Here are some cruise tips which I thought maybe useful:

Tipping – if you do it on the first day – (for example, your waiter and the room steward), then they will want you to get the best service as you have virtually ‘paid for it in advance’.

If you want coffee in your cabin I the morning, make sure to call room service the night before.
If you take with you all items you need – suntan lotion, hair gel, etc. you will be spared the extreme expense of buying such items on board.

If you have an outside cabin, bring along some plastic clothes pegs – you can use them to fix your wet bathing suits to the balcony chairs. That way, they won’t disappear at sea…

Taking an alarm clock makes sense but make sure you take one with illuminated dials so you can see the time in the night.

Take something to put your dirty clothes in – it can be a simple plastic bag or a laundry bag from the dollar store. You will need it.

You’ll probably be taking lots of pictures. You can either take your laptop in order to download your pictures as the memory card will fill up fast. Either that or buy extra memory chips but make sure you get them before you board as they’re bound to be more expensive on the actual cruise ship.

Get a copy of your passport and any other ID you might need on your trip. Take a copy with you and leave a copy with someone you trust at home.

Hope these tips were of help to you. The Intelligent Cruiser ebook has lots more tips and tricks to help you before and during your cruise.