Best Tips

My fiance and I will be taking our first cruise in October on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. This will be the first cruise for the both of us other than the cruises I took in the Navy but that was all work and no play.

I was just wanting to know if anyone could recommend some tips that they believe are the most important as far as boarding to excursions to dining and drinks.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

My fiance and I will be taking our first cruise in October on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. This will be the first cruise for the both of us other than the cruises I took in the Navy but that was all work and no play.

 

I was just wanting to know if anyone could recommend some tips that they believe are the most important as far as boarding to excursions to dining and drinks.

 

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

1. Familiarize yourself with this message board. Questions about your ship should be on the Royal Caribbean board.

2. Join your roll call.

3. Check out the Ports of Call boards to find out about the ports you will visit.

Best tips I can provide is to go to the Royal Caribbean forum and ask your specific questions about that cruise line there. Here's a link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=83

Also, read, read, read...... :)

Enjoy reading some of the great many threads on that forum and all over Cruise Critic. Lots of very experienced cruisers have shared volumes of information.

Hope you have a great 1st cruise. :)

My first cruise I got totally overwhelmed with all the excursion choices. What should I do here? What there? What if the ship doesn't make it to port? Etc. One month after booking I wondered "WHAT in the world did I do this for? This is the dumbest idea I've ever had! Can I get my money back?" :eek:

My tip is to look at your ports and choose a couple of standout things to do that you can't do elsewhere. Give yourself permission to NOT schedule something to do at every port. We now book a couple of things in advance and make sure that we have other, easy things to do at other ports (like take a taxi to the beach or stay on the ship). I have a general idea of back-up plans if things go haywire (like it's raining.)

Remember that it's vacation. Sleeping in is good. Life doesn't have to be scheduled every single moment. Roll with the punches.

My first cruise I got totally overwhelmed with all the excursion choices. What should I do here? What there? What if the ship doesn't make it to port? Etc. One month after booking I wondered "WHAT in the world did I do this for? This is the dumbest idea I've ever had! Can I get my money back?" :eek:

 

My tip is to look at your ports and choose a couple of standout things to do that you can't do elsewhere. Give yourself permission to NOT schedule something to do at every port. We now book a couple of things in advance and make sure that we have other, easy things to do at other ports (like take a taxi to the beach or stay on the ship). I have a general idea of back-up plans if things go haywire (like it's raining.)

 

Remember that it's vacation. Sleeping in is good. Life doesn't have to be scheduled every single moment. Roll with the punches.

Great advice. There is no rule we must see everything in every port or, for that matter, see anything in every port. :)

I was going to say the same thing as the last few posters - give yourself time to relax. When we first started cruising, I hated days at sea - I wanted to be off doing something some place. Now I enjoy those days since I've learned it's ok to relax. So don't feel you have to do something at every port and don't feel you have to participate in every activity on the ship.

You'll find cruisers are very friendly - not sure what it is about putting thousands of people together on a ship - so don't be shy about talking to other people. Share a table at breakfast or lunch if the buffet is crowded or talk to someone sitting next to you in the theater. Any kind of question (and a smile) will break the ice very easily. After 60+ cruises, we have formed many friendships with people from all over the world - some of those started out with just 'hi, where are you from?'.

Enjoy your first cruise.

Marianne

if you are flying to your port I suggest coming in a day early to avoid any issues with delays.

Cruising is totally different from serving on a Navy ship! No comparison AT ALL!

My first cruise I got totally overwhelmed with all the excursion choices. What should I do here? What there? What if the ship doesn't make it to port? Etc. One month after booking I wondered "WHAT in the world did I do this for? This is the dumbest idea I've ever had! Can I get my money back?" :eek:

 

My tip is to look at your ports and choose a couple of standout things to do that you can't do elsewhere. Give yourself permission to NOT schedule something to do at every port. We now book a couple of things in advance and make sure that we have other, easy things to do at other ports (like take a taxi to the beach or stay on the ship). I have a general idea of back-up plans if things go haywire (like it's raining.)

 

Remember that it's vacation. Sleeping in is good. Life doesn't have to be scheduled every single moment. Roll with the punches.

Well said.... "it's a vacation and life doesn't have to be scheduled. "

My tip would be don't overthink things, go with the flow a bit relax and enjoy.

Don't try to eat everything on the ship in the first couple of days. The food will still be there tomorrow. Your digestive system may well take a couple of days to 'ramp up a gear' to cope with the extra food you will undoubtedly eat.

Take indigestion remedies with you.

Have some looser fitting clothes for the end of the cruise - the sea air makes your clothes shrink!;)

Relax, breath, and smile, you're on vacation! :)

Don't sweat the small stuff!

Keep stuff like passports locked away in the safety deposit box in your room, and don't forget to grab it before debarking.

Make sure you've got cash when you're at port (to buy trinkets and souvenirs), and be smart, depending on what ports you're going to, stay safe! It's always good to stay conscious of your surroundings.

Since cruises are basically all inclusive, make sure you can distinguish between what things have a surcharge, so you won't be surprised when the bill comes! ;)

Also, walk around in your dinner outfit after your meal and enjoy the entertainment! That's why they're there! :D

Take small sizes of OTC meds - aspirin, cold remedies, something for an upset tummy, etc. You may not need them but if you do buying them in the ship store is expensive - and what they stock may not be the brand you're used to. The one thing we didn't bring on our first cruise was something for a sore throat - so of course we came down with a cold and sore throat. The ship store had one kind / one flavor - a small bag for about $6. :eek:

Another thing I like to do is check out the ports in Google Earth. It's usually easy to see where the ship might dock - there may even be a ship there in the view. That way you can see if there are things to do right there at the port area or if it's an industrial type port where you'll probably have to go on an excursion of some kind.

Most ports have a website of some kind - just do a search. Generally lots of good info there.

And welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. I'm betting the first one won't be your last. :D

Don't over plan. Just go with the flow.

WELCOME TO CRUISE CRITIC! You will always find help here.