Hello everyone

Hii,

I am a first-time cruiser here. I am very much excited about my trip. Any suggestions for me?

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Read, read, read, and read everything with a grain of salt. There is a lot of good information on here but there can be some chaff mixed in with the wheat.

Have you already booked your trip? This board is set up in various ways: there are groups dedicated to specific cruise lines, and then you can search out posts for your ship, there are groups dedicated to the various ports on your cruise, and there are other roll call groups where you can join to meet others that are on your same sailing.

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There is also a group for first time cruisers.

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Hii,

 

I am a first-time cruiser here. I am very much excited about my trip. Any suggestions for me?

Start saving up for your next cruise. :)

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Welcome to the Wonderful World of Cruising.

Prepare yourself to get hooked on cruising! My husband and I booked one for our honeymoon 10 years ago and have now been on 15 cruises. Tips: Realize that the ship will be crazy busy on that first day you get on board. Have patience with that, as people seem to find their own spaces the next day. Because of how busy the buffet will be when you have lunch that first day, try to go to a main dining room instead, so you are off to a relaxing start. When you are eating in the dining room for meals, if you get something and don't like it, then ask the waiter to get you something else. They are happy to oblige. Also, if you want more than one appetizer or entree or dessert, then go for it! You are not limited. I always recommend getting passes to the thermal suite or spa on the ship, because it is a great way to relax and you don't have the crowds that the public main pools have. Always get back to the ship with plenty of time to spare on your port days, as the ship waits for no one.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the most addicting website there is - IF you like cruising.

Giving us more information will help get you better help. For example, let us know what ship you are on, where you are going, when you are going and what your interests are. We can help with flight planning and hotels as well. This will also help us point you in the right direction for research. If you do your homework (what you want to do in each port) in advance once you get on the cruise all you are required to do is have fun and get off the ship at the end.

Get guidebooks on your ports..don't stress about this...it's a VACATION! Pack as you would for any vacation to the same climate..and have fun!

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the most addictive vacation you ever had!!

A couple of my old stand by tips: Get a watch and set it to ship time as this is the time all activities are based on as well as port arrival and departure times; if your departure time is 4:00pm, don't show up at 4:05 thinking everything will be ok! It would be a lonely and gut wrenching feeling to be standing on the dock watching the ship pull away and head off into the sunset...without you! The ship leaves on time.

Other than that, relax and enjoy the magic of your first cruise!

Hii,

I am a first-time cruiser here. I am very much excited about my trip. Any suggestions for me?

Welcomed to Cruise Critic! :)

Please feel free to ask any questions you have!!!

We were all new cruisers at some point and will be more than happy to help you out. :D

Hii,

I am a first-time cruiser here. I am very much excited about my trip. Any suggestions for me?

Hello Annajohn. Welcome to CC, Just go with an open mind and remember that ALL cruise lines may have some niggly things that you may not enjoy. Just prepare to be Hooked. Happy cruising. :)

Read up on your ports - get input from others on your cruise from the roll call. You usually have only a few hours in each port, so it is good to know in advance what you want to see and do, and how to get there - bus, taxi, ship's tour, walking on your own. You might even find out that one port is not interesting - sometimes it's good to stay aboard and have the ship almost to yourself: what we do in Jamaica and Nassau.

A bit of homework in advance will help you get a lot more out of your port calls. For your on board time, just go with the flow and not let little things bother you.

Learn how to use the CC "Search" function.

Once you select your cruise, read up on your ship and the line's FAQs on the line's website.

Make sure to allow time to get to your departure city early -- don't fly in on the day of your cruise.

don't try to schedule every second of your cruise. Take plenty of time to relax...watch the sea go by.

You will find lots and lots of info here on CC. And don't pack too many clothes