"I wish I knew before..."

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 use a backpack/daypack as my carry on for the plane and in port. Its great for carrying anything we need for the day as well as carrying any purchases in port...

 

4) Turn off the cell phone. The same goes for the Internet. Both are very expensive at sea. If you're so vital to your business, friends, etc. that you absolutely, positively, HAVE to stay in touch ...then stay home with them and watch the Travel Channel. The reason you're on vacation is not to work, it's to decompress from your normal daily life. So, do it. No matter how important you think you are, the reality is that you're not. If you were to drop dead right now, your business and the rest of the world would keep on spinning. So, turn off the cell phone and don't get on the Internet.

 

This is incredibly thoughtless and insulting. Not everyone takes a cell phone because they feel self important and their only other choice is to stay home. Some people on this board hold "Medical Power of Attorney" on seriously ill family members and have to be able to make a decision of life or death. And there is no one to keep the world spinning if they can't get an answer back within 24 hours. I've said MANY times on here that a text message from each port to say "we are well. Is everything well there?" cost me about $12-15 in Europe for 16 days. So consider your audience before you pump up your opinion and spread it like peanut butter because not everyone in the world is the same.

A tip I learned at Schlitterbahn....those "waterproof" containers sometimes leak, so take a few sandwich size ziplock baggies and put your stuff in (S/S card, cash, etc), squish all the air out, and then put it in your waterproof container...works great!;)

ALWAYS fly in a day before your cruise leaves port. This gives you insurance in case the weather doesn't cooperate and in most ports, there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels close to the port terminal. Some hotels even offer free shuttles to the terminal but most are a reasonable cab ride.

PICTURES get expensive on board. If you want a really nice picture, get dressed up on formal night and go to several backdrops/scenery and then

pick a favorite. Digital cameras take great pictures and you can print them out yourself although $25 is reasonable for a nice formal picture.

RESEARCH your ports so you can learn about where you are going to stop. Depending on the port you may not want to go to shore but it helps you decide what to do if you have read ahead of time about the stops. I recommend Frommer's Travel books as they are very comprehensive.

BOARDING the ship-Keep in mind every ship is arriving back from a previous trip and has to unload passengers, baggage, etc and restock supplies. Check to see what time your ship arrives back in port as its the same most times except for unanticipated delays. When a ship arrives back at 7 AM they usually begin to board passengers at 11 AM so you can get in line around 10:30-10:45 and be on board by noon. As soon as you are on the ship, head up to the pool deck as they usually serve lunch (your cruise has started). Eat lunch and then walk around the ship to try to get the feel of the layout. Cabins won't be ready until about 1:30 and the pursuer's desk

often has a map of the ship (you may be able to print it out on line) to help you get to certain places. Once they announce cabins are ready, go drop off any carry on items and put them in the closet or under the bed. This is also a good time to take your 1st pictures then be up on deck as the ship sails.

CABINS-If you like to see sunshine every day or would enjoy sitting out at night then book a balcony cabin. If you like or want to sleep in and get up whenever you like, an inside cabin will work fine. Your in room TV has channels that take shots of the outside area so you can turn it on in the morning and see what the weather is like at any time. Take a light weight

poncho or umbrella with you in case you stop at a port and its raining. There are still things to do and see in ports if the weather isn't cooperating!

SHORE EXCURSIONS-Do your homework! If you want to swim with the dolphins, book it early as these always fill up but always check the cost of

booking with the ship vs booking directly with the company who offers the excursions. Many trips can be booked right on shore so check out prices, why pay $80 if you can get the same trip for less? Frommers will recommend companies or you can check that country for a visitors bureau or companies that offer that excursion. For example the ship may offer something as simple as a trip to the beach for $35 when just taking a shared cab might cost $15-$20 so make sure you don't overpay for a trip. In some cases you can cab to an area like a historic sight and just pay the entrance fee. In some cases though its a better deal to go with the excursion due to the distance (ie if you go to Cozumel and go to the ruins

I would take an excursion).

