21 Cruise Mistakes Families Make On Their First Trip (And How To Skip Them)

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If you’re about to take your kids on their first cruise, can we talk for a sec?

I’ve been deep in cruise content lately. Cruise groups, forums, family travel communities. The same regrets keep coming up from first-time cruise families. The kind of stuff nobody tells you on the booking page.

Most of these mistakes are the kind where you just don’t know what you don’t know. Maybe you haven’t cruised before, and a cruise vacation works differently than a regular trip.

So let’s get into it. Counting down from #21 (annoying but fixable) all the way to #1 (the one that will catch every family with kids off guard).

MISTAKE #21: Forgetting Lanyards For The Ship Cards

I know, I know. It sounds like a nothing tip. It’s not.

Every cruise line gives you a ship card the second you board. Royal calls it a SeaPass. Carnival calls it Sail & Sign. Disney has the Key to the World. Same idea everywhere.

It’s your room key, your credit card, your boarding pass for excursions, and your “yes I’m allowed back on the ship” pass.

You’ll use it ten times an hour. And kids lose them constantly.

A cheap lanyard with a card holder solves this in about three seconds. They sell them on Amazon for like $5 for a multi-pack. Get the kind with a clear pocket so the card is visible. Crew can scan it directly through the plastic.

Pro-Tip: Order Lanyards now so you don’t forget

These are the ones you want. Clear plastic sleeve so crew can scan right through the plastic, breakaway clasp so it doesn’t become a hazard, and they come in multi-packs so everyone in the family has one.

>> Click here to grab your lanyards

MISTAKE #20: Not Bringing A Nightlight For Your Interior Cabin

Cruise ship interior cabins are pitch black. Like, you-have-genuinely-lost-track-of-where-the-walls-are black. There’s no window, no streetlight, no glow from anywhere. I am not exaggerating.

If your kid is used to even a tiny bit of light at night, this can be rough.

Quick Tip: Grab a pack of nightlights on Amazon. Or just leave the bathroom light on with the door cracked. Either way, handle it before day one or you’ll be stubbing your toe into furniture at 2am.

MISTAKE #19: Forgetting Cash For Tips On Port Excursions

Almost everything on the ship gets charged to your ship card. So you stop thinking about cash entirely.

Then you get off in whatever port and your tour guide, your taxi driver, the lady braiding your kid’s hair on the beach… they all want cash tips.

Bring small bills. Singles and fives are gold. ATMs at port are sketchy and have huge fees, so handle this before you leave home. I’ve heard this one bite so many families in Cozumel and Nassau.

📌 Read More: Cruise Lines For Families, Ranked

MISTAKE #18: Not Knowing Your Cruise Line’s Wine Rule

Most major cruise lines let you bring some wine on board, but the rules are different for every line and they’ve been changing.

The short version: wine and champagne only (no beer, no liquor), carry-on only, embarkation day only. Disney is the most generous (two bottles per adult). Royal, Carnival, and Norwegian allow one bottle per adult, though Norwegian charges a corkage fee.

Don’t try to sneak hard liquor on. They’ll find it during security screening, confiscate it for the entire cruise, and you might not get it back at all.

And if you do bring wine, open it in your stateroom to skip any corkage fees. Your stateroom attendant will bring you a wine opener for free.

MISTAKE #17: Missing The Family Photos On Dress Up Night

Every cruise line has at least one dress up night. Sometimes called Formal Night, Chic Night, Gala Night, or Cruise Elegant depending on the line.

The cruise photographers set up backdrops all over the ship. You walk past, smile, get the family photo, move on.

Most parents don’t realize how much they’ll regret skipping these until they’re home looking at zero good pictures of all four of them together. You can’t recreate these once you’re home.

You don’t even have to buy them. You just take them. Decide later.

Pack one nice outfit per kid. They don’t have to be tuxedos. Khakis and a button-down are fine.

MISTAKE #16: Not Setting A Meeting Spot With Your Kids

Modern cruise ships are massive. Some of the bigger ones have 16+ decks and 5,000+ passengers.

That is a LOT of ship to lose a kid on.

Pick a meeting spot on day one. Make it specific. “The promenade by the cupcake place on deck 5.” Make sure even your 5-year-old can repeat it back.

Phones don’t work for calling at sea unless you’ve bought the wifi package. So your “I’ll just text you” plan from regular life doesn’t work here.

MISTAKE #15: Letting Kids Charge Whatever They Want To The Ship Card

Everything on the ship goes on the ship card. The arcade. The candy store. The smoothie bar. The branded souvenir shop with the $40 stuffed animals.

A 12-year-old turned loose on a ship with their own ship card can rack up several hundred dollars in arcade tokens before lunch on day two.

Set up a daily spending limit at Guest Services on day one. Every cruise line lets you do this for any guest under 18.

