The luxury and ease of taking a cruise can make for an incredible vacation. However, a travel expert has warned that four common booking mistakes could turn your dream getaway into a disappointment. First up: maiden voyages.
Despite the allure of being the first to sail on a ship, they have frequently been cancelled due to the ship not being ready, which could seriously scupper your plans. Gary Bembridge, who runs the Tips for Travellers YouTube page , warned his 451,000 subscribers in March that his friend's cruise had been cancelled just three days before departure. There's also the risk that everything might not be ready, like when the crew was forced to purchase temporary furniture en masse for Emerald Cruises' Azzurra after the pre-ordered furniture didn't arrive.
You might not even be the first to sleep in the cabin either; many companies run shakedown cruises with employees, media and travel agents to test the vessel out first. It's also worth noting that this will be the first time the crew will be working at full capacity, so it might not run like the well-oiled ship it has been running for a few seasons. Companies often reduce the prices of older ships when maiden voyages are advertised, so it's worth considering these instead.
Timing is also everything: evade the crowds and seasickness by being savvy with your dates. The Mediterranean is typically packed in July and August, so day tours can be quite hectic, and the shoulder months may be much more relaxing. In the .
