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A Sea-Worthy Graduation Gift
(Please note: At no time were I or my family provided any compensation for our trip. We paid full fares.)
Our elder child, Sean, graduated from high school last May, and grandma flew in from 2000 miles away to attend the ceremony. Her visit to us obviated the need to spend our budgeted summer vacation dollars traveling to her, so it seemed like a great idea to cross off a longstanding item, cruising, from our bucket list.

(Longtime readers will know I covered cruiseship travel for college students, the famous Semester at Sea, in an earlier post!)
As cruise “n00bs,” my family and I had only a minimal idea of what to expect. Speaking with seafaring friends/bloggers and thoroughly perusing cruise-related Pinterest pins helped assuage our fears tremendously!
At this point I may as well admit I’m a huge introvert. So, um… hi, my name is Maggie, and I’m an introvert (INTP, to be exact). Nice to meet you!

It should be noted that, at least in my case, introversion does NOT mean that I don’t like spending time with people! I do, very much! But this is not how I get my energy; to the contrary, too much socializing, while great fun, is draining for me. After several hours of it you’ll probably find me curled up in a cozy, quiet corner reading something.
Re-charge me, please
Alone time is how I re-charge my batteries, every bit as necessary for me as an iPhone charger is to read that pure white battery symbol in the upper right corner of your screen. I’m not alone, at least, in my introversion. There are 25-40% of us, or more, in the general population! Are you one, too?
Having brought up my least sociable personality quirk, I think it’s probably obvious that INTROVERSION and FUN SHIPS don’t seem like terms that belong together in the same sentence. What prompted me to book my family on a FUN SHIP? What could I possibly have been thinking, given that they probably had a strict YOU. WILL. HAVE. FUN. policy that I would surely rebel against at every heave of the powerful engines?

Cruisin’ Fun for Everyone
Luckily, not long after boarding the crowded, vivacious Fantasy, I developed some great tips for folks like me who just need some reasonable space of their own from time to time. I think these ideas dovetail quite nicely with ways to overcome any awkwardness at meeting strangers on board.
Now there is no excuse to languish on shore, waving a tearful bon voyage to those outgoing cruise-happy friends of yours. Join ‘em! I hope these tips will help you fellow introverts and reluctant wallflowers have a wonderful time on your cruise!
- Download music and podcasts, and bring, at a minimum, 2 forms of non electronic entertainment (books, puzzles, etc)
You’re not leaving your fully-charged iPhone at home, are you? Accessing the Internet is sketchy, at best, on board, but you’ll want to stay connected to your electronic minder just the same. Enjoy the double whammy: Listening to what YOU want to listen to… and not appearing to want to converse with others!
- Find and watch a YouTube video of a tour of your ship. This will help familiarize yourself with what is where (dining & entertainment options) before you board
No one likes that awkward feeling when they don’t know where they’re going, even on terra firma. Acquaint yourself beforehand for an extra boost of confidence on the ship!

- Find and study a sample cruise ship schedule posted online.
Discuss with friends and family what type of activities appeal most to you, both on board and at port. Trivia? Hairy Chest Contest? Mini Golf?
But be forewarned, available activities and events on your actual sailing may vary from what you find online. That’s okay; you’ll at least have a springboard for discussion. Be willing to compromise!
- Do an activity on board or in port that you wouldn’t do at home.
On all but the most sedate of cruise ships, you should have the opportunity to expand your horizons and do things you can’t do at home. You’ll get the chance to belt your heart out at the karaoke bar, cartwheel around the sunbaked jogging track, play 3-D games… and so much more. Psychologists have suggested several reasons why stepping out of your comfort zone improves your quality of life immeasurably. Your cruise is the perfect chance to stretch your wings and find new enjoyment in life!

- Think ahead of time about things you can converse about with your fellow passengers
Ask folks where they’re from, whether they’ve cruised before, favorite area on the ship, what to do at the ports, what the best food has been so far.

- Ask your room steward for suggestions on where to relax onboard that’s secluded and quiet
Your room steward is eager to please – you plan to tip him or her well, right? – and is a terrific source of information literally at your fingertips.
- Traveling with others? Choose “Your Time Dining” and share a table with only them. Traveling solo? Sit at the Captain’s table at least once for a terrific opportunity to get to know fellow cruisers.
- Wear apparel with a motto/special meaning/verbiage to you.
Outgoing folks will chat you up, using your Psychotic State University t-shirt as an icebreaker to get to know you better.