ALWAYS fly in a day before your cruise leaves port. This gives you insurance in case the weather doesn't cooperate and in most ports, there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels close to the port terminal. Some hotels even offer free shuttles to the terminal but most are a reasonable cab ride.

Oh yes. If you are flying to a nice place you can even do some shopping or excursions while you get excited about getting on the ship.

 

PICTURES get expensive on board. If you want a really nice picture, get dressed up on formal night and go to several backdrops/scenery and then

pick a favorite.

SHORE EXCURSIONS-Do your homework!

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions....keep them coming!

The drink they offer when you board the ship is NOT free!

Just out of curiosity. . . . why would you think is was free? EVERYTHING you read "clearly states" that ALL alcohol "has" to be paid for by Y O U.

My first post here at CC is a thank you for all of the great tips! I have a list ready to go!

The drink they offer when you board the ship is NOT free!

Umm, what line is this on, we've always had a couple glasses of free champagne upon boarding X

Just out of curiosity. . . . why would you think is was free? EVERYTHING you read "clearly states" that ALL alcohol "has" to be paid for by Y O U.

Because until recently all ships offered a complimentary champagne or mimosa when passengers first boarded. A few cruise lines still do that but as of January some cruise lines are no longer offering complimentary champagne upon passengers boarding.

When a drink is offered, those used to the complimentary boarding drinks might not be aware that a particular cruise line is now charging for them.

Umm, what line is this on, we've always had a couple glasses of free champagne upon boarding X

I don't know if the other cruise lines have also stopped the free champagne, but as of this past January there is no more free champagne upon boarding NCL ships.

that explains why mine (march 2009) WAS free. :D

4. If you criticize the food on the ship, please also include the magazine/newspaper you write the food column for and include at least 3 personal references, and pictures of the offending dishes. I have never had a bad meal on a ship, if i didn't like it i ordered something else, besides, you didn't have to cook it, serve it or clean up.

lmao!!!!!

ALWAYS fly in a day before your cruise leaves port. This gives you insurance in case the weather doesn't cooperate and in most ports, there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels close to the port terminal. Some hotels even offer free shuttles to the terminal but most are a reasonable cab ride.

I agree. Even if you are on a tight budget there is always a Motel 6 or Super 8 around. If you are flying into a port overseas you might even want to consider flying in 2 or 3 days ahead. On the flip side of this tip I suggest flying out the day after your ship arrives back. Last year on January 3rd we were going out of Mobile, AL on the Carnival Holiday (now retired) and there was rain and heavy fog. The ship was not allowed into port due to poor visibility. When it finally was allowed in the passengers did not disembark until 4:00 pm (we didn't get embark until 6:00 pm and couldn't get into our rooms until around 7:30 pm). Needless to say I'm sure there were a lot of people that missed their flights. Between weather, traffic accidents and Murphy's Law anything can happen.

Take Care,

Patricia

So consider your audience before you pump up your opinion and spread it like peanut butter because not everyone in the world is the same.

This line made me laugh. I am going to have to steal this quote and use it for myself. :)

Oh, and I agree with you. :)

I'll contribute something more valuable later, but for right now I have to say:

One more thing I've just thought about formal/informal photos - 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.

So many people think that if they don't buy photos on the first night, they will get thrown away. They don't. So don't feel pressured into buying the first nice photo you see - there may be a better one later on.

Cindy, my Carnival vacation planner sent me a "Tips and Secrets" document before my first cruise. It was the most probably the most valuable document on my whole trip. I had her send me an updated list before my last cruise and will again before my next one. I won't start packing without it!

Cindy, my Carnival vacation planner sent me a "Tips and Secrets" document before my first cruise. It was the most probably the most valuable document on my whole trip. I had her send me an updated list before my last cruise and will again before my next one. I won't start packing without it!

And you're not going to post the information here? Teasing us, huh? :D

Too much to read it all so if i am repeating something someone already said, I apologize.