Or turn off charging entirely on the kids’ cards and have them check in with you for purchases. Easier with younger kids.

MISTAKE #14: Not Booking Specialty Dining And Shows In Advance

The included dining is great. But the specialty restaurants and the headliner shows book up FAST, especially on the bigger ships.

You can book most of these online before you sail through your cruise line’s app. Weeks before.

Families who wait until they board often find out the show their kids really wanted to see is sold out for the entire week.

Look at the dining packages too. If you’re going to eat at two or three specialty places anyway, the package is way cheaper than booking individually.

MISTAKE #13: Not Bringing Motion Sickness Stuff Just In Case

You won’t know if your kid gets seasick until they get seasick.

The ship’s medical center will sell you Dramamine. For about ten times what it costs at Walgreens.

Pack a small ziploc with chewable Dramamine, ginger candies, sea-bands (those wristbands with the little pressure point button), and a couple of motion sickness patches if your kid is over 12. Even if you never need it.

Most Caribbean itineraries are calm water 99% of the time. But all it takes is one storm.

Note: Mike gets sick when he’s on kayaks or canoes in the ocean, and even gets sick when he swims in the ocean with waves. If you are sensitive to motion sickness, be prepared for more than just motion sickness on the cruise ship itself.

Grab some motion sickness patches here, and throw in some Dramamine, too.

MISTAKE #12: Forgetting Reef Safe Sunblock And Water Shoes

A lot of Caribbean ports require reef-safe sunblock now. Hawaii, Mexico, parts of the Caribbean. Read the rules for your specific stops.

Just buy it ahead of time. Buying it on the ship or at a port shop will cost you triple.

Water shoes too. Kids’ feet take a beating on rocky beach entries and swimming around lagoons. Some shore excursions require them.

Note: the water shoes won’t work in the ship’s splash pad or waterslides. Bare feet only there. So they’re really port-day shoes.

MISTAKE #11: Not Joining The Ship-Specific Facebook Group Before You Sail

This one is gold and almost nobody mentions it.

Search Facebook for the specific ship and date you’re sailing. Like “Carnival Mardi Gras March 8 2026.” There’s a group for almost every sailing on every line.

The group will have themes for dress up night so you can pack accordingly. Cabin crawls and meet-ups for kids. Tips specific to YOUR sailing’s itinerary. People asking the same questions you have.

There are also general cruise families groups for every major line. Worth a search.

MISTAKE #10: Not Downloading The Cruise Line’s App Before You Board

Once you’re on the ship, your phone goes into airplane mode. The ship’s app will work over their internal wifi for free, but only if you already have it installed.

The app has your daily schedule, deck maps, restaurant menus, show times, and the ability to message family members on the ship for free.

Without it you’re carrying around the printed daily planner and trying to read tiny menus posted outside restaurants.

Download it before you leave home. Set up your account. Link your reservation. Done.

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MISTAKE #9: Skipping The Muster Drill Prep

The muster drill is the safety briefing that tells you where to go if something happens. It’s required. You can’t skip it.

Most cruise lines have updated their process so you can watch a video on the app and tap into your muster station instead of standing in a giant crowd. But you still have to do it before the ship leaves port.

If you blow it off, your card gets flagged and they’ll find you. Like, “please come to Guest Services” announcement-on-the-loudspeaker find you.

Just do it in the first hour you’re on the ship. Get it over with.

MISTAKE #8: Not Even Considering The Priority Boarding Add-Ons

Every major cruise line has some version of an add-on that gives you priority boarding, wifi, an exclusive lunch on day one, priority departure at ports, and a few other perks.

Royal calls it The Key. Carnival has Faster to the Fun. Norwegian has the Premium Plus.

Not worth it for everyone. But for first-time families it can be a real treat. Priority boarding means you skip the embarkation chaos with kids in tow. Wifi means you can use the app and message your kids on the ship.

Check the price for your specific sailing. It varies wildly. Sometimes $15 a day per person, sometimes $30+. Do the math against what you’d buy a la carte.

MISTAKE #7: Heading Straight To The Buffet On Embarkation Day

Everyone heads to the buffet the second they board. The line is brutal. The food is fine but stressed-out and crowded is not the vibe you want for the first hour of your vacation.

The main dining room serves lunch on embarkation day too. And it’s basically empty.

Or grab pizza or hit the pool deck grill. Both way less crowded.

Cabins usually open around 1pm. So eat lunch first, then head to your room when the announcement comes.

MISTAKE #6: Booking All Your Shore Excursions Through The Cruise Line

The cruise line’s official excursions are convenient and they guarantee the ship will wait if your tour runs late. That’s worth something.

But they also mark them up by like 30 to 50 percent.

For most ports there’s a ton of independent operators, and you can book directly and pay way less. Just give yourself a buffer of at least an hour before all-aboard time.

