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

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Popular Destinations

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    Destination: Myanmar

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    Ports: Myanmar

      BAGAN Who goes there: AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Azamara Club Cruises, Belmond, Pandaw, Sanctuary Ananda, Scenic (from late 2016), Travelmarvel. Cruisers like: Over three centuries, more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the area, formerly known as Pagan. More than 2,200 survive, dotted on the Bagan plains. Ananda is one of…

  • Ports: Malaysia

    Ports: Malaysia

      MELAKA Who goes there: Costa, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises. Cruisers like: The influences of traders and colonists – Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Malay and British – all come together here. An easy way to see the old town is in one of the colourfully decorated pedicabs waiting outside the rose-pink Christ…

Recommended Cruise Lines for First-Time Cruisers

Read Reviews from First-Time Cruisers