2.17.16

Cruise Life: How To Make The Most Of A Day At Sea

If you read my previous cruise post you know that Andrew and I just got back a few weeks ago from a glorious week long cruise through the Eastern Caribbean. We had three days where we were in different ports, which I will go into detail about in an upcoming post, but we also had three full days and one partial day where we were at sea. What does this mean? This means you are on the boat all day because you are sailing to your next port. Being our first cruise, we did not know what to expect even with the hours of research we (mostly Andrew) did. But we knew we wanted to make the most of a day at sea when we had them.

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I have some do’s and don’ts to share with you, as well as some tips and tricks of things you should FOR SURE do and FOR SURE not do during your sea days.

Take Advantage of The Ship: You are given a gift of a magnificent ship. We were on the Regal Princess and the ship could not have been more amazing. The ship was huge and somewhat overwhelming the first few days just getting our bearings. There is so much to do though! You can go to the putting green, play shuffleboard, go to the gym, hit the spa, hang out in the Sanctuary, try one of the MANY restaurants, grab coffee, or just explore. Another fun thing to do is just lay by the pool. The biggest tip though is to go out to the pool super early and grab chairs and towels. Leave something like a book on the chair and then go have breakfast. You will thank me later! We did not do this the first day, but we wised up by the second at sea day so we had the perfect spots! Whatever you do, take advantage of the ship you are on!

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Game Time: Not only is there an endless supply of board games (my happy place), and shuffleboard, putting, etc, but there is TRIVIA! Everything from celebrity faces or TV show and music trivia. Even if you aren’t connected to the Internet you could still go to your browser and visit Regal.Princess.com and see the list of the days activities for free. There were usually several trivia times and they were SO MUCH FUN! I am a huge fan of trivia. It was fun to grab a drink and head to the trivia area and play along. Such a great activity when you’ve had a little too much sun. Not a fan of trivia or board games? Hit up the Casino! We went a few times and just had a blast. I am not much of a gambler, but had fun playing roulette and slots. It’s also fun to watch people who get super intense. We saw a guy win $5,000 from a slot machine while we were in there. Lucky!

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Not on Port Days: On port days you want to get off the boat and have as much time at the port as possible. Then you get back, shower, and go to dinner usually, so there are just certain things you do NOT want to do on port days if you want to make the most of each port. One of those things is checking out the professional photos. There are formal nights, casual nights, and then the port photos that are taken everyday. They are free to take and then you can buy the ones you like if you want. We bought 7!!! At sea days are a perfect time to go to the photo area of your ship and check out these photos. Another great thing to do is try a new restaurant. Be it lunch or dinner there is no shortage of places to eat. By the pool there is a grill for burgers, hot dogs, etc and a pizza place. There was also an ice cream shop if you need errr want some ice cream. There is the buffet which always has TONS of great food options. We actually ate at the buffet for breakfast every single morning. The coffee barista knew my order after day 2. The buffet also has excellent lunch and dinner options. Such a great variety of food that anyone can find something they like. Then there are restaurants like Italian, Sushi, Steak, Sandwiches, and more. Trust me, you do not go hungry on a cruise!

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Have Some Downtime: Port days were exhausting, but in a great way. We took such great advantage of every single port, trying new things and exploring that we were wiped by the time we got back. I think, according to my app, I walked an average of 14K steps each port day. So the days at sea were great to just have downtime. A few of our favorite things were watching a movie in the room. There is an insane on demand selection of movies. We watch Entourage, Trainwreck, and the Imitation Game to name a few. I also watched The Fault In Our Stars while Andrew was napping one day. I would also sit on our balcony and read a lot. Usually in the late afternoon once the sun started to go down I would take a coffee or drink out to the balcony and curl up in a chair and read. Hands down this was one of my favorite times. Another great way to relax is by going to the Spa or the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is this wonderful outdoor area with the most comfortable lounge chairs, waiters to bring you food and drinks and quiet. Ahhhh quiet. The spa was also AMAZING! One of our at sea days we had a couples massage that was like a dream. We both loved it and loved enjoying the other spa areas as well. If you are hanging in your room for a movie I highly suggest ordering either a PB&J sandwich or chocolate chip cookies. THE BEST! Downtime is great especially if you are taking advantages of the ways the ship can offer you downtime.

