I went on my first cruise — here are 15 things that surprised me about this type of travel

Business Insider

10-07-2025

Prior to becoming a travel reporter, most of my trips were limited to visiting family in faraway places and budget road trips across the US, where I stayed in campsites, parking lots, and cheap Airbnbs.
I'd traveled by car, bus, train, and plane, but the only boat I'd ever been on was a ferry.
That changed three years ago, when I took my first cruise on one of the world's largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas.
During my seven-night Caribbean voyage, the ship sailed round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Roatn, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.
While I'd seen cruise ships on TV and in movies, I couldn't understand how big these vessels were until I saw one myself. On board, I felt like I was in a small town in the middle of the ocean.
Since this was a new form of transportation, my voyage was full of surprises. I learned that cruising is a lifestyle in itself, and while it's not necessarily for me, I can see what draws people to this type of vacation time and again.
The ship has 2,867 staterooms, according to Royal Caribbean. I booked a midtier room — a step above interior staterooms with no windows, a step below staterooms with a balcony, and two steps below a suite.My 179-square-foot cabin had a private bathroom, a king-size bed, and an ocean view.I was surprised by how big the sale was with such a big discount. To me, $1,000 feels like a huge difference in price for the same vacation.
After leaving to start my day each morning, a stateroom attendant cleaned my room. And after I left for dinner each night, they came back to clean up again. Every evening, they brought me fresh towels — sometimes creatively folded — and a flyer featuring the next day's schedule on the ship with the weather, dress code, and any other important information, such as a time change. This surprised me because I am used to having my room serviced once daily, if at all, during my hotel stays, and never in Airbnbs.
I didn't realize booking a room at the front of the ship would result in a bumpier ride. I booked a stateroom at the very front of deck eight, and I felt constant motion in my room.Some nights were rockier than others. On the roughest nights, I heard and felt a similar sensation to thunder beneath me every few minutes. Loud thumps and heavy vibrations in my room sounded like large pieces of furniture falling down. The first night this happened, I feared the worst, but over time, I realized that this was a normal aspect of cruising — but one I would likely never get used to. After talking to seasoned cruisers on the ship, several told me that the front of the ship is one of the worst places to be for feeling motion. Higher decks in the middle of the ship feel calmer and more stable, they said. Next time, I'd choose a room in the middle of the ship.
All I had to do for safety training was watch a couple of videos — either on my room TV or on the Royal Caribbean app — and then check into my assembly station: the area that I was assigned to go to in case of an emergency. At the assembly station, an attendant checked via the Royal Caribbean app that I had completed the mandatory training.I was expecting to attend a large safety training session once I got on the ship, so this alternative was a breeze.
The ship has 24 elevators, but taking the stairs was often faster. Since there were so many elevators on the ship, I expected them to be a pretty efficient way to get around. But they were often so crowded and slow that I ended up taking the stairs instead. By the middle of my trip, unless I was going all the way up to the pool decks, I always opted for the stairs to save time.
The ship was harder to navigate than expected, and I often got lost on my way to specific venues. The ship has 16 guest decks; each deck is divided into three sections — forward, middle, and aft. It took me a few days to get used to the sections, and I often found myself heading to the right deck but the wrong section of the ship. Luckily, there were maps on every floor, which I used until the morning I left.
In the communal indoor spaces, I was surprised that I didn't even feel like I was on a ship. If I woke up on deck five of Wonder of the Seas with no memory of my cruise, I'd think I was in a shopping mall. Aside from the slight movement of the ship, the indoor decks were so big that, as a cruise newbie, it was hard to believe that I was on a gigantic boat in the middle of the ocean. Everywhere I looked, I saw shops, stands, restaurants, large sculptures, and a unique ceiling structure that reminded me of the malls I've visited.
Throughout the trip, I heard more live music than I thought I would, often in the background of the ship's activities. Aside from music festivals, I've never heard more live music on a trip than I did on this cruise. On the communal decks, musicians played for hours while people relaxed and played around them. I was also surprised by the eclectic mix of genres I heard, from rock to jazz to classical. In addition to the music hall, where concerts were regularly held, live bands performed on indoor and outdoor communal decks, while some people watched and others listened while swimming, relaxing, or walking around.
I thought formal nights would be enforced more. I hate dressing formally, but I knew cruises had required formal nights and therefore brought one nice dress with me. I learned after the first formal night, however, that the dress code wasn't strictly enforced. I noticed people wore a variety of outfits, from evening gowns to T-shirts.I relaxed my look on the other two formal nights, but the dress felt like a waste of the limited space in my suitcase. If I had known it wasn't necessary to wear, I would've left it at home.Read more: 8 things I learned when I sailed solo on my first cruise, from how to meet people to having to pay a 'single supplement'
Some of the best meals I had were included in the rate. One of the unique things about cruising is that most meals, snacks, and drinks are all-inclusive as part of the cruise rate.However, on large ships like Wonder of the Seas, more than a dozen restaurants with specialty offerings like sushi are not included, and incur additional charges, either as a one-time fee or by the dish.However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of the most delicious and satisfying meals I had were in the restaurants that were included for guests. There were a handful of buffets with all different types of food, and the main dining room served a three-course meal with varying menu items each night. These complimentary options satisfied every single one of my cravings. One of the best meals I had was in the main dining room, where I was seated alone.
The cruise ship was full of activities and restaurants that I could go to, but some restaurants, like the specialty ones, as well as all the shows on board, required reservations that I made through the Royal Caribbean app.I found that it was often hard to get day-of reservations for many shows I wanted to attend. Waiting until the last minute to plan for these events was a mistake. For example, the circus-like acrobatic water show in the AquaTheater seemed to be the most popular and hardest reservation to get. I tried to get one on the day of the event but couldn't find any availability until a show two nights later.Next time, I'll make all my show reservations as soon as possible.
But even with extensive preparations, planning anything on a cruise ship was subject to change. The excursion I was most thrilled about — a hot air balloon ride over the Bahamas — was canceled the day of because the winds were too high.It was on the last day of my trip, and with only one day in port, it could not be rescheduled. It was the experience I was looking forward to most, so I was disappointed and didn't realize this was a possibility going into the trip. On a cruise ship, I learned that all plans are subject to change based on things outside the crew's control, like the weather.
I thought the port stops would be longer. Since we traveled such a long way to each port, I wrongfully assumed we'd spend more time in them. The ship usually docked in the morning, around 8 a.m., and left in the early afternoon. I thought I'd have time to explore the port for a while after each excursion, but some of my excursions took the entire day, getting me back to the boat just in time for departure. I was also hoping to see what these places looked like at night, but we never departed after sundown. Although I got a taste of the Caribbean, I felt like I didn't have enough time to get a sense of each place, which made me realize that I would probably prefer to vacation in just one place and have time to truly explore it.
I'm so glad I finally know what it's like to cruise on a giant ship, but I'll probably take a plane next time. Cruise novice here! Before stepping onboard my first Caribbean cruise in April of last year, I had never even seen this type of ship in real life. I embarked on a seven-night voyage on the largest cruise ship of its kind, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. I joined the cruise for a reporting trip with multiple stops in the Caribbean Sea that included Roatn, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private Bahamian island. It felt surreal to be on such a large vessel in the middle of the ocean, and a week of sun and cool breezes was just what I needed after a winter at home in New York City.