Fess Up! Share stories of mistakes you've made while cruising.

Few years ago. Experienced cruiser with a brand new iPad. Total electronic idiot. Got an app for a night light feature, including a clock. Didn't realize the clock would cause the iPad to try to roam to find the time where I was. Total cost $187 before I found out what I had done. About day 2 of the cruise. Could have been worse -- it was a 7 day cruise

 

Margee

 

P.S. Love the night light app, just disable the automatic clock and set the time manually as you go through different time zones.

This advice is gold! So many stories on these boards regarding similar issues with roaming cell phones not turned onto proper mode. I am not sure I would have thought of such a problem with an iPad app, though. Thanks!

Just put it in airplane mode, like your phone. If you want to use the wifi, take it out of airplane mode while using it.

DH and I got married on a beach in Florida, me in a long casual wedding gown and he in tan dress pants and a Hawaiian shirt. A year later we went on a cruise for the 1st anniversary and I wanted professional photos of us in our wedding clothes. Of course it was formal night that evening and my DH was a little out of place in his Hawaiian shirt among all the tuxes and suits. We didn't even think about it until we were sitting down. :eek:

Before leaving the ship on a Costa Maya excursion, I ask DH if he has the camera. Yep, he says, here's the whole camera bag, complete with extra batteries and card. We get on the bus and ride off. When he get off the bus, I say, Oh, let me have the camera and I'll take your

picture. Whoops, everything in the bag, EXCEPT the camera. This is the only time we let the

picture vendor take a photo, as it is the only picture from that excursion.

Memo to self, Always look inside the camera bag!

DH and I got married on a beach in Florida, me in a long casual wedding gown and he in tan dress pants and a Hawaiian shirt. A year later we went on a cruise for the 1st anniversary and I wanted professional photos of us in our wedding clothes. Of course it was formal night that evening and my DH was a little out of place in his Hawaiian shirt among all the tuxes and suits. We didn't even think about it until we were sitting down. :eek:

He wasn't FORMAL without the Hawaiian Kukui Nut Necklace. At our wedding, my wife's uncle (they both are native Hawaiians) told me I needed the Kukui Nuts to make the Hawaiian Shirt formal... so I obliged this requirement.

There are some great stories here!

My first cruise was in the middle of the Eastern Airlines strike. The only thing that saved us was Cunard booked our air. We were sitting in Raleigh on our way to San Juan with them at the front of the plane offering 2 free tickets EACH to get 13 more people off the plane. I swear, when we got to the ship in San Juan, they pulled the gangplank in as we walked across it. We didn't even go to dinner the first night we boarded so late. I have NEVER gone same day to a trip with airfare or a cruise again.

I also have a ritual once everyone (and everything) is in the car that we pull out ID, tickets and $$ and verify it is there. Saved us more than once.

Last cruise we got to our ship and as we were unpacking I asked my DH where our refrigerated meds were? You guessed it, back in the hotel mini-fridge. Fortunately a group member was still there and they brought it for us. Note to self... *I* do the checking before we leave somewhere. :D

a few weeks ago on an eastern caribbean cruise (which was otherwise wonderful):

after four days at sea (and on small boats in port) i was like 'i don't need any more bonine--the seas are calm and i feel fine'. so i stopped taking it. twelve hours before crazy-rough seas. i've never been so sick. whoops.

Many years ago got seasick, had Meclizine, did not read directions, took 2 pills instead of 1 every 12 hours. Once the pills kicked in, didn't get out of bed for 24 hrs.

This is a great thread! :)

We are new to cruising so not many stories to tell, but we did learn something from cruise 1 to cruise 2.

Our first cruise, first full day of 18 night cruise, we went to the MDR for lunch. We were shown to a large table with four people already sitting. We said "hi" and sat down at the other end of the table. Not one of them ever spoke or even looked our way. They were speaking English to each other, so not a language problem. Apparently they didn't want to share their table. We quietly made it through lunch and left. We never went back to the MDR for the rest of that cruise, ate in Windjammer.

Our second cruise after 4 days of Windjammer we decided to brave the MDR for dinner and since we were MTD we asked for a two top. Dinner was great so after that we went to MDR every night. We still did Windjammer for lunch though. :)

Mine was on my first cruise. I didn't realize that you were to give the cabin steward their tip the last night, I figured I would give it to him the next morning before I left for the ship. Well, much to my surprise, when I returned to my cabin that night, I had no towels or pillows. That was a hard lesson to learn, had to dry off with the sheet (thank goodness he did leave those on the bed).

And that would have been when I called the Supervisor of House Keeping.

Well, I forgot to bring any underwear one trip. Every port stop was a search. Did you know it's very hard to find underwear in small tourist stops? My husband's solution to turn them inside out every other day didn't help :)

Your post made me laugh! :) This is why I keep a packing list on my PC and print out a copy prior to packing for each cruise. You'd think I'd remember to pack underwear, but that list has saved me more than once! The list also GREATLY helps us to avoid overpacking as well. We now only pack what we'll need/use, no more no less.

