11 Cruise Booking Mistakes People Only Make Once

This is a sponsored post for Marella Cruises.

Booking your first cruise is a bit like buying your first house or your first car. You don’t really know what questions you should be asking until afterwards.

That’s why so many experienced cruisers seem to have a story that starts with, “We made that mistake on our first cruise…”

The good news is that most booking mistakes aren’t disastrous. They just leave you wishing you’d spent a little more time researching before clicking the “Book Now” button…

1. Booking Flights Separately To Save Money

It’s easy to understand the logic with this one.

You’ve found a cruise you like, then you spot flights that are a little cheaper than the ones offered as part of a package. Saving a couple of hundred pounds before you’ve even packed your suitcase feels like a win, right?

And sometimes it is – but more often than not, you’re opening yourself up to a bit of a nightmare scenario.

The problem is that you’re now responsible for making sure everything lines up perfectly. If your flight is delayed, cancelled or diverted and you miss embarkation, the ship isn’t going to wait.

I’ve seen plenty of people assume (wrongly) that the ship won’t depart until everyone is onboard. Or that they’ll simply catch up with the ship at the next port if the worst happens. In reality, that’s often far more complicated than it sounds. Depending on the itinerary, you could be looking at expensive last-minute flights, hotels and transport, not to mention the stress of trying to organise it all while your holiday is slipping away.

If you’re booking flights yourself, leave plenty of breathing room rather than aiming to land just a couple of hours before embarkation.

Alternatively, package holidays remove much of that worry. Cruise lines such as Marella Cruises include flights as part of the holiday, and it’s so easy – I cruised (and flew) with them last year and it was super seamless.

Plus with these, if something does go wrong, then the cruise line will help you get to the ship, so you don’t need to stress.

2. Comparing Headline Prices Instead Of Looking At The Whole Holiday

This is probably the easiest mistake to make because it’s exactly how most of us shop.

If one cruise costs £899 and another costs £1,099, our brains immediately decide the first one is the bargain.

Except it might not be. That cheaper fare may not include drinks, tips, flights, transfers or luggage. By the time you’ve added everything you actually want, you could easily end up spending more than you would have done on the cruise that looked expensive at first glance.

It’s a bit like comparing the price of two cars without noticing one already comes with the features you’d have paid extra to add anyway.

Whenever you’re comparing cruises, try pricing up the holiday you’ll actually take, rather than the one advertised on the homepage. If you’re someone who enjoys a few drinks by the pool, would have been paying gratuities anyway and needs flights to the departure port, those extras all matter.

That’s one reason why some people – including me – find cruise lines like Marella Cruises offer particularly good value. Their sailings all include flights, overseas transfers, tips and drinks, so there’s much less adding up to do before you know what your holiday will really cost.

3. Choosing The Cheapest Cabin Without Looking Where It Is

Two inside cabins.

Same size.

Same facilities.

One is £150 cheaper. Most people would assume the cheaper one is the obvious choice, but the catch is that cabins aren’t just about what’s inside them. They’re also about what’s around them.

A cabin directly beneath the pool deck can mean hearing loungers being moved around early each morning. One above the theatre might leave you listening to the end of every evening show. Cabins close to lifts often have more passing foot traffic, while those near busy crew areas can sometimes be noisier than you’d expect.

That doesn’t mean those cabins are always bad. Plenty of people stay in them perfectly happily.

It’s simply worth taking five minutes to open the deck plans and see what’s above, below and next to your room before booking. Spending a little more for a quieter location can be one of the best upgrades you’ll never regret.

Also, maybe you’re just not an Inside cabin person? It might be a mistake to book the cheaper option when you’d much prefer a cabin with a view of the ocean, or even a suite.

Don’t rush to booking the option with the lowest price, without at least considering the options available to you.

4. Booking The Wrong Itinerary

It’s surprisingly easy to get distracted by a long list of destinations.

You see eight ports in seven nights and think, “What amazing value.”

But then the holiday arrives and you’re setting an alarm almost every morning, grabbing a quick breakfast and heading ashore before you’ve really had chance to relax.

Some people absolutely love that pace but there are plenty of others who come home feeling like they’ve spent a week rushing from place to place.

The opposite can happen too. I’ve spoken to first-time cruisers who deliberately booked lots of sea days because they wanted a relaxing holiday, only to discover they actually prefer getting off the ship and exploring somewhere new.

Neither option is right or wrong. Before booking, ask yourself what you actually want your days to look like. If your perfect holiday involves wandering around beautiful old towns, browsing local markets and ticking countries off your bucket list, a port-intensive itinerary might suit you brilliantly.

If your idea of bliss is a sun lounger, a good book and nowhere to be until dinner, don’t be afraid of choosing an itinerary with more sea days built in.

5. Assuming Every Cruise Line And Every Ship Is Basically The Same

People who cruise regularly know this isn’t true – cruise lines vary so much!

But people booking their first cruise often have no reason to think otherwise.

It’s a bit like assuming every hotel offers the same experience because they all have beds and restaurants.

Some cruise lines focus heavily on families with huge entertainment programmes, children’s clubs and activities from morning until night. Others lean towards a quieter atmosphere with more emphasis on relaxation, enrichment or fine dining.

Finding the cruise line that matches the kind of holiday you actually want is often just as important as choosing the destination itself.

Even then, don’t assume every ship within that cruise line feels identical.

