Tips For A First-Time Cruiser From A First-Time Cruiser!

Tips from a First-time Cruiser

We’ve just returned from the January 3rd sailing of the Carnival Liberty, an 8-night cruise where the ports of call were Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and San Juan. There are lots of reviews of shuttle services, the ports, excursions, etc. readily available here on CruiseCritic, so I’m giving you my overall perception of our cruise through first-time eyes. (Really, it was our SECOND cruise, but the first one took place 37 years ago when we cruised on the Emerald Seas to the Bahamas for our honeymoon!)

Tip #1—Understand that shuttle services have different types of vehicles that they use—and that they might circle the airport several times, picking up passengers until the van is full. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttles (CBS)from the Orlando airport to Port Canaveral and back. We thought it was a fair price ($118 RT for two). We were sitting on the shuttle within 10 minutes of picking up our luggage and calling them. However, it was another 45 minutes before we ever left airport property. The vehicle was neat and clean and the air conditioning was wonderful! This was a 15-passenger van pulling an enclosed trailer for luggage. The van was full, so if you like your own space, you may not be as comfortable as you might be on another type of vehicle. On the return trip, it was a large bus that seated 30-40—center aisle with double seats on each side. We would use them again.

Tip #2—Research restaurants close to the hotel where you are staying AHEAD OF TIME. Since we had arrived a day early, CBS dropped us off at Country Inn and Suites (advertised as the hotel closest to the cruise port). This was true, but not necessarily the best choice of places to stay if you don’t have a car! After checking in, we were hungry—no restaurant on-site(which we knew ahead of time). The front desk recommended a local pizzeria which had good reviews on Trip Advisor, so we headed out on foot. We were told it was ‘two blocks away’. In all honesty, it was closer to a mile, which wouldn’t have been an issue except it started raining before we got out to the parking lot. Since we both had on rain coats, we decided that we could handle two blocks. Needless to say, we were very damp when we finally arrived at the restaurant( we walked back in the rain as well)! A Burger King was the ONLY restaurant we saw within two blocks of the hotel. Overall, Country Inn and Suites was neat, spacious and quiet. Those at the front desk were very personable and helpful. They had a delicious breakfast (included in the price of the room). Without a car, I probably wouldn’t stay there again only because it isn’t close to restaurants. On our walk to eat, we saw other hotels much closer to restaurants that also provided shuttle service to the port.

Tip #3—You can be overdressed without meaning to be! We are NOT fashion plates; both of us are physical education teachers and love our shorts and running shoes. As we gathered in the hotel conference room to take the shuttle to the port, my husband was THE ONLY PERSON WEARING LONG PANTS! I’m talking out of 50 + people. He had on khakis and a golf shirt; I had on capris with a blue shirt and a scarf. I thought we were pretty casual—NOT! No one was inappropriately dressed; I was just not prepared for the level of casualness!

Tip #4—Don’t agonize over what you pack—and don’t overpack! I was guilty of both! Carnival’s motto is “Fun for all, all for fun” ; again, I never saw anyone inappropriately dressed, but I spent way too much energy ahead of time worrying about whether I had everything I needed, especially for Elegant nights. I know this could differ, depending on the cruise line you choose. We truly could have left half of what we packed at home.

Tip #5—If you don’t like crowds, don’t choose a ship that holds almost 4000 passengers. The Carnival staff is amazing at accommodating the masses, but 4000 people is 4000 people and there were times that I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people on the Lido deck. The ONLY complaint I had about the entire cruise was the lack of deck chairs, especially on the upper aft decks. The chairs were there—stacked neatly in stacks of 8 and fastened down, but never unstacked so that they could be used. I’m talking 55 stacks of 8 chairs—I counted all the ones I could see. There were lots of people standing. It was very windy on the cruise, so I assumed the wind made the chairs a hazard on the higher decks. However, two other Carnival ships docked next to us in a couple of ports and they both had their deck chairs out on those decks.

Tip #6—If you’re hungry at dinner, go ahead and order more than one appetizer, main dish, dessert! It’s a great opportunity to try new dishes. We were assigned late seating (8:15) and sat with two wonderful couples, both of whom were seasoned cruisers. I probably would not have ordered two of anything had we not heard them ordering first. I’m not saying to be a pig, but it’s perfectly OK to have a soup and a salad or grilled fish and vegetarian lasagna. The food was delicious and the service impeccable! Be forewarned that garlic is liberally used!