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Want to know how to make the most of a day at sea day? My biggest point here is to NOT spend your at sea days sleeping till noon, ordering room service only, and not taking advantage of everything the ship has to offer. You are on a cruise! Live it up!

Fore more cruise life posts see:

What a cruise taught me about marriage

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. 

43 Comments

  1. Ohhhh! I’d love to go on a cruise one day – sigh – and I would definitely make the most of it too!! Your trip looked great, thanks for the tour around.

    Published 2.17.16
  2. This looks incredible! Beautiful! I’ve yet to go on a cruise, but it’s on my list!

    Published 2.17.16
  3. Wow that looks amazing. I’ve never been on a cruise so didn’t realise how much there is to do on board!

    Published 2.17.16
  4. This makes me want to skip work today and go on a cruise. I’ve never been on one but it sounds like fun!
    – Amanda Shuman | http://www.carrylovedesigns.com/blog

    Published 2.17.16
  5. Malea wrote:

    Great post! I’m about to go on a cruise in July and this had some great tips and I’m a seasoned cruiser 🙂 ! Thank you!

    Published 2.17.16
  6. Scott wrote:

    I actually prefer the days at sea. I just pull up a chair on the edge of a ship and sleep the day away!

    Published 2.17.16
  7. Omg love all your cruise holiday photos. You look so pretty. I have never been on a cruise holiday so I am inspired now.

    Debs x

    Published 2.17.16
  8. Astrid wrote:

    I’ve never been on a cruise, but I think I would enjoy the at sea days. It sounds like there’s a lot to do even then.

    Published 2.17.16
  9. I have never been on a cruise before. That spa looks like it would be really relaxing.

    Published 2.17.16
  10. Cruises can definitely be exhausting! At sea days are much needed to relax and recuperate! And EAT! haha:)

    Published 2.17.16
  11. Charlotte wrote:

    Your pictures make me want to take another cruise immediately 🙂 I love cruising so much… sadly, my boyfriend (who has never been on one, mind you!) is just not open to the idea. I’m going to have to grab some girlfriends and whisk them away on one–they are so much fun! Love that you broke down activities to do while you’re at sea–you’re right; options are limitless!

    Published 2.17.16
  12. Chelsie wrote:

    We just got back from our cruise, too! (I think I told you this, we cruised with Carnival!) and had 3 days at sea! It was so nice to have down time and just explore the ship! The first day we were a little underwhelmed, simply because we didn’t know what was out there! But we soon discovered our mini golf, ropes course, the late night movies, trivia and countless snacks! I love sea days!

    Published 2.17.16
  13. laci wrote:

    Love this !!! I haven never been on a cruise and finally going soon !!!

    Published 2.17.16
  14. Mckenna wrote:

    I am so jealous! After a year of my baby not sleeping through the night, an escape to a cruise sounds like heaven. These are some great ideas for down time 🙂

    Published 2.17.16
  15. shelby wrote:

    Sounds like so much fun!

    Published 2.17.16
  16. We go on a cruise next week! It will be my third cruise. We enjoy it so much. I’m actually looking forward to the at-sea day more than the port days!

    Published 2.17.16
  17. Eileen wrote:

    I have never been on a cruise. I have seen so many people taking trips on cruises and I would love to go soon. I love your suggestions. You really utilized the ship. Looks like a fantastic cruise line

    Published 2.17.16
  18. Wow I really need a cruise. It has been on our list for quite some time — hubby spent 30 years in the navy (20 of those was in a sea-going capacity) so getting him to PAY to go to sea has been difficult. I will definitely tell him about the dude who won $5K. How awesome. I loved reading this!

    Published 2.17.16
  19. This is perfect timing since hubby and I are going to be planning a cruise in the near future! Thanks for all the great info

    Published 2.17.16
  20. I love this! I went on one cruise so far to Alaska. I never did take any down time..so this is a great tip!!

