13 Sea Day Mistakes You’re Still Making (And How to Fix Them)

For many cruisers, sea days are the best part of cruising. These are the days when there are no stops or ports of call. Instead, there is ample time to enjoy all that your cruise ship offers. Sadly, we see too many first timers, and even some seasoned cruisers, go about sea days all wrong. Of course, we want you to stay one step ahead of everyone else onboard. So, we put together this list of the common sea day mistakes most cruisers still make — plus what to do instead.

1. Sleeping in

For many, a cruise vacation is a time to relax and unwind. Most seven-night cruises contain two or three sea days and three or four ports of call, depending on the itinerary. Those ports days often include early stops, usually between 7 to 9 am. This might mean that you are waking up earlier than when you go to work to catch the first tour buses of the day.

Naturally, many take sea days to catch up on some sleep. With nowhere to go, cruisers opt to pass on the alarm while the ship is out to sea. However, sleeping in can be one of the biggest sea day mistakes. As the saying goes, the early bird gets… the lounge chair?

If you sleep too late, you will most likely not get a prime seat on the pool deck. Chair hogs will be out and about claiming all the coveted loungers.

Also, sleeping late means you could miss out on sea day brunch or other activities happening around the ship. Most modern cruise ships offer a variety of things to do from trivia and dance classes to water slides, ropes courses, and even one-of-a-kind attractions like go karts at sea. On a sea day, it is tough to fit everything in if you opt to sleep until noon. So, we suggest getting up early to beat the crowds.

The best part is that getting up early means you can take a nice afternoon nap. Whether on your balcony or the outdoor decks, there is nothing better than a little midday snooze in the Caribbean.

2. Not Applying Sunscreen

It might seem like common sense that when spending an entire day outside, you should use sunscreen. Yet, all too often we see many fellow passengers spotting a unique shade of red by day three or four. We have been guilty of this sea day mistake ourselves. But, we do our best to pack several bottles of sunscreen and apply it regularly.

There are several forms of sunscreen you can choose from, including sprays, lotions, or even the roll-on variety. Whatever version it takes to make sure you and the rest of the family apply, it’s worth packing.

You should also apply sunscreen more than once per day. If you use the pools or any of the outdoor water attractions on the cruise ship and plan to stay out in the sun, be sure to reapply afterwards.

Also, don’t think because you are doing a cold water cruise that you don’t need sunscreen. For many, it is obvious that cruises in the Mediterranean and Caribbean require some heavy duty SPF. But, we have also gotten a bit red sailing in Northern Europe, Alaska, and there is even the potential for sunburn in Antarctica.

So, regardless of the region, you should lather up when spending an extended period of time outside.

3. Heading to the Spa or Thermal Suite

Most cruise ships offer a spa with various treatments like massages. It is also possible that your particular cruise ship has a thermal suite with experiences like a sauna, steam room, heated stone loungers, and more. So, it might be tempting to want to indulge in one of the experiences on a sea day.

But, odds are you and hundreds of other cruisers are thinking the same thing. So, the spa and thermal suite will be extremely busy. While it might be possible to get an appointment on a sea day if you book early on boarding day, the total experience may feel rushed or crowded. The spa or onboard salon will be trying to squeeze in as many cruisers as possible.

This can lead to long waits and delays. That doesn’t sound all that rejuvenating to us.

Instead, pick one of the port days and stay on the ship. This is the ideal time to get a massage or hit up the thermal suite. It will be less crowded, and you can have a better selection of appointment times. Plus, it will most likely be cheaper. Many cruise lines run port day deals for these services. Fewer crowds and less money is a win-win in our book.

4. Skipping Breakfast

While there are several dining options on most cruise ships, each venue is only open for a set number of hours. For breakfast, many cruise ships have the main dining room open on sea days, but only for a few hours. While the ship’s buffet tends to be open longer, the options are reduced later in the morning as well.

That said, many cruisers who sleep in on sea days end up skipping breakfast. While you don’t need to have a sit-down feast, we suggest that you have something in the morning to fuel you up for a fun-filled day on board — even if you plan to take it easy.

