First Time Tips please?

My husband and I are looking at a P&O Med cruise this August. Any tips or hints to make it more enjoyable. We really know nothing about cruising at all.

We did our first last year and also knew very little, so my advice would be read read read! I picked up so much by popping into these forums & also the help section on p&o's website has tonnes of info which is well written & perfect for newbies. I also looked on YouTube for our ship to get an idea of layout & cabins etc, same with the ports of call. Although I knew we'd love the cruise I was worried we wouldn't be 'cruisie' enough for all the upper class snobs I'd heard about - we are under 40 & just normal working people - well everyone we met and chatted to was lovely & lots were very similar in age etc to us!

Once you get on board everything falls into place, don't be afraid to say you're new to it as others love to help out with their wealth of experience! Our steward was helpful too so ask him for advice too.

I even thought lifeboat drill meant actually getting into the boats before I read these forums!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Once you have registered and found your stateroom you will find things very soon slot into place. There will be plenty of info on board and the daily ship's paper will tell you what's going on each day and you will soon become familiar with the ship. The crew are always very helpful - just ask if you are unsure about anything and chatting to fellow passengers we've found to be an invaluable source of advice and ideas for ports of call.

But I do agree with Caroline, research is really helpful. Info from P&O's site is an excellent starting point, asking for specific advice on here too and doing your own research on your destinations is very useful in our experience. We also find it part of the anticipation of our cruises planning what we might choose to do in each place. Destinations are probably the most important part of cruising for us although we enjoy all the other aspects too! But you choose an itinerary because it appeals to you and you are only there for one day so it's important to make the most of it.

So we read the tourist info on each port, look at pictures of the area, read the ports section here on CC, perhaps Tom's Port Guides may cover some destinations too and also use Google Earth and even do street views to get a feel of what's in each port. Sometimes it looks really good, sometimes we think it may be worth going further afield.

Can you just walk off, is there plenty of interest to do and see by just exploring independently, is there a famous site in the vicinity which would be a pity to miss, what do you want to do in port (beach/shops/eat/visit attractions)? Once you have decided what you most want to get from your visit to a destination, then you have to consider how best to achieve that - DiY, ship's excursion or local transport /taxis etc?

The answer to those questions will vary according to what you decide, how easy it is to go independently, whether you prefer an organised tour (a guide at somewhere like Ephesus, Olympia, Herculaneum etc can bring the site to life for you) and what is practical at each port of call.

It might sound a bit daunting but it is good fun planning - adds to the excitement! And you will get a lot of help on here if you want advice. We generally have a plan for each port. If there's something we definitely want to do and it's best done by a ship's excursion we'll book that in advance, then we go to the Port Presentations once on board, chat to fellow passengers if they've been to a port before and we are flexible about changing our plans if we learn something new which seems like a better idea.

Enjoy your first cruise - I'm sure you will. Good luck with the planning. :)

Thanks to both of you for the useful tips. I feel like I am gradually getting a picture of what I need to do so we get the most out of our cruise. :thumbup:

Excellent advice there from kruzseeka.

If it's your first cruise then I'd recommend only booking ship's excursions even if they're only of the 'on your own' variety. If you're ashore on a ship's excursion and there's a significant problem meaning you'll be late back then 99.9% of the time the ship will wait. If you're on your own private tour then the ship will not wait. Perhaps once you've decided that cruising is for you (and you will!), think about doing private excursions on your next cruise once you've got a bit more confidence.

I'd recommend breakfast in the main dining room as it's much more civilised than the scrum of the buffet, especially if you go at a busy time. In the MDR you are served by waiters from a menu. If P&O are the same as Princess, waiters move around the MDR with baskets of pastries, pots of jam etc and, of course, the hot food is brought to you.

Don't forget that you can have whatever you like off the menu for dinner in the MDRs. If you fancy two starters, a soup and a dessert, for example, then that is perfectly fine. If you order something that you're not keen on then feel free to have a quiet word with your waiter and ask for something else. If the main you want comes with potatoes cooked in a way you're not keen on, it's ok to ask for a different kind as long as it's on the menu.

If you are on fixed-time dining and you don't get on with your table-mates then you don't have to suffer them all holiday. A simple, polite request to the Maitre D' will usually see you moved to another table.

The staff and crew are there to help make your holiday memorable. Polite, respectful requests will normally be granted willingly and swiftly. When your cabin steward comes along to introduce him/herself spend a little time (not too much though as they are usually very busy!) asking them a little about where they are from and about their families back home.

This may sound crazy but do some laundry in one of the passenger launderettes on a sea day. If you're not too keen on sunbathing and don't mind a couple of hours of a sea day spent inside then doing this means that you have less washing to do when you get home.

