Offbeat Cruise Tips ALL Seasoned Cruisers Swear By!
I love it when cruisers who watch my videos come up to say hello on board ships, like on my recent Norwegian Viva Med cruise where I met so many. So, I decided to ask them what tip, hack or trick had most changed their cruising for
The better that I should share in this video. We agreed on 5 of them that I do think could change your cruising as much as it did theirs. As you’ll see some, including the last one, may sound rather mundane at first – but can make a massive difference.
If you are new here, welcome aboard. I’m Gary Bembridge making it fun and easy to find, plan and enjoy incredible cruise vacations – and now let’s get on to thse cruise changing tricks. The first reminded me of when we went on cruises with my mother and mother-in-law.
They would repeatedly get lost and confused about which way to go, especially when leaving their cabin. It wasn’t until late in my cruising life I discovered what savvy experienced cruisers already knew, and that is are signals cruise lines have put in place to help passengers not get so lost.
Signals I still rely on today! For example, cabin numbers always start at number one at the front of the ship and, as you walk towards the rear of the ship, the numbers go higher. So, I could tell my Mum if the numbers were going up as she walked along the corridor
She was heading to the rear of the ship, and if going down then towards the front. It transformed cruising for my Mum. People I met on Viva pointed out Norwegian makes it even easier with signals in the carpets too.
On this ship it was triangles pointing the direction to head for the front of the ship. On their older ships it’s the direction fish in the carpet design are swimming. I relied on the triangles in the carpet every day on my Viva cruise to ensure I was heading the right way!
Other lines also added even more signals, like on a Disney Magic cruise I saw they had metal fish above the door numbers pointing the direction to the rear, and if the map in the carpet was the right-side-up, I knew that was the direction to the front of the ship.
Another signal I used with my mum is that on most, but not all ships, is the even numbered cabins are all on the left-hand side (or the port side) as she faced the front of the ship. And odd numbered cabins on the right-hand side (or the starboard side) as she faces
The front of the ship. So that’s how she could tell the left and right. Some lines like Cunard made it even easier for her when we went on with red carpets on the port/ left side and blue on the starboard/ right, making it simple when she came out
The lifts to know which side their cabin was on as she just had to remember the carpet colour. So, one great trick is to use these, and check if your ship has any specific added signals, like those I mentioned we had on Viva, to make finding your way around easier.
But the next one people suggested I include was about saving money, which everyone loves but they felt too many miss out on. And that is booking a future cruise, or buying a future cruise deposit certificate, while on your cruise if you want to sail the line again in the next few years.
Most of the people I met on Norwegian Viva told me they were doing this as the line was giving $100 on board credit for every future cruise deposit certificate worth $250 bought. If they bought four certificates it was $500 on board credit not $400. This bonus only available on the cruise.
Booking on board always has discounts or added extra onboard credit we cannot get anywhere else. Plus, any booking can still be linked to our travel agent, and many allow no-penalty changes at least once to bookings made on board.
This is a big plus for cruisers like me from countries like the UK which do not have refundable deposit booking options. So, a booking I did on my previous cruise to the Viva on Regent Seven Seas, part of
The same group, allows me a no penalty change I could not get had I booked back home. But what if you don’t want to cruise on the same line? Some I met on Norwegian Viva like to jump between lines like me, and we all agreed this next trick was something not known enough.
And this is that some, though not enough, cruise lines will status match when we try a new line. I have varying degrees of loyalty on different cruise lines, but I’m often trying cruise lines I haven’t been on before or very much.
A few cruises before this Norwegian one, I went on MSC Virtuosa to the Norwegian Fjords and they status match other cruise lines, or even high hotel or airline status. I gave them proof of my top-tier Diamond status on Cunard, and they matched it, which unlocked
Perks like free specialty dining, on-board discounts, and priority embarkation and disembarkation. At time of making this, Virgin Voyages are also doing the same. Some lines share status within the same group. I had no status with Royal Caribbean having only cruised on them once, but I have high
Diamond status equivalent on their sister line Celebrity Cruises, and they matched that, giving me perks like access to the Royal Lounge with snacks, coffees, and happy hour. So, we all felt cruisers need to know to check whether any new cruise line they’re looking at will status match any loyalty program.
