I wanted to do something special for my milestone birthday this year, and taking a little getaway felt very on-brand. I’d never been on a cruise before, and I know that floating holidays can be divisive. So my first time cruise felt like not only a fun way to try something new, but also a good opportunity to mark the occasion with 12 of my closest friends and family members.
I’d never been on, or really considered, cruise holidays prior to this trip. As someone who gets seasick at the hint of a wave, I was nervous that I would not enjoy a floating holiday for any great length of time. So this four night “trial run” adventure was the perfect way to dip my toe into the world of cruising, without diving in headfirst!
Uncharacteristically for me, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time researching every last detail of this trip. So, for the most part, I wasn’t sure what to expect on this Whitsundays Carnival cruise. There were definitely some great aspects to this holiday, but there were also some big annoyances.
Here’s what it was really like on board, and whether I’d brave the seas again!
Contents
The rooms
Travelling with a big group meant we got to see the full range of different cabin types available. As expected, most rooms were compact. Even sharing between two people felt snug, with limited luggage space.
One of our group pulled the short straw with a windowless room that Carnival calls an “Interior stateroom”, but we dubbed The Dorm. That room squeezed in four people with bunk beds and absolutely zero privacy. It was… efficient. And cheap.
My partner and I had thankfully booked a slightly bigger room, that included a balcony. While the small amount of extra space was more than welcome, the location of the room we were assigned was right next to the outdoor running track. It was not ideal having people much more committed to fitness than ourselves running directly past our window in the early hours of the late morning!
My tips would be to try to bring as little luggage as practical, as well as to choose your room carefully – like aircraft seats, they aren’t all the same. And if possible, keep it to two adults per cabin. Trust me.
The food and drinks
Most food was included in our fare. We had the option to eat either in the Pantry buffet, which honestly was hit and miss, or to reserve a table in one of the a la carte restaurants. The restaurants had better food, but portion sizes were small. Some of our group were still hungry even after ordering multiple mains.
We also struggled with changing some of our auto-booked reservations to different times, or different group sizes. We seemed to really confuse the restaurant staff when, for example, there were nine of us from four different rooms wanting to dine together.
As the cruise was under seven nights, alcoholic drinks packages weren’t available. But onboard pricing wasn’t outrageous, with glasses of wine at $12-16 and pints of tap beers (plus Hard Solo!) around $13.
For something a bit fancier, the cocktail bar the Bonded Store was a great find, with the cocktail quality (and prices) akin to what we’re used to in Melbourne.
The activities
There were lots of on-board activities and events to help pass the time. Similarly to the food, some activities on our Whitsundays Carnival cruise were included, while others cost extra. We did a good mix of both. And some of the things I enjoyed the most were those that I wouldn’t have picked to do myself.
We did a cocktail making class and as it was my birthday I had the honour, or horror, of getting up in front of the audience to show them “how it’s done.” How embarrassing!
Bingo and Deal or No Deal were crowd favourites. And the included shows and musical performances were genuinely impressive – far better than I’d expected on a short cruise!
Shore excursion in the Whitsundays
We only had one day ashore in the Whitsundays, and getting on and off the ship was chaotic. We had to take water shuttles to get to land, and although a ticketing system was supposedly in place, it wasn’t exactly enforced. So disembarkation felt like a bit of a free-for-all.
It was great to get off the ship and stretch our legs on land, but in hindsight we should’ve been more organised when it came to shore excursions as they booked out quite quickly. We still had a great day though, after hiring a small motorised dinghy and puttering around the bay. No swimming for us though as it was jellyfish season!
Would I go on another cruise?
There are definitely pros and cons to cruise holidays. I loved the ease of not having to plan meals or entertainment, and it was great always being able to find someone around from my group.
After only four days though, I was starting to feel cooped up. And I definitely prefer to be able to explore new places at my own pace.
I can imagine that a cruise would be a great holiday if you have a young family. There were plenty of kids around, and they seemed to have a lot of loud fun at the pools and dance parties. As a group of adults however, it did make it hard to find a quiet place to relax – with only one area of the boat being an adult-only space.
The biggest surprise for me was that for most of our time on the ship, I didn’t feel that seasick. In fact, the worst I felt was on our way back to Brisbane, as we were running late and hustling to get back on time. It didn’t help that our sea legs stuck around for a few days after we’d returned home either.
I’ll say that I wouldn’t jump to do another domestic cruise like this one. If I were to cruise again, I’d take the time to research the cruise line, ship, loyalty perks and destination more carefully.
The right cruise for me might still be out there – I’d just choose more deliberately before I set sail next time.
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