5 mistakes I saw people making on my cruise last week (2024)

I spent 5-nights on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas and noticed some common cruise mistakes being committed that could have been easily avoided.

5 mistakes I saw people making on my cruise last week (1)

There are many mistakes to avoid on any cruise, and you don't have to be a cruise ship expert to know about them all.

Avoiding these mistakes will save you time, money, or sanity. No matter how big or small the savings, it all adds up.

After a day or two, I picked up on the mistakes I saw my fellow cruisers making, and I started to compile a list in my head. There may have been others, but these were the ones I observed.

Take this as a good reminder not to do any of these yourself when you set sail.

Not buying add-ons before the cruise

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If you want to save a lot of money, be sure to pre-buy all the extras for your cruise in the weeks and months leading up to your sailing.

There were staggering price differences if you bought it onboard versus before the cruise began.

I saw on embarkation day the advertised rate for Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink package was priced at $100 per person, per day.

Had it been purchased before the cruise began, it was around $69.99 per person, per day. I think the higher price had it around $74.99 per day.

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The floating cabanas at the Coco Beach Club had a big price drop before the cruise began to about $1800 for a rental for up to 8 guests. But onboard the ship, they were charging $4,000.

Royal Caribbean offers pre-cruise discounts on most of its popular cruise add-ons. You can always cancel and rebook it if there's a price drop.

Don't wait to book these onboard the ship, because you'll only pay more for it.

Not applying sunscreen

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I'm not sure if it was because January isn't a very hot month in the Caribbean, but I saw so many people walking back onto the ship after a fun day in Cozumel, Mexico completely sunburned.

Forgetting to apply sunscreen or re-apply it is one of the quickest ways to a miserable day or two as your body heals.

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During our visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, we had clouds for some of the day, but the sun came out later. I think the clouds may have given some people the false sense of security that they couldn't get sunburned.

It's true that clouds do block some UV light. But more than 90% of the sun's UV radiation can still pass through clouds on lightly overcast days.

When you're at the beach, pool, or walking around outdoors in the Caribbean, you need to get into the habit of remembering to apply sunscreen every couple of hours. It's annoying to have to stop what you're doing to do it, but the discomfort from a bad sunburn is worth taking a couple of minutes to do it.

Being rude to crew members

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This mistake infuriates me for the sheer lack of respect, but some passengers seem to think the rules don't apply to them.

While in the Windjammer a guest was stopped by a crew member because he had come from the pool deck and was not wearing shoes.

The crew member told him he had to wear shoes in order to go into the restaurant. He responded that no one had told him that the other day when he did the same thing, and then proceeded to walk past the crew member and ignoring their instruction.

There are rules in place for a reason, but more importantly, you don't get to pick and choose when you want to adhere to instructions given to you by crew members.

The crew members work hard to ensure everyone has a great (and safe) cruise. Always be respectful to them.

Forgetting their SeaPass card on disembarkation day

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As I was walking off Mariner of the Seas, I witnessed two different cruise mistakes within about 10 minutes.

The first was the family that held up the entire disembarkation process because they didn't bring their SeaPass cards with them to leave the ship.

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When it's your time to disembark the ship, you'll need your SeaPass card to leave. It's how Royal Caribbean knows you've left the ship.

If you don't have it, then the ship's security team needs to look you up manually and that slows down everyone.

Be sure to also have your travel documents for later when you go through customs.

Disembarking before luggage number called

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Royal Caribbean assigns each passenger a luggage tag number so that if you left your luggage on the ship to be delivered to the cruise terminal on the final morning, it's there waiting for you.

However, every cruise there's a handful of passengers I see standing around the luggage area waiting for their bags, because they disembarked too early.

For these people, they'll have to wait for all the bags in their number to be delivered and called for them to be able to grab their bags.

You're much better off waiting onboard the ship for your number to called so you can avoid standing around the terminal for no reason later.

