This is your first cruise and you’re super excited. You just booked a 7-day cruise with 4 port days and 3 sea days. If you’re like me you like to pre-book your excursions or have some sort of plan for what you want to see and how to get there. But other than your 4-5 port days and excursions what is there to do on a cruise ship? You start to worry that you and your family will be bored. Relax! There's so much to do.
Usually on a 7-night cruise you will get about 2 or 3 sea days. These are the best days to relax and explore the ship. Every night your room steward will be giving you a new Daily Newsletter. Take out your highlighter and mark everything you want to do. There’s so much to do and you don’t want to miss it.
Morning: Start the day with a healthy breakfast. If you’re in a rush head over to the garden café which is normally on the upper decks. There you can find waffles, eggs, bacon, sausages, various cereals, and most of the time an omelet station. As well as all sort of pastries. But on sea
days you should head over to the main dining room and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. I’ve always enjoyed the food there. Made to order omelets and some seasoned potatoes and a bowl of fresh fruit. Yum!
Mid-morning: Enjoy some time at the gym or head up to the pool. The gym is usually empty and there are plenty of treadmills or ellipticals to help work off breakfast or the calories from the day before. There are also some yoga classes that you can join. Morning is a great time to head up to the pool and sun decks. People are not allowed to save seats, but you can still see people do it. Check out the very top decks or the adults only section for quiet sections.
If you have kids this is a great time to send the kids to the kids’ club. They will have lots of scheduled activities for them. They have so much fun there. And they get to meet lots of new friends.
Lunch: Head over to the main dining room or to one of the specialty restaurants and get a fresh made, cook to order pizza or hamburger. One of the best burgers I’ve ever had is on the Carnival at Guys Burgers. And my gluten free husband loves the gluten free pizzas.
Mid-afternoon: I love this time. There is so much you can do depending on your mood. There’s usually so kind of cooking show. There’s crafting. There’s also an art show or an insiders meeting for how to shop at the ports. They usually give you coupons and helpful tips. Every afternoon they usually have a movie playing and some family friendly game shows. There’s also sports deck with basketball, mini golf, and shuffleboard. Or if you’re looking for something quiet then head over to the library and pick out a book or puzzle.
Sea days are also a great time for spa days. If you’re looking for a treatment make sure you make your appointment. Sea days are busy times.
Dinner: Dinner can be either at the main dining room, specialty restaurant or the garden café. I love treating ourselves to the steakhouse and the specialty seafood restaurant. If you want to do this also make sure that you secure reservations before you sail. It can get busy. If you want to make some last-minute reservations call guest services and have them make them for you.
After dinner: Cruise line entertainment is the best! From comedy clubs to live music, there’s something for everyone. You could dance until dawn if you wanted to. If you want something quieter head up to the pool deck and watch movies under the stars or bring some binoculars and watch the sky for shooting stars.
What are my favorite things to do at any time? Nap, order room service and hang out on my balcony. I love my peace and solitude. There’s so much to do on a cruise ship but I still love my alone time. I always book a balcony cabin for that reason. I don’t feel like I’m on a huge cruise ship. I feel peaceful looking out into the ocean. Watching the flying fish and looking for dolphins and whales. I remember how small I am compared the vastness of the ocean. It relaxes me and I dream of when I can plan my next cruise.
Comments