Your post made me laugh! :) This is why I keep a packing list on my PC and print out a copy prior to packing for each cruise. You'd think I'd remember to pack underwear, but that list has saved me more than once! The list also GREATLY helps us to avoid overpacking as well. We now only pack what we'll need/use, no more no less.

I have had a master packing list for years I just tweek depending on the trip !

I have had a master packing list for years I just tweek depending on the trip !

Twiz: Glad to know someone else also suffers from pre-cruise OCD! :) Seriously, my list sure helps cut down on my packing stress for sure. I love this thread! Thanks to the OP for starting it!

Just got off our first cruise last week. I'd been reading CC hours daily for WEEKS, and thought I had all the tips, tricks, etc. (Impressed the hubby with the over the door shoe holder, which was fabulous!)

I thought I'd read that they will make an announcement when cabins are ready, and assumed until I heard that, that we needed to keep our carry ons with us. When we showed up to the muster drill, carry-on in tow, realizing we were the ONLY ones with a carry-on, I realized I messed up here.

Second, I remember reading that you can stow your empty suitcases under the bed. Great! We had two that fit under there, but the other two did not. Put one in the closet, one in the cabin next to the chair. Return from the cruise, hop back on CC, and read threads where people say you can LIFT THE BEDS UP A LITTLE if you need to, to get your suitcases under there. :o Oh. Oops.

Just got off our first cruise last week. I'd been reading CC hours daily for WEEKS, and thought I had all the tips, tricks, etc. (Impressed the hubby with the over the door shoe holder, which was fabulous!)

 

I thought I'd read that they will make an announcement when cabins are ready, and assumed until I heard that, that we needed to keep our carry ons with us. When we showed up to the muster drill, carry-on in tow, realizing we were the ONLY ones with a carry-on, I realized I messed up here.

How funny! Did people start getting nervous that you had your luggage with you during the muster drill?;)

How funny! Did people start getting nervous that you had your luggage with you during the muster drill?;)

I always remember hearing an announcement that cabins were ready. Did you just miss it perhaps?

I always remember hearing an announcement that cabins were ready. Did you just miss it perhaps?

I have only been on 5-6 cruises, but I have never heard announcement. Maybe I am hanging out at the wrong place...

I have only been on 5-6 cruises, but I have never heard announcement. Maybe I am hanging out at the wrong place...

I seem to remember hearing this while touring the ship and also when in buffet...Don't remember which cruiselines though.

When we heard it, we proceeded to our cabins.

Do others just go to the cabins and check for themselves occasionally? I remember going to the cabin deck and finding that we the entranceway to the cabins was closed in some instances.

Attending a port shopping talk on my first cruise.

Lol. I am guilty of that too.

Another one here who uses a detailed packing list.

Although it didn't seem to help on our first cruise to Alaska with a 5 day land tour before the cruise. We each had the little travel size toothpaste in our airline 3-1-1 bag - lasted us the 5 days on land. Boarded the ship, unpacked and realized the regular size toothpaste had been left behind at home. That's when I found out how expensive toiletries are in the ship's store. :eek:

We are now veteran cruisers with 24 under our belts. Our first was back in 1997 when I was really a green horn. Of course everyone had traditional dining back then and used the envelope system for tips on the last night. We had not seen the maître d all week long. He didn't even stop by our table on the last night with his hand out. So I sought him out and gave him an envelope with cash. That will never happen again!

Heading to the muster drill as soon as they announce it.

ditto

Inviting a aquaintances to join us at our private table for one night, they never left for a 12 night cruise.

Assuming paying for a better cabin means better service, sometimes yes sometimes no. Had a much better time in a cheaper cabin on the same ship within 4 months.

Ordering a private car, years ago thru a TA, through a hotel, this is before the internet, we paid way too much.

Flying RT on AA to Rome from NYC, only one flight a day, late both directions because AA over books the flight and spends 2 hours trying to get passenger to volunteer to be bumped each way. No way to run an airline.

Assuming bad service in the MDR which was due to a poor attitude of a Head Waiter would get better on a 10 days cruise, never did, from now on we change tables or do something different.

Just a few that come to mind....

We traveled for a 7 day cruise to San Juan PR six of us stayed at the dockside hotel. It wasn't until we checked out of the hotel that we learned the streets were cobblestone and we had quite an issue getting the bellman to push our luggage to end of the sidewalk as far as he could. Even though it was a short walk to the ship, we had too many bags for everyone to each carry 2 bags. We tipped the bellman really well because he did allow us to take the cart pretty far from the hotel.

Took a taxi to the glass factory (in the middle of nowhere!) in Cabo to get a gift for a friend. Let the taxi go since we didn't know how long we'd be. When we were done shopping, had the gal at the desk call for a taxi for us, no answer with any taxi company. Evidently, when the ship's in port, taxis are a hot commodity! The gal kept calling, eventually reaching someone who said they'd send one right out. Two hours later, and long after the factory closed and everyone went home, a taxi showed up. Scary, scary couple of hours spent sitting in the parking lot with NO cel phone wondering how we were going to get back to the ship! Lesson learned: Have the taxi wait!