It’s also worth noting that, depending on the weather and sea conditions, the ship might feel a bit rocky on sea days. Having some food in your stomach is a good way to ward off any potential seasickness in case the seas get a bit rough.

If you want to lounge in your cabin, consider room service. Most cruise lines still offer a free continental breakfast option for room service. Sometimes it is even worth paying the modest up-charge to get hot room service breakfast on a sea day.

5. Spending the Entire Day in One Spot

Yes, sea days are a great way to recharge the batteries. This is especially true if you are travelers like us who want to do and see everything during a trip. So, it’s tempting to relax outside with the ocean breeze and some live music and do nothing. With poolside competitions like the belly flop contest or movies on the jumbo screen, you don’t feel like you’re missing anything.

However, odds are your ship has much more to offer than a pool and lounge chairs. There are typically several outdoor amenities like adults-only areas, mini-golf, and sports deck attractions. There’s probably plenty of indoor activities that are worth checking out as well.

There are things like trivia contests, dance classes, karaoke sessions, and other demonstrations that might interest you. Depending on the region, there could be enrichment talks or lectures too, and we aren’t talking about those port shopping presentations.

If nothing else, spend some time roaming around the ship. If you didn’t already explore on embarkation day, this is the time to discover a hidden gem or check out those public venues that you haven’t seen yet. Think of it this way: taking a walk is a great way to burn some extra calories too.

6. Overscheduling Your Day

On the flip side, it is equally easy to go too far in the other direction and try to pack every waking hour of your sea day with back-to-back activities. We get it — there is so much to do onboard modern megaships that FOMO can set in and it can feel like you need to squeeze it all in. We are definitely guilty of this ourselves!

But overscheduling your sea day can leave you feeling more exhausted than refreshed. Instead, pick your top priorities and build your day loosely around those. Leave room to linger, stumble upon something unexpected, or simply sit on the deck and watch the ocean go by.

Remember, you will likely have another sea day or two before the cruise is over. You don’t have to do everything today.

7. Not Prepping for Seasickness

Many cruisers have no issue with motion sickness on most sailings. But if you’re especially prone to motion sickness, it is prudent to prepare yourself ahead of time.

Say you wake up on a sea day and see that it’s a bit rocky, but figure you’ll wait it out and go have breakfast before deciding whether you need to take/put on a seasickness aid. But during breakfast, it becomes apparent that you definitely do need it, and wish you’d taken it sooner.

Don’t put a damper on half your sea day by waiting to aid in potential seasickness. If you want to go the patch route, these should usually be applied before you even set foot aboard the ship. But if you’re going a more short-term route — like dramamine or an acupressure band — consider taking action as soon as you realize that there’s potential for seasickness during your sea day.

That way, you have the best shot at a nausea-free, dizzy-free day at sea to fully enjoy the ship.

8. Not Taking Advantage of Your Drink Package

If you decide to purchase a drink package, a sea day is the perfect time to make full use of this upgrade. Now, we are not encouraging irresponsible consumption of beverages. We would never promote trying to purposely over consume to “get your money’s worth.” You’ll just end up regretting that tomorrow.

Still, a sea day is the perfect time to enjoy a Bloody Mary or mimosa at breakfast. After all, you did take our advice to wake up early, right? It’s also the ideal time to sip a few frozen drinks poolside. At dinner, why not have a few glasses of wine? You might want to grab a cocktail after the show, too.

Now is the time to try a new drink. If you don’t like it, you can get another one for no added cost.

But, also don’t forget about all of the other beverages that are part of the package as well. Depending on the cruise line, these can include smoothies, specialty coffees and lattes, freshly-squeezed juices, sports drinks, bottles of water, and soda.

So, grab that double espresso for your afternoon pick-me-up, or get a few bottles of Powerade to store in your cabin. We always grab extra bottles of water to store in our room as well. This way, we have them for the morning or if we are rushing off for an early shore excursion.

