10 Things to Expect (That You Might Not Expect) On Your First Cruise

Disclaimer: This refers to our 2023 cruise on Celebrity Silhouette to the Norwegian Fjords and therefore may not apply to all cruise lines, ships or itineraries. Let me know in the comments if there if anything else that you didn’t expect on your first ever cruise!

1. There’s no such thing as “days of the week”.

Monday to Sunday doesn’t exist once you’re onboard. Get used to talking in terms of Day 1, Day 3 etc. Example: “Shall we book a speciality restaurant on Day 5?” Never, “shall we book a specialty restaurant on Saturday”. No one will know what day you’re talking about.

2. Onboard credit is ace

I had no concept of “onboard credit” before we boarded. So this idea of having “free money” to spend was awesome. We had cocktails, beers and speciality coffees which were outside of our classic beverage package (the cost over the $12 allowance per drink is added onto our account) and a wonderful three course meal at one of the speciality restaurants – and didn’t spent a penny.

3. There’s a TV channel dedicated to navigation…

You can see where the ship is on it’s journey, information about speed and weather, and even a live webcam. Handy for those early morning sail-ins when you just can’t be bothered to get out of bed. I could have happily spent hours just watching the map.

4….and another one giving us lots of information

There was another handy TV channel presented by Cruise Director Mike, giving information about the day’s onboard activities, upcoming port stops and lots of other useful information. They even anticipated frequently asked questions about the process of leaving the ship on our final day. Meaning we didn’t have to bother our friends at Guest Relations. They’d already heard from us plenty thanks to our dripping shower.

5. Cruise Ship Time

Prepare for an anxious evening if you are crossing time zones and have to put your watches forward/backward an hour. Particularly if you have an alarm set for the following morning. Mobile phones won’t always automatically reset. Changes are typically done at night – check on that handy TV channel for the correct time.

6. Unexpected cabin visitors

If you don’t lock the door, and don’t put out your “do not disturb” sign, expect your stateroom attendant to wander into your room at unexpected times. He will learn your routine. If you fail to leave your room at the expected time he will enter anyway to leave you a little chocolate and turn down your bed. Even if you’re in it. You have a do not disturb sign for a reason – make sure you use it.

7. You will get lost.

Three times I tried to find our stateroom on Deck 7 when returning from the Hideaway. We were on Deck 8. Luckily the corridor configuration was slightly different, which was my clue. Also, odd-numbered rooms are on one side of the ship (port side in our case) and even-numbered rooms on the starboard side. Which meant that our stateroom and Ma and Pa Lee’s stateroom were not a few doors away as expected, but on the other side of the ship.

8. Constant requests for feedback

In the MDR we had the same waiting staff each night. Which meant they had a week to impress us. Every dish was served and explained to us in great detail. And then they would wait while we gushed about the presentation and the taste. At the end of the meal, they would expect a critique of the food, and more importantly, their hospitality. We soon learned that guests post-cruise surveys are very important to them and they get rewarded for complimentary reviews. We took to smiling and saying “yes, ten out of ten” every time they approached.

9. Inside staterooms are bigger than expected

I was expecting some sort of capsule cabin with no room to swing a (ship’s) cat. But our stateroom was bigger than some hotel rooms we’ve stayed in. Not all are equal though – Ma and Pa Lee’s stateroom definitely looked bigger than ours. However, as it was next to a crew housekeeper cupboard, they had to frequently negotiate cleaning carts to get in and out.

10. Little free gifts.

I don’t know whether my Celebrity Cruises tote bag was meant to come off the ship with me but no-one has charged me for it. Yet. A charm necklace was left in the stateroom on the first evening – encouragement to pick up the charm of the day from one of the onboard jewellers and no doubt encourage you to spend the remainder of your onboard credit on pretty trinkets. And technically not a free gift but I was a big fan of the “complimentary” cakes and cookies with each hot drink from Cafe al Bacio.

So what did I expect?

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a cruise to be honest. My thoughts on cruising ranged from posh frocks, casino and the captains table, to a floating old-people’s home. With a bit of Titanic thrown in. And The Poseidon Adventure. But as I started to do a bit of research I discovered a whole plethora of cruise bloggers who didn’t fall into the millionaire pensioner category. People like me. People – shock, horror – younger than me. And post-cruise, I can confirm that it’s a proper mix of people. Which means that unless you’re truly dedicated to independent travel, there’s probably a cruise for you.

I asked Ma and Pa Lee for their thoughts on the cruise, and their expectations beforehand:

“I didn’t expect to feel as comfortable onboard as I did. I didn’t expect there to be so much going on, all day, every day – there was so much to do even if you didn’t want to get off at the ports. It was a good way to see countries that I may not have picked to travel to on their own”

Ma Lee, June 2023

“It was a journey into the unknown. I didn’t expect it to be like a 5* hotel so it exceeded my expectations! Everything was perfect – great food, drinks and entertainment. Cruising is my future I think!”

Pa Lee, June 2023

High praise indeed. Mr Fletche and I felt the same. And we certainly didn’t expect to be booking another cruise quite so soon. But with Ma and Pa Lee both celebrating their 70th birthdays next year it’s the perfect excuse to step onboard once more. A Brummie Home and “Aboard”, if you will.