{"id":16508,"date":"2015-10-20T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=16508"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:33:18","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:33:18","slug":"8-best-ways-to-personalize-your-cruise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/8-best-ways-to-personalize-your-cruise\/","title":{"rendered":"8 best ways to personalize your cruise"},"content":{"rendered":"

On our most recent family cruise, we traveled with 3,600 other people. That\u2019s a whole lot of folks with whom to spend a vacation! Indeed, mega cruise ships hold plenty of passengers, and to be totally frank, I felt a bit like one of a herd of cattle\u00a0at times\u2014especially during embarkation at the start of the cruise, as well as disembarking at each port.<\/p>\n

However, there are several ways to personalize a cruise experience, even when traveling on one of the larger ships from the likes of\u00a0Carnival Cruise Lines<\/a> ,\u00a0Norwegian Cruise Line<\/a>,\u00a0Royal Caribbean International<\/a>, or Disney Cruise Line<\/a>. After all, modern cruise ships are all about offering a multitude of options to their passengers. Consider these tips to avoid the crowds and make your cruise vacation your very own.<\/p>\n

1. Dine at off hours. <\/strong>Thankfully, many cruise ships now have \u201cdine where and when you want\u201d meal plans. With smaller theme restaurants available as an alternative to the humongous main dining rooms, you can truly pick the type and style of cuisine that pleases you most, whether it\u2019s a casual burger or upscale fare. For more personalized service from cruise-ship servers and staff, time your meals early (say, 11:00 a.m. for lunch and 5:30 p.m. for dinner) or late (2:00 p.m. for lunch and 9:30 p.m. for dinner).<\/p>\n

2. Eat in your room. <\/strong>Don\u2019t call it being anti-social; you\u2019re just enjoying alone time when you order from the 24-hour room-service menu to savor a leisurely meal on your stateroom\u2019s balcony. And order dessert. Typically, room-service dining is included in the overall price of your cruise, so live it up!<\/p>\n

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Viewfinder Tip: Celebrate a special occasion by decorating your stateroom door with streamers, signs, photos, or artwork, all held up with magnets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

3. Make fine-dining reservations. <\/strong>On some cruise ships, there may be a couple of restaurants that charge an additional per-person fee for a premium meal. I highly recommend making this splurge on a very relaxed dining experience in a small venue. My family\u2019s favorite meal on the Carnival Breeze<\/em> a couple of years ago was at the Steakhouse, where we received excellent service because the restaurant was barely half-full while we dined. (Not to mention the cuts of meat and the desserts were top-notch.)<\/p>\n

4. Seek solace at the spa. <\/strong>One ideal place to get your Zen on while away from the crowds is at the ship\u2019s spa. Heated tile loungers, solaria, hydrotherapy pools, and relaxation rooms all offer serene spots for repose. If your ship\u2019s spa is open while the ship is docked in port, this is when you\u2019ll likely find the best discounts on services, too.<\/p>\n

5. Stay on the ship. <\/strong>In fact, even if you aren\u2019t angling for a deal at the spa, you might think about opting out from disembarking for one day during your cruise. It\u2019s a bit radical\u2014after all, fun excursions, key landmarks, and tantalizing street food beckons on land just beyond the gangway. But, if you want to take advantage of having the ship nearly to yourself, simply stay on board to kick back at the quiet pool area, or get to know your favorite bartender when he\u2019ll have more time to chat with you.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Quiet ship pools on a dock day<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

6. Avoid group shore excursions.<\/strong> Booking sightseeing tours or outdoor adventures via your cruise line or a local outfitter is certainly convenient, since organizers will pick you up right at the ship and deliver you back to the ship before it departs for the day. However, especially if you\u2019ve visited the port before, consider doing your own thing on foot, hiring a taxi, or booking a private car to get you around the city for the ultimate in flexibility and ability to \u201cdo your own thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Take the stairs.<\/strong> My family of four made a game out of not once taking the elevator on the Carnival Breeze<\/em> during our spring break Caribbean cruise. First of all, we knew we\u2019d be eating a lot on vacation, and we were happy to burn off a few extra calories by taking the stairs for a week. Second, waiting for an elevator with a crowd is a total buzzkill; it\u2019s such a waste of time when there are more exciting things to be doing on a cruise than standing by for that elevator ding. Similarly, you might make up your own routines or \u201cdaily traditions\u201d on the ship: an early morning walk around the promenade, daily afternoon cappuccino from the coffee bar, or late-night dancing in the disco.<\/p>\n

8. Try a different activity. <\/strong>On large cruise ships, there are usually a few different activities going on simultaneously. If the majority of the passengers on the ship are heading to the ballroom for salsa lessons, consider the cultural presentation in the library. If everyone\u2019s on the pool deck watching the movie on the huge outdoor screen, go check out the cooking demonstration on a deck below. My family and I wouldn\u2019t typically embrace trivia contests, but we found ourselves wanting to avoid the sun (and the deck crowds) a couple of times during our Carnival sailing, so we met up with some brainy folks to get quizzed on everything from Harry Potter to navigational charts. Turns out, we won one of the games, and have fond memories of coming home with our \u201cship on a stick\u201d trophy.<\/p>\n

How do you personalize trips when traveling with a big group?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carnival Cruise Lines header image courtesy of\u00a0travel writer Beth Blair.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making your cruise vacation your own<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783,1786,1784,1782,1777,1780,1787,1793,1781,1825,1776],"tags":[33],"authors":[2239],"class_list":["post-16508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caribbean","category-company","category-cruise","category-destinations","category-family","category-inspiration","category-news","category-things-to-do","category-travel-tips","category-tropical","category-type-of-vacation","tag-couples","authors-kara-williams","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 best ways to personalize your cruise | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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