5 Cruise Tips for novice cruisers from P&O Pacific Aria 2018 @julescruisecompanion #cruise #travel

Good morning from the Pacific Aria! It’s just before 5am and I’m starting my day with a walk—trying to get my steps in before the decks get too busy. I’m staying on Deck 9, but I’ve headed up to the pool deck and later made my way down to Deck 6, which has a great outdoor walking track (until the crew closed it for cleaning!). Along the way, I share a few quirky cruise facts I’ve picked up: Most ships don’t have a Deck 13—it jumps from 12 to 14! Port side (left) cabins have even numbers; starboard (right) has the odd numbers. Easy to remember: “left” and “port” both have four letters. On older ships, the toilets are split by gender across sides of the ship—female on one side, male on the other—so don’t panic if you can’t find your usual sign! I’m travelling with a conference group of about 60 people, so cabin etiquette is key. A few things I do to be a good group buddy: Keep my space tidy and quiet, especially in shared cabins. Leave my walking clothes in the bathroom overnight so I can sneak out early without waking anyone. Share power outlets and communal spaces fairly. Remember that we don’t have to do everything together—we’re all free to explore our own interests, whether that’s trivia, lectures, or just relaxing. Today one of the girls is kindly doing laundry for the group while we’re at the conference—what a legend! Meanwhile, I’m working hard to get my 10,000 steps in, dodging cleaning crews and battling that gusty sea breeze on the top decks. It’s a great core workout trying to walk straight on a moving ship—it might look like I’ve had one too many gin and tonics, but I promise it’s just the boat swaying! After all that walking, I can finally justify breakfast—and yes, I can smell the bacon from here. Stick around for more cruise tips, behind-the-scenes life on board, and a bit of real talk about what it’s like to travel with a group at sea. Thanks for watching and happy cruising! — Jules 🚢 Morning walk on a sea day. Jules reflects on how to he a good cruise buddy 1 Be tidy 2 Be quiet 3 Share responsibility 4 You don't have to do everything together 5 If you are travelling with a large group, book your evening dining early. Interesting observations 1 No deck 13 on a cruise ship 2 Staterooms numbers are ODD on one side of the ship and EVEN on the other side 3 Public Female toilets are often located on the same side of the ship. My book HANDY CRUISE COMPANION, Cruise with Confidence is available on Amazon http://bit.ly/HandyCruiseCompanioneBook Check out my website http://www.julescruisecompanion.com.au/ Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/julie.burgess.5011 Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/julescruisecompanion/?hl=en Copyright JCC