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
-
What is nude cruising? All your questions answered
Nude cruising is a curious corner of the cruising world. Cruise companies like Bare Necessities run cruises that see thousands of people stripping down at sea.
-
How you can save hundreds of dollars by booking your own shore excursions
While cruise lines are offering heavily discounted cruise fares, there are a number of items which could blow out the cost of the final bill. Aside from drinks and dining packages, shore excursions on premium and contemporary cruise lines are not included in the fare, with some activities costing hundreds of dollars. Cruise Passenger spoke…
-
20 off-season cruises: Sail from $70 per night locally
There are still plenty of deals to be had as Australia’s wave season draws to a close. While lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines and luxury companies like Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn leave our shores, our home-grown lines still remain Down Under. Lines like P&O and Carnival Cruise Lines will remain…
Popular Destinations
-
Invercargill
Invercargill is the most southerly city in New Zealand and gateway to the magnificent Southland district. The city achieved worldwide fame as one of the locations for the 2006 movie The World’s Fastest Indian starring Anthony Hopkins and contains some interesting 19th Century and early 20th Century architecture, beautiful parks, a good choice of food…
-
Hobart
It’s easy to fall in love with Hobart. Whether you are mountain biking down Mt Wellington, seeing outrageous modern art at MONA or tucking into freshly caught seafood at one of its smart new eateries, the Tasmanian capital will quickly work its charms. Despite its remote southern location, Hobart is an open-minded, cosmopolitan, bohemian and…
-
Hamilton Island
Often described as the gateway to the Whitsundays, Hamilton Island is the ideal tropical island destination – complete with groovy bars, waterfront restaurants, million dollar yachts, a sparkling marina and an 18-hole golf course. The island is the platform for many adventures on the Great Barrier Reef such as scuba driving, sailing, snorkelling and heli-touring.…
Recommended Cruise Lines for First-Time Cruisers
Read Reviews from First-Time Cruisers
-
Independence of the Seas cruise review
Excellent service, food, entertainment, organisation on the whole ship for activities etc. We loved our 13 days aboard Independence of the Seas.
-
Dawn Princess Cruise Review
Service is excellent, enjoyed getting dressed up each night. Having early breakfast in port. Every day is so different.
-
Celebrity Equinox cruise review
The service was most of the time brilliant, as with anything nothing is perfect. We were in Aqua Class and so had our own private dining restaurant which was marvellous.
