Heidi BucoloAfter 100+ cruises, we’ve learned the hard way what’s a waste of time and waste of money on a cruise. When it comes to cruise time wasters, it’s all the little things that add up quickly: the line you didn’t need to stand in, the sales pitch disguised as a free seminar, and the sea day scramble for a deck chair that was empty two hours earlier.
We all book cruises to enjoy the ship and the ports, not get stuck in endless lines. So, to help you stay one step ahead of everyone else, we’ve put together this list of the 20 biggest cruise time wasters, including plenty we’ve been guilty of ourselves over the years. Skip them and you’ll get back the one thing there’s never enough of on a cruise: time!
1. Not Flying in a Day Early
This one might be the most crucial on the list, because it’s the one thing that can cost you the whole cruise instead of an hour or two of your time. When you fly in the morning your ship sails, one delayed or canceled flight leaves you with two bad options: pay to chase the ship to its next port on your own dime, or miss the sailing entirely.
Flying in the day before turns a travel meltdown into a good night’s sleep and a relaxed morning before boarding your cruise ship. The cost of a pre-cruise hotel night is insignificant compared to the cost of an entirely missed cruise, especially if you don’t have travel insurance.
2. Arriving Too Early on Embarkation Day
There’s always an eagerness on embarkation day that makes you want to be first in line, but showing up hours before your check-in window usually just means waiting in the terminal (or even worse, outside in the heat) instead of onboard the ship. Most cruise lines assign arrival times for a reason, and some are stricter than others about boarding earlier than your scheduled arrival time.
We always aim to complete our online check-in as soon as it opens to get an early boarding group. And regardless of that time, we never arrive to the cruise port more than 30-60 minutes before the window starts. Instead, sleep in, enjoy a nice breakfast at your hotel, or spend a couple of hours exploring the homeport city.
3. Not Completing Online Check-In Before You Reach the Terminal
Most major cruise lines let you handle check-in ahead of time via the cruise line’s app or online platform. This process usually entails loading a security photo, passport details, payment method, emergency contacts, and other necessary information. If you neglect to do this ahead of time, you’ll be stuck doing all of it at the cruise terminal while the line behind you grows.
Always complete as much of the check-in process as you can at home. The five minutes it takes to do while relaxing on your couch saves you time in line and gets you onto the ship faster on embarkation day.
4. Waiting to Download the Cruise Line’s App
Similarly, most cruise lines now have an app that’s used for just about everything once onboard the ship. The app is how you’ll check the daily schedule, make dining reservations, track your onboard account, and message your travel companions. The terminal or the ship is not the place to finally download it. While cruise ship WiFi has gotten better over the years, it will still take longer than it would’ve at home.
So, save yourself some time and make sure you have the app on your phone before you head to the ship. You should also log in and complete any setup needed. That way, by the time you step onboard, it’s ready to go.
5. Packing Prohibited Items
Every cruise line publishes a list of what you can’t bring. Some items aren’t as obvious as others. Power strips with surge protection, extension cords, irons and steamers, certain beverages, candles, drones, heating pads, and more will get flagged and confiscated. When security pulls a bag for a prohibited item, that bag gets set aside, which means it arrives at your cabin hours later than everyone else’s. Or, you might even have to go to the “naughty room” to claim it.
A quick scan of the prohibited items list, and food and drink allowances, before you pack saves a lot of time in the long run.
6. Eating at the Buffet at Peak Times, Especially on Embarkation Day
The buffet on embarkation day at noon is the most crowded that space will be all week. Everyone boards at the same time and heads to the same place. This results in long lines, impatient people, and no available tables. We’ve learned to eat somewhere else that first afternoon: a sit-down venue, an alternate quick-service spot, or the buffet later in the day if it’s the only option.
Actually, we try to avoid the buffet whenever we can during the entire cruise. Most cruise ships have plenty of other dining spots like burger joints, quick-service Mexican, pizza, and grills that are often better. The ship’s main dining room is often open for sit-down breakfast and lunch as well. Or, even some specialty restaurants offer lunch deals.
7. Not Exploring the Ship on Day One
Spend a couple hours on embarkation day walking the ship and you’ll save yourself days of confusion. Learn where the main dining room and theater are located and which elevator bank is closest to your cabin. Find all the ship’s signature amenities, and perhaps, your favorite quiet spot or bar. Also, take a moment to directionally orient yourself, figuring out what’s forward vs. aft and portside vs. starboard.