Tip #7—I’m not sure if I would purchase a soda card again (called Bottomless Bubbles on Carnival). I love Coca Cola Classic and followed the advice of several friends who said to purchase the Bottomless Bubbles card as soon as I got onboard. The card is $49.95 + a 15% gratuity added, so it ended up being about $56, total. It entitled you to order soft drinks at any bar—just present your Sail and Sign card with the Bottomless Bubbles sticker and you were good to go. You could also order soft drinks at dinner with the card. At the end of our cruise, our itemized statement showed that I ordered 18 glasses of Coca Cola over a 9-day period (you were not given the can; just a glass of ice filled with coke). At $1.50/glass, Carnival made money off of me! However, I had no clue what a coke cost when you ordered it from the bar, so I thought I was doing the smart thing! There was also a mini-bar in the stateroom stocked with various soft drinks, waters and alcoholic beverages. The cokes (12-oz. cans) in the mini-bar were$1.95 + 15% restocking fee. You can ask them to lock the mini-bar.

Tip #8—Be prepared to be wind-blown! As I said above, it was very windy for the majority of the cruise (25-30 MPH). My hair is a little longer than chin-length. Not long enough for a ponytail; not short enough to stay out of my face. Next time I will pack some headbands—I noticed that lots of women were wearing some really cute headbands and I understand why! Hats and caps were blowing off unless you held them!

Tip #9—Shore excursions through the ship can be expensive, but for first-time cruisers, they offer a wonderful sense of security and they’re a great way to see an unfamiliar port. We had pre-arranged our shore excursions through Carnival for every port except St. Maarten. We knew we wanted to go to Maho Beach to see the planes landing over the beach and there was no Carnival shore excursion for that. We ventured out ‘on our own’—a relative term considering the taxi terminal was right at the port and LOTS of other people were headed there, too. Our taxi was a 15-passenger van that was full and there was a flat $8 pp charge to get to Maho Beach which was on the other end of St. Maarten—about 25 minutes away. It was $8 pp for the return trip—money WELL spent. There are signs posted at the taxi terminal that tell you exactly what the charge will be ahead of time. I would do pre-arranged shore excursions through the ship again, but would also feel more confident venturing out on our own—depending on the port!

Tip #10—Allow yourself plenty of time. Be prepared to wait in line—to embark, to debark, at the buffet, to get to the airport when your cruise is over etc., etc., …. Again, it is amazing to watch the Carnival staff deal with 4000 people, but there are times that waiting in line is just part of the game. If you have an early-morning excursion and you want to eat breakfast before getting off the ship, allow time for that. Every tour we took departed PROMPTLY at the time stated on the ticket. Try to book your returning flights for the afternoon--we watched several people on our return shuttle really sweat about making it to Orlando in time to check in and board their flight. Carnival knows your flight time and will let those with flights before noon debark first; just remember you have to clear Customs and find your shuttle or private car to get back to the airport. We erred on the side of caution and booked a 7:25 p.m. flight back to Atlanta. Our plan was to check our luggage upon arrival at the airport (at noon), leave the airport and have lunch with relatives who live in Orlando. Good idea in theory, but you can only check bags up to 4 hours ahead of your flight! We had no clue about this! Thank goodness we could load our 4 pieces of luggage in our nephew’s mini-van!

Tip #11—Last, but not least, PAY ATTENTION! Pay attention to the time—operate on ship time, not local time or cell phone time. Listen to the announcements that are given over the speaker—most are very informative. Read the daily newsletter—which you will get the night before. On Carnival, the newsletter has a perforated schedule on the right side—tear it off and carry it with you when you leave the ship. In addition to listing activities on the ship, it will also tell you what time to be back onboard and it includes the contact information for the port agent in case of an emergency. Watch the in-room TV channel with daily information from the Cruise Director. Yes, he/she will try to sell excursions or shopping packages, etc., but they also tell you everything you need to know about daily ship activities, procedures for debarking, etc. Follow the directions that you are given. When the captain says to clear the decks for a medical emergency, clear the decks. Don’t stand and gawk. Pay attention to the diagrams of the decks that are posted by all elevators and found on cards throughout the ship. You will realize that you cannot go all the way through (forward to aft) on some decks—the map will show you that! This I know from experience! Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the experience. Would we do it again? You bet!

Good tips, thanks for sharing. Especially the one about the drink card. Yes, drinking only 2 sodas a day is not at all worth the cost of it.

Thanks for the comments. excellent points

Excellent advice!

About clothing. On many other cruise lines, your long pants with polo shirt, capris with blouse and scarf would have been just right, not too casual, not too fancy.

very interesting an helpful! thank you for posting that.

Very helpful. Thanks for the info.

