Reason why cruise ship passengers are urged to follow ‘one day rule’ before they even board

A cruise site has advised on following a one-to-two day rule before you set sail.

If you're planning on setting sail on a cruise ship trip, there's certain things you should know.

Whether it be navigating the food at the buffet or the reality of living a ship for nine months, certain tendencies should be considered.

However, there's one piece of advice you should take before you even step on board.

You may think arriving a few hours early will do, but Cruise Critic has advised of arriving 'a day or two before your cruise'.

It explains, as quoted by the Express, it 'not only enhances the overall experience with a mini-land vacation, but it also eliminates the stressful race against time - and the risk of missing the ship'.

It continues: "Long flight times, customs, visas and potential baggage delays are just a few reasons to add an extra travel day when flying overseas for a cruise. More flights and security checks create more opportunities for things to go wrong. Plus, if you're already traveling across the globe, why not take the opportunity to explore the local culture before your cruise begins?

"Even a morning flight can leave you waiting in long lines at the cruise terminal, putting you far behind others who arrived earlier.

"Getting to the ship early - something that's harder to guarantee with a flight - lets you make the most of your first day onboard. You’ll have time to explore the ship, drop off your bags, relax by the pool, grab a bite to eat and fully settle into vacation mode."

Nevertheless, one family ended up with the cruise ship leaving without them.

There's one rule you should follow before getting on the cruise (Getty Stock Images)

Shannon Nutting put together a surprise trip for her children, driving eight hours from North Carolina to Florida's Port Canaveral to board a Royal Caribbean cruise, but they weren't allowed to board.

Shannon went on to say of the ordeal: "All that year of saving and paying on it, everybody was just heartbroken and devastated. Everybody was exhausted.

"I did not want to get on the road for eight hours and travel back I-95 with four kids by myself and my babysitter."

Shannon later spoke to her travel agent about the incident and Royal Caribbean apologized for the ordeal, saying there was a human error, and said Shannon and her kids should have been able to board.

Royal Caribbean later gave Shannon three options to rectify the matter suggesting the amount she paid for the cruise could be used as 100 percent future credit on another cruise, plus a $700 onboard credit or she could get a full refund or receive a full refund on the cruise plus 25 percent future cruise credit.

• Royal Caribbean cruise ship forced to return to port after major fight on board leaves two hospitalized
• Royal Caribbean cruise ship worker’s kind gesture leaves family lost for words
• Royal Caribbean cruise ship rushes to rescue 12 people from raft before it sinks
• Passengers left screaming after hole cracks open on world’s biggest cruise ship's waterslide