What is it like going on a cruise ?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

You arrive at the port by car or bus and drop your luggage with a porter who works for the port, not the cruise line. These people put all of the luggage in carts based on the luggage tags on your bags. The porters take your bags to the ship's doors and there ship's personnel send then through a scanner, one bag at a time just like at the airport, with someone watching content. I don't know for sure but my bet is they have dogs sniffing for bombs and other stuff too. Then your bags are delivered to your cabin door.

Meanwhile you get in a line where they check first to see if you are even supposed to be there; many cruise lines use a self print pass that says you are to sail at that date and time.

-Then you get in line to go to a window to have your passport and other paperwork checked and to give your credit card so they can set up your on board cruise account.

-Then some cruise lines take your photo at the check in desk and other will take it at a different location as part of the check in process.

-Then they issue you your cruise card which serves as your room key, pass to get off and on the ship in ports and your charge card for everything you buy on ship.

- Then you and all of your carry on things (including handbags, camera, cell phone, and all packages) go through a scanner just like at the airport. Everything you are carrying goes on a belt to go through an X-ray machine, just like at the airport.

-When you clear the scanner/x-ray machine you head to the gangway and there some cruise lines take your photo (those that did not at the check in desk). The photo is an image that is on the magnetic strip on your cruise card so that when you enter or leave the ship they have your photo as well as your name.

Now all of the foregoing may vary just a little by cruise line but that's been the process when I have cruised with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, NCL and Princess.

The activities on the cruise ship can be the most fun. You did not say what cruise line or ship you are considering going on but regardless just about every line and ship has programs for teens and younger kids. The cruise lines have professionally trained staff who develop and run programs for kids by age groups. These staff people supervise the kids in activities on ship all day and sometimes into the early evenings. The kids are grouped by age. Some ships have special areas where the kids go to participate in the activities. Royal Caribbean calls its kids area Adventure Ocean and has a teen disco called Fuel which is open every evening until 2:00AM. Other cruise lines like Carnival and Norwegian have about the same.

For adults there are always pools and hot tubs and many ship have a Solarium (a cover area) with a pool and hot tubs for adults only. This is in addition to the regular pool and hot tubs for everyone. Some ships have water slides. Ships have great gymnasiums with a variety of equipment. The RC's Freedom and Liberty have THE best gyms I have ever seen on ships.

The cruise director will organize games and activities around the pool, especially on "at sea" days when there is no port stop. They may also have a midnight party on the pool deck with a buffet, music and dancing one night. Each night there will be a show and it is usually run twice so that no matter what time you go to dinner you can see the show.

If you are a gambler (YOU MUST BE AGE 18 or older) there will be a casino, except on Disney ships. Each day you will receive a "newsletter" type flier in your cabin that details the time and location of all of the activities on ship the next day. So you will know what is happening and where. Also, most ships will have a channel on the TV in the room that recaps activities for the current and next day. If there is a port stop the next day most ships will have a presentation in the show room or a lounge that talks about where to shop; then this is repeated on TV.

Most ships these day have 2,000 to 4,000 passengers so things on ship are very well organized and in most cases the ship does not even feel crowded.

AND WHAT DO YOU DO ON BOARD THE SHIP??

The things that you can do on ship will vary by the cruise line and the ship. Many of the newer ships of all of the cruise lines have more activities than there are on the older ships. Older ships would in general be those launched before about 2000.

The types and number of activities also varies by cruise line with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line having by far THE most activities. Things and activities that may be available, depending upon the ship:

- pools, hot tubs and water slides

-water surf on a boogie board on ship (RC's Freedom class ships only)

- a full service gymnasium with all types of free weights and exercise machines

- a full service spa where you can get hair and nails done and massages and wraps.

- a sauna and/or steam rooms

- a mini-golf course and/or a golf driving range or golf simulator

- a roller blade track and/or an ice skating rink. If there is an ice rink there will be an ice show like the ice capades

- a rock climbing wall.

- a full sized basketball/volleyball/tennis court

- table tennis

-over sized Chess/Checker sets and shuffle board

- walking/ jogging track

- a video arcade

-a kids only area, some with a pool and/or water slide

- a teens only area, some including a teen disco

-a bowling alley (NCL ship)

- pool tables (RC ships)

- a show room where there will be a show every evening, one for each dinner seating

- a game room with games and cards provided

- an internet cafe (they charge a fee for this)

- a library with books provided or bring your own

- a disco that is open every night starting about 11:00 PM and lasting until the last person leaves.

- piano bar and a sports bar

- all ships will have lounges and cocktails bars at various places on ship

- some ships have a small movie theater and you can also watch movies (most for free) in your cabin. Princess has movies under the stars on top decks of some ships.

- free 24/7 room service

- a casino for gambling

- a huge variety of food and plenty of it, seconds and thirds are OK too.

- sit on a deck or your cabin's balcony and watch the ocean go by.

- go to art auctions

- go to lectures and learning seminars on some ships

- go to the Karaoke bar

- Wine tasting

- shop for souvenirs

There may even be a few others things that I have not listed. Remember that not all ships have all of these things. Some may have only a few. But all of the cruise lines and ships have things just for teens.

PoliticalScienceRox

OMG! Awesome! We are going on another in less than a month.
They are so much fun. All the fancy food you could ever want. Eat on YOUR schedule. Dining at night time is semi formal with one night very formal. Pictures are taken everywhere you go and you can buy them at the end. Pools, hot tubs. Clubs and Shows. FUN FUN! Of course, ports of call are amazing. You meet a lot of people. I would suggest bring a friend or be cool with your siblings because the rooms are usually tiny.

Oh--- you get funny towel animals everytime you go to your room before bed and DONT forget to take the chocolate off of your bed before going to sleep because you will wake up with it everywhere. Looks like poop ;)

Emily :)

So so soooo much fun.

I just got back from a Mexican Rivera cruise and it was pretty much the shiz! (I'm 15 too)

GO TO THE TEEN CLUB! I met so many friends on the cruise and we all have each others myspaces so its a great way to meet cool new people.

Also...theres free ice cream!

paulcrsm

We went on a cruise a few years ago to the Caribbean. It was nice, but it is a bit restrictive.
The advantages:
1. You don't have to pack up and unpack between ports.
2. You spen enough time with fellow travelers that you can make friends.
3. If you like pre-booked tours that you don't have to worry about traveling details, then you'd like a cruise.
4. They have some fun activities and shows, kind of like Las Vegas. I had fun singing a song with the band - kind of like an American Idol tryout. The lip-syncing contest was entertaining, but the fashion show where the guys dressed up in their wives' negliges was a bit over the edge.
5. We went on a family cruise (yes even with that fasion show). We could let the kids (ages 12 and 14) run wild and not worry about them. The ships staff looked after them. They couldn't get into much trouble and we let them stay out in the dance area pretty late. My 14-year-old son did get drunk from some liquor he bought in Mexico, but he didn't get into a car with other teens and was relatively safe. For a teenager who had to experience getting drunk for the first time, it was a safer atmosphere than out in the streets.
6. The food was good, included in the price and you could get a reasonable meal almost any time of day or night. Mid-afternoon was probably the least desireable in terms of quality.

The disadvantages:
1. There is a lot of travel time between ports and you have to find something to do. We ended up walking the ship one end to the other over and over. The reggae band got old in a hurry and they were there for the whole week.
2. You have to get back to the ship on their time schedule. We had the earlier dinner seating, so this meant getting back before dark. It would have been better to get the later seating for this reason. This was the worst part of the cruise. It would have been nice to spend an evening on a beach watching the sunset, but no, we had to get back to the ship. I couldn't imagine the hassel and expense if we missed the boat. I like to travel with some options open - should we go this direction, or that? Or what if we wanted to spend an extra day or 2 at a particular spot?
3. Expect long lines. We went on a relatively small ship, but these days, the ships are getting bigger and bigger. This means longer lines and longer waits for going to ports and for on-land tours.
4. The evening atmosphere was like Las Vegas. One end of the ship was a casino (I had no interest there). At the other end, they had some cheezy Vegas type shows with some no name commedian. And a lot of bars in between, but they charged extra for alcohol.
5. The staterooms are really cramped. If you go, don't spend any more time in there than absolutely necessary - sleep and shower.

The cruise scene seemed well suited for old people (or those less active) who didn't want to do too much. Yeah, there was a lot of activities on the ship, but how many times could you climb that rock wall?

bubbley bea

i just got back 2 weeks ago went with my sister's i was scared [my biggest fear ocean and sharks] but you can not go on a cruise with out having the best time ever i got over my fear fast. the best people the best food we danced we gambled we ate and great looking guys..

Curious

It is a great way to relax and have a vacation. I am not sure about your age group though. My kids were older when we went but most ships have places for teens to go to if they want to mingle.

Jordan C

Well I am only a year younger that you and I LOVED going on a cruise. I went to the Bahamas via Royal Carribean. There are tons of activities. Depending on the size of the ship there could possibly be: karaoke, rock-climbing wall, pools. waterslides, and bowling. There are uge buffets and there is also tons of shopping on the boat. Its like having a mall right outside of your room. The cabin (room) may seem a little small but you will adjust to it. There are pool bars that have all kind of non-alcoholic drinks and usually there is an icecream machine by the pool and it is free. Hope this helped!

GO CAVS!

Cruises are really fun! Free dinner, pools on the boat, the beautiful ocean. It's really nice to get off at the ports and look around and go on excursions. It's also really cool because you can say that you were there and see what it is like without actually staying there.

Trups

Well it all depends on which cruise you go on. There are cruise liner where you will find lot of old people. I wonder what your age is if you are young then please check with the agent as to what is the average age group they have on their ships. Also look for a good itinerary. look for places where the climate is not the same as your place. Look for cruises with less sea day and more port day as at time sea days are quite boring unless the onboard entertainment is good. But if you aim is just to relax and chill....then choose any cruise and i sure you will enjoy.....Great place to spend your vacation

EmmettCullenLuvr

i just got back from one in tahiti. not to tahiti, but in tahiti! it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!! like a paradise! so beautiful! you'd love it!

Serena M

It's amazing!! There's a lot of food, teen clubs, looking at water, water slides, shops, shows.

JONASluva

It's great!! I just came back from one going to Mexico. It's really fun. And it's cheap. There's a swimming pool lounges and other cool stuff

alexandra

SO MUCH FUN

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