I knew I needed tons of sunscreen. So i made sure to bring two big bottles. But one thing i wish i knew was to have a bottle in my carry on!! I know that a full bottle of sunscreen cant go in my carryon at the airport, but what i should have done was to put a bottle in the outside pocket of my checked in luggage so that when I get my luggage from the airport baggage claim, i can easily get it out of the luggage and stick it in the carryon. We got sunburned the first day on the cruise. We headed straight to the pool, changed into pool clothes that i made sure to pack in the carry on, but no sunscreen. :(

I sincerely wish I had known on my first cruise that I did NOT have to get off the ship at every port. My ex dragged my young son and I all over one of the ports. This was many, many years ago and it was just a bad experience.

Too much to read it all so if i am repeating something someone already said, I apologize.

 

I knew I needed tons of sunscreen. So i made sure to bring two big bottles. But one thing i wish i knew was to have a bottle in my carry on!! I know that a full bottle of sunscreen cant go in my carryon at the airport, but what i should have done was to put a bottle in the outside pocket of my checked in luggage so that when I get my luggage from the airport baggage claim, i can easily get it out of the luggage and stick it in the carryon. We got sunburned the first day on the cruise. We headed straight to the pool, changed into pool clothes that i made sure to pack in the carry on, but no sunscreen. :(

GREAT idea! My fair skinned little blonde boy will definately need sunscreen that first day (as will the rest of us, I'm sure).

This is incredibly thoughtless and insulting. Not everyone takes a cell phone because they feel self important and their only other choice is to stay home. Some people on this board hold "Medical Power of Attorney" on seriously ill family members and have to be able to make a decision of life or death. And there is no one to keep the world spinning if they can't get an answer back within 24 hours. I've said MANY times on here that a text message from each port to say "we are well. Is everything well there?" cost me about $12-15 in Europe for 16 days. So consider your audience before you pump up your opinion and spread it like peanut butter because not everyone in the world is the same.

In my humble opinion, this person may just have been trying to be helpful and to strongly suggest that people take a break from work. Some people are practically addicted to their "crack" berries (blackberries) and it's difficult to get them to turn them off. I'll bet this person knows someone like that.

I personally had a couple over for dinner recently, and BOTH of them were checking and sending emails (regarding minor work issues) on their blackberry’s while we ate a meal that took me hours to prepare. :eek:

For my cruise, I'm also going to have to FORCE myself not to go online!!! LOL So I'm guilty too. I can tell you that this week long cruise will be the ONLY time in years that I won't be online for two days in a row. ;)

We are taking our first cruise in October and I was wondering...I've seen a lot of people saying that if you don't like your dining companions you can change them but do you always have dining companions? I thought I read somewhere that some dining (we have the anytime dining) can be just the two of us...it's not that we are anti social but it seems like if we are showing up whenever we want that it would be bothersome to have to wait on a table opening and then wait for it to fill up in order to order...Anyone know about this...Oh yeah, we're on Carnival Conquest...

BTW...love all these posts...I knew nothing about cruising except that I wanted to go before I got on this forum and now my wife jokes that Im a cruise expert even though we haven't gone on our first one yet...

In my humble opinion, this person may just have been trying to be helpful and to strongly suggest that people take a break from work. Some people are practically addicted to their "crack" berries (blackberries) and it's difficult to get them to turn them off. I'll bet this person knows someone like that.

 

I personally had a couple over for dinner recently, and BOTH of them were checking and sending emails (regarding minor work issues) on their blackberry’s while we ate a meal that took me hours to prepare. :eek:

 

For my cruise, I'm also going to have to FORCE myself not to go online!!! LOL So I'm guilty too. I can tell you that this week long cruise will be the ONLY time in years that I won't be online for two days in a row. ;)

Everyone I know on the ship is on vacation, but many posts on here are SCOLDING everyone who has a cellphone with them and checks in back home. To assume that everyone is like them IS thoughtless and to tell me and other posters that we are not "as important as we think we are" is insulting. There was no good intentions in a post that assumes everyone can turn all their phones off because there is no reason to check in. They are projecting and I reject it.