Great advice! For tip#11,we get plan views of the decks either torn out of a cruise brochure or from the line's website. It is the best way to find where the bathrooms are!

The ones that show the side views of the ship are worthless.

Tips from a First-time Cruiser

 

Good info. Just adding:

 

Tip #1—Understand that shuttle services have different types of vehicles that they use—and that they might circle the airport several times, picking up passengers until the van is full.

 

Yes, if you don't want a "city tour" or a trip around the airport, consider paying a little more and booking a private vehicle. If you're willing to risk that (and perhaps you might have the first stop),then go with the shuttle service curbside.

 

Tip #2—Research restaurants close to the hotel where you are staying AHEAD OF TIME.

 

Google maps (or other mapping websites) are a great source of info. Find your hotel and then zoom in and check out what's around. Not just restaurants, but stores too. You can also check to see if you're surrounded by industrial type of businesses (a red flag). Check the street view.

 

It's been a few cruises since we have gone from a port other than our home port. For that one, I got the auto club guide for that area as well as checking out tourism websites, hotel booking websites (many will list features). I made a spreadsheet to put info such as parking fees (we were planning to rent a car pre and post cruise), laundry rooms/pools/fridges etc, and any other info. If you go on hotel websites, one thing to be wary about is if they say they're close to this or that. I know from looking at various Southern California hotels that they tend to say they're close to Disneyland (and yet are an hour's drive away) or other landmarks. So take that info with a grain of salt.

 

Tip #3—You can be overdressed without meaning to be!

 

My hubby usually wears slacks or jeans all the time, other than if he's about to go into the pool. He's just not into wearing shorts. But he also wears tropical shirts a lot too (except for work when he wears dress shirts). So I wouldn't consider him overdressed...

 

Tip #4—Don’t agonize over what you pack—and don’t overpack!

 

That seems to be a mantra here...take out half of what you just put into your suitcase. And double the cash you thought about taking.

 

Tip #5— The ONLY complaint I had about the entire cruise was the lack of deck chairs, especially on the upper aft decks. The chairs were there—stacked neatly in stacks of 8 and fastened down, but never unstacked so that they could be used. I’m talking 55 stacks of 8 chairs—I counted all the ones I could see. There were lots of people standing. It was very windy on the cruise, so I assumed the wind made the chairs a hazard on the higher decks. However, two other Carnival ships docked next to us in a couple of ports and they both had their deck chairs out on those decks.

 

Definitely track down a crew member assigned to the pool deck. If there are chairs stacked up and space to put them, and passengers wanting to use them, it's their job to arrange the chairs or get the crew member assigned to that task. If you can't find anyone, go to the passenger desk and ask politely if someone can take care of the chairs.

 

 

Tip #7—I’m not sure if I would purchase a soda card again (called Bottomless Bubbles on Carnival).There was also a mini-bar in the stateroom stocked with various soft drinks, waters and alcoholic beverages. The cokes (12-oz. cans) in the mini-bar were$1.95 + 15% restocking fee. You can ask them to lock the mini-bar.

 

That's definitely something to think about -- how many sodas do you want to drink. As I'm not a fan of Coke products, I've brought on bottles of Dew. With the mini-fridge on our Princess cruises (when we used to go on Carnival, the cabins didn't have fridges), you can remove the bottles and cans and have them taken away or just put them up on the TV shelf if you don't want to open them (and get charged). We'll use the fridge to store the beverages we take on board with us.

 

Tip #8—Be prepared to be wind-blown! As I said above, it was very windy for the majority of the cruise (25-30 MPH). My hair is a little longer than chin-length. Not long enough for a ponytail; not short enough to stay out of my face. Next time I will pack some headbands—I noticed that lots of women were wearing some really cute headbands and I understand why! Hats and caps were blowing off unless you held them!

 

I like that idea for when I do get my hair cut before a cruise. I try to use hair clips.

 

Tip #9—Shore excursions through the ship can be expensive, but for first-time cruisers, they offer a wonderful sense of security and they’re a great way to see an unfamiliar port.

 

Most of the time, we just go into port on our own based on my research (guidebooks and tourism sites I found through googling). A few times we'll book something like a tour through the cruise line. We haven't been on big buses with a large crowd--sometimes as few as ten in a van, including the guide/driver. So if you research, you might not get stuck in a cattle call. And often the ship's excursion isn't that much more than if you book through a private operator (maybe it's been the ones we've booked). Definitely beaches are a DIY destination. A couple of times my hubby will feel comfortable enough with a taxi driver to ask if he'll give us a tour of the place.

 

Tip #10—Allow yourself plenty of time.