Unfortunately, Norwegian does not status match, but we all felt there were some things we’d seen cruisers miss out on this trip, and other cruise lines, that people should know about. And there are five we all agreed on.
First by not going to the art auctions, like the packed one on Norwegian Viva, people missed out on the free drinks served there. Second by not going to the spa on embarkation day and getting a raffle ticket.
The draw took place just after we set sail and as you must be there to win, prizes all went to the relatively few people who remembered to turn up for it. I didn’t win on this trip but frequently have won free spa treatments this way by making
Sure I am there for the draw. Third, although I didn’t go to the shopping events where they launch supposedly new lines, many did to get the free drinks and enter the raffles. Fourth, going to the port shopping talks, particularly in Alaska, Caribbean and Mediterranean,
As they hand out loads of freebies, from stickers to bracelet charms, which you can then go each day to the desk and collect another one, or get the other free ones by visiting nominated stores like Effy, Diamonds International, Tanzanite International, or Delsol Colour Change.
Fifth, going to cocktail parties you get invited to, like I was on this trip and others, as they have plenty of free drinks and canapes. But perhaps the most surprising thing we all got excited about and agreed that more people
Need to know about and factor in, was not something sexy at all, and rather mundane even! We agreed this one is great for cruisers who like to pack light, or just travel with carry-on bags. It is crazy costly getting laundry done and many ships, Norwegian Viva included, do not
Have guest laundry rooms to do our own. But we all loved the offer to send a bag full of laundry for a set price that some lines run part way through the cruise. On Norwegian Viva it was just $29 for a big laundry bag, which we could pack full of laundry.
The cruise was 10 days, and I could pack light as I knew this offer would pop up part way through the cruise. So, I always ask my cabin steward when the offer will be run and plan for that.
By the way, check your loyalty program status or cabin perks as many of those include free laundry, like on that Royal Caribbean cruise I mentioned earlier I got the status match on Are there any other things that you think smart cruisers should talk about more and let people know about?
Leave those in the comments, but meantime, why join me over in this video where you will find out seven things that smart cruisers do when they book their cruises – and why! See you over there.
I reveal 5 tips, tricks and hacks that experienced and smart cruise passengers that I have met on recent cruises agree are ones that savvy cruisers all use and know about – but not everyone does to knows about!
For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
—————————————————
* Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers
* YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join
Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products:
—————————————————
* T-Shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore
* Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/tipsfortravellers?ref_id=22354
My social media:
—————————————————
* Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com
* Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge
* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers
* Instagram: http://www.instgram.com/garybembridge
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bembridge
ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
#cruisetips #CruisingTips #CruiseTipsAndTricks
00:00 Start
00:54 Getting Lost
03:13 Getting Better Fare
04:42 Status On New Lines
06:10 Easy To Get Freebies
07:49 Secret to Less Luggage
41 Comments
We always buy cruise credits! Despise the gimmicks of shopping talk, art show and spa on the first day, we never do those. The directional arrows are genius, always rely on those. Also we don't overpack for any vacations. It's unnecessary to me.
We're targeting platinum on NCL (not there yet and none of the lower statuses offer us anything we'll use really). One of the main perks we'd like to have when we get there is free laundry. At present what we do is simply hand wash clothes in our sink and hang them up in the cabin. We switch off the air con when we leave and in the sort of climates we're usually in things dry relatively quickly. That'll do us until platinum!
Even numbers to Starboard on the Pride of America.
I love your videos even though I've never cruised.
