'I was surprised': The biggest lessons Deb learnt on her first ever cruise

I've always thought there's a degree of snobbery from those who declare they would never go on a cruise.

Seasickness is an understandable reason for being adamant about staying on dry land, and the "Poop Cruise" documentary about what can go terribly and explosively wrong at sea is a definite turn off. 

But many of those who dismiss cruise ships as floating RSL's to be avoided at all costs have never set foot onboard - and I'm firmly of the view that you should never knock it till you've tried it. 

So I did just that with my Mum and two daughters in January this year. 

As first-time cruisers we were excited to have a girls trip away, embarking on a 9-night South Pacific Cruise from Sydney on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas, with Port days in Noumea New Caledonia, and Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu. 

One of the big attractions of cruises is there's none of the usual hard work of holidays.

You don't have to book multiple hotel rooms, flights or train trips, or research where to eat or where to go - you unpack once and the ship takes you where you need to be with all the activities organised in between. 

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The choices

But I was surprised at the number of decisions you do have to make before getting onboard this floating city that carries close to 5000 passengers and 1500 crew at full capacity, which this ship was during the school holidays. 

Of the nine cabin decks, which is best - and do you opt for the front, back or middle of the ship? Is a balcony a must, or would a more affordable windowless room with a 'virtual' balcony be OK, projecting a real-time image of the outside world onto a floor to ceiling screen? 

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Are the dining rooms and buffet that are included in the price enough, or is it worth paying extra for the specialty dining options?

A cocktail or 3 will be essential, but is an expensive drinks package providing unlimited alcohol really necessary? Do you really need to pay extra for Wifi, considering the amount of activities to do onboard? 

And what to do on Port days - there are so many organised excursions to choose from. Do I want to pay a pretty penny to visit a village, swim in the Blue Lagoon, or go to an Aquarium - or should we just wander around at our leisure and explore on our own, away from the crowds pouring onto the islands from the ship? 

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The tips

Those who are passionate about cruising - and there are plenty who are - have an unfair advantage. There were a lot of people on our cruise who have sailed the same waters multiple times and have this ship life down pat. 

Even down to the little things like knowing to bring a lanyard from home to carry your SeaPass with you at all times, which acts as your room key, your ID, and your credit card for the cashless payment system that operates onboard.

Knowing that the doors to your room are magnetised so you can bring magnets from home to decorate your door and find your room more easily in the seemingly endless ship corridors.

Knowing that cruisers really embrace the theme nights and dress head to toe in 80's gear, or in all-white, or in dinner suits and gowns. 

The pros

I was amazed at how many large groups cruise together. Extended families across the generations, who often start their adventure with matching shirts, celebrating someone's milestone birthday or anniversary. 

And the ship really does try to cater to the varied interests of those different age groups.

There's kids clubs for youngsters, tweens and teens, an impressive gym for the fitness freaks, bingo and quiz nights, dance lessons, a casino, theatre shows - not to mention the rock climbing, the surfing, the i-Fly indoor skydiving the bumper cars.. you need at least nine nights to have a taste of all the things the ship has to offer. 

The cons

One of the problems though is that the weather doesn't always play ball.

Two of our three port days were cancelled on the morning we were due to disembark due to high seas making getting on and off the tender boats that ferry us to shore not safe. The experienced cruisers told me Mystery Island in Vanuatu is often cancelled for that reason. 

Another downside is the sheer number of people. There are queues for everything. Even if you've booked a time for dinner, you still have large lines to contend with.

There's always a long queue just to get into the buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner during peak times - then you have to jockey for a table. 

To see the nightly theatre show, or karaoke contest or quiz night, you almost need to arrive an hour early to get a seat.

Finding a lounge or deck chair by the pool is like winning the lottery. If you do enjoy some quiet time, the constant crowds on the ship do become overwhelming - with that many people it is hard to find some solitude. 

We had the bad luck of a mechanical problem also meaning the ship could only travel back to Sydney at half speed, so our arrival back home was delayed from the early morning to the late afternoon.

Those with nowhere to be, loved it - they had more cruising time to enjoy! Not so great for those with connecting flights or jobs to get back to, or kids to get ready for school. 

The crew

I thought the best thing on our cruise, that could have been celebrated more, was the staff.

It really is a United Nations of people from every corner of the globe, who are constantly upbeat and go above and beyond to make the experience enjoyable for everyone onboard - their hard work often unappreciated. 

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I feel as though the cruise company could lean into the stories of the ship's workers more than they do. I loved hearing where the staff were from, about their families that they were apart from for the seven months of the year that they work onboard.

And I think it would be good for all the passengers to have a greater sense of the conditions the workers were living in, to fully appreciate how fortunate we as guests were. 

My Mum and I did a behind the scenes tour to see where the meals are prepared, where the food is stored, where the mountains of laundry is done, and the bridge from where the ship is captained.

That was one of the more interesting experiences that not many other passengers opted to do. 

The verdict

Would I go on a cruise again? Definitely not during school holidays when the ship was packed to the brim.

Perhaps a smaller ship is more my style, with fewer things to do, but more quiet time. And while my kids loved the buffet, I feel like less is more. 

But I'm glad I got a taste of the cruising life, and hats off to the staff who were simply incredible.

Deb travelled with her family at her own expense.

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