The cruise you take depends on your vacation style and preference.

To figure out what kind of cruise to take, you should know the main types of cruise. There are three main types: a touring cruise, a weekend cruise, and a repositioning cruise.

Touring Cruise

Touring cruises usually last about a week, and they have a new stop each day plus a day with no stop (a “sea day”). These are the most common, and they are a lot of fun.

These are amazing cruises because you see a lot of variety! You can visit several different places in one week, and you can have many excellent experiences at each place. The cruise line offers a variety of excursions at each stop.

Touring cruises have two types of excursions: sightseeing and adventure. Common sightseeing excursions include a walking tour o

f a city or a bus tour to nature or historic sites. Of course, there will be many selfie-sights:

Adventure excursions typically involve something active, such as zip-lining, snorkeling, hiking, or bicycling. Often they combine hiking or climbing to historic sights:

Weekend Cruise

Weekend cruises, also called “booze cruises,” are popular with the younger crowds. They’re typically open-bar weekend cruises to the Bahamas. The cruises stop for a day or two at the cruise company’s private beach for some more shenanigans. If you just want a weekend of decompression or partying, then it would be a great option. I honestly haven’t been on one of these cruises, but I know they exist and are enjoyed by many.

Repositioning Cruise

Repositioning cruises allow cruise ships to change home ports, such as when the Norwegian Bliss goes from Alaska in the summer to the Caribbean in the winter.

When a ship repositions along land, there are a lot of ports along the way. For instance, when a ship goes from being an Alaskan cruise, based in Seattle, to a Caribbean cruise, based in Miami, it might stop in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Columbia, and Panama.

Repositioning can take place in any area in the world, but cruises that cross the Atlantic are so distinct that they’re specially called transatlantic cruises. A transatlantic cruise might have a port or two on either side of the journey, but they are notable for having about seven sea days. These cruises are all about the ship.

I love cruising on Norwegian because they have a jam-packed itinerary. For me, transatlantic cruises are the best opportunity to experience the ship you’ve paid for instead of spending most of your time on the ship sleeping.

Transatlantic cruises are about the ship and about the party:

 

 

 

The Cruise Terminal

In my most recent trip on the Norwegian Getaway, as part of the check-in process, Norwegian asked that I make a reservation to arrive at the cruise terminal. So, naturally, I chose one of the earlier time slots, about 10:00 a.m.

When I got there, it was a mess of people. The check-in time didn’t matter. Everyone was sent to a waiting area designated by their cabin class or location until their area was called to board the ship.

I learned that, instead of waiting in the terminal with a lot of confused, impatient cruisers, it is better to arrive after everyone has figured out what is what and has boarded the ship. No one should come early to wait in line. I’ve talked to others, and the consensus is to come two hours before you have to for no line. 

Some cruise terminals are simple, like in NYC, and you just arrive and go to your cruise because there’s only one ship. It took a little more time when I was in Barcelona because I needed to take a bus to the right ship. It was my first cruise, but per usual, asking random people where to go worked like a charm!

Luggage

You can drop your luggage with the cruise, and they will take it to your room. On my first cruise, I was a little unsure about this, but it works fine. They have a system. Just make sure your luggage is tagged with your name and cabin number.

On my first cruise, I just took it myself, figuring that if my luggage was misplaced, it would throw a wrench in my vacation. Now I just bring my separate airplane carry-on, which holds anything delicate or irreplaceable, like my computer, camera, and whatever else I could fit.

Ship Room Card

When you check into the cruise terminal, you’ll get your cruise card. You’ll need to show your passport and cruise ticket to get this. Your card is linked to your onboard account to make all spending super easy, of course. They will also take your picture.

Your card will also serve as your way to leave and reboard the ship. While I bring my passport with me at all ports, I’ve never once had to show it to anyone after the initial check-in. Crew members scan your room card to check you out of the ship and again to check you in.

Your card will also act as a credit card, letting you buy any items in the ship’s fairly extensive stores. While most items in the ship store are overpriced, over-the-counter medications are reasonably priced, as the ship has a vested interest in keeping everyone as healthy as possible.

International Safety Drill

It’s always exciting to board the ship, look around, and get a drink. You can do some exploring, but in my experience, not much is open until the ship, crew, and captain lead the muster drill. The muster drill is required to be reviewed with all cruise passengers within 24 hours in accordance with the International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea regulations and tells cruisers what to do in an emergency. It’s just like the flight attendants’ presentation before your plane takes off, but louder, as they usually sound the emergency horn as an example. You will have a specific area to check in for the drill, which will be designated on your room card.

The drill takes place about 30 minutes prior to sailing. Some cruise lines won’t even let you enter your room until the drill is complete. Either way, they scan your key card at the drill, and if you miss it, they’ll find you to go over it.

After the muster drill, the rest of the ship and its services will be open.

Go have fun—your cruise has finally started!