"I wish I knew before..."

Wow, I just finished reading all the postings today. Thanks everyone for posting. Our son asked a few months ago to go on a Disney Cruise (of course I was too late and all booked up for the Easter break so he saw Norwegian Nick cruise). We booked 2 days ago and we are going in less than a month. I'm a DisBoard addict for Disney and I'm so glad to find this board to help us with his first cruise. My husband and I cruise 15 yrs ago for 3nights but it did not go so well. I'm so glad my husband is willing to give it a try b/c our son really wanted to go on a cruise. I'm a bit nervous b/c I feel I did not plan or research since this is a last minute vacation.

I was going to buy new outfits for the cruise and so glad I read this and pack less (I always over pack...I usually pack 5 luggage for the 3 of us for a Disney trip or a week long to a Caribbean Island).

My husband said we should enjoy the ship during port in Florida and Nassau (since we been to Atlantis many times and in Florida we have taken our son 6x).

Do you think its worthwhile to go to Great Stirrup Cay and Blue Lagoon?

Thanks

Wow, I just finished reading all the postings today. Thanks everyone for posting. Our son asked a few months ago to go on a Disney Cruise (of course I was too late and all booked up for the Easter break so he saw Norwegian Nick cruise). We booked 2 days ago and we are going in less than a month. I'm a DisBoard addict for Disney and I'm so glad to find this board to help us with his first cruise. My husband and I cruise 15 yrs ago for 3nights but it did not go so well. I'm so glad my husband is willing to give it a try b/c our son really wanted to go on a cruise. I'm a bit nervous b/c I feel I did not plan or research since this is a last minute vacation.

I was going to buy new outfits for the cruise and so glad I read this and pack less (I always over pack...I usually pack 5 luggage for the 3 of us for a Disney trip or a week long to a Caribbean Island).

My husband said we should enjoy the ship during port in Florida and Nassau (since we been to Atlantis many times and in Florida we have taken our son 6x).

 

Do you think its worthwhile to go to Great Stirrup Cay and Blue Lagoon?

Thanks

Check out the roll call for your cruise - you can meet up with/and ask ?s specific to your exact cruise - they may even have a meet and greet set up!

From a fellow diser - enjoy!

"I'm sure many will disagree, but I feel like I need to post our experience for any other families who may be like ours. First, let me say our Carnival Conquest staff were excellent. This is just from our point of view -- our perspective.

After cruising for a week on the Conquest, we realized, for our family, we'll prefer flying to an island and staying there in a resort or condo next time. Our favorite parts of the cruise were the stops at the islands. But, we felt rushed (with two boys) to squeeze in everything we wanted to see/do. Also, we were surprised that much of the cruise activities are catered to adults, unless your children participate in the kids' clubs. We, however, wanted to stay together for much of the time. The shows at night were not kid-friendly (due to the attire of the dancers -- which Carnival makes very clear in the daily itineraries so no one's surprised) and the family comedians were not quite as conservative with their jokes as we'd have preferred. It seemed like every time we turned around, we were being offered liqour. Also, we were unable to enjoy one another's company on the decks due to the loud music.

I totally realize this is absolutely appealing to many people & different people enjoy different vacations. There are no complaints on our end with any of it because we were never told it would be a conservative, family-friendly environment. Again, this is the opinion of one family."

This was our exact experience on our first cruise. I believe it was because it was a spring break cruise so it was a bit different. I was surprised to see all of the college students. And I agree - not a bad vacation, just different than what I was expecting.

I do wish people wouldn't use "family friendly" to mean one specific kind of family only!

This quote is from an early post in this thread...can you really bring wine from each island on board?? I thought it was only allowed at embarkation.

Carnival will take the bottles from each port and hold it for you until the last night. you can not bring them on board

Does Carnival search your backpack when you get back on the ship at ports of call? I can see if you are holding a bottle in your hand when you come back on, but I don't understand how they find every bottle?

How much are bottles of wine in the dining room? (where do they start and what sort of markup multiple to retail?)

you have to put all your carry on's through the x ray machine

not sure about the wine list and price. I'll try and find that for you

beachbum- couldnt find a wine list but I am sure someone knows

here is the link to the carnival alcohol policy. just so you have it in writing

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=beverage

Check out the roll call for your cruise - you can meet up with/and ask ?s specific to your exact cruise - they may even have a meet and greet set up!

From a fellow diser - enjoy!

