First-time cruise questions, answered

The short answer

Here are the questions first-time cruisers ask most, grouped by topic and answered in plain words. Each answer stands on its own, and where a rule depends on the cruise line, it's quoted from the line's own website with the date we checked.

By Kathryn Lyn2 min readReviewed September 2026

Pick a topic below, or use your browser's find (Ctrl or ⌘ + F) on any topic page.

Money: what's included in a cruise fare, and what's extra

On mainstream lines, your fare includes your cabin, meals in the main dining room and buffet, entertainment, pools and the gym. Extras usually include daily gratuities, alcohol and most soft drinks, WiFi, specialty restaurants, shore excursions, spa, photos and laundry. Taxes and port fees are added to the fare.

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Tipping on a cruise: how gratuities work

Most cruise lines add a daily gratuity per guest to your onboard account automatically, typically in the high-teens to low-twenties of dollars per person per day, and a separate percentage on drinks and spa. Norwegian says it has no required tipping for general service; Oceania includes gratuities. Each line's own figure is below.

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Cruise cabin questions

Choose a cabin in the middle of the ship on a low-to-middle deck for the least motion, and a balcony if you can afford it. Avoid cabins under the pool deck or buffet, above or below the theater and nightclubs, and next to elevator lobbies. Cabins are compact, with storage for suitcases under the bed.

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Seasickness and health on a cruise

How much motion you feel depends on the ship, the route and the weather. If you're prone to seasickness, choose a cabin low and in the middle of the ship, bring a remedy you've tried before (tablets, bands or a patch prescribed by your doctor), get fresh air and look at the horizon.

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Documents and passports for a cruise

US citizens on a closed-loop cruise, one that starts and ends at the same US port, can often sail with an original or certified birth certificate plus a government-issued photo ID instead of a passport. A passport is still strongly recommended: without one, you can't easily fly home from a foreign port if you miss the ship or have an emergency.

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Drinks on a cruise: packages, prices and bringing your own

A drinks package pays off only if you'd really drink a lot every day. If you have a few drinks a day, paying as you go is usually cheaper. On many lines, everyone of drinking age in the cabin must buy the package if one person does, and a gratuity is added to it. Check your line's rules below.

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Life on board: first-timer questions

Life on board revolves around the daily schedule: shows, activities, dining times and port times for the next day, in the line's app or on paper. Sea days are relaxed, with everything open; port days are busy. Your room card is your key, ID and wallet, and almost everything is charged to your onboard account.

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Dining on a cruise

Most cruise food is included: the main dining room, the buffet and many casual spots. Specialty restaurants cost extra. Dinner is either at a set time with the same servers each night, or flexible, when you choose. Try the main dining room several nights: it's included, and it's where the kitchen does its best cooking.

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Sailing day questions

Arrive at the check-in time you chose online, carry a day bag with documents, medication and a swimsuit, and expect your cabin to be ready around early afternoon and your bags later. Lunch is served from when boarding begins. The muster drill is required before the ship sails and takes about five minutes on most lines.

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Ports and shore excursions

Book through the ship when timing is tight or the port is complicated: if a ship's excursion runs late, the ship waits. Book independently where the port is easy and you'll be back with time to spare, which is often cheaper. Always be back on board before the all-aboard time printed in the daily schedule.

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Phones and WiFi at sea

Put your phone in airplane mode as the ship leaves port: at sea, phones can connect to the ship's own cellular network, which is billed separately and expensively. Then buy the ship's WiFi if you need to be online, or wait for port, where your normal plan may work. Each line's WiFi options are below.

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Getting off: disembarkation questions

On the last morning, breakfast is served, you leave the cabin early, and guests leave in groups once the ship is cleared. Carrying your own bags gets you off first. Keep medication and the morning's clothes out of the bags you put outside your cabin the night before, and book a flight for the early afternoon or later.

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Money: what's included in a cruise fare, and what's extra

Tipping on a cruise: how gratuities work

Cruise cabin questions

Seasickness and health on a cruise

Documents and passports for a cruise

Drinks on a cruise: packages, prices and bringing your own

Life on board: first-timer questions

Dining on a cruise

Sailing day questions

Ports and shore excursions

Phones and WiFi at sea

Getting off: disembarkation questions

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