3.10.16 42

7 Things No One Tells You About Cruises

Andrew and I went on our first cruise on the Regal Princess at the beginning of February. I honestly I had no idea what to expect. Neither did Andrew. We did a ton of research, we planned and planned and planned, but honestly nothing can really prepare you for a new experience. There are 7 things no one tells you about cruises and I wanted to share my version with you guys. If you have a cruise coming up or you are thinking of going on one in the future these things will help you for sure!

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You will have no idea what to expect but your expectations will be exceeded: Like I said I had no idea what to expect, but before the first day was over my few expectations were beyond exceeded. Princess Cruises really goes above and beyond to make every experience a great one. If you have cruised 20 times or if it’s your first they really treat you like royalty. We spoke to many seasoned cruisers on our trip and they kept telling us that after one cruise with Princess they go back again and again. In fact, one couple we hung out with a lot by the pool was staying on for an extra week! Lucky!

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA You will gain 5 lbs but love every second of it: So there is a lot of food. Honestly, I just don’t know how to better prepare you other than say you will eat ALL THE FOODS. We certainly did and so did everyone we know. During the days you have every single option for breakfast and lunch, even if you eat room service in your room or take the trip to the buffet. For lunch there are endless options inside and outside. For dinner the restaurants are 5 star quality that will leave you happy full. I could go on and on about the steak, lobster, salads, and sides, but honestly it’s making me hungry. Just know that you will never go hungry on a cruise. In fact you probably don’t want to get on a scale right when you get home. But trust me you won’t feel an ounce of guilt. You will just be happy.

You will make friends, fast: From the first day on the cruise, Andrew and I were constantly making friends with couples on the cruise. Most of them were our parents ages, but lets face it we are 60 at heart. So much so that we have actually kept in touch with one of the couples. We just love them! Everyone is so friendly on cruises. Part of it may be just the ease and relaxation of being on the water and being on vacation. But honestly some of the nicest people I’ve met were on this cruise.

You will try new things, no matter what: If it’s a cool activity at port like water bikes or a new food like Ceviche or beat salad you will try new things. You will want to try new things because there is so much new happening around you. Every meal you go to when you see something you haven’t had before you are inspired to try it because new experiences are what make trips amazing. This is coming from the worlds pickiest eater who tried Ceviche for the first time and LOVED it!

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The small-ish rooms won’t bother you: When I saw how small rooms were on cruises in general I was shocked, but honestly you are NEVER in your room. At least if you do a cruise right you aren’t. You are in there to sleep, shower, get ready for dinner and maybe a little relaxing with a glass of wine on your balcony. The times you are in the room, the size never seems too small. There is a ton of storage throughout the room and bathroom, and if you unpack your suitcases instead of living out of them it will save you TONS of space. We used all the drawers to store clothes and toiletries, and I used the desk area as a vanity. This really makes a small space seem bigger and honestly I never noticed. We also put the suitcases under the bed and used them as an extra storage drawer.

The water is the best kind of therapy: My husband is a fish. Not really, but he loves the water. Me, I love pools. I love swimming, but I have never been a huge open water person. Call it a fear but it’s just never appealed to me. Until this cruise. Something about looking over the water and hearing the waves and enjoying the peace and quiet is just good for the mind and soul. It is beyond calming and just makes any trouble or worry disappear as fast as the sunset.

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You will never want to leave: With most vacations as much fun as I have I am usually ready to get by home to my bed, my normal routine, and my life. But with cruises oh man if I could have hidden in the closet until the ship left again I would have. We had so much fun I legit did not want to leave. I wanted to set sail with Princess all over again, and resume my life by the pool with my Dos Equis, sunglasses and book. Something about a Princess Cruise makes going home seem like a bad idea. You really do #ComeBackNew.

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We may or may not be planning our next cruise and where we would like to go. I can’t wait to see more of the world in my new favorite way to travel. Which reminds me; Princess has a new website called Places to Sea where you can pick out your own customized cruise experience! How cool is that?  If you haven’t been on a cruise I highly suggest it! There are more than 7 things no one tells you about cruises but you’ll just have to keep reading to find out.

Fore more cruise life posts see:

What a cruise taught me about marriage

How to make the most of a day at sea

How to plan a port day

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Princess Cruises. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support It Starts With Coffee. 

Leave a Comment

42 Comments

  1. Abbie E. wrote:

    The food looks so yummy!
    Abbie E.|| http://www.abulouslife.com

    Published 3.10.16
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  2. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) wrote:

    I knew about the food long before I ever went on my first cruise. It’s all you can eat for 24 hours a day the entire time. Awesome.

    Published 3.10.16
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  3. Brittany wrote:

    Wow!! That looks amazing! I’ve never been on a cruise and have never really desired to, but looking at the pictures makes me wish I was there!