When you're packing, lay out all the clothes you think you will need then put half of them back in the wardrobe! I've found that I can wear one shirt twice of an evening - there are 2-3,000 on your ship so nobody will know if you wear the same shirt or blouse twice during a 14 day cruise!

Pack some clothes pegs. The shower curtains in the cabin bathrooms can develop a very close attachment to you when showering. Some clothes pegs clipped to the bottom of the shower curtain stop this. Take some magnets with you - the walls of your cabin will be made of metal therefore you can use the magnets to attach the ship's daily newspaper, excursion tickets, port guides etc to the walls, leaving the desk/vanity area uncluttered.

If you intend to use your phone to tell the time when onboard, turn the airplane mode on. This is very important, especially close to land as the phone will constantly search for a signal to get the correct time, incurring roaming charges. Similarly, don't rely on your phone to tell the correct time whilst you are ashore as ship time and local time can be different. The ship will, perhaps unsurprisingly, sail on ship time not local time.

Don't listen to the moaners, of which there will be plenty. Some people are never, ever happy no matter what the circumstances. They seem to view complaining as a sport and pride themselves on being 'good' at it. Ignore them and don't let them enjoy your wonderful holiday.

Have a great cruise, and prepare to be hooked! :D

What a good idea about the magnets wobblybob amongst other excellent advice! Duly added to my list! You learn something everyday!

Picking up the point about times I can't empasise enough to make sure your watch is set to ship's time though - we've known of passengers left behind because they forgot to change the time on their watches.

We take a 4-way power extension cable as it's surprising how many gadgets need charging each night - readers, camera batteries, phones, tablets etc. You shouldn't leave them on charge whilst you're out of the cabin though.

All the above plus:

Read through your Horizon newsheet which comes the evening before and gives you the next day's programme so you know what is going on where and when and you won't miss anything that you may want to do.

And have somewhere to put your cruise card which is what you will need with you all the time. Some people wear it round their neck and others in a bag. I have a small over-the-body purse bag.

Also avoid moaners and getting involved in any conversation about who has paid what.

And finally but most importantly : Enjoy everything. Just soak it all up. It is great!

As Scriv says , do read your Horizon paper - it has some very useful info in it. We have just come off a cruise where we had 4 first timers with us and they asked so many questions which they could have found the answers to them selves if they had read Horizon!

Another tip - you will have read horror stories about sun lounger hoggers. Unfortunately they do exist but spend time exploring & looking around the ship - you will find some lovely hidden quieter spots where there are always sun loungers available (with more than 6 inches between them :D) if you want them - but some people are so intent on being 3 feet away from the pool they never find them!

The "Horizon" daily news sheet is delivered to your cabin daily and advises of the ships programme through the next day and instructions about where to meet if you have booked an excursion for the following morning. Additional instructions on "Tendering" (or gaining access to shore using the ships lifeboats where a harbour is too shallow for ship to dock and will anchor offshore) are detailed where appropriate within the news sheet.

In order to maximise the programme offered using highlighter pens will help you not miss something on the schedule. The smaller flyer mid sheet of the Horizon is the after 6pm section and may be taken of an evening to help you find the correct acts in the theatre and show lounges. Acts are duplicated nightly to try and help first/second sitting people each have a chance of seeing the relevant show. You will get a map of the ship in a wallet with your cruise card (sort of on board only credit/charge card and door key). The map shows the ship and where things are additional maps are on the walls just outside lifts and the wall diagrams are always oriented in the same direction of the ship. This helps with heading forward and aft.

Most P&O ships have three sets of stairs/lifts to help you get to the correct deck. The midships stairs and lifts typically also incorporate a set of panoramic glass fronted lifts. This helps you easily identify that you are midships near the atrium. If something is described as taking place deck 7 forward you need to either go along the deck you happen to be on at the time towards the bow (front) then go up/down to deck 7. Alternatively you may go up/down to deck 7 then walk forward to the bow. Once you know where the midships stairs are you can easily work out where the forward and aft stairs are. It is as simple as that.

A slight complication on navigating is that not all lifts go to all decks and not all decks run the full length of the ship. I tend to think of it as buildings of different heights next door to each other and having basements of different depths. The LOWEST full length deck forward to aft is the PROMENADE DECK, typically deck 7. This gives the opportunity of transferring forward/aft either out doors on the open deck or indoors past the shops etc. and crowds of people at times. Alternatively ascend a deck and walk down the corridor of a cabin accommodation deck. The HIGHEST full length deck forward to aft is the LIDO DECK sometimes about deck 15. This gives the opportunity of transferring forward/aft by walking through indoor and outdoor areas including pool side and through buffet restaurants and the Lido Cabins areas. If it is windy busy or whatever the alternative here is to descend a deck and walk down the corridor of a cabin accommodation deck.

