In this video, we’re sharing the biggest cruise mistakes we made when we first started cruising—plus a few newer tips we’ve picked up that can still surprise even seasoned cruisers in 2025 and 2026. We start with flight timing, because this one can ruin a trip fast: we don’t recommend flying in the day of embarkation, and we also avoid super early flights home on disembarkation day. We like flying in 1–2 days early so the homeport becomes a mini vacation (like when we spent three days in New York City before our Bermuda cruise), and we always build in a cushion on the way home. We also talk about mistakes like letting the cruise line book your flights (we tried NCL’s deals and it backfired for our situation), checking in late and missing specialty dining or entertainment, and overpacking—our packing spreadsheet helps us plan outfits and rewear what makes sense. We cover cabin location (don’t book under the gym), embarkation day essentials (carry-on bag with meds and a change of clothes), and why you should actually use the cruise app/daily planner to catch free activities and grab the port agent info. Finally, we get real about hidden costs, drink package caps, Wi‑Fi limitations at sea, overplanning, exploring the ship on day one, travel insurance, seasickness and weather prep, free ship photography, and why researching ports (and excursions) ahead of time can save money and stress.