 

Definitely don't book an early morning flight post-cruise. You wouldn't want to stress out catching a flight after a nice relaxing cruise. And in the same vein, don't try to fly in the day of your cruise. So many things can go wrong with your flight arrangements.

 

If you've booked an independent excursion, make sure to allow enough time to get off of the ship. This is even more critical for a tender port as many cruise lines reserve the first tenders for those on ship-booked excursions, in the higher level category cabins, and with high level of status in their loyalty program.

 

Be on time for your dinner seating if you have assigned seating. Don't worry about the dish you want getting "sold out" at a meal. I would guess the food you want will be available 99.9 per cent of the time.

 

Tip #11—Last, but not least, PAY ATTENTION! Pay attention to the time—operate on ship time, not local time or cell phone time. Listen to the announcements that are given over the speaker—most are very informative. Read the daily newsletter—which you will get the night before.

 

I always take the daily newsletter when we go into port as it has that info (time to be back on board and the port agent contact info). We check a reliable watch against the ship's clock.

 

Before your cruise, go on some site such as local Yahoo and get phone numbers for cab companies in each port to program into your cell phone. You may need this info.

 

Don't feel you have to go to the stores "recommended by the cruise line." Often they will have an arrangement to kick back $ to the cruise line. You can often find the same souvenirs by going down the street a bit...for less money.

 

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the experience. Would we do it again? You bet!

And one thing that many here say...don't try to do everything and don't try to do something every second of your cruise.

Awesome! I am sailing on March 8th on the Liberty! Very helpful! How was the movement on the ship?

Awesome! I am sailing on March 8th on the Liberty! Very helpful! How was the movement on the ship?

movement will depend on the waters.

if you hit really rough waters you will feel the motion no matter.

if you sail with waters like glass it will be smooth sailing

Tip 8....I sailed the same week and the wind never quit right up until leaving fll 2 days after the cruise.....next time it will likely not be as bad but I would leave the floppy hats at home as it doesn't take much for those to blow off.

Where were you when I took ny first cruise? That post was awesome.

Good tips, thanks for sharing. Especially the one about the drink card. Yes, drinking only 2 sodas a day is not at all worth the cost of it.

Great tips for the new comers.

Tips from a First-time Cruiser

 

We’ve just returned from the January 3rd sailing of the Carnival Liberty, an 8-night cruise where the ports of call were Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and San Juan. There are lots of reviews of shuttle services, the ports, excursions, etc. readily available here on CruiseCritic, so I’m giving you my overall perception of our cruise through first-time eyes. (Really, it was our SECOND cruise, but the first one took place 37 years ago when we cruised on the Emerald Seas to the Bahamas for our honeymoon!)

 

Tip #1—Understand that shuttle services have different types of vehicles that they use—and that they might circle the airport several times, picking up passengers until the van is full. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttles (CBS)from the Orlando airport to Port Canaveral and back. We thought it was a fair price ($118 RT for two). We were sitting on the shuttle within 10 minutes of picking up our luggage and calling them. However, it was another 45 minutes before we ever left airport property. The vehicle was neat and clean and the air conditioning was wonderful! This was a 15-passenger van pulling an enclosed trailer for luggage. The van was full, so if you like your own space, you may not be as comfortable as you might be on another type of vehicle. On the return trip, it was a large bus that seated 30-40—center aisle with double seats on each side. We would use them again.

 

Tip #2—Research restaurants close to the hotel where you are staying AHEAD OF TIME. Since we had arrived a day early, CBS dropped us off at Country Inn and Suites (advertised as the hotel closest to the cruise port). This was true, but not necessarily the best choice of places to stay if you don’t have a car! After checking in, we were hungry—no restaurant on-site(which we knew ahead of time). The front desk recommended a local pizzeria which had good reviews on Trip Advisor, so we headed out on foot. We were told it was ‘two blocks away’. In all honesty, it was closer to a mile, which wouldn’t have been an issue except it started raining before we got out to the parking lot. Since we both had on rain coats, we decided that we could handle two blocks. Needless to say, we were very damp when we finally arrived at the restaurant( we walked back in the rain as well)! A Burger King was the ONLY restaurant we saw within two blocks of the hotel. Overall, Country Inn and Suites was neat, spacious and quiet. Those at the front desk were very personable and helpful. They had a delicious breakfast (included in the price of the room). Without a car, I probably wouldn’t stay there again only because it isn’t close to restaurants. On our walk to eat, we saw other hotels much closer to restaurants that also provided shuttle service to the port.

