Looking to Book a 3-Day Cruise Any Tips for a First Timer?

frostman on 02/02/2025 - 21:30

i've always been reluctant with Cruise holidays; from sea-sickness, to news of gastro outbreaks, to the potential of just bumping into obnoxious people in an enclosed space.
Fast forward a decade or so, a family member suggested a small cruise as a start, from SYD > Gold Coast for 3 days.
I do have kids under 10, so would like to know from experienced cruise people, is this whole thing as good as it's marketed?

1.) For people susceptible to motion sickness, is this a definite no-go?
2.) What are some Do's and Dont's?

Travel Cruise

Comments

  • JimmyF on 02/02/2025 - 21:42
    +5

    I do have kids under 10, so would like to know from experienced cruise people, is this whole thing as good as it's marketed?

    Book them into kids club as soon as you can, can normally be done online.

    1.) For people susceptible to motion sickness, is this a definite no-go?

    You'll be ok. The ship hardly moves, they are massive. Nothing like a little boat or ferry. But take drugs just Incase.

    2.) What are some Do's and Dont's?

    Cheap cruises are cheap. PO is like the fast food of cruises. So don't go expecting fine dining if you are on PO. they go up from there.

    Biggest mistake I see is people booking the cheapest cruise and then being disappointed as it was as fancy as they hoped.

  • berger on 02/02/2025 - 21:49

    Just book a cheap entry level close to land cruise.

    My wife gets sea sick but just has some seasick pills the day before and the first day and has been pretty good. The cruise tomorrow we are on will be interesting as we go north into monsoonal weather

    P&o, Royal, Disney. One of them is a good starter

    I’ve done 3 in 2 years so getting used to them

    • JimmyF on 02/02/2025 - 23:10
      +5

      P&o, Royal, Disney. One of them is a good starter

      Mate, that's like saying McDonalds and a $200 steak house, both serve 'beef.

      PO is nothing like Royal or Disney.

    • cuteseal on 03/02/2025 - 13:15
      +1

      Good advice - cruises are extremely subjective. Some people love them and go year after year, and some people can't stand being cooped up on a boat with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

      We did a 9 day cruise to New Caledonia on Carnival and my wife experienced bad seasickness for maybe 80% of the trip. Even with medication, ginger, green apples and what have you, she spent most of the time in the cabin and hanging out for the land days, and swore never to cruise again.

      Which is sad because myself and the kids really enjoyed it and had a blast. For me it's like staying in a nice hotel with entertainment every night, buffet meals, games and activities during the day and occasional day trips to shore to look at stuff. I wouldn't want every holiday to be a cruise but once in a while it's nice.

  • SavingUpForAnXbox on 02/02/2025 - 21:57
    +4

    I get sea sick very easily, pop 2 ginger tablets in the morning and I'm great for the whole day.

  • TALL1one on 02/02/2025 - 22:23
    +1

    OP if you get seasick, then mid-boat & lower levels are the best place to have your cabin to lessen this

  • CyberMurning on 02/02/2025 - 22:42

    i heard the best cruise experience is to go visit antartica - but use smaller vessel so it can reach more places

    • JimmyF on 02/02/2025 - 23:10
      +4

      and have more zeros on the prices.

      • geekcohen on 03/02/2025 - 08:09

        and goes longer than 3 days and probably nothing a location I would take kids under 10 too.

    • poor_me on 03/02/2025 - 12:44

      It's not the type of cruise for a first-timer.

      Plus the Drake's Passage is as rough as it gets.

  • JIMB0 on 02/02/2025 - 23:26

    Go easy on the alcohol, it can cause motion sickness.

  • Muppet Detector on 03/02/2025 - 03:40

    Count lifeboats.

    Avoid icebergs.

    • HamBoi69 on 03/02/2025 - 06:56
      -2

      And if the ship sinks, well…. count your minutes.

    • try2bhelpful on 03/02/2025 - 09:42

      Learn the words to “abide with me”.

  • try2bhelpful on 03/02/2025 - 09:48

    We did a three day cruise Mel-Hobart-Port Arthur-Sydney.

    It was better than I thought it would be. Didn’t suffer motion sickness even though I’m sensitive.

    If you can do “last minute” cruises you get better value. You can usually get better cabins cheaper. See what food options are available too. Eating in the restaurants is better than the buffet.

    Personally I would stay away from P&O but I think they are closing in Australia anyway.

    You will need to consider travel insurance. If they need to evacuate you off the boat it will cost.

    Enjoy.

  • sandman20104159 on 03/02/2025 - 10:04

    depends who you go with, P&O its cr@p, and you will likely get it tooo, Royal is great so is Celebrity. if you want to avoid getting sick, stay away from crowded areas and hand santize all the time, and remember the golden rule, dont touch eyes nose mouth just think that there is sh17 on it and you wouldnt touch yourself if it was on your fingers. if on large ship like Quantum or Ovation from Sydney you will not feel the ocean, its so large and with the stablizers out it will be smooth. due to it being a 3 nighter it will be very very busy in all locations, pool, spas, resturants, shows, entertainment areas. thats just because everyone else is on the 3 nighters like you so expect delays. i find 7 nighter or longer seems to be less crowded, but the crowd isnt young with families, its more slow walkers on those. anyways its fun and will be great.

  • ZippyRoo on 03/02/2025 - 17:38

    We did a 3 day cruise with P&O. Melb, circle around King Island and back to Melb, no stops. The older kid was ten at the time and younger one was five. They enjoyed it, even though it was a budget cruise and the pools were actually pretty cold, they still found a lot of entertainment in the three days. We didn't even get a chance to see some of the shows as we had dinner in some of the specialty restaurants on each of the nights. Hubby was the only one who didn't enjoy it as much because the non-stop motion sickness for the three days really worn him out. Take some medication with you if you can. They sell some onboard as well but are a lot more expensive.

  • angywoo on 10/02/2025 - 00:12
    +2

    I absolutely love cruising. Already done one this year and have another three booked in March and April this year.

    Tips:

    Supervise your kids. Unfortunately, not everyone on board has good intentions or a clean record. The amount of unknown adults speaking to unknown children is absolutely concerning. Especially when the kids get into the lifts with strangers.

    Bring foaming soap and sanitiser to sanitise your hands as often as you can.

    Use the back of your hand when pressing the lift buttons.

    Travel insurance is a must.

    Don't pack too much.

    Clean and scrub your cabin as soon as you get access to it. The one time we didn't we were sick. So we absolutely stand by this.

    If you are seasick, go straight to the onboard Dr and ask for the injection. It is a game changer.

    Book a mid ship cabin with at least a window. Helps with time regulation and seasickness.

    If you don't want to watch your bank account and not have to count pennies, get the drinks package.

    Magnetic hooks are a game changer for extra hanging space helps to to dry your clothes.

    Only use cash to top up your onboard account.

    So many more suggestions to give so please feel free to ask.

    • frostman on 11/02/2025 - 07:56
      +1

      thanks alot, these are awesome tips

      • angywoo on 12/02/2025 - 01:54

        No worries

        Three nights is a great way to start.

        Another good thing to know is a 3 nighter feels more like 2 nights.

        First night goes so quickly. Sail away, dinner and a show/party.

        The second/night day is great and you are in the swing of things.

        Day three, your bags have to be out of your cabin during the day between 4-8pm so they are ready to be offloaded in the morning. You can opt to carry everything off yourself in the morning. It is a good idea to take a backpack/hand luggage for your leftover bits.

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