Tip 1 - think carefully about what you will and won't need in your overall package
We booked through an agent - the lovely Warwick van Reenen at Cruise.co.uk. This made things much easier as he was the expert and able to cut through some of the technical stuff and make sure we had all the right documents in one place (although in the end we didn't need any of them - everywhere just scanned our passports). He also knew what all the added extras are and built us a "package" to meet our needs. However, I maybe should have spent more time telling him about us. For example, he booked the Ultimate Beverage Package for us which meant all drinks, throughout the cruise, were free. (Well worth it when you know what the drinks prices are - I had some jealous looks from other guests when I just flashed my card and walked off with two diet Pepsis.) We don't drink alcohol though, so what we actually should have had was the soda package. Our package also included unlimited coffee and bottled water in our stateroom. We don't drink coffee either, and when we left we'd barely drunk half the bottled water left for us.
Similarly our package included three opportunities to dine at the speciality restaurants. While they were nice, they weren't so much better than the complimentary ones that we'd have missed out if we hadn't had that opportunity. And we had one hour's free wifi (for the entire cruise) which, despite my anxiety at being cut off from civilisation, we didn't use. We have free roaming on our mobiles, and were often close enough to land to get a data signal. I learned later that the wifi on board isn't very good.
Our package included flights and transfers, but the flights (with Norwegian) were from Gatwick. Our local airport also flies to Copenhagen and is only five miles away, so we could have saved a lot of travelling and parking costs if we'd booked our own flights. Also, the transfer (in a sleek black car with a besuited driver) was very luxurious, but a taxi would probably have been cheaper and would have left us free to detour via the Little Mermaid statue on our way to the ship. (Also for the return transfer NCL claimed that there were very few taxis in Copenhagen and that guests should buy an NCL airport transfer for the end of their cruise, but when we disembarked there were actually plenty of taxis.)
Finally our package included $75 each of onboard credit. With all our meals and drinks included I asked Warwick before we left what we'd spend our onboard credit on. "Anything you like", he replied. Well, nothing. I know many people bought tickets to shows or other entertainment, Norwegian's shore excursions, gambled it at the casino, spent it at the onboard Starbucks or shops, but we weren't interested in any of the entertainment, we used the city sightseeing buses for shore excursions (much cheaper), we don't gamble, and didn't see any point in paying for Starbucks when the Garden Café was open 24/7 and served free cakes and sandwiches. By the end of the cruise we realised we had to use it or lose it, so I bought an overpriced dress from one of the shops, and we bought some cupcakes from the onboard bakery ($3 each and really not good) and a few souvenirs.
We got the gratuities included, which is good because I never understand when to tip, how much, and when not to, but felt a bit mean leaving our lovely cabin steward Iwan with nothing more than the bottle of champagne he'd tried to leave us. (Having said that, it wasn't him cleaning our stateroom on the last morning, so I'm not sure he'd have got anything we left anyway.)
Tip 2 - always get a balcony room
To my surprise our very favourite thing to do on this cruise (even more than eating) was sitting or standing on the balcony watching the sea, the islands, the other ships, and occasionally the shore go by. It was so restful and therapeutic. We didn't have a big balcony (it only fitted two chairs and a small table) so on the next cruise we'd book a bigger one. The decks below had balconies big enough for sun loungers.
Tip 3 - take a lanyard
We had to always have our NCL cards with us. It was okay for hubby dearest who generally had pockets, but women's clothes don't often have pockets, so early on I spent $7.95 on a Norwegian Getaway lanyard. I have hundreds of old lanyards at home, so could have saved that money if I'd thought to bring one.
Tip 4 - take currency, and research what currency you'll need
Partly because I forgot to go to the Sainsbury's currency booth before we left we showed up in Denmark with no Danish Krona to tip our transfer driver (twice), and in Germany with no euros. Yes, there's currency exchange available on the ship but the rates they give you are terrible (€0.93 to the £ when Sainsbury's would have given us €1.10) so I spent the first hour in Warnemunde looking for a cashpoint (which gave us a rate of €1.04). We also totally failed to realise that the ship's currency was US$. Not that we needed any (see tip 1 above about onboard credit) but if you're reading this because you're going on an NCL cruise bear in mind you might also need dollars. We also didn't have Swedish Krona or roubles either, but luckily almost everywhere took cards.
Tip 5 - it'll cost more than you think
Everything onboard is extremely expensive and also your only option. There are also hidden extra costs such as a 20% gratuity on everything (including the cupcakes we bought from the bakery). If you've budgeted carefully for your cruise allow some wiggle room and don't spend up to your maximum because you may need more than you think.
Tip 6 - research where you're going
We really did this cruise for St. Petersburg, and it was amazing and well worth it. I also enjoyed Warnemunde, and Tallinn, but didn't really know what to look out for in Helsinki and didn't know whether Stockholm was worth making the effort for, given that we docked some distance away. I think if I'd spent more time reading up on the places we were going to I might have had a better idea of where to visit and appreciated it more.
Tip 7 - prepare for changes of plan
Our ship was supposed to dock at Stockholm but actually went to Nynasham. Reading reviews, it seems it's not uncommon for cruise ships to change itinerary mid-cruise, and in fact Getaway had had to cut short a cruise and go into dry dock only a couple of weeks before we boarded. Ports experience problems or get full, weather makes it necessary to change routes, and most of this is completely out of the cruise line's hands. Be aware that your holiday may not be exactly what was in the brochure. For us it didn't matter too much that we didn't get to Stockholm, but don't book an entire cruise based on one place you want to go to - it might not happen, and the cruise line is not obligated to compensate you.
We loved our first cruise, and are really hoping to do another one soon. But next time we might be more prepared.
For more tips, see this blog which I thought was very accurate.
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