9 Things Only Pro Cruisers Know First Timer Guide

Number one, the first day bag and what they will take at security.

First timers picture rolling up onto the ship and strolling right into your cabin to drop off your stuff, get unpacked and start enjoying your cruise.

Well, the reality is that's not how it goes.

On most cruise lines, your cabin is not gonna be ready until around one or even later in the afternoon.

So you board with your bags and you end up wandering the buffet with a bag, hunting for a table where it's really crowded and a few thousand other people are doing the same exact thing.

It is the most chaotic 90 minutes of the trip.

And for me personally, as much as I love cruising, the embarkation day shuffle with all the time wasted and trying to fill time before your room opens and trying to get a meal, that's the part I actually don't like.

Pro move here is a small bag that you carry on yourself with everything you need in those first few hours.

Obviously important things like your passport, your medication, you always want to take those with you, but also your swimsuit, your sunscreen, maybe a phone charger, a change of clothes, things that you genuinely cannot sit around without.

So while everyone else is standing guard over their luggage, you've already changed and you're up at the pool.

because your room not being ready yet is not going to slow you down one bit.

Now, of course, that requires that you check your main bag or bags, but you always want to keep a small bag with you.

Now, here's the other half of this one, the part that catches people.

There are things in your suitcase that security will pull and confiscate, and sometimes first timers, they have no idea.

Steamers and clothing irons, absolutely full stop, not allowed, banned by every single cruise line because they're a fire risk.

If you try to bring them, they're going to get caught, they're going to get confiscated.

And sometimes that can mean that your bag that you checked is delayed getting to you.

And then on disembarkation day, when you're here to probably get off the ship and go home, you gotta go do the walk of shame and pick up your confiscated item at the confiscated items table.

Now, power strips and extension cords, they're trickier because the rules are not the same on every cruise line.

Most of the cruise lines will allow a basic non-surge extension cord, and I do strongly encourage everybody to bring one.

I cannot live without mine.

Even now, not just cruising, but all travel.

But some cruise lines, like Royal Caribbean, they ban extension cords and power strips entirely.

So you can use little expander cubes, but you can't have anything corded.

So make sure you follow the cruise line's rules on that.