Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time???

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Southern Belle

I have been on 2 7-Day cruises now, and I think I have a good list for you to bring on your cruise:

* Your Passport and/or Birth Certificate and a driver's license

* Check the cruise you are traveling on to see if they have requirements for dress code during dinner. Some cruises have 'Formal' nights where you must wear a tie (if u r a guy) or a dinner dress ( for us ladies)!

* Camera, extra film, and one of those waterproof underwater cameras. You will be surprised at how expensive they are on the ship.

* A Credit Card to have all of your on board purchases ( drinks, souvenirs, excursions, etc.)

* Swimsuit, sunblock, sunglasses, etc.

* Pack your clothes in a way that you are able to re-wear an outfit or two. Many airlines charge you when your luggage weighs over 50 lbs. now and it is expensive! You want to have room to bring home souvenirs!

* Motion sickness pills or those motion sickness patches that stick behind your ears. I saw a lot of people with those!

* Bring anti-acids, aspirin, benadryl, etc. - they have them on the ship but again, they are alittle bit expensive.

* Check online to see what excursions will be available on your particular cruise. You can book these ahead of time or wait until you board. WARNING! Many of the popular excursions book ahead of time ( like the first day of the cruise) so bring a print-out (if one is not provided already from the cruise company with your tickets) of all the excursions available so you can have your decisions made by the time you board the ship. Then, you can book them that first day and have a guarantee you will get a spot!

* Bring someone who you want to enjoy this adventure with! A cruise will create wonderful memories, so make sure it is someone worth it!

Sorry so lengthy, but I love cruisin' and would want anyone else to do the same!

Source(s):

Royal Caribbean Voyage of the Seas-2003
Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas-2004

Chelsey C

Well I hear about people falling off the boats so don't go near the edge and you have to look really good in case you meet cute boys so always dress cute.

Lucycat

take a motion sickness pill

Hunter H.

Well, first enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. I took a cruise to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman Islands. I had an amazing time. Do bring motion sickness medication just in case, because we did end up hitting rough seas. Try not to eat any food that seems to have set out on the buffet for too long. I used to work a catering job for 4 years. If there is only a little of something left in the pan out on the buffet, I would wait until they bring out some more. Be careful of cream and mayonnaise based foods. I was so overwhelmed by so much food at the buffet tables, so remember not to get caught up in the beautiful displays too much that you get a hold of bad food:( Do not forget to bring anti-diarrhea medication (just in case). Always bring someone along no matter where you go on the ship (but you knew that). There really are some leery men on these ships. My cousin and I ran into two! Try to take advantage of the shows and excursions. Those were fun. I got to climb Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica. Honestly, all the common sense safety stuff you do at home. But do take advantage of the excursions that the cruise will offer. And try not to forget anything, because the prices on these ships are RIDICULOUS!

Pontiac Pete

Bring lots of sunblock !!! we did w.caribbean & loved the snorkeling at every chance we got. Awesome but sign up fast when you get on the ship as they sell out fast. The sun is so strong even for tanned people. Get SPF 30 waterproof, big fat tubes and wear at shirt in the water if you get burnt. Sun glasses a must. Loved the trip sooooo much... also the nite club on ship had awesome DJ & killier sound system. Be ready to dance every nite. For real--you'll see. You dont know but you will dance till you drop... Soooo much fun!!!!

cherryв™Ґblossoms

read what should i pack and what do i need on the website of ur cruise company.

momsezno

Yes - read voraciously the posts on CruiseCritic.com. They even have a board for "First-Time Cruisers".

goraiders

know where the safety equip. is located and how to use them
dont tavel alone while on land
dont go off the beaten path unless with a tour group
know how to communicate with the locals

rakapur2002

carnival cruises is nice get a high floor other wise u might get sick you will feel the ship turns and stuff. the food is so good

Joe K

Exchange your money for the foreign currency of the countries that you are going to visit. Most times American tourists get ripped off because we think that they are doing us a favor by accepting our american money when they are really overcharging us for goods and services simply because we do not know any better.

fatsausage

Learn to Play Bridge and join the Bridge Crowd.

