Planning your first cruise? These first-time cruise tips might just save your vacation. I made every rookie mistake on my first sailing — from flying in the same day the ship left to skipping travel insurance entirely — and I'm sharing them all so you can skip the stress I didn't. Here are the 5 mistakes first-time cruisers make, plus exactly what to do instead. 5 Mistakes First-Time Cruisers Make (I Made Some So You Don't Have To) Confession time: before I became a travel ad