So, I Took My First Cruise. Here's What I Discovered.
For years, friends have been saying, ‘You travel so much. Why haven’t you been on a cruise?’ My answer was simple. I wasn’t sure that being on a ‘floating city’ with thousands of strangers in the middle of the ocean was a good fit for us.
Before Going, I Had Mixed Feelings About Cruising
I liked the idea of going to different places without unpacking/packing each night, and the service levels sounded great. Cruising required little planning on my part other than booking the ship and airfare. A nice change.
However, not seeing land, waiting in line to get on or off the ship, and the sheer size of the boat, along with the number of people, were hard for me to wrap my head around. I was concerned about sea sickness and being out in the open ocean with no sight of land. Additionally, there was the Netflix documentary "Trainwreck: Poop Cruise," about the 2013 Carnival cruise ship that lost power due to an onboard fire, which, among other things, disabled the toilets. Need I say more?
All of our adventures had been by land criss-crossing a country, hand-picking stops along the way, and immersing ourselves where interested. Would we like a trip that gave us a taste of a country rather than an in-depth experience?
Choosing a Cruise Line
With all the cruise lines vying for your attention and dollar, it can be overwhelming trying to choose the best fit for you. Based on friends’ recommendations, personal research, and our priorities, I currently look to Celebrity and Holland America as top options. There may be an itinerary that Princess or Royal Caribbean offers that I’d consider as well.
My impression of Viking is that it’s too expensive for ocean cruises given the competition. It also caters to an older crowd and mindset. Their food ratings are also not stellar. That’s a problem, given the pricing and British, hoity-toity voice-over on all their ads, conveying how wonderful they are.
Carnival and Virgin are more booze-cruisey and cater to a younger, party-hard crowd. Not a match for us.
My First Cruise Ship
Celebrity Cruises, Eclipse
Cruise ship specs:
Decks: 17
Length: 1,040 ft 6 in
Passengers: 2,850
Crew Members: 1,271
Stateroom: Deck 8, Aft, with Veranda
Ratings of Each Key Aspect of Cruising
What did I find were the best and worst aspects of a cruise based on my first experience? Here’s my grading for each significant element.
Keep in mind, my assessment is based on only traveling with Celebrity Cruise on their Eclipse ship (7 days to Norway).
I think the cruise line you select has a significant impact on the experience you will have.
Service: A+
Every employee you encounter, regardless of their role, is dedicated to serving you to the best of their ability as their guest. Every encounter I had was a positive one.
It starts as soon as you enter the cruise terminal. After placing room tags on your bags, you head to the ship for immediate R&R. Your bags are left outside your door with your room keys before you sail—the whole process is well-orchestrated. We brought a small bag with us for our swimsuits and personal items we might need during the day. We embarked the ship in the morning (early evening sail time) so that we could acquaint ourselves with all the major areas of the boat and start enjoying guest benefits including lunch and cocktails.
The service was top-notch at the bars, restaurants, and the spa (where I had a facial); our room steward was also great. Every moment on the ship.
Food and Drinks: A
Virtually every cuisine was represented at the buffet restaurant (Indian, Italian, vegetarian, Asian, etc.), and the full-service dining room menu changed nightly. No meal was a disappointment. Some were just better than others.
We had the option of eating at the full-service dining room or the buffet restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Lunch was available only in the buffet restaurant.
There were specialty restaurants on the ship for an additional cost that we did not visit. We were happy with the choices and quality of the included restaurant options.
Stateroom: A
I was pleasantly surprised by the size of our stateroom and its space efficiencies (shelves, nooks, and crannies). Also, the bed and bedding were very comfortable. No complaints.
The veranda, with two chairs, added both physical and psychological space. Although the time we spent there was minimal, it was a must-have.
Ship Common Areas: B+
This was a tough category to rate. Most common areas of the ship were well-planned and catered to the masses quite well. The main dining room, the entertainment theater, pool areas, spa, and more were designed and staffed appropriately. However, it was obvious that a few in-demand areas on the ship could be expanded, while other areas were often empty or underutilized.
The coffee bar lounge was chock-full during the day (not just mornings) and the martini bar was a nightly favorite (perhaps because the servers performed bottle juggling behind the bar periodically). Seating in these areas could be tough to find as passengers used them as lounges and not quick stops. The buffet restaurant, the only place at lunch time where a full meal (not just a snack) was available (other than room service), was overcrowded on ‘At Sea’ days (we were off the ship on port days). We had to circle the entire area multiple times to find seating. It was the only time I felt like I was on a vessel, in the middle of the ocean, with 3,000 people.
In contrast, the wine bar was virtually empty each time I walked through it, and I just don’t get the draw of art auctions from a passenger perspective (particularly since the art pieces were all a similar style of brightly painted acrylic) given the prime real estate it requires. I heard bidding start at $1,750 for one piece. I guess this is where cruises try to have something for everyone and this was not my thing?
