10 things I wish I’d done differently on my first cruise, from booking a better room to avoiding specialty restaurants

• I took my first cruise on one of the world’s largest ships, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
• Mistakes like choosing a room at the ship’s front and forgetting earplugs made it less enjoyable.
• I also regret taking my first cruise by myself and sailing for seven nights.

I’d traveled by car, bus, train, and plane, but boats of any kind were completely new to me until April 2022, when I went on my first cruise to the Caribbean.

I embarked on a seven-night voyage on one of the world’s largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas. We sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. 

While it felt surreal to be on such a large vessel in the middle of the ocean, I made some mistakes that made my trip more expensive and less enjoyable than it could have been. Here’s what I’ll do differently next time.