 

Tip #3—You can be overdressed without meaning to be! We are NOT fashion plates; both of us are physical education teachers and love our shorts and running shoes. As we gathered in the hotel conference room to take the shuttle to the port, my husband was THE ONLY PERSON WEARING LONG PANTS! I’m talking out of 50 + people. He had on khakis and a golf shirt; I had on capris with a blue shirt and a scarf. I thought we were pretty casual—NOT! No one was inappropriately dressed; I was just not prepared for the level of casualness!

 

Tip #4—Don’t agonize over what you pack—and don’t overpack! I was guilty of both! Carnival’s motto is “Fun for all, all for fun” ; again, I never saw anyone inappropriately dressed, but I spent way too much energy ahead of time worrying about whether I had everything I needed, especially for Elegant nights. I know this could differ, depending on the cruise line you choose. We truly could have left half of what we packed at home.

 

Tip #5—If you don’t like crowds, don’t choose a ship that holds almost 4000 passengers. The Carnival staff is amazing at accommodating the masses, but 4000 people is 4000 people and there were times that I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people on the Lido deck. The ONLY complaint I had about the entire cruise was the lack of deck chairs, especially on the upper aft decks. The chairs were there—stacked neatly in stacks of 8 and fastened down, but never unstacked so that they could be used. I’m talking 55 stacks of 8 chairs—I counted all the ones I could see. There were lots of people standing. It was very windy on the cruise, so I assumed the wind made the chairs a hazard on the higher decks. However, two other Carnival ships docked next to us in a couple of ports and they both had their deck chairs out on those decks.

 

Tip #6—If you’re hungry at dinner, go ahead and order more than one appetizer, main dish, dessert! It’s a great opportunity to try new dishes. We were assigned late seating (8:15) and sat with two wonderful couples, both of whom were seasoned cruisers. I probably would not have ordered two of anything had we not heard them ordering first. I’m not saying to be a pig, but it’s perfectly OK to have a soup and a salad or grilled fish and vegetarian lasagna. The food was delicious and the service impeccable! Be forewarned that garlic is liberally used!

 

Tip #7—I’m not sure if I would purchase a soda card again (called Bottomless Bubbles on Carnival). I love Coca Cola Classic and followed the advice of several friends who said to purchase the Bottomless Bubbles card as soon as I got onboard. The card is $49.95 + a 15% gratuity added, so it ended up being about $56, total. It entitled you to order soft drinks at any bar—just present your Sail and Sign card with the Bottomless Bubbles sticker and you were good to go. You could also order soft drinks at dinner with the card. At the end of our cruise, our itemized statement showed that I ordered 18 glasses of Coca Cola over a 9-day period (you were not given the can; just a glass of ice filled with coke). At $1.50/glass, Carnival made money off of me! However, I had no clue what a coke cost when you ordered it from the bar, so I thought I was doing the smart thing! There was also a mini-bar in the stateroom stocked with various soft drinks, waters and alcoholic beverages. The cokes (12-oz. cans) in the mini-bar were$1.95 + 15% restocking fee. You can ask them to lock the mini-bar.

 

Tip #8—Be prepared to be wind-blown! As I said above, it was very windy for the majority of the cruise (25-30 MPH). My hair is a little longer than chin-length. Not long enough for a ponytail; not short enough to stay out of my face. Next time I will pack some headbands—I noticed that lots of women were wearing some really cute headbands and I understand why! Hats and caps were blowing off unless you held them!

 

Tip #9—Shore excursions through the ship can be expensive, but for first-time cruisers, they offer a wonderful sense of security and they’re a great way to see an unfamiliar port. We had pre-arranged our shore excursions through Carnival for every port except St. Maarten. We knew we wanted to go to Maho Beach to see the planes landing over the beach and there was no Carnival shore excursion for that. We ventured out ‘on our own’—a relative term considering the taxi terminal was right at the port and LOTS of other people were headed there, too. Our taxi was a 15-passenger van that was full and there was a flat $8 pp charge to get to Maho Beach which was on the other end of St. Maarten—about 25 minutes away. It was $8 pp for the return trip—money WELL spent. There are signs posted at the taxi terminal that tell you exactly what the charge will be ahead of time. I would do pre-arranged shore excursions through the ship again, but would also feel more confident venturing out on our own—depending on the port!