If you are given the Aft Restaurants on low decks Deck 6 or lower you can only access these using the aft lifts/stairs. To get anywhere on the ship after leaving these restaurants you must ascend to at least deck 7 before attempting to go forward because the kitchens are back to back and block all through routes on these lower decks. Same applies when trying to get to the restaurant you must go Aft first at least as high as Deck 7 to get to the Aft Stairs/Lifts then go down to 6, 5 etc.

Regards John

While not wishing to criticise John Watson, and acknowledging that he is correct for virtually all of the ships that he has been on, you should be aware thst there are some differences on the newer ships, particularly Britannia (and Eclipse)

On these ships there is either no promenade deck, or the outside space is very limited. You would therefore not be able to walk the length of the ship on the outside.

In addition, whilst there are 3 sets of stairs and lifts on most ships, the Britannia does not have stairs to the upper decks in the middle. There seems to be a problem with this for many cruisers on Britannia, although I can't imagine it being too difficult to cope with unless you are disabled and the lifts get too full.

Other than these issues I believe that John has given a very good summary of the main points.

Imagine walking into a new shop, restaurant, pub. It might take several visits before you feel entirely comfortable. Same applies to cruising and the quicker you can get around the ship to get your bearings the sooner you try that posher bar, the better.

We usually board, eat, grab a drink and spend 20 minutes exploring before we unpack! Not trying to work out where everything is but nothing worse than walking into the evening show 10 minutes after its started as you've been circling the sun deck:)

Lots of very useful advice. I am making a list of things to pack.... Pegs, magnets, extension bar, small bag are all added to my list! ;)

Being a first timer last year and consequently in your same position, the tips above are completely right.

• Read, read, read
  
• Go through the forum newby section
  
• Fridge magnets
  
• electric socket bar
  
• Explore the ship on your first arrival
  
• Read the Horizon paper
  
• Pack your suitcase(s), then take half of it out!
  
• Have an open mind
  
• Take the rough (there's not a great deal of that) with the smooth
  
• Toms Port Guide - print or download the ports that you are visiting. The guide is superb - and free!
  
• Ship excursions probably better for first time. We've progressed onto 'book-your-own' for our forthcoming cruises
  
• Book 'Cruise Credit' on the ship for your next cruise. Because you WILL be going again :-)
  

I am sure we will be going again shallwe. Will look up Toms Port Guide. The packing light is the thing that I am most worried about.... Am rubbish at that! But will do my best. :cool:

If it's your first cruise then I'd recommend only booking ship's excursions even if they're only of the 'on your own' variety. If you're ashore on a ship's excursion and there's a significant problem meaning you'll be late back then 99.9% of the time the ship will wait. If you're on your own private tour then the ship will not wait. Perhaps once you've decided that cruising is for you (and you will!), think about doing private excursions on your next cruise once you've got a bit more confidence.

I don't agree with this.

The ships excursions are extortionately priced, and prey on the fear of missing the ship. On the last P&O cruise I was on, a couple missed the ship at one stop, and every day for the next week the captain banged on about it to sell the benefit of their excursions.

People just need to put their sensible head on and think about what they would need to do if something happened that was likely to cause issues on their return to the ship.

I don't agree with this.

 

The ships excursions are extortionately priced, and prey on the fear of missing the ship. On the last P&O cruise I was on, a couple missed the ship at one stop, and every day for the next week the captain banged on about it to sell the benefit of their excursions.

 

People just need to put their sensible head on and think about what they would need to do if something happened that was likely to cause issues on their return to the ship.

I would agree - often it is not only much cheaper but also very easy to DiY. The key is to research the port carefully, decide what you want to do then find out how practical that is. Lots of advice on here or the ports section if you ask too. The cruise line has a vested interest in letting you think the best way is with them - the vague port times imo are a testament to that! Of course for some it may be the best if they have mobility issues or other good reasons to take this option.

We prefer DiY if possible but are not averse to ship's trips if that is an easier or preferable option (a trip to Petra for instance both from a practical travelling point of view but also from the perspective of excellent input from the guide). But we prefer to be able to decide where we go and how long to stay rather then sticking to a tour schedule. As part of an excursion which you may be interested in, you may find they include a visit to ......... ( a winery, carpet shop, artisan centre) or something which doesn't appeal to you particularly which then becomes a waste of time better spent doing something else of your own choice.