My general impression of the ship was good but there were some adjustments that could be made to make it great. Hence, the B+ rating.
Cruise-Sponsored Shore Excursions: B
Shore excursions can be unforgettable — snorkeling with sea turtles, ziplining over waterfalls, visiting an iconic site like the Eiffel Tower—but also expensive. Sometimes just wandering the port and talking to locals is just as rewarding (and way cheaper).
My first cruise took us to Norway, with stops at four ports in the country. There were only a handful of ship excursions available for each port, with limited variety. I expected more choices. However, we discovered that Norway (or at least the ports we visited) is a quiet destination. Not every village and city required a tour or guide.
We spent our shore time at several ports walking around on our own and had a great time. We saw slices of Norwegian life, including a nursing school graduation where graduates wore bunads (traditional Norwegian folk costumes).
One day, we took a bus and an aerial tramway on our own to see the panoramic views of the fjords. This was offered by Celebrity Cruises at a much higher price than what we paid on our own. The summit was very close to where the ship docked so we had no worries about being delayed and not making it back before departure.
The only excursion we booked with the cruise line was disappointing and this is why I give Celebrity a B rating for cruise-sponsored shore excursions. It was a combination bus tour along the popular Atlantic Ocean Road, followed by a hike along the coast. At only 5.2 miles, the Atlantic Ocean Road connects multiple tiny Norwegian islands and is one of Norway’s most iconic road trips. Even though our interest in the hike was secondary to the drive, it was the only tour offered by Celebrity that drove on this impressive and unique route. The disappointment was that we turned around just before crossing the Storseisundet Bridge (made popular by the James Bond movie, ‘No Time to Die’) with a portion of the route still ahead. I would have preferred a round-trip drive of the entire route (a total of 10.4 miles) with a few stops for pictures or short walks, even if that meant a hike was not included in the excursion. In retrospect, a better option might have been to hire a local driver or tour.
On-Board Entertainment: B+
Nightly shows, bartenders juggling bottles at the martini bar, and small ensembles performing in central lobbies are just a sampling of the performance entertainment the ship supported daily. Most entertainers were in their 20s and 30s, and performed nightly as well as periodically throughout the day in smaller venues.
Headliner of the week was Al Ducharme, a comedian and voice actor that performed two nights with very different shows on each night. Wildly entertaining and a great take.
Trivia games, curling lessons (the sport not the hair styling), fitness classes (run by a chubby but very fun guy), and more, ran throughout the day.
Bottom line: There’s a lot to take in if you want. Or, you can opt out and spend your time aboard in the library reading, by the pool relaxing, at one of the lounges drinking, or taking advantage of your veranda if you booked a stateroom with one.
Welcome Aboard!
In summary:
Do Everything… or Absolutely Nothing
There are trivia contests, games, origami classes, and nightly shows. An hour-by-hour activities list is left in your stateroom every day. But no one will judge you for napping by the pool or reading for hours with a cocktail in hand. That’s the beauty of cruising.
Book Excursions Through the Ship or On Your Own
Book an excursion or take a walk through the port city on your own. Just be back before the ship sails. If an excursion booked through the ship is late, the ship waits. If you book an excursion on your own and you’re late, wave bye-bye.
Get a Taste of a Destination
Depending on the port, a cruise may only give you a taste of a destination. Standard port times range from five to nine hours, depending on the port, ship size, itinerary, and other factors. You won’t have the time to take a deep-dive into the location and culture. Some people use cruises to determine what destinations they’d like to go back to on a future trip.
Arm Yourself Against Motion Sickness
You Don’t Feel the Boat… Until You Do.
Most of the time it’s smooth sailing. But when the seas get rocky? You'll understand why preparing for motion sickness before you sail is essential.
Because I was paranoid about getting sea sick, I wore a prescription patch behind my ear, which I started wearing the day before the cruise began and changed every few days during the cruise week. I had no motion sickness whatsoever.
One night, we encountered some roughness on the open sea that woke me up for about ten minutes, but I fell back asleep quickly. My friend also mentioned waking up from the roughness—something she had not experienced on past cruises. I was glad we had been cruising for multiple days without issue before this happened, as I had become comfortable on the ship and at sea by the time we hit the rough patch.
To get accustomed to being out at sea with no land in sight, I focused on the activities taking place inside the ship. I avoided looking out the windows for the first night and the next day, which was an ‘At Sea’ day. I found that once I was comfortable on board, I was comfortable being on the open sea and experiencing the vastness of the ocean. It was part of the adventure for me.
You Might Get Hooked
Even if you swore cruising wasn’t your “thing,” you’ll probably start googling “next cruise deals” by the time you get home. Cruises are part relaxation and part adventure—something we discovered.
This cruise experience won’t change the bulk of my travels over the next few years, but I will cruise again. I’m already looking at itineraries for a few years out.
Have you been on a cruise? What did you think of the experience?
