For people who have never been on a cruise or people who are about to go on a cruise for the first time, I want to give you my firsthand experience of going on my first cruise. You may have hesitations because of the little time you spend on shore compared to the cruise. It is much different than the normal vacation experience.

What to expect

You will get spoiled

What I didn’t realize about cruising is the pampering your entire vacation. From daily breakfast brought to your room to great poolside service. My favorite part is that everything is already paid for from the moment you step on the boat. I didn’t have to think about how much the entrée cost at dinner. Dinner is white table cloth, 3 course meals too! I was pleasantly surprised by how extra the cruise line went for an enjoyable experience. The daily maid service folded towels into towel animals like a monkey or stingray. It was the little things that showed me how much the cruise service goes the extra mile.

The boat sways

I found the boat’s gentle rock back and forth to be rather amusing. At first you might not notice it, but once you’re a drink or two in you realize you are swaying in your seat a bit. You think there is no way you are already drunk, what is going on? It is the boat! I never had a problem with sea-sickness and I don’t think many people did.

There are plenty of activities on the boat

What is really impressing is the amount of things to do on the boat. On the boat I took, there was mini golf, an arcade, a casino, multiple bars, a club, a few different pools including an adult’s only pool, a comedy club, a theater, a spa, a gym, and more. Aside from the amenities, the cruise line put together a schedule of things to do each day like a presentation of how to make the towel animals or a cornhole tournament or a trivia night! There was often times a live band or performer whether at the pool or a concert at night. It is pleasantly surprising how much dedication is put in to making sure that everyone has something to do that interests them.

You will spend over half your time on the boat

Because of the time it takes to get to destinations, you will end up spending more time on the boat than on land. Given the amount of activities and the pool time you will enjoy on board this was fine by me.

Ship time

The ship is on its own time zone. Be sure to read or listen for when to change your clock for ship time. This is from firsthand experience, ship time gets really confusing. We started in LA time zone then when we got to Mexico we were an hour behind Mexico time. This was fine until I connected to Wifi on shore and my phone automatically switched timezones on me without noticing. Luckily I was an hour early to boarding the boat. The ship time then set its clocks forward the next night without me realizing it and I was off times again! Just always be aware of when your phone connects to wifi that the time will change and know how that correlates to ship time. Know ahead of time when the ship is changing its clocks.

Fancy dinners

The cruise has certain attire for nights on the cruise. Most of the time it is casual, but a couple of the nights everyone gets dressed up in black tie outfits. I personally loved this! It was a lot of fun to have a reason to get all dressed up and get your picture taken. They had professional photographers that would take your picture in front of backdrops.

Tips & Tricks

Start somewhere where the destination isn’t everything

What I mean by this, is that you should not go on a cruise for the first time to a destination that you are dying to go to. You will be disappointed that 1/7 days of your vacation will be in the city of choice. I went to Mexico because I had spent a lot of time in Mexico already and I knew I wouldn’t be missing out much by spending time on the boat versus the land. I love Mexico, but the street vendors and atmosphere can be a lot to handle at times. The locals annoy you for tips or to buy something you don’t want, like drugs for instance! I think Mexico is a great starting point that I would recommend for a cruise. If I had gone to the Caribbean, it would have been disappointing to not explore the islands more.

Get the drinks package

If you are going on a cruise to let loose and have a good time, I highly recommend buying the drinks package. You can do the math, but you most likely need to drink 7 or so drinks a day to make it worth it. Say you have 2 mimosas at breakfast, 4 drinks poolside, 2 glasses of wine at dinner, and capped off your night at the piano bar with 1 more drink,you’d make it worth it. For those of us who enjoy a few drinks on vacation this is definitely do-able! Those who don’t drink as much I’d just buy by the glass. Again, it is just nice not to have to worry about how much you are spending on the boat and this is another way to pre-pay.

Do the on shore activities

The on shore activities was a highlight of my trip. I did a ‘rhythms of the night’ activity in Puerto Vallarta. We got to cruise out to a secluded side of the land where we had dinner right on the beach at sunset and we listed to the sounds of birds, crickets, and jungle animals. There was a show after dinner where the locals did a performance of the jungle animals. I don’t normally like shows, but I was blown away by this one. Find something of interest and do it! What I will remember most about the cruise was my on shore activity!

My overall opinion on a cruise for the first time

Given this was my first cruise, I was highly surprised that I enjoyed my time. I went in with low expectations on whether or not I would like it. It was great getting spoiled and spending a lot of time by the pool. I appreciated getting a few days to enjoy Mexico without actually staying there. I loved the fact I didn’t have to move all my luggage and take flights to see two different cities. It was easy.

That being said, I always had to pay attention to what time I needed to get back on the boat. You do have to deal with getting on and off the boat and walking or taxing to your final destination (i.e. beach, restaurant, etc.) which can be time consuming.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience and would most likely cruise again but only after I get some more adventure vacations in between my last cruise and my next cruise. I am not the type of person where I want a cruise to be my vacation every time. I think if I wanted a change of pace and a relaxing vacation by the pool with some time spent on land, I would do a cruise again. For me, it was easy because the cruises leave 20 minutes from my house so I did not have to deal with a flight. For some, this may make a cruise less appealing.

I took Carnival Cruise Line to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo.