I'm going on my first cruise - yippie!

angie_nrs

angie_nrs

Cathlete
I'm sooooo excited. DH and I have waited 12 years for this honeymoon.:confused: Better late than never right? Anyways....just wondering what you veteran cruisers can give me for advice. I've gotten some really good tips from other folks - like do NOT miss out on the midnight buffet. Well....OK. *lol*

I'm not sure if all cruise lines are pretty much the same but we are booked on Carnival and will port at Cozumel, Ocho Rios, & Grand Caymen.

Any tips on the cruise itself or even the ports would be great. Thanks so much!!!

Angie
 
Hi Angie:

I have never been on a cruise, so I can't offer any real advice, but: HAVE FUN, relax and don't forget the sunscreen!!! I am jealous because DH and I have not been on our honeymoon either but we have only been married since last May! ;) When do you set sail?
 
Bring a small carry on bag with anything you might need right away (i.e. workout clothes) when you board on day one sometimes your bags don't get to your cabin for a long time. Remember that you can order as much or as little food as you want so if you want four shrimp cocktails that's fine. If you don't want to go too overboard with the eating avoid the buffets and go for sit down dinning for all meals (midnight buffet is the exception). I've been on four cruises but not on Carnival (although I've heard good things about them). Can't think of anymore tips right now but if I do I'll be back. Have a great time. Cruises are very relaxing and fun vacations.
 
Here's one...just because you CAN order as many appetizers/entrees/desserts as you want during sit down meals does not mean you HAVE to. I went on a cruise in October with extended family and every night, DH, and my two brothers regularly ordered two entrees or three desserts...the last night, my younger brother ordered one of all the desserts!

Enjoy yourself. We did not get to spend much time out on the deck as we had poor weather, but the night time shows were fun. An inner cabin without windows will not cause claustrophobia, even in people that tend towards it (like me and my mom). The people that work on the ships tend to be very nice!

Watch out for the alcoholic drinks, they can be VERY pricey! And you generally do not spend cash on the ship, so keep an eye on your purchases (you sign for them) or else you will be shocked at your bill at the end of the trip!
 
You should really hit the message boards at CruiseCritic.com.

I took a land trip to Greece 16 months ago that had a 4-day leg on a cruise ship and that brief time on the ship really whet my appetite for much more. Before money got tight and all travel became out of the question for me I found myself spending hours reading the CC forums. A cruising near-virgin, I was surprised by how addicted to cruising those people are. Their message boards are all-abuzz every time a chef leaves one ship for another, especially when they switch cruise lines. "What happened?" becomes a big debate. I like to peruse that site even though I'm not able to travel, just to dream and imagine... Informative and fun. You know, there's a reason cruise ships are called "floating buffets!!" Cruise ships are one of the last remaining cost-effective hedonistic experiences (Vegas being another one) and my guess is it's not going to last much longer so live it up to the max NOW. You can always burn it off later! When you visit CC, If you punch in the name of your cruise ship you can go straight to that liner's message board and get ship-specific information.

BTW, because the economy sucks so bad right now there are bound to be a lot of empty rooms on your ship. What's that smell? Smells like a FREE ROOM UPGRADE! You should definitely ask for that. The people at CC can give you all kind of advice regarding freebies and upgrades. Check it out.
 
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Yeah, be careful with the food, but definitely take advantage of the fitness center, theater/shows, activities on deck, etc. That's great fun! I went on one cruise only (Costa) and went to the same ports as you. IMHO, the excursions weren't worth it as the ship had everything necessary. I also prefer the earlier meals as I don't like to eat dinner at 9pm.
 
Don't miss DINNER!!!! Go to the dinners in the main dining room. They are freakin' AWESOME! When I went on our last cruise we had dinner there every night and I soooo looked forward to it. I didn't think I would but OMG it was fantastic!!! :) They don't over-feed you so don't be afraid to order a selection from every course they offer including dessert. The portions are perfect and everything is so darned yummy!

Most importantly.....HAVE FUN!!!!!!
 
We went on a Disney cruise in December, and did an amazing dolphin swim in Cozumel and a stingray swim in Grand Cayman.If you're interested in either of this outings I could give you the info.
 
Ex travel agent here -

Don't try to do everything, it just won't happen and you will come home exhausted.
Please attend the embarkation and the debarkation talks at the beginning and end of your trip, they provide vital info about mustering, and disembarking at the end of the cruise.

Bring lots of sunscreen ( don't forget to apply it to the tops of your feet too!) and watch for hidden costs, beverages, etc. that are easy to charge on that cruise card.