Some are much larger than others. Some have more restaurants, bigger theatres or different facilities. The atmosphere onboard can vary too.

Take Marella: Families often love the choice of activities available on ships like Marella Discovery and Marella Explorer, while couples looking for a quieter escape might naturally gravitate towards adults-only Marella Explorer 2.

Choosing the ship that suits your travelling style can make every bit as much difference as choosing the right itinerary.

6. Leaving It Too Late

The idea that cruises always get cheaper at the last minute refuses to disappear.

Sometimes it happens, but quite often, it doesn’t.

If you’re hoping to travel during school holidays, want a particular cabin type or have your heart set on one specific sailing, waiting can leave you with fewer choices rather than lower prices.

Cruise lines reward early bookers surprisingly often, whether that’s through better cabin availability, launch fares or extra booking incentives.

The earlier you book, the more likely you are to get exactly the holiday you wanted rather than settling for what’s left.

Having said that, flexibility can still pay off.

If you don’t mind where you sail, which ship you board or even exactly when you travel, there are occasions when excellent last-minute deals appear. You just have to be willing to let the bargain choose the holiday rather than the other way round.

7. Booking A Guarantee Cabin Without Really Understanding It

Guarantee cabins are an interesting option with many cruise lines. You book a cabin within a certain category but let the cruise line choose exactly where it is. Sometimes you even end up with a complimentary upgrade.

It’s easy to focus on that last part, but what people sometimes forget is that somebody has to occupy every cabin on the ship.

That means you could equally find yourself assigned somewhere you probably wouldn’t have chosen yourself.

If you’re the sort of person who genuinely doesn’t mind where you sleep, guarantee cabins can be fantastic value.

If you already know you’ll be annoyed by a noisy location, a long walk to the lifts or being right at the front or back of the ship, paying a little more to choose your own cabin could be money well spent – and most cruise lines let you do so.

8. Choosing A Departure Airport That’s Inconvenient

When you’re comparing prices online, it’s tempting to focus entirely on the holiday itself. The cruise ship’s where you’re going to spend most of your time, after all. 

But then, departure day arrives.

The airport you picked because it saved £40 suddenly means a four-hour drive, a painfully early alarm and a long journey home after your cruise finishes.

That small saving doesn’t always feel quite so worthwhile anymore, does it?

For many people, the easiest holiday is the one that starts closest to home.

It’s one reason regional departures are so popular. Rather than automatically accepting whichever airport appears first, it’s worth checking whether there are alternatives that make the journey much easier.

Again, I found it all really easy with Marella Cruises. They offer departures from a wide range of UK airports, giving many travellers the option of flying much closer to home. I flew from Bristol which was ideal for me!

9. Thinking Travel Insurance Can Wait

Nobody likes spending money on something they hope they’ll never need, and travel insurance sits firmly in that category.

It’s also one of the easiest things to put off until later, especially if your cruise isn’t for several months.

The problem is that travel insurance isn’t just there for things that happen while you’re away. Depending on the policy, it can also cover you if something unexpected forces you to cancel before you travel.

Leaving it until the week before departure might mean you’ve missed out on protection you assumed you’d have.

Just make sure any policy you buy specifically covers cruises, as not every standard travel insurance policy automatically does.

10. Assuming Your Passport Is Fine Because It Hasn’t Expired

Your passport might still have months left before it expires, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it meets the entry requirements for every country on your itinerary.

Some destinations require a minimum amount of validity remaining after your visit, while others may have additional documentation or visa requirements depending on your nationality.

Checking these details isn’t the exciting part of planning a cruise, but it’s a lot less stressful than discovering there’s a problem a week before departure.

11. Booking The Cheapest Cruise You Can Find

Finding a bargain is satisfying, and we’ve all had that little moment of pride after paying less than we expected for something.

But cruises are slightly different because you’re not just buying transport from one place to another. You’re choosing where you’ll spend every day of your holiday.

The cheapest cruise might involve awkward flight times, an itinerary that doesn’t really excite you, a ship that’s not your style or a cabin you’ll wish you’d upgraded.

On paper, it’s a bargain and you’re celebrating with money in your pocket. In reality, it may not be the holiday you’ll enjoy most.

Experienced cruisers often spend less time chasing the absolute lowest price and more time finding the cruise that’s the right fit. Once you’re onboard, very few people think about the extra £100 or £200 they spent if it means they’re having a much better holiday.

Final Word

One of the best things about cruising is that you quickly become more confident with every trip you take. After your first sailing, you’ll probably find yourself noticing things you never even considered before booking.

Thankfully, most of the common mistakes are completely avoidable once you know what to look for. Taking a little longer to compare what’s included, thinking carefully about the itinerary and choosing the right ship can all have a surprisingly big impact on your holiday.

If you like the idea of keeping things simple, that’s where cruise lines such as Marella Cruises come into their own. It’s why I’ve used them as an example a few times in this guide.

With regional UK flights, transfers, tips and drinks included as standard on all sailings, it means that many of the decisions that first-time cruisers tend to overthink have already been taken care of, and it’s much easier to budget for the real cost of your cruise. So, you’re left to focus on the exciting part – looking forward to your holiday.

Related Posts

• What Surprised Me Most About Cruising With Marella For The First Time
• 5 Marella Cruises Upgrades That Are Worth The Extra
• 9 Cruise Planning Mistakes First-Time Cruisers Make