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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Ports: Japan
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Destination: Hong Kong
When Hong Kong opened its new cruise terminal in 2013 on the site of the former Kai Tak Airport, the tiny nation was making a play for the title of cruise capital of Asia. The HK$8.2 billion terminal can handle two mega liners and over 8,000 disembarking passengers at once. Hong Kong has grown from…
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Destination: Indonesia
Indonesia, the largest group of islands in the world, has a number of beautiful destinations visited by cruise lines, including P&O Australia, Carnival, Princess Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. The most popular Indonesian destination, Bali offers cultural, culinary and activity-based excursions. One of the top attractions is Ubud. The town, surrounded by rice paddies,…