Follow the tipping guidelines that are presented in your cabin, and plan for this expense, as several crew members will be on that list - maid, head waiter, room steward, wine steward, etc. These people really are paid a pittance, and rely on your tips to help their family survive.

Sometimes there is a language issue on Carnival, but I have not traveled with them for years, so I hope that has improved.

Sign up for shore excursions online if you can, and avoid the crowds or being shut out of the ones you want.

When you go, take a carry on with clothes that you can use when you arrive and the morning that you come home, as your luggage will need to go outside your cabin by midnight in order to secure it for customs the following morning.
Take your time on that last morning, you will not be permitted to leave the ship until the vessel has cleared customs, generally around 11:00am.

Feel free to pm if you have any questions....

Bon Voyage!:D
 
I'm not exactly the cruise type, but I've been on 2 cruises because they're easy and stress-free to plan. One was Princess and the other was Carnival. The buffet food is pretty much what you would expect from an "all you can eat" situation. High on quantity, low on quality. The sit down meals are far better. I would even say that the sit-down meals on Carnival were often excellent. My advice is to save your appetite for that. But don't worry about gaining weight. Those ships are so gigantic, you'll walk your tushie off just getting from point A to point B!

I think the best thing about cruises are the excursions. Suit yourself, but I got the most out of my cruises by skipping the night life and signing up for the early morning excursions. With the perspective of hindsight, exploring new places on shore are what I enjoyed most and remember best.
 
I went on my first cruise for my honeymoon. Did not expect such a big boat to rock so much!!!! You could feel it - the water in my tub would slosh back and forth too. I was sick, sick, sick. I really felt ill the first couple days and all dramamine did was completely wipe me out. A fellow cruiser could see I was in distress and gave me her wrist bands that apply pressure points to the wrists and they worked. I ended up eventually taking Bonine - did not make me drowsy and worked great. Just take ahead of time so it has some time to work. My husband loved the motion of the boat - some people can handle it. Some CAN'T!!!! Just be prepared - happy crusiing.
 
angie_nrs said:
I'm sooooo excited. DH and I have waited 12 years for this honeymoon.:confused: Better late than never right? Anyways....just wondering what you veteran cruisers can give me for advice. I've gotten some really good tips from other folks - like do NOT miss out on the midnight buffet. Well....OK. *lol*

I'm not sure if all cruise lines are pretty much the same but we are booked on Carnival and will port at Cozumel, Ocho Rios, & Grand Caymen.

Any tips on the cruise itself or even the ports would be great. Thanks so much!!!

Angie
Click to expand...

OMG! You are going to have a blast! This is the exact cruiseline and cruise we took the first time we went cruising.

Cozumel we did the beach day, Grand Caymen we went swimming with stingrays and Ocho Rios we climbed Dunns River Falls.

You are going to have so much fun!
 
Thank you so much girls for all of your wonderful insight. I am writing down your suggestions and truly appreciate your happy sentiments.;)

Thanks again!

Angie
 
angie_nrs said:
I'm sooooo excited. DH and I have waited 12 years for this honeymoon.:confused: Better late than never right? Anyways....just wondering what you veteran cruisers can give me for advice. I've gotten some really good tips from other folks - like do NOT miss out on the midnight buffet. Well....OK. *lol*

I'm not sure if all cruise lines are pretty much the same but we are booked on Carnival and will port at Cozumel, Ocho Rios, & Grand Caymen.

Any tips on the cruise itself or even the ports would be great. Thanks so much!!!

Angie
Click to expand...

I just wanted to say...HAVE A GREAT TIME...DH and I went on a similiar crusize back in 01' and it was just amazing! Im not sure if its been mentioned yet(haven't read through all the replies) I would recommend taking something for motion sickness. DH and i took Dramamine and it worked perfectly. we also went with my BIL and he got SO SICK(didn't take any dramamine;))

Have a blast!:)
 
hedy said:
OMG! You are going to have a blast! This is the exact cruiseline and cruise we took the first time we went cruising.

Cozumel we did the beach day, Grand Caymen we went swimming with stingrays and Ocho Rios we climbed Dunns River Falls.

You are going to have so much fun!
Click to expand...

I did exactly the same thing on Carnival. It's been about 20 years but I still remember it very well. Had a blast!

Another tip: Just because you can eat 9x a day doesn't mean you have to. Stay away from the 12:30 a.m. dessert bar!

Marcy
 
Carnival has a spa menu that is awesome. Also you have to have the chocolate melting cake! The ships are huge and I was lost most of the time so I got plenty of extra walking in.
You'll have a blast!

Christie
 
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