Fun first time cruiser experiences

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When I think back to my first cruise, I can’t help but to recall the newness of the experience. Now, I'm the "planning type", so thought I pretty much knew what to expect, but there were a few things that caught me a little off guard. It’s fun to think about these things, so I thought I’d share a couple with you, and hopefully it will inspire you to share your "rookie cruise" experiences with us in the comments below. I’m feeling particularly wacky today, so I’m going to do 7 of these, and let’s go completely crazy and do them in reverse order. Starting with #7 - Being treated like kings and queens. I think there’s an expectation of luxury on a cruise, but on my first cruise I felt like royalty. I mean, come on, staying in a hotel is nice and all, but on a cruise vacation, someone cleans your room multiple times a day, greets you in the hall by name, and sometimes, even leaves chocolates on your pillow. And I’m relatively certain the Queen of England doesn’t get towel animals every night. Of course, there will always be exceptions, but we’ve typically sailed with friendly crew that have gone out of their way to make us feel royal. Now if I could just get my crown to fit in my carry-on. #6- Food, glorious food. Speaking of kings and queens...on my first cruise, I was totally astounded by the fact that I could order anything I wanted. Two appetizers? No problem! Lobster AND steak- sure! It’s hard to break out of the “I’m in a restaurant” feeling. You know, when you make a bad choice you pay for it … literally. Cruising is a fun way to try new food, like escargot, or a vegetarian dish. And it’s always fun for me to ask the crew “What do you recommend?”. Be bold, and spread your culinary wings! #5- Now, on the topic of food, there's a common misconception that there is nothing to do on cruises except eat. As a first time cruiser, I was surprised to find the opposite to be true. I was amazed at how many activities filled the daily newsletter. There were so many things to do that I almost didn’t have time to eat … almost. Yeah, I found time. It’s surprising how portable cruise ship pizza can be. #4- Yah, the ship moves. Okay, I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but nothing can really prepare a new cruiser for the way it feels when the ship moves. You walk into this giant thing that feels like a luxury hotel, you get settled in, and whoa, this thing is moving. Of course, this varies a LOT with the ship's size, weather conditions, and stabilizers, but it’s just an odd sensation. I dunno, maybe it’s just me. Actually, it’s not - most cruisers report that the movement of the ship really took them by surprise! So yeah, get ready for that. #3 – Wacky wind tunnels. Here’s the deal. If you have a balcony, open the balcony door and then have someone else open the cabin door. Surprise! Your cabin comes with complimentary gale force winds. This one’s just plain fun, but make sure you don’t have any important papers lying around. #2- Overhead announcements. I must admit, it was a little strange to suddenly hear the booming voice of the captain or cruise director making announcements like on omnipresent divinity. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are 20 miles off the coast of Cuba and the bellyflop contest starts in 5 minutes on the lido deck". This takes some getting used to. #1- Those crazy toilets! Um, yah, why don't people warn cruisers that your first flush on a cruise is going to scare the … wits out of you! The first time I flushed one of those little powerhouses, it sounded like something between a industrial vacuum and a jet engine in a can. Don't even THINK about sitting on that toilet while you flush.... To this day, my son still plugs his ears and RUNS every time he flushes! Well, that’s all for today’s wacky newbie cruiser discoveries. We can’t wait to hear about YOURS in the comments below! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and until next time, we’ll see you on the high seas!