New to cruising

[eeyore70]

Hello...I will be going for the first time out of the country (Italy/Greece) on a first time cruise next year. Can you give me any tips on how to research what to expect/bring/do, etc!!

Thanks in advance.

 

[richmo]

That's a tall order. It'll be a lot of fun, but you're right to prepare and research.

First and maybe most important thing to do is get your passports, if you don't already have them. If you haven't, visit travel.state.gov to get an idea of how the process works. If by "next year" you mean 2021, you've got plenty of time. If you mean 2020, get on it as it can take several weeks.

Assuming you've booked (on Royal Caribbean, I presume), make sure you set up an online account with them. You should be able to see your cruise as booked and it'll show your stateroom number and how many days left until you go. Once it gets closer, you'll be able to do a lot of the check-in activities - personal info, passport numbers, etc., so you don't have to do it at the embarkation port. I believe they also will ask for your airline info both coming and going.

While on the RCCL site, start looking at some of the excursions that are offered thru Royal Caribbean. Some people like to book them all thru Royal, some none. My personal opinion is that any excursion that involves a fair amount of transportation is good to book thru Royal, since they guarantee the ship won't leave until you get back. Other excursions that are local (close to the port), such as walking or bicycle tours, food/bar hopping, etc., you might book separately as they're often cheaper and sometimes you can just do it on arrival, which lets you decide in case the weather isn't good that day. Look for independent port guides to give you an idea of what excursions are good (reviews, etc.). TripAdvisor and other guides...tomsportguides.com comes to mind, but there are plenty of others. You may see good excursions that aren't offered by Royal. Also get a feel for the port itself. Sometimes you don't need an excursion, just walking around or visiting a local beach is good.

Go on Cruise Critic and get a feel for the cruise line and how people like the ships, good and not so good, meal and drink packages, and loads of insider tips. There may or may not be a "roll call" for your cruise, that you can sign up for, if you wish (we don't). If you're lucky, someone may have posted a Cruise Compass (that's the daily activities guide) for a cruise similar to yours that would give you an idea of what the daily activities onboard are like.

There's plenty more and I'm sure others will give you better ideas than mine...just get those passports and your transportation to and from lined up...and don't overpack!