Adventures in crusing

Choosing the Cruise

Decide what you truly want to experience and get out of your cruise. That will help you pick the type of cruise you want to book.
Commercial cruise lines that are often advertised typically offer smaller ships that are ideal for the novice cruise traveler. Traveling on a smaller ship is especially nice for travelers who want to do more relaxing than participating in activities. The larger cruise ships might seem less crowded than smaller ones, but it's easy to get lost if you're trying to find one dining room among many. Large cruise ships often offer tennis courts, beauty salons and a wealth of organized activities.
There are adventure cruise ships if you are more interested in activities than amenities. At the other extreme, luxury cruise ships provide an environment more akin to a fine dining restaurant than a casual cruise ship. Customers are often treated like royalty on board. But this treatment comes with a premium price.

Cruise Ship Terms

While all staff members are usually happy to help you out with any concern you may have, knowing the particular jobs assigned to a staff member ensures that you go to the right person with the right problem. Cruise ships have waiters, chefs, bartenders and maids; their jobs are obvious. There are also some job titles unique to a cruise ship.
The ship steward is a head housekeeper who focuses on the upkeep of passenger cabins throughout the journey. He might also help you with specific requests or desires for your cabin. A purser greets travelers as they arrive on the ship. Throughout the journey, they are liaisons between the company and the traveler. They handle any complaints you might have and answer any questions.

Navigating the Cruise Ship

Learn how to navigate the ship to easily get to all of your planned activities and on-board destinations. First of all, you should ask for a map from the purser. Ask him to mark your room and circle any main points you want to find.
Also, knowing certain landmarks of the ship can help you make the right turns to certain restaurants on-board that you want to frequent. A landmark can be something as simple as a sign stating "Hall" or a specific bar before you get to a theater.

Cruise Ship Safety

Don't bring valuables on the cruise ship unless absolutely necessary. If you do, make sure to use the ship's safe. Don't trust strangers or leave your wallet or purse unattended for any reason. Although most crew members are honest, you shouldn't trust your things with anyone, even someone in uniform. Report anything that seems wrong or even questionable.

Cruises

1. Get There the Night Before -- and Extend the Fun.

Sounds simple, but hundreds of cruisers literally miss the boat each year because of delayed flights, traffic, bad weather and other unforeseen troubles. Others board by the skin of their teeth, panting and screaming at one another. Who needs that sort of stress? Fly or drive into your port city the night before and you simultaneously bypass pre-departure jitters and add a day to your vacation. Check tourist boards for stay-and-cruise information. Fort Lauderdale’s convention and visitors bureau, for instance, has a top-notch (and in-depth) web page devoted to deals on pre- and post-cruise stays, many of which include parking and free shuttles to your ship.

2. Say 'Bon Voyage' in Style.

Nothing kick-starts a cruise better than a little spurge, and the cruise lines are happy to oblige -- plus you’ll look like a hero to your better half. Most lines offer gift packages that will be waiting for you in your cabin when you check-in. Holland America, for example, offers everything from a champagne-and-balloon package (under $25) to a dozen long-stemmed roses (about $45) to give your cabin a little floral panache.

3. Stay Away From the Pool.

At full capacity, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas can hold 6,360 passengers -- and many will have their eyes set on the vessel’s pools. Unfortunately, mega-ships only have a fraction of the chairs necessary to accommodate everyone. The result: a mass of humanity sun-burning in tandem on chairs they claim early and won’t give up. Instead, duck the hubbub. Most new vessels have adults-only areas, some with pools, and almost always less crowded (several newer Carnival ships, including Magic, Dream and Breeze, boast a Serenity Deck with bar service, plush loungers and whirlpools). Also, scope out ship deck plans for a place to call your own; Norwegian Epic, for example, has multiple levels of alfresco seating available, many unused because they’re too far from the pools (a nearly hidden warren of loungers on Deck 18 is a particular find).

4. Eat on Your Terms.

Many major cruise lines (Norwegian being a notable exception) continue to encourage group dining at a prescribed time. If making small talk with the same strangers every night at the same time is your thing, go for it. But myriad options abound to break up the routine: If the ship is in port late, slip off and have dinner, preferably something native. Order room-service breakfast (it’s included in most cases) and have a picnic on your balcony. Make reservations at an extra-fee specialty restaurant; for instance, tapas at Qsine, a staple on the newer Celebrity ships featuring whimsical presentation and menus on iPads, will set you back about $40 a person (far less than if you paid for a similar meal on dry land).

5. Stay on the Ship.

The ugly little truth about port calls? You barely get to see the place you’re visiting, and you’re paying a high price for the (lack of) privilege if you book an excursion. If you can stand not spending 6 hours crammed on a tour bus, stay onboard. Most facilities are still open, and you’ll have them to yourself -- hit the AquaDuck water flume on Disney Magic and Fantasy as many times as you wish, catch the planetarium show on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, read a book unencumbered on the Promenade Deck of the Coral Princess. For 8 hours, it’s your ship.