What I Wish I’d Known Before My First Cruise: Honest Advice From a Complete Beginner

I'm going to let you in on something: before I went on my first cruise, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. None. I didn't know what to pack, what to wear, whether I'd be bored on sea days, or if I was even a “cruise person.” I'd never set foot on a ship longer than a ferry, and the whole thing felt like entering a world that everyone else already understood and I was somehow late to.

Then I spent eight days on Crystal Symphony sailing through the Mediterranean, and I came home a completely different person. Not in a dramatic, spiritual-awakening kind of way, more in a “why has nobody told me about this sooner?” kind of way. Cruising is brilliant. But I would have enjoyed it even more if I'd known a few things before I went.

So here's my honest, slightly embarrassing, real guide to everything I wish I'd known before my first cruise. Whether you're booked and panicking or just cruise-curious, I hope this saves you from at least a few of the mistakes I made.

You Will Overpack. Accept It Now.

Let me set the scene: my suitcase was full. Not “I could squeeze one more thing in” full, genuinely, properly, zip-straining full. And here's the thing, I actually wore most of it. Cruises are weird like that. You need daytime clothes for the pool, something to throw on for casual lunches, a different outfit for exploring ports in the heat, evening wear for dinners, something dressier for formal nights, gym clothes if you're that way inclined, and a cover-up for walking between the pool and literally anywhere else on the ship.

It's more outfit changes than a normal holiday because your days are more varied. One minute you're in a swimsuit by the pool, the next you're wandering around a medieval town in Rhodes, and by evening you're sitting in a restaurant that would warrant a nice dress on land. You need clothes for all of those versions of your day, and that adds up fast.

My advice? Pack everything you think you'll need and then make peace with the size of your suitcase. A cruise is one of the few holidays where overpacking actually makes sense, because you unpack once and your closet is right there in your cabin for the whole trip. You're not dragging a bag between hotels or stuffing things into overhead lockers. Pack the extra dress. Bring the backup shoes. You've got the space and you'll probably wear it all.

Your Cruise Wardrobe Doesn't Need to Cost a Fortune

Full transparency here, before my cruise, I did a massive Shein haul and got pretty much all of my holiday outfits from there for about £100 all in. I know, I know. Not exactly the luxury lifestyle brand moment. But here's the thing: it worked. I had a suitcase full of holiday clothes I felt great in, and nobody on that ship had any idea what I'd spent.

There was actually an unexpected practical benefit too, because Shein clothes tend to be thinner and lighter than higher-quality pieces, I could pack more into less space. My entire cruise wardrobe barely weighed anything.

The flip side, though? Most of those pieces didn't survive much beyond the holiday. A couple of washes and they'd lost their shape or started falling apart. And honestly, looking back now, I do feel uncomfortable about the sustainability side of it. Buying a suitcase full of clothes designed to be essentially disposable isn't something I'd do again. If I were packing for a cruise tomorrow, I'd spend a bit more on fewer, better pieces that would last beyond one trip, or raid my existing wardrobe more thoughtfully rather than buying everything new. That said, I'm not going to pretend I didn't do it, and at the time, it meant I could experience a luxury cruise without the wardrobe bill to match.

The broader point still stands, though: don't stress about what you spend on your cruise wardrobe. There's an assumption that everyone onboard a luxury cruise is dripping in designer labels and you'll feel out of place if you're not. In my experience, that's just not true. People dress nicely, yes, but “nicely” doesn't have to mean expensive. A well-chosen outfit from the high street can look just as good as something that cost ten times the price.

The real trick isn't spending more, it's thinking about what you'll actually need. A couple of versatile evening outfits that make you feel confident, plenty of comfortable daywear, and swimwear you're happy being seen in. That's it. Nobody is checking labels.

Go Bold With Your Evening Shoes

This is my single biggest regret from the entire trip, and I think about it more often than is probably healthy. On a cruise, every restaurant, every bar, every venue is on the ship. You don't have to walk anywhere. No cobblestones. No long walks from the car park. No standing around waiting for a taxi. You walk out of your cabin, along a carpeted corridor, and into the restaurant.

This means you can wear absolutely ridiculous shoes and it doesn't matter. Those heels you bought and never wore because they're impossible to walk in? Perfect for a cruise. Those strappy, impractical, beautiful shoes that would destroy your feet after ten minutes on a pavement? Bring them. This is their moment.

I played it safe with my shoe choices and I regret it deeply. A cruise ship is genuinely one of the only places in the world where you can wear your most ambitious footwear without any consequences, and I wasted that opportunity on sensible flats. Don't be like me. Bring the shoes.

And honestly? The same goes for evening wear. Got something hanging in your wardrobe that you never get to wear because it feels “a bit much” for anywhere you actually go? A cruise ship is its moment. That skimpy cocktail dress you bought for a night out and then chickened out of. The floor-length fitted number covered in sequins that's never had an occasion worthy of it. That backless top you love but can never quite find the right setting for. Bring all of it. On a cruise, there's no such thing as overdressed, there's just dressed for the occasion. And the occasion, every single evening, is a floating restaurant with beautiful lighting and a cocktail waiting for you at the bar. Wear the thing. You'll feel incredible.