ladysodivine

Take plenty of nausea pills with you!!

soccerknocker199

take a lot of money because alcohal is expensive on the ship and some shore excursions are expensive depending on what it is. i didnt take any motion sickness pills and didnt get sick but that is just me. stay up and do all that you can do carpi diem= seize the day you payed for the cruise you have time to sleep at home ok well i hope this helps

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

We have been on about 12 cruises and so since you asked for it; here it is:

The first rule in getting less expensive cruises is book early. The second rule is go with the same cruise line multiple times. The third rule is shop around for specials. Some lines will offer specials on a date that does not usually sell out, like Christmas week. So don't lock yourself in to one particular week of the year; be flexible.

If you have not cruised before and don't know the ropes it may be beneficial for you to use an agent; the agent does not charge a fee but is paid by the cruise line. But, also, do some home work on cruise line, itineraries, and ships. Use the cruise line web sites to look at what's being offered. Try to have in mind some of what you want to do when you talk to an agent. If you feel comfortable doing it, you can do your own booking online, the price is the same and you can do everything you need right on the web sites. The sites usually have cruises listed for this year and next.

Now most cruises are done by lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, and Disney. Most of the ships for these lines are now 1500 to 2500 passenger ships. The ships are so big and things are so well managed that you really don't feel crowded on them. Prices on these ship can be as low as $800 for a 7 day inside cabin and about $1200 for a balcony cabin. Most of these lines go to the same places, they are just in port on different days. When you dock there may be one or two other ships there for the day and some days there may not be any where you go. You may also want to consider Cunard and the Queen Mary II. The ship is fantastic and the prices are comparable with RC, NCL and Princess.

The format and service on all of these is about the same. I have found that the food on Celebrity, Princess and RC is a cut above Disney and Carnival. Disney is for kids, and families with kids. It does have adults only areas on ship, but the kids are still there.. The will have lots of kidsвЂ™ activities on the ships, but they will still be all over the hallways, elevators and dining facilities. Disney has good ship, but also lots of kids running around and Micky, Donald, Minnie, Goofie, etc all over the ship. Carnival is the fun ship, but their accommodations are not the best. They cater to a young crowd and first time cruisers. the Carnival is the party cruise line that most young folks and first time cruisers take (ages 20 to 35) who want to party, party, party.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Celebrity, and Norwegian tend to have people who have cruised many times and are in the 40 and over age group; a more reserved crowd. All of these may have some kids but not many. There are activities just for kids and staff who supervise them. The last cruise we took on Celebrity has about 7 or 8 kids all total. Also, ships going to the Caribbean tend to have more young folks than those going to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or South America. The latter tend to have people who want cultural and historical tours. For something special and different, do a Hawaii cruise and stay a few days (before or after) and go see some more of the islands.

Ship Cabin Categories

I suggest that you go to the cruise line web sites and look at itineraries (what ports the ship will stop in), dates and prices. Remember that the cheapest cabins offered are the inside cabins, those without a window or porthole. Also look at and understand the price structure. The lowest priced cabins are INSIDE (no window/porthole), next are OUTSIDE with a window or porthole), next are VERANDA/BALCONY (your own private patio), then comes the jr and full suites, then the penthouses and owners' suites which are like apartments. The inside, outside and balcony cabins are generally the same size on each ship, but may vary by ship and cruise line. I suggest that you look at Veranda cabins they are hot and most ships these days tend to have many at a reasonable price (i.e., $1200 to $1500 for a 7-day.). Its been my experience that Princess and Royal Caribbean have the best ship and cabin decor. If its for a honeymoon or anniversary, or birthday be sure to tell them, they will do special stuff for that. Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken.

You also need to know is that the category designations DO NOT mean the same thing on all cruise lines. For example, a Cat "C" on a Carnival ship is NOT the same as a Cat "C" on a Norwegian ship. AND, a category "C" is not the same across all of the ships in a cruise line, with one exception. For example, a Cat "D" is not the same on all Royal Caribbean ships, except it will be the same just for those situations where a cruise lines builds two IDENTICAL SHIPS. Example, the RC's Jewel of the Seas is identical with their Brilliance of the Seas. So any cat on either of these ships will be the same. Same with the NCL's Dream and its Wind ships. If you go to the cruise line web site and look at categories, they will generally have the square feet of each cabin type, and the balcony square feet, if it has one, listed also .

