What Should I Book Before Setting Sail on My Cruise?

You’ve completed the hard part — your cruise is booked! Now you can just kick back and count down the days until the trip, right? Not so fast. Once your cruise is booked, then comes all of the other things you will want to consider planning ahead of time to create the vacation of your dreams.

After your cruise is reserved, you should set up an account on the cruise line’s website (if you don’t have one already from booking your cruise). Once you’ve done that, you can view your booking details and plan numerous different things (activities, dining, excursions, etc.) before you even board the ship. If you aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help you decide what you should book before your cruise.

Key Takeaways

• Once you’ve booked your cruise, there are several additional things you may want to book before the cruise begins.
• Pre-cruise items to take care of include transportation to the cruise port, a pre-cruise hotel (if necessary), and checking in online prior to embarkation
• You’ll also want to book some aspects of your onboard experience ahead of time, such as specialty dining and some activities and entertainment
• If there are inclusive packages you’ll want for your vacation, book those ahead of time as well. They can include things like drink packages, wifi access, and access to the spa’s thermal suite

13 Things You Should Book Before Your Cruise (2025)

1. Transportation

If you are local to the cruise port, you should decide how you will get there. You could arrange for private transportation, take an Uber or Lyft, take a train, or pay to park your car for the duration of the cruise. If you plan to drive yourself to the cruise terminal, you should investigate parking rates in the area to ensure you get the best deal.

If you will be flying to your cruise’s embarkation port, you will need to book your airfare. We always recommend flying a day early to avoid any pre-cruise stress. If you do plan to fly in the morning of your cruise, you should confirm your ship’s sail away time and book a flight that gives you plenty of buffer in between.

Then, you will also need to arrange your transportation from the airport to the cruise ship. You can either pre-book a shuttle service or just plan to take a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, which is generally our preferred transportation method.

When arranging a flight home, be sure that you don’t book one that is too early. When you are allowed to disembark the ship at the end of your cruise varies by the cruise line. It can also be impacted by weather, ship technical difficulties, receiving clearance from port customs, and a plethora of other reasons. The cruise lines recommend that passengers avoid booking any flights before noon. While we have booked earlier flights on some occasions, we generally agree.

2. Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay

As mentioned above, one of our recommendations for cruisers who do not live within driving distance of the cruise port is always to arrive a day early. This will help to alleviate any stress surrounding flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, etc. This is especially true if you are flying in the winter from locations where snow and ice might impact your travels.

We always fly a day early and stay the night in a hotel. This ensures that we get a good night’s sleep and are well rested for embarkation day. No one wants to start off a cruise vacation feeling tired or in a rush.

Some hotels provide shuttle service to the cruise terminal which also might need to be booked in advance. If you are driving to the cruise terminal, you should also consider a pre-cruise hotel stay as some properties offer free parking for the duration of your cruise.

3. Check-In/Assigned Boarding Time

When preparing for your cruise, remember to complete the online check-in process. For the most part, you can fill out this required paperwork up to three days before embarkation. This process usually requires some basic information about your travel party, as well as setting up an account for onboard spending. The check-in process will also assign you a boarding time to help ease the flow of passengers getting on the ship.

Further, some cruise lines now offer priority boarding packages. If this is something you are interested in, this will need to be booked before your cruise as well. For instance, Carnival Cruise Line offers the Faster to the Fun package on some ships. Similarly, Royal Caribbean has The Key. These packages vary in terms of what is included, but they will ensure you are among the first cruisers to board the ship.

4. Dining Reservations

Most mainstream cruise lines offer a substantial variety of dining options on their ships. There’s the traditional set time dining which offers an early or late seating time. While the times do vary slightly by cruise line and ship, you will want to make sure you note your preference before the cruise.

Many cruise lines also offer some form of anytime dining. This option enables cruisers to eat whenever they want during the entire dinnertime period with no set arrival time from day-to-day. This allows guests flexibility and to have dinner around their changing schedules each day. However, similar to restaurants on land, there will likely be wait times during peak dining hours. Thus, we suggest securing at least some anytime dining reservations ahead of time (if offered by your cruise line).

Further, most cruise ships have specialty restaurants. These elevated venues generally include steakhouses, seafood restaurants, Italian restaurants, and other unique dining offerings. While specialty restaurants do generally cost extra, you might choose one for a special occasion. Again, prime dining times fill up quickly, so we highly recommend that you book any specialty restaurants before you board the ship.

Perhaps, you might even want to splurge on a specialty dining package, offered by lines such as Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises. These packages allow you to pre-purchase multiple days of specialty restaurant meals in advance for a slight discount vs. booking them separately.

5. Entertainment Reservations (If Applicable)

Modern cruise ships boast Broadway-caliber production shows, unique entertainment offerings, and a host of additional amenities.

On some of the larger ships (mainly from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line), you are required (or strongly recommended) to have a reservation for certain entertainment and onboard activities. Often these reservations can be booked before your cruise.

Depending on the cruise line, you can usually make these entertainment and activity reservations at least a month or two before your sailing. The popular shows and times can fill-up quickly, so we highly suggest you reserve them as soon as they become available.

6. Shore Excursions

Half of the fun of going on a cruise vacation is exploring new destinations. While at your ports of call, you’ll want to have a plan which may include booking some shore excursions. These activities can include city tours, adventure experiences, beach breaks, food tours, and plenty of other exciting experiences.

