The Ultimate Guide for First Time Cruisers

First time cruisers

For first time cruisers, choosing your first cruise can make or break whether you love this holiday style. If you decide to go down the travel agent route, they’ll give you a list of questions to determine the cruise line, fit for the destination.

But there are many other factors to consider for your first cruise: the cabin, the itinerary, the shore excursions, and even the additional packages.

Lucky for you, we’ve put together a handy guide to ensure your first cruise goes without any hiccups.

As the cruise industry has grown, so have the offerings. There is something to suit everyone’s taste – whether you’re travelling with the kids, grandma, and grandpa, if you’re on a budget, or if you want something super opulent.

Make sure you do your research – whether it be speaking to friends or family members who have cruised or speaking to a travel agent to navigate through the options.

When first time cruisers do their research, make sure you understand the demographics of each cruise line, during the year as well as the itinerary. It comes as no surprise that, for obvious reasons, during the school holidays, you’ll find more kids sailing.

If you are looking for a destination-specific cruise, like if you want to explore the Arctic or Antarctica, then it is also important to pick the right cruise line for your budget, and the differences between each line.

But perhaps if seasickness and the number of people are issues, consider taking a river cruise where you are always close to land and these ships won’t have more than 180 people onboard.

Find out more information in our guide to first-time cruisers.

First Time Cruisers Tips

  • Celebrity Chefs at sea

    The great celebrity chef face-off – whose galley will rule? 

    Celebrity chefs have become a must-have for every cruise line. The latest is Curtis Stone. This week, Princess announced an exclusive partnership with the Aussie-born food icon best known for his budget meals for a certain supermarket chain. But there is more to Mr Stone than meets the eye. He is also a phenomenally popular…

  • Dawn Princess Whisky Bar_cruisepassenger_rate your ship

    Everything you need to know about whisky

    Princess Cruises is introducing its guests to the world of whisky with its first dedicated whisky bar aboard Dawn Princess. From Scotland’s windswept Isle of Skye to the alps of Japan and the northern coastline of Tasmania, the new concept brings together 63 different whiskies from around the globe to provide a diverse tasting experience…

  • Old Fashioned Whisky Cocktail

    We’ll drink to that!

    Princess Cruises recently unveiled a dedicated whisky bar onboard Dawn Princess, featuring whiskies from all over the world. We got in touch with some of the Aussie brands behind the bar to find out their favourite whisky-based cocktails.   Lark Distillery, Hobart, Tasmania Old Fashioned 50ml Lark Single Malt Whisky (43%) 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 splash…

Popular Destinations

Recommended Cruise Lines for First-Time Cruisers

Read Reviews from First-Time Cruisers