My 1st Post, My 1st Cruise

Hello all! I've been on this site all week now, gathering as much info as I possibly could. I spoke with my Carnvial agent today and will be booking my 1st cruise on tomorrow! It took me some time to narrow down my options as I was between Bahamas or my life-long dream of Jamaica, however I quickly realized this won't be my only cruise. LOL

Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions and I know my co-workers, friends and family are already bored with all of my cruise-talk so I'm happy to join a community that appreciates the convo.

Oh, what did I decide?!

Carnival Destiny

Port: Miami, FL

Leaving: 11/26/12

Visiting: Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk

Question: I was wanting a balcony and mid-ship as I'm afraid myself or my mother would become seasick...however for those who've cruised before - would a window mid-ship be okay?!

My goal is to fly the day before, enjoy Miami and to not be stressed out about connecting flights/lay over etc the day of (as suggested time & time again on this site). This will be my 1st cruise and my Mom's 2nd (she first cruised in the 90s).

Thanks for reading, any suggestions, excursions, packing tips, etc are certainly welcomed!

* Smplyblessed619 *

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Best advice I can give? There is SO much info here to be gained just by reading. For example, the Carnival board, which will give you tons of info about Carnival. The Ports board,so you can research your excursions. Your Roll Call, where you can meet others on your cruise.

I would provide links, but am on my tablet, on which that is hard to do. If no one else does, I will tomorrow.

Question: I was wanting a balcony and mid-ship as I'm afraid myself or my mother would become seasick...however for those who've cruised before - would a window mid-ship be okay?!

 

 

* Smplyblessed619 *

 

I think a window for your first cruise is perfect. I love the balcony but some don't so best to start out with an interior or a window.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

I found this place, and have never left.

Congratulations on your first cruise. Read, read, read before you go and you'll be fine.

Take time to enjoy watching the ocean, and try new things.

Join the roll call for your specific cruise - it's a wealth of info and a lot of fun.

Thanks everyone for the welcome!

@boowaaccaa - thanks for the tip. I didn't want to be extremely high maintenance and go for a suite or balcony my first time around, but who knows for the next time! LOL.

@FoghornLeghorn - I'm trying to navigate around with the different boards, but I'm sure I'll eventually get the hang of it. The only excursion I know I would like to do is ride some horses somewhere on a beach, lol, so we'll see. Thanks again!

That is a nice itinerary for your first cruise. ENJOY!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Check out the Carnival section here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

Join your Roll Call:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1429087

Nassau:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Half Moon Cay:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

Grand Turk:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=385

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

A window cabin will be great.

Prepare to be hooked.

Half Moon Cay is beautiful - nice relaxing beach day.

Grand Turk has a nice area with shops, etc. as well as a pretty beach.

You will now be working to Cruise!! :D

Great pictures! I loved Grand Turk/Margaritaville...:eek:

Question: I was wanting a balcony and mid-ship as I'm afraid myself or my mother would become seasick...however for those who've cruised before - would a window mid-ship be okay?!

If I understand your question, you believe that having a balcony rather than a window cabin would be more prone to sea sickness?

If that is the case, I would say no, not at all.

A window will provide light and somewhat of a limited view so you can see what the weather is before deciding how to dress for going topside.

But, if you want a balcony, they are great.

Amazzzzing pictures! Now I'm even more ready to go! Thanks again everyone for all of your advice, tips and links! :) You guys rock.

Welcome to CC and congratulations on your first cruise!

We are recently back from our first cruise.

I left my fingernail marks in the deck as they drug me off the ship on the last day. :D

It was WONDERFUL!!!

My cabin choice -

I chose a balcony cabin. I knew pretty much from the start, and waiting for several years, that I would want a balcony cabin. It was great to watch the sail-aways and arrivals from the balcony. The large wall of glass afforded light to pour into the cabin, or I could pull the heavy drapes and make it dark if I wanted to sleep a bit more. I also chose it because I was not certain if I would be seasick. I felt I would be better if I could see a horizon. I never was seasick and don't know if I would have been were I in a different cabin. I have read differences of opinion on whether an inside or outside cabin will help seasickness.

In the end the choice will be yours based upon your desires and financial ability. I was glad I chose the balcony cabin.

Best of luck and safe travels.

On this site, we all work to cruise. LoLz. ;)

On this site, we all work to cruise. LoLz. ;)

For some of us it is worked (past tense) :) :)

Smplyblessed619 - Hello there, welcome to cruising! You will definitely be hooked! My husband and I took our first cruise last May on the Destiny. We did a Back-2-back and we did the same itinerary you are doing. It was our first cruise (well, really it was 2 cruises, but it seemed like 1 long one)

Please read my review, the link is in my signature :) I have lots of pictures!

Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay were THE BEST 2 days ever! We should have planned better for Nassau but you can learn from our mistakes. Our day in Nassau was a little boring.