The alternative is a week of wrong turns and “wait, is this the way?” moments. Day one, while the ship is still quiet and you’re waiting for your cabin, is the perfect time to get your bearings. It always amazes us how many people still can’t find a venue on day five of the cruise.
8. Living Out of a Suitcase
It’s tempting to leave everything in your suitcase just plopped on the sofa for the entire week. It’s easily accessible and you can pull out what you want each day. But digging through your luggage every time you need something isn’t fun. Plus, it takes up valuable space in an already tiny cruise cabin.
Cabins have more storage than many first-time cruisers may think. We unpack everything on day one, put clothes in the drawers and closet (packing cubes help), and slide the empty suitcases under the bed. To help organize things even further, we always pack magnetic hooks and a hanging pocket organizer. This way everything is easy to find, and the cabin actually feels like a room instead of a pile of clutter.
9. Waiting in Line to Book Packages Once Onboard
Drink packages, WiFi, specialty dining, spa passes: the desks that sell these are mobbed on day one because everyone waited until they boarded the ship to purchase them. Smart cruisers book them before their cruise through the online planner. Honestly, you’ll often get a better price when booking pre-cruise as well. So, it’s a win-win situation!
Whenever we can, we always secure all our packages and reservations before we even step foot on the cruise ship. While everyone else is waiting in line, we’re enjoying all the amenities without the crowds.
10. Waiting in Line at Guest Services
It never fails: Guest Services always has long lines on embarkation afternoon, the first sea day morning, and the last night of the cruise. Standing in that line is one of the most avoidable cruise time wasters on the ship. Many questions can be answered in the app or by calling on the phone in your cabin. Some cruise lines even have a chat feature in the app so you can get your issues resolved without ever visiting the reception desk in person.
If you do need to visit Guest Services for any reason, go at an off-peak hour and you’ll often walk right up. Port days while others are ashore or evenings when others are at dinner are usually more approachable.
11. Not Making Dining Reservations in Advance for “My Time” Options
It’s true that cruise dining has become more flexible over the years. Most major cruise lines now offer some form of “my time” dining in addition to the early and late traditional seatings. But that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t make dinner plans in advance. Showing up to the main dining room at 7 PM without a reservation means standing in line or being given a pager much like a restaurant on land.
Even with flexible dining, we always recommend making reservations ahead of time. Instead of a set dining time for the duration of the cruise, you could reserve 6 PM one night and 7:30 PM another based on your schedule. Securing those preferred times in advance either through the app or the cruise planner means you’ll walk right past the line. Even if you aren’t completely sure when you’ll want to eat, reserve a slot anyway. You can always adjust your plans if needed once onboard the ship.
12. Waiting Until a Sea Day to Try the Top Attractions
The go-karts, the ropes course, the water slides, the over-water swing, or the roller coaster are the most in-demand attractions on the newest megaships. They’re exactly where everyone else heads on a sea day, so the lines are usually the longest. Don’t make this common sea day mistake!
Instead, go in the opposite direction of the crowds like we do. We always try to experience the top attractions during off-peak times. Think port days when much of the ship is ashore or first thing in the morning when it opens. While everyone else is waiting in line, you can snag a seat at the pool, grab your favorite drink, and just relax.
13. Trying to Hunt Down Deck Chairs at Peak Times
Speaking of grabbing a seat by the pool, here’s where it’s crucial to beat the crowds so you don’t waste time circling the lido deck hoping to score a vacant lounger. By mid-morning on a sea day, the main pool deck is already packed. Not to mention, the chair hogs are hard at work securing spots with bags and towels for family who won’t arrive for hours. This scene plays out all too often and is a frustrating way to start a relaxing day at sea.
So what should you do instead? Either wake up early if you have your heart set on a prime lounger near the pool or look elsewhere for your slice of paradise. Perhaps there’s an adults-only area, an upper sundeck with additional loungers, other forward and aft outdoor spaces away from the main pool, or shaded nooks on a lower promenade deck. If you did your homework and explored on day one, you’ll know exactly where to go.
14. Waiting for an Elevator
Elevator banks on a big ship at peak times, like right after a show or disembarkation morning, are a test of patience. But there are a few tricks that save us every time. You can use a different elevator bank, take the stairs when you’re only going a few decks, or hop on a car heading in the opposite direction.