 

Tip #10—Allow yourself plenty of time. Be prepared to wait in line—to embark, to debark, at the buffet, to get to the airport when your cruise is over etc., etc., …. Again, it is amazing to watch the Carnival staff deal with 4000 people, but there are times that waiting in line is just part of the game. If you have an early-morning excursion and you want to eat breakfast before getting off the ship, allow time for that. Every tour we took departed PROMPTLY at the time stated on the ticket. Try to book your returning flights for the afternoon--we watched several people on our return shuttle really sweat about making it to Orlando in time to check in and board their flight. Carnival knows your flight time and will let those with flights before noon debark first; just remember you have to clear Customs and find your shuttle or private car to get back to the airport. We erred on the side of caution and booked a 7:25 p.m. flight back to Atlanta. Our plan was to check our luggage upon arrival at the airport (at noon), leave the airport and have lunch with relatives who live in Orlando. Good idea in theory, but you can only check bags up to 4 hours ahead of your flight! We had no clue about this! Thank goodness we could load our 4 pieces of luggage in our nephew’s mini-van!

 

Tip #11—Last, but not least, PAY ATTENTION! Pay attention to the time—operate on ship time, not local time or cell phone time. Listen to the announcements that are given over the speaker—most are very informative. Read the daily newsletter—which you will get the night before. On Carnival, the newsletter has a perforated schedule on the right side—tear it off and carry it with you when you leave the ship. In addition to listing activities on the ship, it will also tell you what time to be back onboard and it includes the contact information for the port agent in case of an emergency. Watch the in-room TV channel with daily information from the Cruise Director. Yes, he/she will try to sell excursions or shopping packages, etc., but they also tell you everything you need to know about daily ship activities, procedures for debarking, etc. Follow the directions that you are given. When the captain says to clear the decks for a medical emergency, clear the decks. Don’t stand and gawk. Pay attention to the diagrams of the decks that are posted by all elevators and found on cards throughout the ship. You will realize that you cannot go all the way through (forward to aft) on some decks—the map will show you that! This I know from experience! Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions!

 

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the experience. Would we do it again? You bet!

Hi I just wanted to find out if the ships have irons and ironing boards? Im going to be on freedom of the seas of 8th Feb for 7 nights

Thanks

Hi I just wanted to find out if the ships have irons and ironing boards? Im going to be on freedom of the seas of 8th Feb for 7 nights

Thanks

Royal Caribbean ships do not have self service laundry rooms. There are some other lines (Carnival, Princess and I believe Cunard or Crystal ???) that have these rooms with ironing boards and irons you can use without charge.

No cruise lines provide them in any cabins as irons are considered a fire hazard, and will check luggage to make sure you didn't pack an iron.

Hi I just wanted to find out if the ships have irons and ironing boards? Im going to be on freedom of the seas of 8th Feb for 7 nights

Thanks

Quick answer is no. Due to fire hazard. If you need ironing done laundry services will do it but extra; now if you are in a GS or higher on Formal nights ironing will be done for you free.

Excellent post! I take my first cruise in a couple of months and this was a great read for me. Than you for sharing.

Excellent post! I take my first cruise in a couple of months and this was a great read for me. Than you for sharing.

You are more than welcome and enjoy.:)

While there is always some wind (you are on a moving object), we have experienced LOTS of wind, and other times less so. The higher/more outside on the deck you are, the more likely wind will bother you. Typically pools are "set down" into the decks so are often (but not always) less affected by the wind.

Brilliant post, thank you for the info. Very helpful for my first cruise.

Thanks for this! We're contemplating the Carnival Liberty for our first cruise next year... maybe not, though, if the crowds are that bad.

Brilliant post, thank you for the info. Very helpful for my first cruise.

Have fun and welcome to CC.

Brilliant post, thank you for the info. Very helpful for my first cruise.

Ditto. It's all very appreciated.

Tips from a First-time Cruiser

 

We’ve just returned from the January 3rd sailing of the Carnival Liberty, an 8-night cruise where the ports of call were Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and San Juan. There are lots of reviews of shuttle services, the ports, excursions, etc. readily available here on CruiseCritic, so I’m giving you my overall perception of our cruise through first-time eyes. (Really, it was our SECOND cruise, but the first one took place 37 years ago when we cruised on the Emerald Seas to the Bahamas for our honeymoon!)

 

Tip #1—Understand that shuttle services have different types of vehicles that they use—and that they might circle the airport several times, picking up passengers until the van is full. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttles (CBS)from the Orlando airport to Port Canaveral and back. We thought it was a fair price ($118 RT for two). We were sitting on the shuttle within 10 minutes of picking up our luggage and calling them. However, it was another 45 minutes before we ever left airport property. The vehicle was neat and clean and the air conditioning was wonderful! This was a 15-passenger van pulling an enclosed trailer for luggage. The van was full, so if you like your own space, you may not be as comfortable as you might be on another type of vehicle. On the return trip, it was a large bus that seated 30-40—center aisle with double seats on each side. We would use them again.