- If you can stand smoke, frequent the smoking areas often.
Usually the same people come thru often, they love kindred spirits, and you can get to know people very easily that way.
- Splurge on a balcony room!
There is really no substitute for having your own space to relax, sip a cup of coffee and read your favorite book in peace and quiet, with only the sun and sea to keep you company!

Fun means different things to different people, after all, so enjoy your mandatory fun however you want! What tips would you add? Let me know in the comments, below!
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Love the tip of watching youtube videos about your ship beforehand! Great idea and will save time once you’re actually onboard.
Great tips! Helps lower the stress of knowing what to do on these trips!
So out of the introvert comfort zone but looks like it was so worth it! Great post!
Plenty worth it, Laura!
I love cruises! I’ve been on 8 of them but haven’t taken my kids yet. Can’t wait!
What a great post! I love cruises, they are always a great family get together for us. We’ve been on cruises where there are about 20 of us family members all doing activities together! It’s always a fantastic time.
Travel with family is far and away the best way to cruise, Crystal!
Great article! Taking my granddaughter somewhere for graduation and I was thinking of a cruise.
Good suggestions! We love having our own balcony to sit outside and chill away from everyone. There are spots on every ship that are quieter and away from it all, it’s fun to try to find them.
I have been wanting to explore cruise vacations, but wasn’t sure it would be for me. We are definitely introverts on vacation, so thank you for this info!
You have to try it at least once, Veronica! You’ll love it!
Good tips to keep in mind. Cruising doesn’t have to be for extroverts alone. I’m glad you found a way to enjoy the trip.
I like the idea of finding YouTube videos and sample cruise schedules to kind of get a feel for and an idea of what a cruise experience could be like.
I’ve often heard that, if you’re moving to another continent, a cruise is often the cheapest way to do it. Taking into account all the things you can keep in your cabin, that would normally need to be shipped at great expense!
Great article and solid tips. Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips!!! Thank you for sharing!
I agree! I simply have to had a balcony on every cruise! That’s where I can get away from it all and still relax! 🙂
I wish we had gone with a balcony! Since we didn’t, I enjoyed snooping around the boat for some quiet places to sunbathe and read, instead!
We went cruising on Harmony of the seas a few years ago, wish I would have thought of watching a youtube video to see the layout. The ship was huge and overwhelming!
I love the tip about watching a video of your ship! This would make it so much less stressful getting around 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Lots of great tips! I still haven’t been on a cruise. If I do, I’ll keep your tips in mind.
Oh, this post is fantastic! I am so going to follow many of your tips for our next cruise. I have only been on one cruise and didn’t prepare too well for that one. Pinning it to my Cruise board in Pinterest…if I haven’t already! 🙂
This is a great list! Sometimes I like a few introverted moments. I love that you added to bring some non plugged in activities.
I love this! You can totally take those tips anywhere! Thanks for sharing.
Very good tips. One of the things I love about vacations is an hour in the morning by myself with a good book and a cup of coffee. Preferably in a beautiful setting! That always gives me a great start to the day.
Good ideas even if you’re not an introvert! Thank you!
Great tips! Cruises are such a fun getaway! I love them!
I haven’t been on a cruise in forever! And, I’m with you on needing time to re-charge!
Can I just spend the whole trip in the spa? :OD
These are super great tips. I think watching ship tours and checking the schedule ahead of time would help me plan my moves and give me less anxiety.
Cruising is a great family vacation. Lots of activities to do together and the ability for alone time, too.
I’m the exact polar opposite of an introvert, but I can see how this would be helpful for an introvert!
These are great tips! My husband and I did our first cruise about a year ago. We are introverts in the same way that you are. We ended up at the same bar every day and noticed that the same people would stop by. It was a good way to meet a few people that we would then see around the ship.
You must have been on a relatively small ship? Ours had about 2000 passengers and there were so many folks we never saw more than once! Oh well 🙂
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
As an extroverted introvert, I can totally relate to all these tips! Especially important to me is to plan ahead and to allow time by myself to re-energize.
Thank you, Tina!
I’ve never taken a cruise before but these seem like really good, practical tips to prep yourself to maximize enjoyment, especially as a fellow introvert.
Try one sometime, Jessica! I think you’ll enjoy it a lot 🙂