If you’re exiting the theater after a show, there’s bound to be a long wait at the forward elevators, so head aft instead. If you’re finding it impossible to get an elevator down on disembarkation morning, request one up instead. Once you’ve got a spot for you and your luggage, you can ride it back down to where you need to go.
15. Attending Art Auctions and Port Shopping Talks
Art auctions, port shopping talks, and seminars might be the biggest wastes of money and time on a cruise. These “free” events are marketed as fun onboard activities, where you can get a glass of free champagne or be entered into a raffle for a free gift. But the reality is that they’re just sales pitches. The shopping talk steers you toward a short list of stores that paid for advertisement; the art auction is hoping to persuade you to bid; and the spa seminar is trying to convince you to purchase a service.
We learned early on to skip them all. For most of us, it’s an hour of vacation we’d rather spend almost anywhere else on the ship.
16. Spending All Your Time in the Casino
If gambling is the vacation you want, Vegas does it bigger and better. You booked a cruise to enjoy what only a cruise vacation offers. Spend time ashore in port enjoying the local culture and food scene. Test out all the fun amenities on your cruise ship. Perhaps, you’d like to dine at a specialty restaurant or make your own bar crawl. Relax by the pool or on your balcony enjoying the views. Join in on a trivia session, a dance class, or attend a comedy show.
A few slot pulls for fun is one thing. But a shipboard casino is a windowless room you could visit anywhere, and every hour in it is an hour of missing out on what you actually paid for.
17. Booking Shore Excursions With the Cruise Line
In many instances, booking shore excursions with the cruise line is not only a waste of money but also a time waster. For one, you’ll usually pay more for a similar experience when booking with the cruise line vs. third party vendors like Shore Excursions Group. Cruise line excursions also tend to have larger group sizes, which means it’s like herding cattle for the tour guide. Inevitably, someone on your tour is late and you’re stuck waiting for them.
But also, cruise line excursions often mean gathering in the theater 30+ minutes in advance, waiting for your group to be called, and loading onto a large bus that takes 10 minutes just to load and unload. That’s extra time you could already be exploring your destination!
If you decide to book independently, just leave yourself a comfortable buffer to get back. The ship won’t wait for you if you’re late. (Of note: Shore Excursions Group backs its tours with a guarantee to get you to the next port if their excursion makes you miss the ship.)
18. Waiting for Tenders
The one circumstance where it may actually benefit you to book a shore excursion with the cruise line is when your ship is tendering. When a ship can’t dock in port, it anchors off the coast and ferries guests ashore on small tender boats. This process is slow and often involves getting tender tickets or waiting in long lines.
Here’s the exception to the shore excursion advice above: booking a tour through the cruise line at a tender port usually earns you priority tendering. So, you’ll skip the general queue and get ashore ahead of other passengers. If you’re going ashore independently, you usually need to wait for shore excursions to leave before you can head out.
19. Not Settling Your Account Before Disembarkation
Disembarkation morning is the worst possible time to discover a charge on your account you need to dispute. Everyone is checking out at once, the Guest Services line is at its longest, and you’re on a clock to leave the ship and catch a flight home. We always review our onboard account either in the app or on the stateroom television throughout the cruise and clear up any questions a day or two before the end of the trip. If you wait until you’re home, there’s no guarantee the charge will be reversed.
Additionally, if you’re paying with cash or never linked a credit card to your onboard account, you won’t be able to scan off the ship to disembark. This can be quite embarrassing!
20. Disembarking at the Wrong Time
A day or two before the end of the cruise, you’ll either receive luggage tags or be asked to complete disembarkation information and pick up your own tags at Guest Services. Either way, you’ll leave your luggage outside the cabin the night before and wait for the assigned tags to get called the next morning. If you get off the ship before your tags are called, your luggage will not be ready for you to collect in the terminal.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to wait around at all, you can complete self-assist disembarkation. This is usually the first group allowed to leave the ship once it’s cleared by local authorities. However, this means you are responsible for all your own luggage. Only select this option if you can safely manage getting all your suitcases down the gangway to the terminal on your own.
The Real Waste of Time
Every item on this list comes down to one idea: spend your time enjoying the ship and the ports, not waiting in lines or stuck at sales pitches. Vacations always seem to end too quickly, so don’t lose any precious minutes of it on these 20 cruise time wasters.
Comments
Do you agree with our list of cruise time wasters? Are you still guilty of any of these? Drop us an anchor below to share what you think is the biggest waste of time on a cruise.
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