The shorter cruises are 4 or 5 days, and the normal ones are either 7 or 14 days. If you are leaving from Florida, consider driving to the port, either Miami or Ft Lauderdale. There is plentiful safe parking (I have done this many times) at both places that costs about $12 a day. Driving can save money over the cruise line "add-in" for airfare. We generally drive most of the way on one day from NC and stop about an hour or two from the port for the night. Then continue the short trip the next day to the port.

Freestyle Cruising

I do not recommend Norwegian because of their "freestyle" cruising. It means that you do not have to specify a dining option; don't have a table and waiter assigned to you. But it also means that you may be standing in line awaiting a table on some days (like we had to); not what you want on a cruise. The option to this being pushed on NCL is their optional dining which you must pay to use.

Hidden Costs

The hidden costs on a cruise are your tab for drinks (alcoholic and sodas),tours, and gratuity. Many ships now add the recommended gratuity to your onboard tab. The gratuity is about $10 to $12 a day per person. You can give more if you want. Tours can add hundreds to your final bill, depending upon how many stop the ship makes and what you want to do. Study the tours carefully; some places you may want to just go on your own.

WhatвЂ™s a Cruise Like

They are one of THE best vacations you can take. Once you are on ship the staff caters to you, its whatever you want. There is something to do all day every day. Some ships have morning exercise programs, stretching and walking or you can pay for other things like Spinning in the gym. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampering thuff like wraps and massages with aromatherapy. They will also generally have abeauty salon to do hair and nails..

Ships have movie theaters, small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. There are demonstrations on ship like ice carving, napkin folding and towel folding, cooking demonstrations.

Each day you will receive a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of each event. You can schedule land tours and activities also during the day and evening when the ship is in port. There are generally shows every evening, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room serviice menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.

There are places on ships to play board games and cocktail lounges that feature a variety of mucis. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night.

Then there is always the pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot hots.

I suggest that you go to the web site for the cruise line you are going on and look at the features for the ship you will be on. I hope you have picked a balcony cabin, or a suite, they are more relaxing and fun.

concerned

Take some sea sick pills with you. It gets wavy out there. Good luck.

HopeBH

Have fun...

And everyone looks silly during the drill, it's not just you....

Tact is highly overrated

Please bring sunscreen and make sure you stay with someone you know anytime you are off the boat. Don't ever accept drinks from strangers, they could be drugged.

:*:Juicy:*:

yeah...get swimming lessons first, oh N don't forget the buddy system....

jfinatown

Sea sickness shouldn't be a problem unless you have an extreme case of motion sickness. I was on a cruise in the middle of a hurricane and you could not really feel the motion of the boat. Also, when exploring your destinations, always use the shore excursions offered by the cruise line. There are many reasons for this. First, you don't have to worry about getting lost. You will always be with a large number of people so you will be safe. And if you are late getting back to the ship with the excursion, they will wait. If you are late getting back to the ship and you went exploring on your own, the ship will pull out without you on it. Then you will have to pay for a flight to the next port or to the place where the ship returns to. Not only will you have to pay for the extra airfair, but you won't get any money back for the cruise. Snorkelling is the activity I recommend if you are going somewhere tropical. And don't waste your time sleeping.

cryptoscripto

Bring sunscreen, motion sickness pills (or the patch, if you can get it), aspirins, and stuff for upset stomach just in case. Have extra money on hand because not everything on the ship is included in what you paid already. Alcohol, soft drinks, and anything you buy in any of the shops is a separate charge. Stay with a friend because even though the people on board seem nice, bad things can happen when you let your guard down. Check out cruisebruise.com.

texascowboyd

Don't lose anything, you will regret the losing the littlest paper for the entire trip. Keep it somewhere safe and easily remembered.

Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time??? pic 1
Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time??? pic 2
Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time??? pic 3
Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time??? pic 4
Any advice you can give to me going on a cruise for the first time??? pic 5

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