If you have any questions or just want to chit-chat, I'm here! Tim and I had SO MUCH FUN on our cruise(s) we can't wait to do it again. We were just in the middle of planning another cruise with the same HMC/GT/ Nassau itinerary when we got sidetracked. Now we are looking at the 15 day Hawaii cruise on the Miracle in Oct 2013. I have no idea how I'm going to wait 20 months if we end up booking the Hawaii cruise! I suppose I'll be posting here a lot!

Have a great cruise! You will love it!! :)

Hello all! I've been on this site all week now, gathering as much info as I possibly could. I spoke with my Carnvial agent today and will be booking my 1st cruise on tomorrow! It took me some time to narrow down my options as I was between Bahamas or my life-long dream of Jamaica, however I quickly realized this won't be my only cruise. LOL

 

Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions and I know my co-workers, friends and family are already bored with all of my cruise-talk so I'm happy to join a community that appreciates the convo.

 

Oh, what did I decide?!

Carnival Destiny

Port: Miami, FL

Leaving: 11/26/12

Visiting: Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk

 

Question: I was wanting a balcony and mid-ship as I'm afraid myself or my mother would become seasick...however for those who've cruised before - would a window mid-ship be okay?!

 

My goal is to fly the day before, enjoy Miami and to not be stressed out about connecting flights/lay over etc the day of (as suggested time & time again on this site). This will be my 1st cruise and my Mom's 2nd (she first cruised in the 90s).

 

Thanks for reading, any suggestions, excursions, packing tips, etc are certainly welcomed!

 

* Smplyblessed619 *

 

Our first cruise this past October on the dream we took and inside midship stateroom one level below the Lido deck which we found to be very convenient. We weren't under the pool deck which I understand could be a problem, we were a cabin or two away from that area. The problem with the inside cabin is you don't know if its day or night so your decision for an oceanview or balcony is a good one. We only felt the boat rock on the last night when we went through a storm on the way back to Port Canaveral going through 14-16 foot waves, don't think it really made a difference where you were on the ship that night it was rockin. We just booked our next cruise and we went for an oceanview, guess you have to weigh out the price difference between oceanview and balcony and see what works best for your budget.

Congratulations, Smplyblessed619!

You will have a blast!

Getting an oceanview (window) cabin will be an excellent choice for your first cruise.

Suggestions:

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on these boards was to tip your room steward a little bit of cash on the first day. Doing so puts you on his/her radar and can reap big rewards. They'll be working hard to make your stay a comfortable one. Need extra pillows? More ice? The use of a bath robe? Fun ideas? They will go out of their way to take care of you. I've done this (and tipped a few bucks here and there during the week on top of the main gratuity at the end of the trip) and have been well taken care of.

Read your Carnival Capers (itinerary) every day. It will give you ideas on some of the fun activities taking place aboard the ship.

Pace yourself. There's often a desire to squeeze as much as you can into the trip, but take the time to relax and enjoy yourself. Remember, it's your vacation. You can make it as active or as laid back as you'd like.

In the MDR, if there's something you'd like and it's not on the menu it doesn't hurt to ask. 9 times out of 10, they'll have it for you.

Keep reading the threads here at Cruise Critic. They are invaluable for those of us looking to navigate this whole cruise thing!

You probably already know about the power strip, ziplock bags, dollar bills, etc.

Now the most important part--have fun! :D

Smplyblessed619 - Hello there, welcome to cruising! You will definitely be hooked! My husband and I took our first cruise last May on the Destiny. We did a Back-2-back and we did the same itinerary you are doing. It was our first cruise (well, really it was 2 cruises, but it seemed like 1 long one)

 

Please read my review, the link is in my signature :) I have lots of pictures!

 

Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay were THE BEST 2 days ever! We should have planned better for Nassau but you can learn from our mistakes. Our day in Nassau was a little boring.

 

If you have any questions or just want to chit-chat, I'm here! Tim and I had SO MUCH FUN on our cruise(s) we can't wait to do it again. We were just in the middle of planning another cruise with the same HMC/GT/ Nassau itinerary when we got sidetracked. Now we are looking at the 15 day Hawaii cruise on the Miracle in Oct 2013. I have no idea how I'm going to wait 20 months if we end up booking the Hawaii cruise! I suppose I'll be posting here a lot!

 

Have a great cruise! You will love it!! :)

I saw you post on another thread and started reading it last night (it's bookmarked, I'm at May 5 HMC :D ). I was reading all the way until I got off of work last night (1a). I am going to check into Jack's Shack on FB and those coupons! I doubt I'll have any problem with the 2 rum shots he gave you. haha. Thanks for replying, and I'm sure I'll be wanting to chit-chat soon. Hawaii sounds wonderful!!

Our first cruise this past October on the dream we took and inside midship stateroom one level below the Lido deck which we found to be very convenient. We weren't under the pool deck which I understand could be a problem, we were a cabin or two away from that area. The problem with the inside cabin is you don't know if its day or night so your decision for an oceanview or balcony is a good one. We only felt the boat rock on the last night when we went through a storm on the way back to Port Canaveral going through 14-16 foot waves, don't think it really made a difference where you were on the ship that night it was rockin. We just booked our next cruise and we went for an oceanview, guess you have to weigh out the price difference between oceanview and balcony and see what works best for your budget.