Viator and Shore Excursions Group are two solid options. Both have reviews and both stand by their tours.

If you’re doing something far from the port (swimming with dolphins on a small island, a cenote tour deep into the jungle), the cruise line excursion is probably worth the extra money. Missing the boat is a really bad day.

MISTAKE #5: Not Bringing Magnetic Hooks

If there’s one tip every veteran cruise family agrees on, it’s magnetic hooks.

Cruise cabin walls are metal. Storage is brutal. The bathrooms are tiny. Counter space is nonexistent.

Magnetic hooks turn every wall into instant storage. Hang wet swimsuits, lanyards, hats, your daily planner, the kids’ coloring stuff, towels, robes, beach bags. Whatever.

Get the heavy-duty kind from Amazon, not the cheap dollar store ones. The cheap ones fall off and your stuff hits the floor at 3am. Spend the $15.

Some families also bring a mesh shower organizer and hang it from the magnetic hooks. Triples your bathroom storage.

Tip: These are our favorite hooks; the strongest we’ve found so far!

MISTAKE #4: Buying The Drink Package Without Doing The Math

Every major cruise line offers some version of an unlimited drink package. They’re usually around $80 to $115 per person per day.

And here’s the catch most lines have. You have to buy it for every adult in the cabin. Not just one.

That’s a LOT of money to break even.

You’d need to drink something like 6 to 8 alcoholic drinks a day to come out ahead. Plus specialty coffees. Plus bottled water. Plus juices.

For a lot of families with kids, the math just doesn’t work out. You’re not drinking 8 mojitos when you’re at the splash pad with a 5-year-old.

Most lines also offer a non-alcoholic version (specialty coffees, juices, sodas, bottled water) that’s way cheaper. Often the better pick for parents who aren’t trying to be at the bar all day.

You can also just pay per drink. On a 4-night cruise that’s almost always cheaper unless you’re really putting them down.

MISTAKE #3: Bringing A Power Strip

This one surprises people.

“Bring a non-surge power strip” used to be the top tip you’d see everywhere. The cabin only has one outlet, power strips were the workaround.

Cruise lines have been cracking down on this since 2024. Royal Caribbean banned all power strips entirely. Carnival, Disney, and most others have banned anything with a surge protector. Some still allow non-surge strips. Some don’t.

Surge protectors can cause fires on ship electrical systems because of how the wiring works at sea. It’s a safety issue.

What’s universally allowed: USB charging blocks. The kind that just have multiple USB ports, no AC outlets.

Here’s our favorite recommendation: Anker Zolo USB C Charger Block

If you bring a power strip thinking it’s fine, security might pull it out of your bag and confiscate it for the entire cruise. Anker makes a good 6-port USB block for around $30. That’s your replacement.

Always check your specific cruise line’s rules before you pack. They’ve been changing fast.

MISTAKE #2: Not Packing A Carry-On With Day One Essentials

Here’s what nobody warns you about. You hand off your big checked bags to porters at the cruise terminal. They tell you they’ll be at your cabin “later.”

Later can mean hours. Sometimes not until dinner.

Meanwhile you’ve boarded the ship at noon and the pool deck is calling your name.

Pack a carry-on backpack with swimsuits for everyone, sunscreen, a change of clothes, any medications (including the motion sickness stuff), phone chargers, documents and passports, and a small towel if you want it.

That carry-on stays with you the whole afternoon while your real luggage finds its way to your room.

MISTAKE #1: Assuming Your Kids Will All Be In The Same Kids Club

This is the one almost no first-time family sees coming. And it’s the one that will mess with your itinerary the most.

Most major cruise lines split kids into age groups at the kids club. Usually 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. They are NOT in the same room.

So if you have a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old? They’re separated.

Then on top of that, kids age 12 or 13 (depending on the line) graduate into the Teen Club. Teen clubs are barely supervised. Kids come and go as they want.

That means a 12-year-old can’t be with a younger sibling at the kids club. Even if your 12-year-old is more comfortable around younger kids. Even if your 11-year-old is mature for their age. They go where their birthday says they go.

This catches families off guard ALL the time. Especially families with a tween who’s not ready for the teen scene and a younger kid who’d love to have their older sibling around.

The fix isn’t really a fix. It’s just knowing this before you go so you’re not blindsided.

If the teen club doesn’t sound right for your tween, plan family activities together instead. The adventure park stuff is great as a group. Rock walls, mini golf, ice skating, the slides.

Disney is known for being the most flexible on this if it really matters. Their kids club lets siblings stay together more often than the other lines.

The Wrap-Up

You’re going to forget something. There’s going to be one moment where you’re standing in a hallway at 11pm thinking “why did I think this was a good idea.”

But knowing the big stuff in advance changes the whole trip.

Have an awesome time.