How to Enjoy Every Cruise, According to Long

Key Points
Cruises offer many activities, but you don’t have to attend everything to enjoy yourself.
Prioritize relaxation and personal preferences over trying to do every event or formal night.
Enjoy your cruise your way—alone, with others, or making new friends onboard.
There are many people out there that have gone on one cruise, didn’t enjoy themselves, and then decide that the cruise vacation is simply not for them. For a lot of folks, what really happened here is that they didn’t know how to make the cruise enjoyable for themselves. Similar to a college experience or moving to a new place–each experience is what you make it.
Cruises tend to have an overwhelming amount of activities onboard. For some, this is a great thing, because at any given time of the day, there’s something to do. Whether you want to join in on a trivia session, enjoy live music in one of the ship’s bars, dine in a specialty dining room, or see a show, the variety of entertainment is catered to many types of individuals. You may be wondering, however, am I supposed to attend all of these events to actually enjoy my cruise? I’ve worked on three different cruise lines as an entertainer and have sailed as a guest many times as well, so I have a lot to say on this topic.
Related: The Genius Carry-On Packing Hack I Wish I Knew Sooner
Skip The Overload Of Events
On a Reddit thread where long-time cruisers discuss just about everything you can think of when it comes to cruises, they tackled the subject of attending events onboard. Every cruiser recognizes that each ship tends to have a lot going on, and the long-time cruises suggest that you skip out on trying to attend every single thing. Even though a lot of the events onboard might appeal to you, filling your schedule with a surplus of activities might leave you feeling drained, tired and overstimulated. It’s a vacation, afterall, and most people want to feel somewhat relaxed once the vacation has come to a close.
One thing that the Reddit cruisers brought up was attending dinner, specifically formal nights. While some people love an excuse to dress up, others simply may not feel like it. This isn’t school or work–so you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to! Some cruise lines explain that these formal nights are optional, and still allow people to come to the dining rooms onboard even if they’re not dressed up. Others may say that you must be in formal wear to dine at the dining room or specialty dining, and if that’s the case, you can simply go up to the buffet to enjoy your dinner there.
These long-time cruisers brought up an excellent point: trying to keep track of dining reservations, show times and other activity times can end up being more stressful than the enjoyment of doing the activities. If you find this is the case for you, just know that you don’t have to do anything that overextends you. It’s your vacation, and you’re allowed to enjoy it exactly how you please!
Related: 7 Cruises Superfans Can’t Wait to Book in 2026, According to a Cruise Expert
My Ideal Way To Enjoy A Cruise
At the end of the day, each individual is different. Some people enjoy getting off in port for the whole day, soaking in every ounce of adventure they can. Other people like to enjoy land for a short amount of time, but prefer to head back to the ship to relax at the pool or spa. Some love a late night out, dancing at the various bars and listening to live music. Others prefer to do dinner and a show and head straight to bed. Whoever you resonate with here, it’s totally valid. I’ve sailed on over 100 voyages myself, and I’ve almost gotten my cruise enjoyment style down to a science.
First and foremost, if you’re traveling with someone else, it’s key to discuss with them what they would enjoy and what you would enjoy. Cruises are a great place to make new friends, and they aren’t exactly designed to have you spending time with your travel partners 24/7 if you don’t want to. Whether I’ve cruised with my family or a friend, I always tell everyone that they should do exactly what they want to do, and if there’s things we want to do together–great!
For example, on a family cruise, my family has always decided to stick with our assigned dining time every night. That’s our way to connect and enjoy a meal together. At the meal, we discuss if anyone wants to see a show or attend any sort of event after, and those that do will join in. Many times, someone in the group wants to relax at a bar and go to sleep after, and that’s a great option, too. The key to enjoying your cruise is doing exactly what you want to do, and you can do it with those you’re traveling with, or you can make new friends on your own. Your cruise is what you make it, so make it something you enjoy!