Anil Polat, a traveler and travel enthusiast who has spent his entire life traveling, studying cultures, and picking up tricks along the way. He writes foXnoMad to help you travel smarter.
Cruises don’t get much respect in the travel world, at least not by young, adventurous travelers who are out to see all the world has to offer. A cruise can be a unique travel experience and has much to offer. Too often though travelers are often too reluctant or cruise too much and miss out.
The saavy traveler makes the most of any situation and whether you’ve never been or are a cruising regular, you don’t want to leave the boat with these 5 regrets.
1. Hanging Out At The Buffet Too Long
Food, food, food. Cruises are full of them and it’s easy to be tempted and park your butt in the buffet line for most of your trip. The high calorie, salty food is a nice indulgence, just don’t overdo it. Aside from the exposure to stomach-upsetting microbes, you’ll neglect other ship activities.
2. Skipping Out On The Shows
It’s easy to dismiss the live entertainment on a cruise as lame, but many of them actually are entertaining and lead right into a party. Take a moment to look through the itinerary you’ll find in your room and head over to a show or two. There often are dances, movies, and comedy shows you can always leave if you aren’t having fun.
3. Staying on the Boat
Cruises are supposed to be relaxing but don’t oversleep and watch that Caribbean city move off on the horizon without stepping foot on it. Most cruises stop at 3 or more cities and while the general vicinity of the dock are major tourist traps, hopping on a 10 minute taxi ride can really expose some of the local culture.
4. Not Gambling
Gambling on a cruise ship has several advantages if you’re a beginner like lower stakes ($1 blackjack for example), a slower pace game, and lots of help if you don’t know all of the rules for a game. The odds of winning are also a bit in your favor in blackjack for example, since on most cruises the dealer has to hit on 17.
5. Never Going
Perhaps the biggest cruising mistake you can make is never taking one. Cast aside all of your preconceptions otherwise you’ll be missing out on beautiful views, multiple destinations, and another brand of travel culture. You won’t be able to appreciate the regret of never having been on a cruise if you never go.
[photos by: Justin Shearer, jimg944, Eladesor, ippei + janine, y_davechen, Baala]
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Great post, Anil.
I have one more:
6. Get on the boat early and get upstairs to the buffet before 1,000 other people get the same idea.
Thanks Kim – good tip. The buffet lines, if you’re late, can be torture.
Although I’ve never taken any cruise, staying on the boat sounds like the biggest mistake to me. From what I’ve heard, most cruise ships don’t stay that long in each harbour but it must be better to go out and discover the area – even if it’s just for an hour or two.
I will prefer cruises that have shore excursions every other day, if sail all day on the open sea is kind of boring. I will certainly try the food on the cruise ship
and gambling on the cruise? I doubt because i always lose :