8 Underrated Cruise Tips Savvy Travellers Use (But Most Cruisers Don’t)

8 Underrated Cruise Tips Every Cruiser Should Be Using

I’ve just returned from a 7-night Sky Princess Scandinavian cruise, where I put to the test eight cruise tips I believe are hugely underrated — and yet can make a dramatic difference to your trip. One of them can even wreck your cruise completely if ignored. And I speak from experience.

Welcome aboard, I’m Gary Bembridge from Tips For Travellers. Let’s dive into these overlooked but powerful cruise strategies.

1. Be Extremely Careful Posting on Social Media

Many of us love sharing our cruise countdowns, boarding day excitement or cabin photos. However, posting any personal booking detail — even partially obscured — is risky.

A recent case that made news was Tiffany Banks from Kentucky, whose $15,000 Presidential Suite cruise on Carnival Celebration was cancelled days before her trip because somebody online zoomed in, took her booking reference, logged in, and cancelled it.

Carnival did not reimburse her.
She lost every penny.

During my Sky Princess trip, I almost had my own issue when a blurred phone number briefly became visible in a video clip. A viewer messaged me (kindly!) and I corrected it — but it was enough of a scare that I changed my number entirely.

Rule:
Never post:

Boarding passes
Luggage tags
Booking screens
Emails
Anything containing names, reservation numbers, phone numbers or loyalty IDs

Even if blurred — transitions and reflections can reveal everything.

2. Avoid the Buffet on Embarkation Day

When boarding Sky Princess in Southampton, the buffet was packed — seats were scarce and it was chaotic. Instead, I checked for alternatives and found:

A Main Dining Room open for lunch
Alfredo’s Pizza — calm and relaxed

Starting your cruise in a stress-free environment sets the tone for the entire voyage.

Tip: Always ask crew “Which restaurants are open for embarkation lunch?”

3. Stay On Board in Ports You’ve Already Seen

On this itinerary, I had recently visited:

Oslo
Copenhagen

So instead of going ashore, I used what I call the “Empty Ship Advantage”:

Quiet Main Dining Room breakfast
Port-day spa offers (up to 50% off)
Empty gym equipment
Easily available loungers and pool space
Quick access to Guest Services & Future Cruise Desk
Relaxed lunch at Alfredo’s (normally packed on sea days)

If you’re on a large ship, staying onboard at some ports is one of the best unspoken cruise perks.

4. Self-Disembark to Save Time & Avoid Delays

If you can manage your own luggage, opt for self-disembarkation. You’ll be among the first off the ship, often hours before those waiting for assigned departure groups.

On my Sky Princess cruise, disembarkation groups ran until 10:30am. I walked off at 7:30am and was home within two hours. Others missed transport and flights due to luggage delays and port congestion.

Packing strategy:
Bring a smaller case and/or use guest laundries onboard.

5. Split Your Luggage With Your Travel Partner

If you’re flying to join your cruise and one case goes missing, you still both have enough clothing to get by.

Simple, underrated, but trip-saving.

6. Bring Your Own Personal First Aid Kit

Ship medical centres cost $100 / £75+ per visit and do not stock all treatments in onboard shops.

My first-aid kit includes:

Headache & pain relief tablets
Plasters / antiseptic
Upset stomach & diarrhea medication
Mouth ulcer gel
Temporary tooth repair kit (a lifesaver when a filling pops)

Also note:
Cruise shops do not sell anti-diarrhoeals like Imodium because they can mask symptoms of Norovirus or COVID, meaning you may be required to report to medical and quarantine.