    Published 3.10.16
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  4. This is a great post. Part of me would really like a cruise, but then I have a few doubts. Reading your post was really insightful.

    Published 3.10.16
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  5. Ashley wrote:

    I have been on about 3 cruises and I have loved every single one of them!! I went on one last May with my family and you are totally right I ate so much food and gained at least 5 pounds! A group of our friends is starting to plan a cruise for next Winter!

    Published 3.10.16
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  6. These are all great points. When I went on a Cruise a couple of years ago, it was such a beautiful experience that I might even dare to add that it’s become my preferred way of traveling. There is a flow to it, you’re being taken care of, you’re on the water, you discover new places, customs, and people… all at once. I absolutely love it.

    Published 3.10.16
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  7. Scott wrote:

    You forgot the part where they are constantly trying to sell you watches, purses, art, etc. at inflated prices! 😉

    Published 3.10.16
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  8. Macy wrote:

    We took our first cruise last year and had an amazing time. We were on the ship for 12 days, so we were also able to meet a lot of (older) people and saw them various times throughout the trip. Great post!

    Published 3.10.16
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  9. Emelia wrote:

    Yes yes and YES….we took our first cruise in 2014. It was a Disney cruise, and I was expecting a little more craziness with kids but it wasn’t bad at all. Disney was top of the line and yes the room size didnt’ bother me one bit and the whole thing was so amazing. I cried leaving the boat because it was so amazing and I didn’t want to go!

    Published 3.10.16
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  10. Carolyn wrote:

    We took our first cruise last summer and I was so nervous that I would hate it. I had a great time and they really have it down on how to handle that many people.

    Published 3.10.16
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  11. Sold! My husband and I have been debating on going on a cruise, and I’ve been quite nervous about that idea! Your post has worked in his favour, because I might consider it more now 😉

    Published 3.10.16
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  12. I’ve never been on a cruise but man, I’d love to go some day! They kind of scare me but at the same time, just seem so fun and relaxing!

    Published 3.10.16
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  13. Anna wrote:

    I’ve done 10 cruises but never Princess, I’m due for another cruise soon! I always book the inside cabin because as you said you are never in your room.

    Published 3.10.16
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  14. Such a great post! I love cruising and my husband and I went on a half dozen cruises before we had our son (we even went on one when I was 5 months pregnant). We have our first cruise with our kid — who is now 4 — in a few weeks and I can’t wait for him to experience it!

    Published 3.10.16
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  15. Oh my gosh! I was already craving another cruise, and you just made it so much worse 😉 Gee, thanks.

    We’ve only been on one cruise, and it was for our honeymoon two years ago. It was very nice, and we enjoyed it, but we ended up on a boat with a TON of Spring-breakers, and they all sat around the pool the whole time so it was really impossible for anyone else to get to it. Aside from that, it was a fantastic experience. The only other thing we would do different is to not be afraid to explore on our own. We were charged $200 just to go to a beach when we docked, when, if we had known, we could have just researched before the cruise and explored the island ourselves 🙂

    Published 3.10.16
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  16. It has been a few years since Colton and I were on a cruise, but we LOVE them. They are so relaxing and full of adventure at the same time. We have met some amazing people that we still hang out with and keep in touch with on cruises too. So fun.

    Published 3.10.16
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  17. Emily wrote:

    Yes yes yes! I love cruises! You nailed it! Totally agree!

    Published 3.10.16
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  18. Roxy wrote:

    I’ve never been on a cruise, but we’ve been heavily considering it. Your post has convinced me it’s time I crossed it off my bucketlist!

    Published 3.10.16
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  19. The best part of this sounds like trying new things. I love trying new things. My hubby and I are trying to save up for a cruise line vacation with some friends.

    Published 3.10.16
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  20. adriana wrote:

    I LOVE this!!! Cruises are hands down the best vacations ever – there’s so much you don’t have to worry about which is really what vacation should be about. Doing things you never expected to on a cruise is sooo true too!

    Published 3.10.16
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  21. Victoria wrote:

    I have lost count of how many cruises I have been on but my husband and I love to cruise. Every ship is different but they are all fun, fun, fun.

    Published 3.10.16
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  22. Mistle wrote:

    These are all so true!!! I have been on three cruises so far and each one has exceeded my expectation. Oh the food….I swear I try to lose weight before going on a cruise because I know I am going to gain weight. It’s unavoidable. We always make friends as well when we go on cruises, it’s hard not to!

    Published 3.10.16
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  23. Hollie wrote:

    We were meant to go on our first cruise with Princess in August but we’ll have a newborn so had to cancel. I’m gutted! We’ll get there one day, I’m sure.

    It looks so amazing and relaxing. I love water, for much the same reasons as you described about the serenity of the waves and the horizon, plus I have your husband’s fish-like tendencies!