    Valerie

    Published 2.17.16
  21. Nancy wrote:

    My friend and I were on Princess to western Caribbean a couple weeks ago. We have been on a number of cruises and were surprised by the pool chairs not being as hard to get on sea days as they usually are. However, there were more elderly cruisers so that’s probably why. I spent a lot of time relaxing while coloring this cruise.

    Published 2.17.16
  22. Samantha Pierce wrote:

    This is like my dream vacation! Your day at sea looks beautiful =)

    Published 2.17.16
  23. Amanda wrote:

    My husband and I did a Mediterranean cruise a few years and I’m pretty sure we slept from exhaustion most of the sea days. I feel like we missed out on exploring the boat but oh well. Great tips!

    Published 2.17.16
  24. I love cruises! These are some great tips. We tried to do everything we could while on the ship to make the most of it. We actually didn’t sit by the pool except for maybe an hour. On my next cruise, I want to spend more time by the pool and relax!

    Published 2.17.16
  25. Jenny wrote:

    I went on a cruise a few years back and I am dying to go again. We definitely did a lot of exploring and spent minimal amounts of time in our room.

    xoxo, Jenny

    Published 2.17.16
  26. Cruising is our favorite way to travel and see the world. My favorite part is all the things to do on the ships while out to sea.

    Published 2.17.16
  27. Kusum wrote:

    Looks like you guys had a great time on the cruise! I have only done day cruises but a week long cruise is on the list for when we start a family 😉 Totally agree, going on a cruise and sleeping in until noon is a total no-no.
    xx, Kusum | http://www.sveeteskapes.com

    Published 2.17.16
  28. Tami wrote:

    Hubby and I are wanting to take a cruise. I am trying to learn all I can about it so that we can get the best experience out of it. This’ll help!

    Published 2.17.16
  29. The ship looks awesome. There is a lot of activities in store for the passengers. The Trivia area sounds very interesting. I hope I could go on a cruise someday.

    Published 2.18.16
  30. I’m not really a huge cruise person, but it looks like you guys had a blast! Maybe I need to give cruises another chance.

    LiveLifeWell,
    Allison

    Published 2.18.16
  31. Cruises are the best!! I love that there’s so much to do on the ship!

    Published 2.18.16
  32. This is making me want to go on an other cruise so badly!! I love the At Sea days, there is always so much to do but you don’t really have to have a set schedule to do anything if you don’t want to! And the buffet… I miss cruise buffets. They are the best. 🙂

    Published 2.18.16
  33. Stacey wrote:

    What a beautiful ship! I’ve never been on a cruise before but hopefully soon, we’ve been talking about going on one for our honeymoon. I have a feeling I’m going to have a hard time staying away from the buffet!

    Published 2.18.16
  34. Mandi wrote:

    As someone who lived on a Cruise Ship for 7 months as an entertainer I can say this list is awesome. Great tips for those to take full advantage of what the ship has to offer. They are basically a city on the sea, whats NOT to do?

    Published 2.18.16
  35. Liz Mays wrote:

    This is great advice. I’d try to participate in as many events and activities as possible. I’d never get bored!

    Published 2.18.16
  36. Madelaine wrote:

    I was gonna say that I am not a big fun of cruises until I saw the slots. Great tips.

    Published 2.18.16
  37. Amanda wrote:

    This is great information. Especially for me since I have never been on a cruise, but been thinking about going on one in the near future.

    Published 2.18.16
  38. Angela wrote:

    It looks like you had a great time! Your tips are so vital! You’ve already paid for all the things on the boat, take advantage of them! Can’t wait to see what you did on your port days!

    Published 2.21.16
  39. Gary wrote:

    *sighs*…….

    I need to find a way to make a lot of money just so I can go on a cruise. My dream is to take my family (5 nephews and nieces) to go on a Disney cruise and watch them go crazy on the most magical ship on earth.

    Published 7.31.17

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