 

Tip #2—Research restaurants close to the hotel where you are staying AHEAD OF TIME. Since we had arrived a day early, CBS dropped us off at Country Inn and Suites (advertised as the hotel closest to the cruise port). This was true, but not necessarily the best choice of places to stay if you don’t have a car! After checking in, we were hungry—no restaurant on-site(which we knew ahead of time). The front desk recommended a local pizzeria which had good reviews on Trip Advisor, so we headed out on foot. We were told it was ‘two blocks away’. In all honesty, it was closer to a mile, which wouldn’t have been an issue except it started raining before we got out to the parking lot. Since we both had on rain coats, we decided that we could handle two blocks. Needless to say, we were very damp when we finally arrived at the restaurant( we walked back in the rain as well)! A Burger King was the ONLY restaurant we saw within two blocks of the hotel. Overall, Country Inn and Suites was neat, spacious and quiet. Those at the front desk were very personable and helpful. They had a delicious breakfast (included in the price of the room). Without a car, I probably wouldn’t stay there again only because it isn’t close to restaurants. On our walk to eat, we saw other hotels much closer to restaurants that also provided shuttle service to the port.

 

Tip #3—You can be overdressed without meaning to be! We are NOT fashion plates; both of us are physical education teachers and love our shorts and running shoes. As we gathered in the hotel conference room to take the shuttle to the port, my husband was THE ONLY PERSON WEARING LONG PANTS! I’m talking out of 50 + people. He had on khakis and a golf shirt; I had on capris with a blue shirt and a scarf. I thought we were pretty casual—NOT! No one was inappropriately dressed; I was just not prepared for the level of casualness!

 

Tip #4—Don’t agonize over what you pack—and don’t overpack! I was guilty of both! Carnival’s motto is “Fun for all, all for fun” ; again, I never saw anyone inappropriately dressed, but I spent way too much energy ahead of time worrying about whether I had everything I needed, especially for Elegant nights. I know this could differ, depending on the cruise line you choose. We truly could have left half of what we packed at home.

 

Tip #5—If you don’t like crowds, don’t choose a ship that holds almost 4000 passengers. The Carnival staff is amazing at accommodating the masses, but 4000 people is 4000 people and there were times that I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people on the Lido deck. The ONLY complaint I had about the entire cruise was the lack of deck chairs, especially on the upper aft decks. The chairs were there—stacked neatly in stacks of 8 and fastened down, but never unstacked so that they could be used. I’m talking 55 stacks of 8 chairs—I counted all the ones I could see. There were lots of people standing. It was very windy on the cruise, so I assumed the wind made the chairs a hazard on the higher decks. However, two other Carnival ships docked next to us in a couple of ports and they both had their deck chairs out on those decks.

 

Tip #6—If you’re hungry at dinner, go ahead and order more than one appetizer, main dish, dessert! It’s a great opportunity to try new dishes. We were assigned late seating (8:15) and sat with two wonderful couples, both of whom were seasoned cruisers. I probably would not have ordered two of anything had we not heard them ordering first. I’m not saying to be a pig, but it’s perfectly OK to have a soup and a salad or grilled fish and vegetarian lasagna. The food was delicious and the service impeccable! Be forewarned that garlic is liberally used!

 

Tip #7—I’m not sure if I would purchase a soda card again (called Bottomless Bubbles on Carnival). I love Coca Cola Classic and followed the advice of several friends who said to purchase the Bottomless Bubbles card as soon as I got onboard. The card is $49.95 + a 15% gratuity added, so it ended up being about $56, total. It entitled you to order soft drinks at any bar—just present your Sail and Sign card with the Bottomless Bubbles sticker and you were good to go. You could also order soft drinks at dinner with the card. At the end of our cruise, our itemized statement showed that I ordered 18 glasses of Coca Cola over a 9-day period (you were not given the can; just a glass of ice filled with coke). At $1.50/glass, Carnival made money off of me! However, I had no clue what a coke cost when you ordered it from the bar, so I thought I was doing the smart thing! There was also a mini-bar in the stateroom stocked with various soft drinks, waters and alcoholic beverages. The cokes (12-oz. cans) in the mini-bar were$1.95 + 15% restocking fee. You can ask them to lock the mini-bar.

 

Tip #8—Be prepared to be wind-blown! As I said above, it was very windy for the majority of the cruise (25-30 MPH). My hair is a little longer than chin-length. Not long enough for a ponytail; not short enough to stay out of my face. Next time I will pack some headbands—I noticed that lots of women were wearing some really cute headbands and I understand why! Hats and caps were blowing off unless you held them!

