](https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/onboard-services/gratuities/)
- [Princess Cruises, crew appreciation](https://www.princess.com/html/global/disclaimers/crew-appreciation/)
- [CDC, motion sickness](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/motion-sickness)
- [US Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative)
- [Cruise Fever, why cruisers miss the ship](https://cruisefever.net/the-biggest-reason-cruisers-miss-their-cruise-ship-in-a-foreign-port/)
- [Travel Arbitrage, 2026 cabin price comparison](https://www.travelarbitrage.net/en/blog/cruise-cabin-type-comparison-2026/)

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