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

  • Which cruise line has the cheapest coffee

    Which line has the cheapest cup of barista brewed coffee?

    Australia’s love of coffee is legendary. Small wonder cruise lines make sure we are spoilt for choice with great daily coffee when they sail in our waters. Cruise Passenger surveyed the lines to find out where you can find the cheapest cup of specialty coffee at sea. The Australian cruise lines like Princess Cruises and…

  • Cruise ship cancellations

    The sorry story of a couple charged $7,479 in cancellation fees

    The letter from an elderly lady was heartrending. Four days after she had booked a $9,462 cruise, her husband was taken to hospital with an infection. With nearly three months left to the travel date, she felt sure she would get her money back. But she was wrong. Emirates-owned Imagine Cruising said they would be…

  • P&O Dark Mofo deal

    Indulge your obsessions with a themed cruise

    Love music? Enjoy visiting gardens? Obsessed about crochet? Themed cruises, allowing passengers to indulge in their favourite obsessions, are growing. And there’s nothing like travelling with like-minded fans. Music Cruises remain one of the most popular themed cruises, and many of are festivals at sea complete with artists and performances. A number sail out of…

Popular Destinations

Recommended Cruise Lines for First-Time Cruisers

Read Reviews from First-Time Cruisers