Thinking about Planning a Cruise?

The thought of trying to plan a cruise can be quite overwhelming. Where to go, what cruise line, what do you need to pack….there is a lot that goes into planning a cruise, but we can help take the stress and worry out of it and bring back the fun and excitement. Cruise planning made easy with tips on selecting the right cruise for you and Free printable worksheets and checklists to help you plan the best worry free cruise.

Choose a Sailing From Port

The first step in planning a cruise would be deciding which port you will be sailing from. If you have a port near you then that might be your obvious choice. However, if you have no nearby ports you might want to start by looking into the cost differences for flying into the various options. This could help save some money on plane tickets.

Even if you have a port near you, you might find in the next steps that there aren’t any cruises that interest you from those ports. For instance, we are in Sacramento, California and so Long Beach was the closet port to us so that is where we took our first cruise a few years ago. The flight was cheap and quick. However, the cruise itself didn’t go to places that really would have been our first as far as interest. We decided to go anyways since it was our first cruise and it was still worth it and great seeing the places we went to. However, for our next cruise we knew we wanted to try to leave from a farther port with more destination options. If this is the case for you as well, then you might just start looking into the other port options anyways.

When looking for ports, it might be easiest to go directly to some of the cruise line websites and begin looking at where they leave from. It is super easy this way because you can sort your search based on departure ports.

Travel Pillows are a must for those long flights to your cruise port! This one is only $10.99

Choose a Cruise Line

Once you know which port you will be cruising from, you need to research which ships leave from there. Some of the main cruise lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean leave from many ports so you will have more options. When considering the different cruise lines that leave for your port of choice, your main determining factor will be the ports of call that interest you the most. I have found that many go to the same places, but occasionally you will find something different.

At this point it may be helpful to also work on your ports of call that interest you.

Choose a Cruise based on the Port of Calls you’re interested in

Where do you want to go? What places would you love to spend a day in and enjoy a little? Mexico? Bahamas? Caribbean? …. the list goes on and on.

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This is the fun part. I like to look through the cruise line that I choose and look at all their options for ports of call. The more you cruise, the more you will see. Some cruises may be at sea for 7 days but only have 2 ports and some might have 3 or 4. It all depends so make sure you look at all your options. I like to write down my options on a piece of paper and as I go through the selection process I eliminate the ones that don’t offer something I am looking for. For instance, in planning our current cruise with two of our children, I found that one of the options needed to be eliminated because the ship didn’t have any water slides for the kids.

Choosing your Stateroom

This is always hard for me because I obviously want the big and nice. However, on our first two cruises we had a balcony and really never used it so now I hesitate on choosing a balcony room. We always just go on deck and never really spend much time in our room. This time we are tasking two of our children so I was really hesitant on getting a balcony just for safety reasons and it was cheaper to go with a view only so it made more sense. It really is a matter of preference and budget.

You also might get a chance at a room upgrade after booking your cruise. Our first cruise we never received any upgrade options, but with our second cruise we did. They were both the same cruise line, Carnival, so I guess it just depends. They actually called us and offered us a room upgrade at a slightly lower rate then it would have been if we had originally booked it that way.

This time we booked with Royal Caribbean and they sent us an email two days after booking, offering us a Royal Up upgrade. Basically you select a bid price on an upgrade and don’t find out until a few days before, if your bid won. I really don’t like this because it depends on what others are bidding. I appreciated the more personal communication of the phone call and explaining options and finalizing all at the same time.

Another thing to keep in mind is the area on the ship that your room is on. I prefer the middle because there is less motion, even though I don’t really get sea sick, it makes a difference for me. Some people want to be at the front and be closer to the dining while others want to be near the back and closer to the fun. It varies from ship to ship so be sure to research this a little before making your decision.

Travel Pillows are a must for those long flight to your cruise port!

Book It!

Once you have decided what cruise you are going to take, book it. Set it in stone and get ready to start planning all the other fun stuff.

This is a good point to create a folder in your mailbox where you can save all your cruise related emails and documents. This is also a good time to confirm your passport won’t expire and take care of it ASAP if it will.

Plan the Fun!

One thing you need to take care of now that isn’t really fun, is your flights and transportation arrangements. I always just look at a bulk site such as Expedia or Travelocity and then once I see the flights that fit my needs, I go to the Airline’s website directly. Doesn’t really save any money, but it eliminates the middle man. As far as the ground transportation, we have found that Lyft and Uber are the best option because it is per car, not per person, and it is more direct and personal.

Now you get to start planning all the fun stuff. Research the ship and all the things it has to offer. Make a little list that you can take with you. Each morning on the cruise you will get a list of all the days activities. It seems like a lot so if you already know some of what is important this will help. You should also pack a highlighter to highlight the activities on the sheet that you will be going to.

You can also start researching the dinning options outside of your included options. If there are restaurants you want to enjoy, be sure to reserve ahead of time, like weeks ahead if you can.

To make this planning even more fun you can start looking at the ports of calls and planning your excursions and other things you want to do while there. Don’t over plan, remember you only have a limited time so leave yourself some time to just relax and enjoy the beaches as well.

Just remember, planning a cruise should be fun and exciting. Don’t let anything stress you out too much. If anything, take a break from the planning and come back to it when you are more relaxed.

I have created some very useful worksheets and checklists that I am now using as we prepare for our upcoming cruise with Royal Caribbean in April 2019. After two other cruises, I realized that writing things out and being more organized helps a lot.

To download your free Cruise Planning packet, click PlanningACruisePrintables

I hope I have inspired you to cruise and see the world! It is a great experience you will never forget!