brplummer

One thing that might surprise you...There are dark skinned people living in Europe who are native to those countries. European countries colonized a lot of Africa, and the native population spilled into Europe. It may seem odd the first time you encounter someone who looks like you, but only speaks German,or French... There are a lot of dark skinned residents who were left behind by American servicemen, too. They were raised as German. French, Belgian, Italian... And if you asked them about their identity, they would not say Africa German, or African French...They would just say German, etc. A German friend (white) who married an American serviceman (black) said she was unaware of any kind of prejudice/discrimination until they came to the States. You might find it rather liberating to spend some time in Europe. EM

Thank you for the advice. Valid points. I am definitely looking forward to it as I can agree in the States the prejudice, etc. is still very much alive. It is just the notion I wish to get out if that environment for a bit and feel a sense of unity and connection to others where skin tone is a non factor. As this will be my first time in Europe, I am looking forward to that breath of fresh air.

My Tips concern what to bring!

I struggled with putting together a packing list for my first cruise so I published it recently (about to set sail on my 2nd cruise!) for others to use! There is a link for if you want to print it as well. Another blog post I have is about cruise gadgets you will want. The last link I'm posting is tips specific to NCL - I cruised out of the US so not sure if there will be anything that doesn't apply to your cruise since it's out of Germany.

Packing List: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.co...king-list.html

Cabin Must-haves: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.co...breakaway.html

NCL Tips: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.co...uise-tips.html

Thank you so much for these tips! I will definitely be checking them out as I have a HUGE tendency to over pack whenever I travel and I want to limit that as much as possible this time around.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. What a wonderful experience you are going to have. Are you going to get to your embarkation port city a day or two early to explore it? Also that will ease your stress of missing the ship if your flight is late or has problems getting you there. All the advice to go to the boards for your ship, roll call and ports are great tips. Have fun doing your planning and have a fabulous cruise.

I do personally plan to spend two days prior in the embarkation port city just to have some time to explore a bit and like you said make it easier for me to get to the port. My main concern was not having enough time to adequately get off of my flight and make it to the port if I chose to fly in and cruise same day. It seemed way too stressful especially since I’m cruising in a different country.

I have found that the predominant classification / label of those passengers on a cruise ship are primarily considered "fellow cruisers". You will be in an incredible majority, so have a blast.

Absolutely love your answer! Great way to look at it.

Thank you to everyones input! At least I have the jist of what to bring and how to dress! I also did find my roll call which is awesome. Im feeling alot better about all if this, since it is still very new to me

Hi guys! :DSo I just wanted to get some advice on some tips regarding my first cruise. I am taking a NCL Norwegian fjords cruise out of Germany with my bf for 7 days as a graduation gift to my self next Aug 2018. I am beyond excited because I have always wanted to go to Norway. I have everything booked, but I am still a little unsure about things because all of this is new to me. I just would like some pointers on how to pack, what to bring, not to bring etc.

Also I must add being an African-American female how is the diversity on a cruise going to this destination? I am in my early 20s and highly excited to be cruising and getting to know others from all backgrounds as I am literally a social butterfly:cool:. I just don’t want to feel too much like and oddball if you understand.

Any advice or tips are welcomed! Thanks