Thank you, added to the m&g for our cruise.:)

Does Carnival search your backpack when you get back on the ship at ports of call? I can see if you are holding a bottle in your hand when you come back on, but I don't understand how they find every bottle?

Yes, they are put through the x-ray scanner and you walk through a metal detector each time.

Bumping this up for more tidbits. :)

I have already gone through most of the thread and c/p ideas into a notepad that I will use when packing.

I am preparing to take my very first cruise and we are very excited. :D

Wow, lots of great info here...thanks so much!!!

Re post #13 [quote

2. Pack a swimsuit and clothes for the first night's dinner in your carry on -- that way you can hit the pool right away if you want and don't have to worry about when your luggage arrives in your room.]

Where do you store your carry on bag until your cabin is ready?

@Mimmers - I believe your cabin should be ready when you board, or shortly thereafter, but if it's not, I've never had a problem leaving my bag on a lounger while I'm in the pool (toss a blanket over it if that makes you more comfortable), or pack a bag that can be locked with a small dial lock. A friend of mine said when she is on a beach, she carries a small chain and lock and attaches it to whatever is handy - tree, picnic table, etc. - while she swims. Needless to say, try to keep anything expensive/electronic somewhere safe. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Thank you Rose!

This honestly is an AMAZING thread!! DH and I are going on cruise #4 October 1st for hubby's birthday. I cannot think of anything to add, but rearranged my packing list for sure. Well I need to get packing...

Night Night cc to all who are On the water happy cruising and to all of us waiting for our next happy cruise dreaming!!!

I did think of one thing to add if you even remotely like the beach make sure you are heading to Half Moon Cay...the most amazing place on earth!!!

1.) As the morning progresses on sea days, the running track becomes congested and becomes the walking track. If you want to do serious running, or even jogging, get there early.

2.) Others will disagree, but I prefer the second seatings at supper. You aren't rushed when you get back from shore excursions, giving you time to nap, go to the gym, sit by the pool, etc. before dinner.

3.) Though ships may officially say there's no reserving deck chairs, in my experience (four Carnival cruises, though I'm going on Celebrity in February) those who didn't reserve went without.

4.) If, like me, you find the sea day organized pool activities (hairy chest contests etc.) too noisy or annoying (or both) head for the pool area behind the upper deck buffets at the back of the ship. You can't hear the main pool area activities. On Carnival they do play piped in music there, but not too loudly. (Give me a hot day, a cold beer, a good book, and peace and quiet and I'm a very happy man!)

5.) Prices in shipboard shops often get cheaper as the cruise progresses. (On one cruise, the $80 watch sets became the $20 watch sets.)

6.) I never eat at the breakfast buffets. They're crowded, and you can get the same food served to you in the dining rooms. Go early if you have a shore excursion.

7.) On our last cruise, which included Panama, the shore excursion which included the full canal crossing was sold out before the cruise started. You should probably book this one in advance.

8.) While in port, there's nothing stopping you from coming back to the ship for lunch, and then going back to port.

9.) Be open to meeting new people and experiencing new activities. Don't sweat the small stuff, and have fun.

10.) Repeat #9.

I was reading this thread for a few months before my first cruise (home 9 days now) and I found it VERY helpful. We were on the Norwegian Jewel during hurricane Irene (yikes) but Dh and I did OK. The kids were sick but we were all fine by Monday (left Saturday).

Some of the things I read here came in very useful.

1) The over-the-door shoe rack thing was great. I think we're going to use that on every vacation now, even hotels! Easy to store and see everything.

2)"You can order as much food as you want in the main dining room in whatever combination you want. If you want to order three appetizers and no main course, you can do that! Want an extra lobster tail, you can get it." My husband especially took that one to heart.

3)"If you want a soda card- wait till you're in international waters to pay no tax." Never would have thought of that one on my own. And we got 5 soda cards, so we did save some money with that one.

4)"if you're on a ship where they put the photos out for you to look at. Once you have had more than one set of photos taken, find the first lot and "hide" them behind the second. Then take that pile the next night and put them behind the third set ... and so on and so on. You will find that the staff will keep the pile together and so by the end of the cruise you just have to find your one big pile of photos. Much easier to go through them and discard the ones you don't want." That worked great for us! On the last day hubby and I went down and selected which ones we wanted very easily. There was no trying to remember where we had dinner 4 days ago so we could go look for our photos, we'd found them the next day and moved them!

