If you’re cruising in 2026, some of the mistakes we’ve all made are getting even more expensive—and the worst part is we didn’t even realize we were doing them at the time. In this video, we (Laura and Carol from Core Four Adventures) walk through the biggest cruise mistakes we still see people making: booking the wrong itinerary, focusing only on the destination instead of the ship’s vibe, waiting too long to book (or booking way too early without a plan), and not understanding what your fare actually includes. We also talk about why we never skip travel insurance, especially after what happened to us with our 2020 anniversary trip. Then we get into the stuff that can quietly ruin your trip once you’re onboard: overpacking like you’re moving in, not packing for the ship (hello, freezing theaters), missing dining and show reservations, and overscheduling every minute until you’re exhausted. We also share our port-day lessons—like when to book third-party excursions versus cruise line excursions (tender ports and short days matter), how to plan transportation ahead of time, and why a cruise is basically a “sampler platter” (pick one or two must-dos per port). Finally, we cover spending traps like not checking your onboard account daily and buying things out of FOMO—because those little charges add up fast.