More cruise tips & tricks:

  • 30 Do's and Don'ts forthe first day of your cruise
  • 8 cruise tips for first-time Royal Caribbean cruisers
  • What’s included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare
  • 5 quick and easy tips for finding a great shore excursion on your own
  • Food on a Royal Caribbean cruise
  • Which is the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship?
  • What is the best time to go on a Caribbean cruise?
5 mistakes I saw people making on my cruise last week (2024)

FAQs

How many people don't return from a cruise? ›

The most recent statistics available are from early 2021. Since 2018, seven people have been reported missing from cruise lines, according to archives provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What percentage of cruise passengers are highly satisfied with their cruise experience? ›

Around 95% of all cruisers rate their experience as satisfying, with a 45% claiming the highest "Extremely Satisfying" ranking, and a 80% of them convinced that taking a cruise trip is an excellent opportunity to sample destinations and geographical areas before visiting them on a future land-based vacation.

What are the top tips on cruise ship etiquette? ›

Treat the crew with respect as they're the ones who are working tirelessly to make your holiday perfect every day. Make sure to give them a smile and greet them when you pass them in the hallway and if an issue should arise then stay calm and respectful when making a complaint.

Who has done the most cruises? ›

Mario Salcedo (born 1949 or 1950), nicknamed Super Mario, is an American businessman and a long-term passenger on cruise ships.

Is it common for people to go missing on cruises? ›

Number of People Missing from Cruise Ships

According to statistics, around 200 people have reportedly gone missing on cruise ships since 2000, a figure which equates to about 10 people per year. However, remember, the actual figure could be quite different due to unreported incidents and varying laws on disclosure.

How many people on average miss the cruise ship? ›

Anyone travelling some distance to join their cruise ship, or taking a shore excursion in distant lands will have had the thought cross their mind - “What if I don't make it to the ship in time?” It is estimated that around 5% of passengers will miss their ship once in their cruising lifetime.

What happens if you don't tip on a cruise? ›

However, most cruise lines are based in the U.S., where the crew members' pay structure is based on tips. If you refuse to tip on principle, you are impacting the salaries of the people who have served you well onboard.

How much do you tip a stateroom attendant? ›

Standard tips

The amounts, starting around $11.50 to $16, are generally paid per passenger, per day, and vary among cruise lines and stateroom categories (larger staterooms and suites are generally a couple dollars per day more than standard accommodations).

What is the best room position on a cruise ship? ›

Midship cabins

The big allure of a midship cabin is its stability. You won't feel the rocking of the sea in a midship cabin nearly as much as you will in a cabin toward the front or back of a vessel. This is because ships are like teeter-totters. They pitch forward and back around a central axis that barely moves.

What cruise line has the least problems? ›

The 15 cruise ships with perfect scores of 100
Cruise shipCruise lineScore
Celebrity SummitCelebrity Cruises100
Disney FantasyDisney Cruise Lines100
Disney WonderDisney Cruise Lines100
MSC SeascapeMSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd100
11 more rows
Jul 9, 2023

Which cruise line has the most incidents? ›

The cruise lines which saw the most crimes committed on their vessels in 2023 include:
  • Carnival Cruise Line: 51 incidents.
  • Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: 27 incidents.
  • Disney Cruise Line: 20 incidents.
  • MSC Cruise Lines: 10 incidents.

Who is the No 1 cruise line in the world? ›

The best cruise lines in 2023. Norwegian Cruise Line ranked as the best cruise line in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveler. Norwegian Cruise Line ranked as the top cruise line this year. It is the third-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, according to Cruise Market Watch.

How many people on average fall off a cruise ship? ›

In general, there are about 20 incidents a year. You may have seen a headline like "Carnival cruise woman falls overboard" many times over, but it's usually the same online story circulating in a sensational manner.

Can you get off a cruise and not return? ›

However, although it is allowed by U.S. law, there are still foreign laws and cruise line policies to contend with. In some countries, laws prohibit cruise passengers from permanently disembarking. For customers who only want to take part of their cruise, it's also not a cut-and-dry process.

Do cruises ever leave people behind? ›

Why do ships leave passengers behind? The captain makes the decision to leave based on port regulations, schedules and other factors. For instance, the cruise line has paid expensive docking fees and does not want to pay overcharges that kick in when a ship is late leaving the pier.

What happens if you don't get back on the cruise ship? ›

If you do not return within a few minutes of sailing time (that's why all aboard is half an hour or more before sailing time), they will check your room for your passport. They will inform the local customs and immigration that you have stayed without a visa or permission and will leave your passport with them.

References

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