Avoid These Cruise Pitfalls for Your Best Cruise

Cruising is better than ever. With more types ofmeatballs (which she sent back, complaining loudly
ships, more flexible vacation packages, betterthat the sauce was clearly not a long-simmered
deals, exotic ports of call, and lots of enthusiasts,homemade type). Not only were dinners
you may wonder why anyone would say theynerve-wracking, our table got a bad reputation
don't like cruising. But the fact is, a lot of peopleamong the servers who dreaded coming near us.
do not enjoy cruises. How can that be? It has toWhile you should expect to enjoy your dining
do with how you frame your attitude and makecompanions, have an escape route planned in case
your preparations.you end up dealing with unpleasant people.
My first cruise was, surprisingly, one of the4. Go on the cruise but refuse to participate. Don't
disaster voyages. It took years before I venturedgo outside of your room; watch TV inside instead.
on a cruise again, and today I'm a wild-eyedDon't walk the deck, visit the shops, check out
enthusiast. What transpired in-between is that Ithe casino. Begrudgingly allow yourself to be
learned that there are things you can do to "setdragged out on rare occasions but protest
yourself up" for a great vacation or an absolutelyconstantly. Whine that you're unhappy. People with
miserable time.that kind of attitude almost never have a good
From my own experience and those of othercruise. If you're like that by nature, you need to
cruise-haters I know, here are seven ways to beget an attitude adjustment before you board the
sure you hate your cruise vacation.ship.
1. Travel with somebody who is incompatible.5. Sign up for a cruise but then decide to go on a
Incompatible people are not bad people. Theyradical financial diet the moment you board the
may even be your friends and family. But part ofship. Refuse to pay for an excursion, buy a soft
the cruise experience is doing a lot of on-boarddrink, or get a pedicure. Gripe loudly and
and shore things. These things are more funconstantly about how expensive things are and
when you do them together, as a couple or as athat you had no idea that an umbrella drink or a
group. So if you're a non-smoker and teetotaler,T-shirt was not part of the package. Sit on the
it's not a good idea to go on a cruise with a groupship while it's at port just to show everybody you
of friends who intend on drinking and partyingwon't pay one nickel more than you have to.
their way from port to port.Cruises are a great value, but you need to
2. Travel with a companion who will refuse to doexpect to spend some money on the ship.
anything you want and will insist that either you6. Develop a temporary case of being stupid.
do what she wants or you go off by yourselfDecide that since you're on a cruise ship, you can
(while she pouts). Cruises offer a lot of things tosit in the sun for 12 hours without sunscreen and
do and some of their ideas of amusement (bingo,not get sunburned (what? Sunburn on a ship?)
shows, casinos, spas, rock-climbing walls, PilatesDrink excessively and stay out in the hot sun.
class, mini-golf, sunbathing, etc.) may not beLeave your wallet unattended in crowded areas.
exactly what you've longed your whole life to do.While cruising is, in general, safe and fun, you
If you travel with somebody who won't evercannot throw your common sense overboard.
accompany you when you want to do something,7. Go unprepared. The cruise vacation can be
you'll spend most of your cruise either sittingvery forgiving in this way. You can bring the
around, resenting that person, or doing thingswrong clothes and still squeak by. You can forget
alone (not much fun).certain toiletry items and pick them up on-board.
3. Go on a cruise where you have to sit with theYou can get help for a lot of things, but there are
same people for dinner every night. Granted,certain things that you must look after yourself.
most of the time, the group who dines togetherDo not forget your passport (but keep it with
is a source of great memories and pleasure foryou and do not put it in your luggage--you and
most cruises. Ninety percent of the time, I cameyour luggage get on the ship separately). Bring
to love the group I shared meals with, even if wecash for tips. If you need to take prescription or
were strangers at our first dinner. But once in aover-the-counter drugs regularly, bring plenty for
while you can wind up with a group that makesthe trip and a couple more besides. Don't forget
meal times unpleasant. Think it can't happen? Ithings like eyeglasses, hearing aids, car keys,
once shared a table with a little old lady whosehouse keys, and important phone numbers.
main pleasure on the cruise was thinking up oddThe most memorable, wonderful cruises are not
things she wanted for dinner and ordering them.always the ones that afford you the fanciest
This lady submitted her unusual order at the verystateroom or take you to the most spectacular
last minute, although she fully expected to eatdestinations. They're the cruises where you travel
with the rest of the table (and she had to,with like-minded people who are interested in
because the ship had two seatings in the diningtaking advantage of what cruises have to offer,
room and we had to all be out at a specific time).are compatible and generous traveling
It was her version of "stump the kitchen," andcompanions, and make you laugh. If you wind up
she would giggle about how funny it was to gethaving to share too much time with the
the wait staff and kitchen to jump through hoops.obnoxious or just the simply incompatible ... have
On steak night, she ordered spaghetti andan escape route in mind.