Some of those raffles and free gifts for the spas and shops are barely worth it. When you "win" a half-off coupon for a spa amenity that is already four times the price on land, you are now paying only twice what you would on land. Sometimes the discounts are just to get you into the spa for an obligatory upsell (a cheap massage in order to sell you overpriced oils or hair gels). Four t-shirts for 10 dollars is a bargain… as long as you do not buy anything else which may be overpriced. Remember, the company is not going to cut their profit unless it "profits" them.
My brother and I bought 4 $250 CruiseNext deposits on the Prima 12Jan24 and received 4 $250 CruiseNext deposits as a bonus. I only wish we could use more than 2 deposits on a new booking.
Why is it special to get free drinks at an art auction if you have a drink pkg?
As a Platinum latitudes level member I get a free bag of laundry.
Did you say fish was pointing to the rear? That makes no sense, it should point to the bow, like where its going foward.
HAL did a bag of laundry mid way through a 14 day cruise. It was returned the next day, beautifully clean and allowed us to keep our tradition of only bringing a carry on and back pack for any cruise. Our bags never leave us and never get lost.
Some good ideas here. One additional (which others are also mentioning), is that if you have 100 shares in Norwegian or the Carnival group then you can get on board credit. At the time of writing this comment shares are US $15.12 [Carnival] and $16.29 [NCL] per share. Of course, you should research whether or not they are a good investment for you.
Regarding the free drinks etc at port talks and art auctions; the price you pay is that you are giving up time on your cruise (and possibly ashore) so that has to be balanced against the possible benefits.
Any ship that number odd numbers on the Port side are actually against Maritime and Naval code.
Linked to the laundry tip. Ive mainly cruised with P&O so laundrettes on board but the capsules etc can cost.
However you can take your own laundry sheets onboard, really cheap and can do all your own laundry quickly and easily.
They removed the fish carpets on the Jewel Class ships. However, there are waves that look like dolphins. They swim to the aft lol.
Those on-board orientation tips will be extremely handy for some! Especially given that a compass – Though essential on the bridge – Would be absolutely useless to a passenger who can only see a corridor and doesn't know in which direction the ship is facing! 🚢🧭🔀👍
Going back through the vid to pause & read some of the printed matter, I can't help fearing that – As someone who loves hand-working heavy materials – I'd come away from that „Diamond and Gemstone Enrichment Seminar“ (07:16) feeling strangely disappointed! 💎🛠😋
I was in the US Navy. I imagine they all do what ours did. Each compartment was listed with the deck or level number first, frame number second and then a number to indicate distance from the midline. Odd for starboard and even for port. You can literally never get lost. Having never been on a luxury cruise, ever, I can't find the thought of scrounging for freebies and raffles to be part of a relaxing vacation. The notion that one has to interrupt their day to scurry around for stuff seems the opposite of what I expect. All the shopping and the auctions, the obvious attempts at endless marketing, make me want to cruise far less now. Sure, want to see shows, exercise, have great meals and even learn something but don't want slick marketing and pressure sales as part of the experience.
My husband and I are wanting to plan Alaska cruises but want a smaller ship … any recommendations….
Regarding that last one about the laundry. I've grown used to traveling light which means synthetics and sink washing.
It doesn't really matter how long the trip is I don't need more clothes than my base of 3 socks / underwear, 3 pants and or shorts total, 3 shirts, 1 set sleep wear. Rain jacket / puff jacket depending on weather and base layers if needed. For cruises I also take along a long sleeve dress shirt and make sure I have a pair of all black shoes that can serve as my "dress shoes" so I don't have to pack an extra pair.
Other stuff I find useful on cruises is magnets….all kinds. Weather with hooks / clips or even a motion sensor light that you can stick to the cabin so it turns on at night when you move to go to the bathroom. Since I've forgotten this one I've gotten to hang a string from it so I don't forget it up on the ceiling like I have in the past.