But one thing we always do if we plan to do DiY and that is to make an early start if we are planning to use public transport or going out of the town where we're berthed so that we can get back with a big margin and are within reasonable distance of the ship long before we need to be! We can always relax at a waterfront bar safe in the knowledge that we can be on board in good time. Oft times, you can have a great day just walking off the ship and exploring the port of call without going anywhere else!

I don't agree with this.

 

The ships excursions are extortionately priced, and prey on the fear of missing the ship. On the last P&O cruise I was on, a couple missed the ship at one stop, and every day for the next week the captain banged on about it to sell the benefit of their excursions.

 

People just need to put their sensible head on and think about what they would need to do if something happened that was likely to cause issues on their return to the ship.

I do agree with you. But on a first cruise, where you perhaps don't have a huge amount of confidence in, or knowledge about, how it all works ship's excursion are, in my opinion, the way to go. They give you an idea of what is achievable in the time you have in port and give you that confidence to 'go it alone' next time around.

On our first and second cruises we used ship's excursions for the 'days out' that were some distance from the port, more so on the first one. This time round, we will be hiring cars or using public transport to get to where we want to go as we have now have the confidence to do so.

Ship's excursions shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Yes, they are expensive. But constantly worrying about whether you are going to get back to the ship in time could, for some people, spoil the fun of a day exploring a new city.

Its easy 'to do your own' but remember there are pitfalls, Very easy to do Rome for instance - the train - but what if there is accident or lightening workers dispute, then you are really in trouble. If you dock in town/city then by all means do your own, just a walkabout and if you run out of time a taxi back. With the best of planning DIY does have drawbacks.

Its easy 'to do your own' but remember there are pitfalls, Very easy to do Rome for instance - the train - but what if there is accident or lightening workers dispute, then you are really in trouble. If you dock in town/city then by all means do your own, just a walkabout and if you run out of time a taxi back. With the best of planning DIY does have drawbacks.

True but for the unsuspecting some organised tours can be a rip-off; land train tours of the port of call which you can pick up yourself dockside for example. For some it may be the best way to go for peace of mind/convenience but it is a shame if you pay quite a lot for a trip only to discover your fellow passengers have done the same thing for half the price.

And for some walk-off ports you really don't need to go on a trip - there's plenty to explore without going on a trip at all.

Even a city like Istanbul for anyone who can walk is great for DiY - from the tourist centre which is quite walkable (or use the tram) you hardly lose sight of where the ships are berthed. Reassuring - allowing enough time you can walk back no problems - and you can see where you need to go! Some trips there do the main attractions but are very time limited, you have to go at their pace and also involves a fair bit of walking as the coaches don't drop off that close to some of the attractions. In that instance, apart from perhaps wanting the guide's input, I can't see the point in not doing it under your own steam and paying over the odds. I would just like to encourage new cruisers not be too daunted by independent travel. So many fellow passengers are doing the same and will give you good advice and tips.

I agree wholeheatedly - don't take risks (that's why gaining intelligence on your ports is so important) but cherry pick places where DiY is easy - even for first timers.

P.S. I do agree with you about the train to Rome though. I think we've done it three times and become increasingly anxious about getting back after a couple of unnerving incidents. We also started heading back about 2.30 to build in a good margin. More recently we've done the 'On Your Own' transfer which gives us far more time in the city, the potential to still organise our day to suit ourselves but removes the worry about getting back (as long as you make the rendezvous!!)

Its easy 'to do your own' but remember there are pitfalls, Very easy to do Rome for instance - the train - but what if there is accident or lightening workers dispute, then you are really in trouble. If you dock in town/city then by all means do your own, just a walkabout and if you run out of time a taxi back. With the best of planning DIY does have drawbacks.

I agree with you. there are far to many posters extolling the virtues of doing it on your own. Do what you feel comfortable with. As a rough rule of thumb always have a plan B and C ready!

Thanks everyone. I will be sure to check out the details of the port very carefully and do my research on organised versus DIY for each location. :thumbup:

To add to all the excellent advice above ,I would like to add....

Keep your magnets and your mobile phone well away from your Cruise Card.

I had been carrying my mobile phone in my pocket and we went into one of the bars for a drink and after signing for the drinks ,

I never gave it a second thought and put my card into the same pocket.

Later as we returned to our cabin the card would not unlock our cabin door but we could get in as Mrs K was carrying her card

( Even if your staying on-board ,good idea for you to carry your own cards with you.)

I went to reception who sorted the card out for me :o , but lesson learned:)

That could have been difficult! I will remember that! :o

Don't worry if you do it, SmithieNix. I did it 3 times and don't know how, but on my third appearance to the very patient Reception desk, I was told I may have put the card too near the TV/TV remote....... Not totally sure about that one, but I kept it away from that as well.

But do not worry - they do give you another card!!!!

Good to know ;)