    Published 3.10.16
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  24. yes yes! You are making me want to go on another one!

    Published 3.10.16
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  25. I miss my cruise! (We were just on one two weeks ago). So true about the food – I did in fact gain 5 pounds but it was so worth it!!

    Published 3.10.16
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  26. Amer wrote:

    Fun read! and you’re lucky, you only gained 5, I gained 12 .

    Published 3.10.16
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  27. sara wrote:

    Looks like so much fun! I dream of going on a cruise one day with my family.

    Published 3.10.16
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  28. I’m usually not a big cruise girl but you made this sound so amazing! I think I owe the whole cruise experience one more try.

    LiveLifeWell,
    Allison

    Published 3.10.16
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  29. All of these are SO true! I was on a cruise as a kid and I couldn’t get enough food, activities or kids zone and I made friends that year that I never saw again but I’ll never forget the memories we made and what fun we had roaming the ship by ourselves (pre 9/11, safer times). I was on a Royal Carribean cruise with my family to Mexico coastline- it was so much fun! I loved the rooms, towel animals and water views!

    Published 3.10.16
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  30. Jenny wrote:

    Cruises are so much fun! I am dying to go on another very soon.

    xoxo, Jenny

    Published 3.10.16
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  31. Liz Mays wrote:

    You talked about things nobody has talked about in a cruise post before, and you made me want to go more than ever!

    Published 3.10.16
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  32. Ave wrote:

    LOL! I think this article would be about negative things no one tells about cruises, but I’m really glad all the things seem positive. We are thinking of going on a cruise next year, so all extra information comes in handy.

    Published 3.11.16
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  33. Valerie wrote:

    I have never been on a cruise. It sure sounds like it would be an amazing thing to experience though.

    Published 3.11.16
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  34. Madelaine wrote:

    I guess I am the only one that hated cruises. When on a Disney cruise and yes I loved the my children had a great time. We took a cruise that went into the Caribbean. I didn’t like how everything is rushed from the getting out of the ship the being back on time on the ship. To me it is not a good way to really see or immerse yourself in the country’s culture. If you are there to see if an island is something you may want to revisited then that is the way to go. Otherwise, it is just not for us.

    Published 3.11.16
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  35. Dana wrote:

    I second every last one of your points – I never want to leave, I totally thought the rooms were just right in size once I realized how much there was to do on board and I ate like there was no tomorrow!

    Published 3.11.16
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  36. I can see why I would gain a few pounds on a cruise because they have so much delicious food. It would be hard to say no to all the great eats.

    Published 3.11.16
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  37. Laura wrote:

    I’m hungry reading this post!!!!

    My favourite thing about cruises is that it breaks up the monotony of a regular beach vacation, with all the perks. Usually by the end of a week at an all inclusive I’m bored of the same thing every day, cruises offer something different every day that keeps you wanting more!

    xxox
    Laura @ http://www.cookwineandthinker.com

    Published 3.12.16
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  38. Olivia wrote:

    Love this post. I’m lucky enough to have been on my fair share of cruises with Royal Caribbean, and every single time it’s a new experience!
    Olivia xxx
    http://www.sunshineinadress.com

    Published 3.13.16
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  39. Audrey wrote:

    We are going on our 28th cruise in May with Princess we moved to Princess from p&o & have never looked back. Princess suit us elegant not stuffy . Coffee on our balcony is a great start to the day weather permitting of course. Room service prompt, efficient & free. Another great thing about cruising is unpack once but wake up somewhere new each day. Food glorious food be prepared to add some pounds. If you don’t like what you have been served the waiters will always get you an alternative. If you stick to a cruise line you are happy with your loyalty points add up we even have free laundry now. All your points were really positive & not like reading someone’s grouchy review. You will always meet people who moan because service I was better on their last ship but that can be the case staying at a hotel. I can only say out of all our cruises short or long the only trip we havnt enjoyed is a 7 night transatlantic one all others have been great.we are 2 people totally hooked on cruising.

    Published 3.15.16
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  40. We will never get to the free laundry level , but enjoying the level just below. We have had a great time on all. We met 3 other couples on a late January 2015 Royal Princess Caribbean cruise and enjoyed a reunion cruise on the same ship, to the same Caribbean destinations in 2016. Would like to do it again this year!

    Published 8.4.17
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  41. joe yancho wrote:

    Cruising is the only civilized form of travel.

    Published 8.6.17
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  42. coy crawford wrote:

    we’ve been on 70 cruises way back when ships were old ferry boats from Europe
    converted to suites. In those days everyone knew everyone great times. We used to book cruises by the entertainers we knew very well. The only thing wrong is ships have gotten too big they take away some of the fun but we are just as nanxious today to take #71. Keep enjoying cruising its still the best way to vacation.

    Published 8.10.17
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