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
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Dare to compare: cruise line versus private shore excursions
The benefits of booking your onshore excursions via the cruise company.
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How you could score a free cruise and more with Princess
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Popular Destinations
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Singapore
Singapore is one of Southeast Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities and is one of the largest cruise ports in Asia. It welcomes a huge number of lines including Carnival Cruises, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Seabourn. Filled with great restaurants, lively hawker markets, luxury shopping and colonial heritage sites, there is plenty to do and…
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Ports: Philippines
MANILA Who goes there: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea. Cruisers like: The densely populated capital has been a fortified trading centre since the 13th century. History spans centuries, from the walled Spanish settlement of Intramuros and the 16th-century San Augustin church…
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Destination: Philippines
Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Costa Cruises and Celebrity Cruises are just some of the lines that regularly sail to the Philippines. Non-traditional destinations that are starting to gain international cruise attention include Kalanggaman Island off Palompon in Leyte, Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, Santa Ana in Cagayan and Coron Island in Northern Palawan. In Manila, one of…