Thanks! I opted for 1157 6a Ocean View on the Riviera deck. My PVP was really awesome and told me about getting as close to midship as possible without actually PAYING for it. I'm hoping the upgrade fairy will call/email though - I may have to go for a balcony if they do ;) if it's a good bargain.

Congratulations, Smplyblessed619!

 

You will have a blast!

 

Getting an oceanview (window) cabin will be an excellent choice for your first cruise.

 

Suggestions:

 

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on these boards was to tip your room steward a little bit of cash on the first day. Doing so puts you on his/her radar and can reap big rewards. They'll be working hard to make your stay a comfortable one. Need extra pillows? More ice? The use of a bath robe? Fun ideas? They will go out of their way to take care of you. I've done this (and tipped a few bucks here and there during the week on top of the main gratuity at the end of the trip) and have been well taken care of. *** I was thinking about doing something like that. Everyone boasts about their stewards on here. Thanks for the tip :D ***

 

Read your Carnival Capers (itinerary) every day. It will give you ideas on some of the fun activities taking place aboard the ship. *** I've been reading the ones in the reviews like they're the bible...I'm hoping I'll be a 'prepared' first timer and will remember to relax. haha ***

 

Pace yourself. There's often a desire to squeeze as much as you can into the trip, but take the time to relax and enjoy yourself. Remember, it's your vacation. You can make it as active or as laid back as you'd like. *** Yeah, I'll be the one that will have to say, 'okay you know you need a nap'. hahaha ***

 

In the MDR, if there's something you'd like and it's not on the menu it doesn't hurt to ask. 9 times out of 10, they'll have it for you.

 

Keep reading the threads here at Cruise Critic. They are invaluable for those of us looking to navigate this whole cruise thing!

 

You probably already know about the power strip, ziplock bags, dollar bills, etc.

 

Now the most important part--have fun! :D

:D Thanks! Everyone has been so welcoming & informative...I like this place haha

Hello! I am a long-time lurker here before deciding we really do want to go on our first cruise! We are doing the SAME itinerary as you, but in January 2013. I cannot wait!! I think even hubby and the kids are tired of hearing me talk about it, so CC is a great outlet for like-minded folks. I expect a review when you come back as it will be just before I cruise!!

:D Thanks! Everyone has been so welcoming & informative...I like this place haha

As long as you wear your bullet proof suit, you should be fine.;)

Welcome to Cruise Critic on congrats on booking your first cruise.

DH and I have only been in Balcony cabins and I'm prone to mild sea sickness. I don't think the balcony has anything to do with whether you will be sea sick. Plus, you will be all over the ship. Today's modern ships have great stabilizers so for the most part you won't feel much rocking (weather can change that). That said, some people do feel a difference mid ship vs forward or aft; higher decks vs lower ones.

There are many options for sea sickness - one is sea bands (cloth bracelets that use acupressure to work (OTC at any drug store); dramamine and bonine both have non-drowsy versions available. If someone knows for a fact that they will be sea sick, then your doctor can prescribe a patch that is worn behind the ear. You can also get the dramamine or bonine from the purser on the ship if you are not prepared.

One idea to avoid some queasiness is not to look down at the water - look across, but not straight down. I do sit on the balcony and read or watch the 'world' go by, but i don't stand and look straight down at the water.

Good luck and enjoy.

Debbi

Hello all! I've been on this site all week now, gathering as much info as I possibly could. I spoke with my Carnvial agent today and will be booking my 1st cruise on tomorrow! It took me some time to narrow down my options as I was between Bahamas or my life-long dream of Jamaica, however I quickly realized this won't be my only cruise. LOL

 

Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions and I know my co-workers, friends and family are already bored with all of my cruise-talk so I'm happy to join a community that appreciates the convo.

 

Oh, what did I decide?!

Carnival Destiny

Port: Miami, FL

Leaving: 11/26/12

Visiting: Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk

 

Question: I was wanting a balcony and mid-ship as I'm afraid myself or my mother would become seasick...however for those who've cruised before - would a window mid-ship be okay?!

 

My goal is to fly the day before, enjoy Miami and to not be stressed out about connecting flights/lay over etc the day of (as suggested time & time again on this site). This will be my 1st cruise and my Mom's 2nd (she first cruised in the 90s).

 

Thanks for reading, any suggestions, excursions, packing tips, etc are certainly welcomed!

 

* Smplyblessed619 *

 

I get horribly seasick and find that I do much better up on deck, in the fresh air. So having a balcony may help that.

I start taking Bonine a night or two before the cruise. I take it at night so that I don't suffer from any drowsiness (if there is any). If we are having rough seas, I take another 1/2 tablet.

Welcome to CC!!