 

Tip #9—Shore excursions through the ship can be expensive, but for first-time cruisers, they offer a wonderful sense of security and they’re a great way to see an unfamiliar port. We had pre-arranged our shore excursions through Carnival for every port except St. Maarten. We knew we wanted to go to Maho Beach to see the planes landing over the beach and there was no Carnival shore excursion for that. We ventured out ‘on our own’—a relative term considering the taxi terminal was right at the port and LOTS of other people were headed there, too. Our taxi was a 15-passenger van that was full and there was a flat $8 pp charge to get to Maho Beach which was on the other end of St. Maarten—about 25 minutes away. It was $8 pp for the return trip—money WELL spent. There are signs posted at the taxi terminal that tell you exactly what the charge will be ahead of time. I would do pre-arranged shore excursions through the ship again, but would also feel more confident venturing out on our own—depending on the port!

 

Tip #10—Allow yourself plenty of time. Be prepared to wait in line—to embark, to debark, at the buffet, to get to the airport when your cruise is over etc., etc., …. Again, it is amazing to watch the Carnival staff deal with 4000 people, but there are times that waiting in line is just part of the game. If you have an early-morning excursion and you want to eat breakfast before getting off the ship, allow time for that. Every tour we took departed PROMPTLY at the time stated on the ticket. Try to book your returning flights for the afternoon--we watched several people on our return shuttle really sweat about making it to Orlando in time to check in and board their flight. Carnival knows your flight time and will let those with flights before noon debark first; just remember you have to clear Customs and find your shuttle or private car to get back to the airport. We erred on the side of caution and booked a 7:25 p.m. flight back to Atlanta. Our plan was to check our luggage upon arrival at the airport (at noon), leave the airport and have lunch with relatives who live in Orlando. Good idea in theory, but you can only check bags up to 4 hours ahead of your flight! We had no clue about this! Thank goodness we could load our 4 pieces of luggage in our nephew’s mini-van!

 

Tip #11—Last, but not least, PAY ATTENTION! Pay attention to the time—operate on ship time, not local time or cell phone time. Listen to the announcements that are given over the speaker—most are very informative. Read the daily newsletter—which you will get the night before. On Carnival, the newsletter has a perforated schedule on the right side—tear it off and carry it with you when you leave the ship. In addition to listing activities on the ship, it will also tell you what time to be back onboard and it includes the contact information for the port agent in case of an emergency. Watch the in-room TV channel with daily information from the Cruise Director. Yes, he/she will try to sell excursions or shopping packages, etc., but they also tell you everything you need to know about daily ship activities, procedures for debarking, etc. Follow the directions that you are given. When the captain says to clear the decks for a medical emergency, clear the decks. Don’t stand and gawk. Pay attention to the diagrams of the decks that are posted by all elevators and found on cards throughout the ship. You will realize that you cannot go all the way through (forward to aft) on some decks—the map will show you that! This I know from experience! Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions!

 

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the experience. Would we do it again? You bet!

Very nice info & Tips...I'm sure newbies will appreciate it..one area you are slightly off on- The Carnival Liberty is a relatively older & smaller ship by today's standards- 110,000 tons...it is not the AMOUNT of passengers that make a ship seem crowded, but rather a combination of several factors: 1) The way a ship is laid out..perfect example are the largest cruise ships in the world, the RCI Allure & Oasis Of The Seas..both carry 6300+ passengers when completely full, BUT because the ships are divided into 7 "neighborhoods" , I find the ship does NOT feel crowded except after shows in the main theater, and people file out go across the Royal Promenade..I felt much more crowded on smaller 2000-3000+ passenger ships because of the layout..2) many new ships today are 140,000-225,000 tons, and simply have more space..there is something called "passenger- space ratio", which divides the gross tonnage by the number of passengers ..the higher the number, the more spacious a ship will feel...next time try the larger ships ( over 130,000 tons) and you should feel a difference..FYI....

Big Al

Thanks for this! We're contemplating the Carnival Liberty for our first cruise next year... maybe not, though, if the crowds are that bad.

Read my post about crowds..it's more layout & size that matters...if you are concerned about crowds, try the Carnival Breeze, Magic or Dream..even better: RCI Oasis/Allure, RCI's Freedom or Independence Of The Seas, NCL Getaway, or Celebrity Solstice class ships, or the new Princess Royal & Regal Princess..all are new & have more space...Liberty is a nice ship, but she is smaller & more cramped...

Big Al