5) Specific to our ship- we had the breakfast buffet every morning and because of a tip here, instead of sitting in the crowded buffet area, our family sat in a lovely restaurant that only served dinner (Mama's Italian) by the windows, every morning with no crowds. Seems few people know that that is an option.

Use common sense and courtesy when on board.

Don't over think anything (packing, excursions, clothing).

Have a positive attitude and you will enjoy yourself no matter what!

Great thread! I've spent entirely too much time reading this and there are so many things I definitely wouldn't have thought of before. DH and I just booked our first cruise for our 10th anniversary and I am so excited. Only now I have to wait 9 months. :P

THe most important, research the excursions and NEVER use the ship excursions!

If you had to list your top 5 points/tips that you wish you had known before you went on your first cruise what would they be? Examples, like binder clip for the shower curtain or that the first drink is NOT free, etc.

 

My friend is going on a cruise for her honeymoon and neither have been on one before and she just doens't have time to read these boards, wedding planning and all, so I thought I might compile a list for her. I tried composing one myself but found that I just kept forgetting things. Thanks for everyone's help!

I wish I'd known how crowded the ship is on sea days. That way I could ahve been prepared for it. My first full day on a cruise was at sea, and I was really taken aback by how crowded everything was. Nothing happened quickly - lines and crowds. It settled out after that with a mix of port and sea time. I won't even mind the crowds on my next cruise because I'll know to expect it and can kind of go around it - know which areas to avoid and save for later, etc.

I also wish I knew more about what to be prepared for in the first hour on board. It was raining cats and dogs when we boarded, and ship personnel were funneling everyone toward the buffet. The decks were wet, and I didn't know how slippery they would be for the mobility-impaired couple I was escorting. Everyone was jammed in under the overhangs, and the buffet was a madhouse because there was no outdoor area available. We had something like 7 people trying to share a 2-person table by standing around it and just using the table to set plates on. My first good moment was seeing someone selling beer buckets. I hit the brakes like I'd hit a wall. Best damn beer I ever had, becuase I needed it!

So for that first hour, I wish I'd known that we didn't HAVE to go to the buffet just because we were being directed that way. I wish I'd known the basics of the ship layout so I could navigate to somewhere else quickly. I wish I'd known that main dining rooms were open and that there were other food options besides that miserable buffet. Believe me, my first 1-2 hours on a cruise ship almost put me off cruises altogether.

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I pack a battery operated short pillar candle-no more than 3 inches tall and in diameter-to use both as night light in cabin, and to put on table on balcony while we have our nightcap/Irish coffee before bed. Lovely evenings at sea!!:)

I pack a battery operated short pillar candle-no more than 3 inches tall and in diameter-to use both as night light in cabin' date=' and to put on table on balcony while we have our nightcap/Irish coffee before bed. Lovely evenings at sea!!:)[/quote']

Great idea!! Adds a bit of "romance at sea"!

My travel alarm has a night light/flash light feature, which is great, but I like your "candle" idea ALOT!!

I wish I'd known how crowded the ship is on sea days. That way I could ahve been prepared for it. My first full day on a cruise was at sea, and I was really taken aback by how crowded everything was. Nothing happened quickly - lines and crowds. It settled out after that with a mix of port and sea time. I won't even mind the crowds on my next cruise because I'll know to expect it and can kind of go around it - know which areas to avoid and save for later, etc.

 

 

I also wish I knew more about what to be prepared for in the first hour on board. It was raining cats and dogs when we boarded, and ship personnel were funneling everyone toward the buffet. The decks were wet, and I didn't know how slippery they would be for the mobility-impaired couple I was escorting. Everyone was jammed in under the overhangs, and the buffet was a madhouse because there was no outdoor area available. We had something like 7 people trying to share a 2-person table by standing around it and just using the table to set plates on. My first good moment was seeing someone selling beer buckets. I hit the brakes like I'd hit a wall. Best damn beer I ever had, becuase I needed it!

 

So for that first hour, I wish I'd known that we didn't HAVE to go to the buffet just because we were being directed that way. I wish I'd known the basics of the ship layout so I could navigate to somewhere else quickly. I wish I'd known that main dining rooms were open and that there were other food options besides that miserable buffet. Believe me, my first 1-2 hours on a cruise ship almost put me off cruises altogether.

 

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Thank you for this. My first cruise is coming up. My BF has been on one but a smaller ship (Carnival Holiday). Nice to have this tip to mentally prepare.