Welcome to the new Sunday feature a ‘Q & A with a Cruise Ship Passenger’. Earlier this year we had ‘The Officer Wife Series Travel & Cruise Tips Q & A’ and I had such great feedback I thought let’s get another cruise perspective and who better to ask than the actual passengers!
Being an officer wife on a cruise ship, I meet some lovely people from all over the world and I found some great volunteers to give you all their cruise tips.
This week we will feature the couple, Michael and Gale. They are from Colorado and Arizona in the USA. They have been cruising for over 33 for years and have been on around 90 cruises! So they know their stuff when it comes to cruising. They just love cruising and they are happy when they are on a Cruise Ship!
Let’s see what cruise tips they have for you.
What is your favourite port in the world?
No special port. Most ports are great.
What is your favourite cruise?
World Cruise in 2017 on the Pacific Princess.
Why do you like cruising?
We love cruising because you don’t have to keep packing and unpacking. Get onboard the ship and put your stuff away and enjoy your time. You get great food. You have a great place to stay because someone else does our laundry and our room steward takes great care of us.
What cruise tips would you give to a first-time cruiser?
Take a short 3-day cruise first and make sure you like it. Then if you do like cruising – make them longer and longer. Make a list after you get in your cabin for your room steward of your needs. Extra items you would like – like extra kleenex, extra ice, extra hangars, etc. The room steward can’t read your mind and he’ll be glad you told him
Do you have any packing tips?
Make a very thorough list so you are not sorry you forgot something. In some countries, you may not be able to find things you really want.
What type of cabin do you prefer onboard?
We used to always just stay in balcony rooms but now we like the extra space that is in a Mini-Suite.
Do you like formal nights?
We cruise about 100 to 150 days a year and are tired of getting all dressed up. We do the formal nights if they have them but really prefer not to have them anymore. We do always dress nice enough at night to eat in the dining room.
Do you book your cruises far in advance or last minute?
We book our cruises far in advance – about 1 to 1 and a half years ahead. We do this so we are able to get the floor and room that we want.
Is there a lot of planning involved for you when you book a cruise?
We pick the basic itinerary, places, length of cruise, etc. and then find the cruise and cruise ship that we like. The planning doesn’t take too long.
What is the longest cruise you have been on and would you do it again?
Our longest cruise has been the World Cruise in 2017 (111 days) on the Pacific Princess. And yes we would certainly do it again because we recently booked another World Cruise for 2020. It will be 118 days on the Viking Sun.
Read more Q & A’s with a cruise ship passenger:
Q & A WITH A CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER – PART 1
Q & A WITH A CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER – PART 2
Q & A WITH A CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER – PART 3
Q & A WITH A CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER – PART 5
I hope you enjoyed reading a Q & A with a Cruise Ship Passenger. They gave some great cruise tips and next Sunday you can read more Q & A’s.
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Happy Cruising!