Sea Days Are Not Boring (They're Actually the Best Bit)

I was really nervous about sea days before I went. A full day on a ship with nowhere to go? I was convinced I'd be bored by lunchtime. I'd even downloaded about six books and three series onto my iPad as backup, just in case.

I used none of them. Well, I read one book by the pool, but that was a choice, not desperation. And I didn't even get close to finishing it.

Sea days on a cruise are when you actually relax. And I don't mean the “I should be relaxing but I'm secretly thinking about what we should do tomorrow” kind of relaxing. I mean genuine, deep, no-agenda, nowhere-to-be stillness. I spent my first sea day exploring the ship properly, the spa, the different bars and lounges, the pool deck, the gym, and the afternoon doing absolutely nothing by the pool with a drink in my hand and the ocean stretching out in every direction.

It was the first day of the trip where I properly switched off, and honestly, it was probably my favourite day of the whole sailing. If you're a first-time cruiser who's worried about being bored at sea, please trust me on this. You won't be.

Explore Ports on Your Own

Most cruise lines offer organised shore excursions at each port, and for some destinations they're genuinely worth it, especially places where logistics are tricky or where you need a guide to get the most out of it.

But for a lot of ports, particularly in the Mediterranean, my honest advice is to save your money and explore independently. Some of my favourite moments from the trip were completely unplanned, wandering through the medieval streets of Rhodes without a map, finding a tiny wine bar in Athens that we'd never have discovered on a group tour, just walking and looking and stumbling into things.

Organised excursions can be expensive, and they lock you into someone else's schedule. When you explore on your own, you set your own pace, follow your own curiosity, and often end up having a much more personal experience. Plus, that money you save on excursions? Spend it on a cabin upgrade instead. Which brings me to…

Book the Balcony Cabin

If there is one single piece of advice I could give to any first-time cruiser, it's this: get the balcony.

I know it's more expensive. I know an inside cabin technically has the same bed and the same access to the same ship. But a private balcony completely transforms the cruise experience. It turns your cabin from a place you sleep into a place you actually want to spend time.

Morning coffee watching a Greek island appear on the horizon. A glass of wine at sunset with nothing but the sound of the sea below. Reading a book in the afternoon with the breeze coming in. Those were some of the most peaceful, beautiful moments of my entire trip, and none of them would have happened in a cabin without a window.

The price difference between an inside cabin and a balcony varies depending on the ship and the cruise line, but in my experience, the joy-per-pound return on a balcony upgrade is the single best investment you can make in your cruise holiday. It's worth it. I promise.

The Dress Code Is Not as Scary as You Think

If you've never been on a cruise, the idea of a “formal night” might fill you with dread. I totally get that. Before I went, I spent far too long Googling what people actually wear and worrying that I'd be underdressed.

The reality? It's much more relaxed than you'd expect, even on a luxury cruise. On my sailing, there were people in t-shirts and people in full evening gowns, and nobody batted an eyelid at either. The range is genuinely wide, and as long as you're not turning up to dinner in your swimwear, you're fine.

I personally opted for the fancier end of things, because I had so many pieces that had been living in my wardrobe for years just longing to get an outing. So I treated it like a bit of a fashion show, honestly. Things I'd bought and never worn, outfits I loved but could never quite justify for a normal dinner out, they all came on the cruise and they all got their moment. I wouldn't have gotten away with it anywhere else, but on a ship? It just works. Everyone's in a good mood, the lighting's gorgeous, and there's a general feeling that making an effort is part of the fun rather than something to be self-conscious about.

The key thing I'd tell any first-timer is: don't let the dress code put you off booking a cruise. It's really not a big deal. You can dress up or dress down and you'll fit in either way. But if you're anything like me and you've got a wardrobe full of things you never get to wear, a cruise is the excuse you've been waiting for.

You'll Come Home Wanting to Book Another One

I didn't expect this. I genuinely thought a cruise would be a one-off experience, something to tick off the list. Instead, I came home and immediately started researching the next one. There's something about the combination of waking up somewhere new every day, eating incredible food, being completely looked after, and having zero logistics to think about that is genuinely addictive.

If you've been on the fence about booking your first cruise because you're not sure it's “your thing”, it probably is. I went in as someone who'd never considered cruising and came out completely converted. The only thing I'd change is that I wish I'd done it sooner.

For the full story on my first cruise experience, including an honest breakdown of every restaurant, the cabin, and whether the luxury price tag is worth it, head to my Crystal Cruises review. And if you're now looking at cruise options and wondering where to start, my guide to whether a luxury cruise is worth the money breaks down exactly what you get for your spend.