We've never been on a cruise before and we're wanting to go on one this year. What do we need to know?

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justme

If you are going to the caribbean, go early (May or June), because after that you get into hurricane season (July may be OK too, but you start to risk it). Do NOT go in September because its peak season, and there is a good chance you wont go to where you booked for, not to mention the rough seas if a hurricane is out there.

You need a passport to get through customs (starting June 1st).

If you are flying to the departure port, go the day before the cruise, and get a hotel room for the night. If you wait till the day of departure, your flight may be delayed, or your bags might get lost. You dont want to miss the ship!

I like to board the ship as early as possible. Sometimes they can check you in before the actual check in time. You may have to wait to board, but when they do, you can be one of the first to board, and not have to wait in line.

Take a small bag as a carry on when you board the ship, because you wont be able to get to your cabin for a while, and even then, your bags wont show up until later in the evening. Take only what you think you will need that afternoon/evening in the bag, because you will have to carry it around with you until you can get to your room.

Once on board, head to the buffet and pig out! Then do some exploring of the ship. Find the dining room, bars, shops, theater, etc...

I wait till onboard to book any shore excursions, usually the day before the ship pulls in to the port. Take your small bag on the excursions for the things you may need (towels, cameras, etc...).

If you want a chair by the pool, get there early! They fill up fast.

If you have an inside cabin, it will be very dark! Maybe take a night light, and certainly a clock! No need for a hair dryer, as most if not all ships have one in the room.

Dont try to be cheap on your cruise! Spend some money and enjoy it!! Cruises arent very cheap, so expect a decent sized bill when you depart, especially if you drink, and do excursions when in the ports.

Dont forget to tip your waiter, and the person that makes up your room!
Dont bother tipping when buying drinks (unless you really want to), as the tip is automatically added to the bill.

I like the late seating for dinner. It may seem like its too late to eat, but it really isnt. If you get hungry, before dinner, you can always, hit the buffet for something light to eat.

Time travler

Uh, that is hurricane season and not a great time to take a chance and go on a cruise to the Bahamas then. It would be awful for a cruise to be canceled or not to be able to go to the places you paid for. It is a great time to go to Alaska though. My second cruise was to Alaska and I was very hesitant because, well, it is not warm, not a beach area and just did not sound good. But let me tell you, is was the best cruise I have ever taken. My second favorite was a round trip cruise last year to Hawaii from Los Angeles. Hawaii cruises with Princess are not during the Summer. So, unless you can go to the caribbean or Bahamas at another time, then I would highly recomend Alaska.

peaches6

I got all my information from this site:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Every question I had was answered. Good Luck!

cruise junkie

Go see your local travel Agent they can give you a ton of info and it's free and easier than trying to look things up. most love to help

Jennifer M

My fiance and I just booked our cruise yesterday its our first one and we had a lot of questions also. We found great deals online but we decided to go to a travel agency so that we could ask questions, we didn't plan on booking with them. The girl who helped us answered all of our questions and had been on several cruises so she had first hand knowledge. On top of that, she got us a better deal on a better room. My advice, take the time to talk to a travel agent, she helped us big time! Its really worth it to have someone you can talk to in person. Also you'll need a passport for cruises in the near future so if you don't have one you should look into that as well. Have Fun!!!

jmom

watch out for hurricane season.
we took our first eastern caribbean cruise this Dec, and on 2 days the ride was rough and we had to use patches( take them from here)

You will need a passport .

We went to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Dominican Republic and Nassau , Bahamas.

On St Thomas you could go shopping for just 4$ a taxi ride, we took all the shore excursions from the cruise, they were more expensive,
You should use your judgement , some ports are safer than the others.

Book the 2nd dinner time, you will have time to get there after your excursions.

Get a soda card if you will drink a lot of sodas.

Garrett P

cruises are awesome go to grand caymen and jamaica out of miami on the carnival destiny Beautiful ship just refurbished in november great crusie and lots of shows and things to do

Redhead

You don't mention having a passport and you will need one to get back into the U. S. It takes time to get one so you should do that asap. If you go to AAA, they have lots of information on cruises and trips. You might join for a year and they will give you all the help and info you need. We use them for all our trips on land and sea.

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