7 surprising things I learned when I booked my first cruise

Cruisers recommend booking your flight for the day before the ship leaves.

Since my cruise ship left from Florida and I live in New York, I had to fly there. When I started searching for flights, I looked for reservations on the same day as my cruise departure.

After a little research, though, I learned that seasoned cruisers recommend flying into your port city at least one day before your cruise ship departs to leave room for potential delays. So I booked a flight that arrived the night before my trip and had a stress-free embarkation day.

Similarly, when choosing my flight home, I learned that the scheduled port arrival time wasn't exactly when I'd be off the ship.

The ship's scheduled arrival time is when the ship docks at the port, a cruise ship employee previously told Business Insider. Before passengers can get off, there's an inspection that can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or longer.

Just to be safe, I booked a night flight at 9 p.m., thinking I'd rather wait at the airport all day than miss my ride home. However, I regret booking such a late departure because I arrived at the airport 12 hours before takeoff. Next time, I'll book an afternoon flight instead so I don't spend all day in the airport.

I thought cruises would be priced like hotels — per room. But when booking my Royal Caribbean cruise, I learned about the "single supplement."

When booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, I found that the price per person varied depending on the number of guests. When I searched for just one guest, as I cruised solo, the rate per person doubled compared to searching for two guests.

This is called the "single supplement." Many cruise lines price this way for solo travelers to make up for the revenue that would have come from a second guest.

While there are many included meals and activities on cruise ships, excursions and some restaurants and amenities cost extra.

I was previously under the impression that cruises were all-inclusive.

But while some restaurants and activities were included in the room price, like the buffet and waterslides, spa treatments, port excursions, and select restaurants on the ship cost extra.

Some rooms on cruise ships don't have windows.

When booking my Royal Caribbean cruise, I noticed that the least expensive room option had no windows. I couldn't imagine living without a window for a week. Luckily, my room had a small one.

You can add gratuity during the booking process.

When I was getting ready to purchase my cruise, I noticed I could add gratuity in advance. I went for it and thought it made my trip easier.

Once you're booked, you can reserve food on the ship and excursions at each port.

As soon as I received my confirmation email for my booking, I learned that I already had the option of planning out my whole trip, from restaurant reservations to excursions. I booked excursions in advance, so I had one less thing to worry about once on board.