9. Not Staying Hydrated

On the flip side, while we encourage you to take full advantage of your drink package, don’t forget to actually drink water too. It sounds obvious, but it is one of the easiest sea day mistakes to make. Between the sun, the salty ocean air, and a few poolside cocktails, dehydration can sneak up on you faster than you’d expect.

Many cruisers don’t realize how much the combination of heat and alcohol is taking a toll until they feel run down mid-afternoon — which can put a real damper on the rest of your day, especially if you have evening entertainment planned.

The good news is that if you have a drink package, staying hydrated is essentially free. A good rule of thumb: for every alcoholic drink you have, follow it up with a glass of water. Your future self — especially the version waking up for that early port stop tomorrow — will thank you.

10. Eating Lunch in the Buffet

Regardless of the size of the ship, there is bound to be at least one place that’s busy on a sea day: the buffet. In particular, the buffet is sure to be crowded around lunchtime. So, instead of battling the lines with everyone else, we suggest you head elsewhere for lunch. This is one of the easiest cruise sea day mistakes you can avoid.

On many larger cruise ships, there will be a variety of other dining options. There might be a pizza parlor, burger joint, a cafe with sandwiches, or snacks available at other dining venues.

Almost all cruise ships will have the main dining room open for lunch on sea days as well. So, you can enjoy a three course sit-down lunch with the same level of service you have for dinner. Just note that while casual clothes are allowed, you can’t show up in swimwear.

Or, if you are looking to upgrade your lunch experience, consider a specialty restaurant. Some of the ship’s specialty restaurants will most likely be open for limited lunch time hours. These specialty restaurants usually feature a pared down menu when compared to the dinner menu. But, the price will almost certainly be cheaper (or free!). So, trying out one of these venues at a lower rate might be an excellent option.

With so many other options available for lunch, there really is no excuse to join the rest of the herd at the buffet… at least in our opinion.

11. Passing on the Gym

We know it’s a vacation. With so much going on during the trip, it can be easy to pass on routine things like the gym. But, a sea day is actually the perfect time to squeeze in a workout. Odds are, the fitness center will be the quietest early in the morning or late in the afternoon before dinner.

Cruisers can take their workouts outside as well. Many cruise ships offer running tracks or, if the cruise ship has a sports deck, you could work up a sweat in a friendly competition of basketball or pickleball.

While the pool will often be too busy for some laps, there are plenty of ways to work out on modern cruise ships. So, even if you don’t want to head inside for the gym, you can still get your heart rate up and burn off those extra cruise calories. That way, you won’t feel bad about eating dessert at dinner.

12. Missing Evening Entertainment

Your sea day doesn’t end when the sun goes down. In fact, there is still plenty of fun to be had at night. It is possible that the sea day might feature a themed night like formal night. Or, it might feature a special event like the White Party or a silent disco. These are some of the most popular activities on the ship.

Not to mention, one of the signature productions might be playing in the theater. There might be an adult game show happening or a standup comedian offering a late night set.

We know it is tempting to remain in your bathing suit for the duration of the day. But, there is really much more to a sea day than the daytime events. So, make sure to pace yourself appropriately and leave enough energy for a lineup of nighttime fun to round out the day.

13. Neglecting the Crew

It is true that on sea days, venues will be busier than when in a port of call. Still, even if the bars are busy or the dining room crowded, there is still always time to interact with the crew. One sea day mistake many make is forgetting to engage with crew members.

Though they’re working, it’s fine for you to take a minute to say hi and ask them how they are doing. They are usually more than happy to talk for a few minutes about the trip and their time onboard the ship.

Some crew members are more talkative than others, so don’t feel like you have to force a conversation. But, we have certainly spent time learning more about those working onboard during these interactions on sea days. Whether you run into your MDR server at lunch, your stateroom attendant in the hallway, or your favorite bartender, strike up a quick conversation. It just might turn out to be a highlight of both your day and theirs.

This also goes for the cruise director and the activities staff. It can’t hurt to go up to them after a trivia session or game show to say thanks and let them know you are having a fantastic cruise!

Comments

What other sea day mistakes have you made on a cruise? Do you enjoy a sea day more than a port day? Drop us an anchor below with your sea day favorites.