Any really cold vacation I take where you have to dress in layers gives me the opportunity to go through my wardrobe and take old, worn or unliked items as a layer. Then after wearing I throw it away, leaving room in my suitcase for souvenirs or just a lighter bag. I've even brought older shoes that I knew I was going to toss.
Don’t they have directions on their app for everything on board? Shocking if they don’t.
2010, I lived Carnival splendor 🔥at sea, 5 days, NO electricity, NO elevators, Safe YES, ! SO! Bring flashlight 🔦 little luggage. U carried it on dlm stairways to disembark 🎉😊
As a solo traveler,find if any odd cabins exist. I found two half cabins for solo travellers and booking those cabins the extra charge was waived. It was also a more comfortable experience as this cabin was forward and had a porthole. Easy to find just go all the way forward
My opinion: Spa, shopping, hair/nail raffles……I've won several….I've never won anything worthwhile EXCEPT a Princess cruise line nice ink pen at a Trivia Contest and I was on a winning team. The necklace I won was trash. The spa was only up to $100, I gave it to another lady. The charms are worthless.
If I remember right, Disney ships have fish paterns on the carpeting swimming forward on each deck where the state rooms are.
My best tip? I never take showers in my cabin but rather I take them in the ladies’ gym showers. this way I never get sand in my cabin after being on the beach AND the showers are bigger with excellent water pressure!
For those who forget which way to turn when stepping out of the elevator – notice where the phone is mounted on the landing and then make note of whether you want the hallway on the same side or the opposite side as the phone.
Enjoy the videos! Hope to see you this spring.
Please say “pack lightly” … not “pack light”. Thank you.
Thanks for the tips! Really like the one about the laundry.
All very well having these hints and tips weaved into the carpet etc, but if no one tells you about them as you get on board, what's the point?
Here's a tiny tip: Bring hook magnets to place on your cabin walls. They sure come in handy to hang your lanyard and light jacket, etc at the end of the day. The cabin walls are magnet friendly.😊
Use a compression packing cube and roll and stuff more into the laundry bag. Count it as an item and it gets washed too. Holland does great quick laundry, less than a day.
Another way to know where forward is, look at the stairs, they go forward.
The more videos of yours I watch, the more I learn . . . thank you!
Coming from the UK, we weren't allowed to take advantage of the prebooking benefit on Royal Caribbean because we werent from the US!
Cunard should have put the red carpet on the right (starboard). Red, right, return!
The Costa Romantica and Classica had a super obvious way of telling fore from aft
When entering the corridors there were fore, aft, and midship Stair towers.
Carpeting forward was bright blue, aft was red.
Because the ships cater to international clientele and are, of course, Italian… This was a nice visual clue
But for English-speaking guests, there was an added bonus
FORE had four letters as did BLUE
AFT had three letters just like RED
Those ships were gorgeous and spacious, and I sure do miss them
And a good general rule when traveling is always take photographs of all of your luggage including your hand luggage before you leave your house. It’s helpful if the airlines or cruise lines lose or can’t find your bags.
on disney, the stars in the carpet all point to the bow.
Great video. I've been on a dozen cruises and didn't know all of these
I found on line a portable laundry line with built in hanging clips and it works great. Each end has attach hooks to I either do my laundry in the sink or I through it into the shower when I'm taking a shower. As it's a bit time consuming, I do it every other day so the amount is small. You can also order small packets of laundry soap on line – that are generally smaller than the ones in stores, or sometime I just use the provided shampoo. We went for a full month with a small carry on suitcase and a back pack and never ran out of clothes. Having clothes that are fast drying is important and if they are not fast drying, I would only do laundry when we were at one place for two days or more – which is no problem on a cruise.
Loyalty status-matching is a wonderful tip, Gary. Thank you. My wife have a lot of loyalty points with Holland-America, and we have been reluctant to try other lines, for fear of having to "start over". Before our next cruise, we will check and see if we can get status matching.