First Cruise Apprehension and Why to Book One Anyways

If you’re like me, you may have several concerns about taking that first cruise. These could be any or all the following I had: the ship won’t have enough to keep you entertained, food options will be bland and limited, and you won’t have enough time to explore the ports of call.

There is also an ethical concern with cruising worth considering, as well. Cruises are a major contributor to the overtourism plaguing many destinations around the world. To make it worse, cruise ship passengers tend to not give back much financially to local economies. This had been one of my biggest holdups with taking my first cruise.

While those concerns are true to varying extents, my perceptions were far worse than the reality of cruising. This article is for all you who are in the same boat (get it?) I was, thinking about finally taking the plunge for their first cruise but still needing some convincing!

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Accept That Your First Cruise Comes with Sacrifices

My top concern with cruising was that I wouldn’t have enough time to thoroughly explore our stops. I’m the type of traveler who wants to see as much as possible of where I’m at. It’s why I wake early most mornings to wander around and why I meticulously plan my trips to make the most of my time. It’s also why I hemmed and hawed about my first cruise for so long.

Another concern for my specific cruise was I wouldn’t have enough time for hiking in Alaska’s great natural spaces. Hiking in Alaska was one of the main things I wanted to do in this wild state. Unfortunately, short stays in the various ports of call would make this difficult.

With all that said, you have to accept that there won’t be enough time for everything. Once you do this, it can actually be a little liberating.

Plan at least one excursion in each port of call that fits your interests. Beyond that, don’t rush. Wander around a bit to see some of the area, grab some food and a drink in the local watering hole, and maybe plan one other activity depending on how long you have.

Hiking was one sacrifice I didn’t want to make. We did have one planned in Skagway which would have worked perfectly for our itinerary. However, we had to be rerouted to Icy Strait Point due to a landslide. Itineraries may change at the last second forcing sacrifices you didn’t want to make. If that happens, just accept it and move on. I was disappointed but perseverating on it wouldn’t change things and would have only put a sour mood on our trip.

Tips to Avoid Having to Make too Many Sacrifices on Your First Cruise

If you’re still concerned about having sufficient time for sightseeing, there are two things you can do at the very beginning of the planning process to help.

First, plan a cruise with small ports of call. For the most part, our stops in Alaska were all small towns without much to them besides their outdoors appeal. Knowing this made it easier to accept that I wouldn’t be able to see everything in these stops.

On the flipside, a cruise with stops in large cities like Venice or Lisbon would be very difficult to manage. Having recently visited Venice, I couldn’t imagine stopping there on a cruise and seeing how beautiful it is only to have reboard the ship a few hours later.

A second, somewhat similar approach is to go somewhere where the main reason to visit is to relax. For example, a Caribbean or Bermuda cruise would be perfect for this. Don’t go somewhere with tons of museums or historic sights because you won’t be able to see them all and may only leave disappointed.

If you’re still on the fence, consider your cruise as a type of reconnaissance mission. Take notes on all the places you see. Then, take your favorite stops and make them part of a longer trip in the future.

Ethical Concerns with Your First Cruise

With travel getting increasingly easier, overtourism has become a major concern for the travel industry and destinations around the world. Cruises have been a sizable contributor to that.

They offer millions of people the opportunity to see places they may not otherwise ever get to visit. For those who want to see the world but aren’t particularly adventurous or don’t enjoy the planning process, cruises are an easy way to do so. While that may be great for cruise passengers, it is not always good for the ports of call.

These same passengers descend on their stops like locusts causing overcrowding for locals and other tourists alike. Worse still, this overcrowding can cause damage to the local ecology and infrastructure due to them not being able to support such large numbers of people.

To make these matters worse, cruise passengers tend not to give much financial support back to help offset any harm they cause. They disembark, do their sightseeing and then return to the ship for food, drinks and their stateroom. Local hotels, restaurants and bars don’t receive nearly the same financial boon from cruise passengers as they do from more traditional tourists.

Both overcrowding and lack of financial support for local economies are valid concerns. Nevertheless, I offer the opinion that it is only true for some places. Personally, I would never go on a cruise to cities that are already easy to get to and have issues with overcrowding. Some of our stops in Alaska, though? They literally depend on the travelers from cruise ships for their livelihoods. In places like this that are hard to reach by plane or road, I think cruising is a perfectly ethical alternative.

Just make sure to buy a beer and a locally made craft to support them!

Food and Drinks

For the most part, this was another overblown concern I had. Cruises ships tend to have a reputation of poor food quality. They have to cater to a variety of tastes with short turnaround times. This is not the recipe for five-star quality dining.

The food wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, yet it was far from the worst. The two main issues I had were with the doneness of meat and spice level of some foods. The meat tended to be overdone and things that should have been spicy were mild. Admittedly, these are minor complaints and should not be dealbreakers in determining whether you go on a cruise or not.

Taken as a whole, the food options were plentiful and tasty. Our ship offered seven specialty restaurants, two buffets, an Americana-themed restaurant, and three generic restaurants offering identical menus in slightly different dining areas. I only had one bad meal during our entire trip. Even the quality of the buffets was better than what can be expected at buffets of the landlocked variety.

As far as drinks are concerned, this was another unexpected delight. I envisioned tacky bars filled with loud and obnoxious tourists. Instead, the bars were all very well done and elegantly furnished.

On our ship, there were ten or so different bars. Some of them were standard bars, but there were also a few with more specific themes. The darkly lit whisky bar and the brewhouse were my favorites.

Leisure and Relaxation

My parting argument for why you should give a cruise a chance is maybe an obvious one for some. It’s the ability to just relax and do whatever you want without feeling like you need to be somewhere at all times of the day.

As I already mentioned, when I travel, I tend to be the type who is always on the go. Part of that is because I want to see everything. It’s also because I can get bored if I’m stuck somewhere for too long. It’s why I don’t love the beach (that and the terribly annoying sand). It seems foolish saying this now, but I was worried there’d be too much rest and relaxation!

I’ve already covered all the entertainment options aboard the ship and how to handle the ports of call. It’s also worth noting how nice it can be to simply turn off and take your time. For me, that consisted of morning runs on the outdoor track, taking advantage of the excellent gym, and just lying around on a lounger watching the ocean and Alaskan shoreline drift lazily by.

If you’re like me, it’s important to remind yourself every now and then that it’s okay to have a trip where you aren’t on the go every second of the day. A cruise is a great way to do both because you get excursions and sightseeing at the ports of call while still having more than enough time to take it easy.

Financial Concerns

Those are all the good things. It’s worth pointing out, though, that one major drawback to a cruise can be the price point. Our cruise was not cheap. We booked with one of the more highly rated cruise lines, so it cost more which was reflected in the quality. Nevertheless, it was absolutely worth it.

You can also expect to pay more depending on what your itinerary is. If you are going somewhere more remote, it is going to cost more than a cruise to the Caribbean or along America’s east coast.

For both these factors, you have to know you are getting what you pay for. More money is going to almost always mean better quality and/or the chance to visit some place you might never have the opportunity to see otherwise.

Another reason it may be worth breaking the bank a bit to do a cruise is because you are basically paying to have someone take care of you. The stress of planning is almost nonexistent. Let the crew pamper you and sail you around the seas with the only worry being where you’ll get your next drink.

Ready to Book Your First Cruise?

Those all sound like pretty great reasons to book your first cruise, right? Click here to find the cruise that fits your needs! Leave any questions you might have in the comments.

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Resources to Book Your Cruise

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