Your cruise line will have a list of different activities at each port of call. You can view these shore excursions in your online cruise planner and will be able to purchase them pre-cruise. In fact, we highly recommend securing all your shore excursions prior to your trip.

There are several third-party operators and local vendors that provide similar, if not better, tour offerings as well. You might get a more personalized and intimate experience and/or a better price by booking outside the cruise line.

Regardless of with whom you book, you could miss out on some of the fun if you wait too long. Some of these experiences can and do sell out before the cruise even sets sail.

7. Drink Packages

Unless you are cruising on a luxury ship or you booked your cruise with a fare that included a drink package, your cruise fare does not include alcoholic beverages. In fact, most cruise lines even charge extra for things like soda, specialty coffees, and bottled water.

Thus, many cruise lines offer drink packages. These packages charge a flat per person, per day fee, but make the cruise more inclusive by covering the costs of these up-charge beverages.

The types of packages and inclusions do vary by cruise line. Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Drink package is nearly all-inclusive. However, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Premium Drink package only covers alcoholic drinks (not bottled water or specialty coffee) and Carnival’s Cheers Package limits alcoholic beverages to 15 drinks per 24-hour period.

Most cruise lines offer non-alcoholic beverage packages, like soda packages or specialty coffee packages as well. You can purchase drink packages prior to the cruise on the cruise line’s website. Using the cruise planner, you can often pre-purchase these items at a reduced cost.

For instance, Carnival Cruise Line offers around a 10 percent discount on its Cheers drink package if purchased pre-cruise. Many other cruise lines also run promotions and sales with anywhere from 20 to 40 percent off cruise planner items.

8. Thermal Suite Pass

Besides the typical pool deck and solarium found on many cruise ships, many ships also have a thermal suite. This area of the spa typically offer a mix of steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, experiential showers, heated stone loungers, and even snow rooms; however, they are usually not part of your cruise fare.

Generally, you can purchase a full-cruise pass or try to score a day pass on a port day. If you are certain that you will spend lots of time in the thermal suite throughout the voyage, consider purchasing the full cruise pass prior to setting sail. By booking before your cruise, there is a chance that you can save money vs. the onboard pricing. If you are looking for a day pass, these are usually only available to purchase onboard the ship (though not all ships offer day passes).

9. Spa Services

Massages, facials, manicures, or other spa and salon treatments are a great way to rejuvenate during your vacation. If you have your heart set on a specific treatment, we recommend you book an appointment before your cruise. Most cruise lines will allow you to reserve your spot ahead of time. This way, you will have your pick of time slots and might even score a pre-cruise deal.

Of course, the spa will run specials once you are onboard as well, especially on port days. So, even if you don’t book pre-cruise, you might still be able to save some money. Though, there may be limited availability.

10. Photo Packages

On mainstream cruise lines, you’ll see photographers almost everywhere you go. Yes, it is fun to take a few of the formal portraits or to pose with a pirate at your port of call. But, you will need to decide if purchasing these photos is worth it to you. A single photo can run upwards of $25, while a photo package can cost hundreds of dollars for a week-long cruise.

If you are certain you want a photo package, this is another item that you should book before your cruise. The online cruise planner pricing is often cheaper than the onboard prices.

Tip: Unless you’re celebrating a special occasion that you want documented by the professional photographers onboard, we suggest skipping a photo package. Most of us are walking around these days with mini cameras in our pockets via smartphones, and candid shots taken by our travel companions can sometimes be better anyway!

11. Internet Packages

On mainstream cruise lines, wifi on board will cost you extra money. The good news is that these lines offer internet packages, though the types of plans and connection speeds can vary.

You should be able to use these packages to access the cruise ship internet for basic tasks like checking email, browsing the web, and posting on social media. Completing tasks like wifi calling, video calling, and streaming movies and music while out at sea are not a guarantee, but access to them is often offered at higher internet package tiers.

You can usually purchase wifi access for just a single day at a time, or buy it for the entire voyage.

Again, no matter which package you choose, booking before your cruise can save you money off onboard prices.

12. Celebration Packages

If you are celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, or another special occasion, you should check the cruise line’s website for available celebration packages. These might include balloons and decorations, cake, flowers, chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne, etc.

By purchasing one of these packages before your cruise, you can surprise your loved one on embarkation day. The only thing that could be better than being on the cruise is finding a nice surprise when you enter your stateroom for the first time.

13. Pre-Pay Gratuities

Cruise gratuities are services charges that are not included in the standard cruise fare, similar to a hotel resort fee. These additional fees are a per-person, per-day dollar amount that are charged to all guests across all stateroom categories. The exact charge for these cruise gratuities does vary by cruise line and by stateroom category. The range is generally between $16 to $20 per person, per day.

You can pay these gratuities usually one of two ways. You can elect to pre-pay your charges or you can have them billed to your onboard account on a daily basis. We recommend that you pay your gratuities before your cruise. While they are not any cheaper, it will help to avoid sticker shock when you get your final bill at the end of the voyage.

In Conclusion

Though picking and booking a cruise is likely the main portion of decision-making you’ll need to make for your vacation, the to-do list doesn’t end there. Consider the other things you’ll need to reserve before your vacation is truly all planned out, and book most of them ahead of time so that once you board the ship, everything will already be taken care of.

Comments

What items do you book before your cruise? Do you agree with our list? Drop us an anchor below with your pre-cruise planning tips.