Travel enthusiasts like to think they know everything. Admit you’re new and they’re happy to impart advice on their hard-won journey. These tips are sometimes eye-opening, revealing journey secrets that only the experts know. But often, you’ll hear boring complaints about the best way to cruise that isn’t always helpful to you.
Considering the journey wisdom I’ve heard — and even written about — here are seven bad journey tips you should never take… or at least consider carefully.
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Always book cruises on board
This tip is influenced by cruise line propaganda, which tries to scare first-timers by warning them that the train won’t wait for unreserved late tours through the ship. While it’s true that unexpected traffic and delays on an independent tour can cause you to miss your trip from the port, there are ways to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Choose a half-day tour or instruct your operator that you need to be at the pier an hour or two before departure. That built in wiggle room for delays. Look for tour operators that have been checked by other travelers or industry organizations for safety and reliability if that’s a concern about venturing out on your own.
Booking an independent tour can often be cheaper than ship-sponsored shore excursions, as well as being smaller, more personal, and more customizable. Alternatively, you can find a tour that the ship does not offer. You should never completely ignore stand-alone options.
Related: Ship-sponsored shore excursions versus independent shore excursions: Which should you book?
Never book train tours
On the other hand, some experienced travelers will brag that they never take cruises and encourage you to take taxi tours or seek out independent tour providers. . While these are good tips, cruises are great options in some cases and shouldn’t be ruled out.
Regarding the previous point, if you are looking at a full day tour exploring nearby cities or countryside (such as a trip to Florence from the port of Livorno), you may want that safety net to know that you You can maximize your time ashore without risking the ship leaving without you. The same principle holds if you’re simply unsure of the timing, such as whether you’ll be able to get back to the beach on that island in time.
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Certainly, novice travelers who are uncomfortable researching and booking independent cruises abroad should rely on onboard tours as an easy source of port activities. Plus, if your itinerary changes while on board, it’s much simpler to book a tour in a new port through the ship than it is to spend the day at sea researching options independently.
Book an inside cabin as you won’t be spending any time there
I see what people are doing with this advice. Why spend money on a convenience you won’t use? But here’s the bottom line: Everyone spends time sleeping in their cabins. And I hate sleeping in a room with no natural light, that’s what you get with a cabins without windows.
If this doesn’t apply to you, then maybe you should heed this advice. However, for me and many people (or the kids traveling with them), sleeping in the dark of a room with no natural light is a bit creepy. Worse yet, it’s hard to wake up in the morning when you can’t tell the difference between 3am and 3pm because it’s equally dark at both.
Even if you don’t intend to spend a lot of time in your cabin, consider whether it’s worth the lack of natural light to save money or if there’s an ocean-view cabin with picture windows that aren’t too much. could be a better choice.
Related: Cabin inside versus outside: Which affordable travel room is best for you?
Book your itinerary a year or more in advance
Early booking recommendations are not the worst cruise advice you can get. You definitely want to book those one-of-a-kind suites or family cabins or single rooms with limited supplies before they sell out. Know, however, that the only thing booking 12 to 24 months in advance will give you is the ability to offer a better cabin — and not always the best price.
You cannot predict the future. You don’t know if your sailing date and cabin catalog will be highly sought after. You don’t know what world events might make your trip particularly popular or especially empty. I’ve also heard from travelers who booked trips – even wedding excursions – far in advance, only to have their cruise canceled due to a full charter or pier. Dry is rescheduled.
Cruise lines run enough deals on close trips that you shouldn’t assume the initial price is always the lowest (although it may be). If you are flexible about cabin type and location, you can find good prices anytime.
Related: 8 exciting cruises you’ll need to book at least a year in advance – maybe even 2!
Get on the train late to avoid queuing
If you’re sailing on a super ship and can’t get in line, you’ve picked the wrong vacation. You certainly don’t want to miss a few hours on a plane just to avoid queuing in the terminal.
This advice is bad for a couple of reasons. First, many tourist routes now mess up arrivals by specifying arrival times. That means you’re less likely to fall in love in the first place and feel less regret later on.
Also, the earlier you get on board, the longer you can enjoy the train…with fewer people around. All train passengers had to go through the boarding process, but once they got on board, they scattered. Get on board early and you’ll find fewer queues at the spa table, at the kids club sign-in counter, or at the shore excursion desk. Those lines only get longer as the afternoon begins to pass – meaning you’re just swapping one line for another.
Related: 27 days on a cruise ship do’s and don’ts
Buy drink packs to save money
This cruise advice is only useful for the heaviest drinkers. For the average Joe, who enjoys a cocktail or two on vacation with a glass of wine at dinner, it’s delicious. cruise ship drink pack makes no financial sense.
Example: Happy festival! beverage package costing 59.95 USD/person/day when purchased before the cruise; an 18% gratuity is added, just like with drinks purchased a la carte on board. Cocktails range from $10.50 to $12.50 per drink. So you need to drink five or six drinks a day to break even; than to get value.
Think you’ll drink that much? Can you still drink that much if you spend all day in the port? What if you booked an excursion to an all-inclusive beach vacation with unlimited drinks? Can you still have six cocktails if you get a free bottle of wine at the steakhouse because you dined there the first night of your cruise? What if you prefer beer and need to drink at least eight cups a day?
If the answer is yes to all of that, then take the advice and buy a drink pack. If the answer is no, this advice is not good, and you will save money by buying a la carte drinks.
Related: Are beverage packages on cruise ships worth it? Things to know before buying
Pack an out-of-door organizer for extra storage
Nearly every packing trick article I’ve read encourages cruisers to pack out-of-door shoeboxes to hang over bathroom doors and create extra storage space for sunscreen and slippers. finger piercing and other sundries. I don’t know anyone who actually does this.
For starters, out-of-door organizers aren’t always the most compact things to pack. Plus, cruise lines really don’t want you to scratch their doors with the metal hangers involved. To do this, you actually have to pack the magnet hooks and attach the sorter directly to the metal door. I imagine at least once in every journey this will be scrapped, causing all your items to fly away.
Finally, most modern cruise ships have plenty of shelves and drawers for small items that can fit in the door stack. It’s the clothes I’m always struggling to find a place for — or larger items like diving gear that don’t fit in the shoebox. Also, no one in my family has ever placed their shoes anywhere except in the middle of the floor, so I can’t imagine that the organizer would really help with its original purpose – sorting neat shoes.
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