"I wish I knew before..."

Does anyone know if Princess (Ruby or others) has ironing boards in their laundry room?

Yes, irons in the laundry rooms on all Princess ships.

I am pretty sure there were! We were on the Ruby as well!

 

The reason I don't know for sure? I don't iron! ;)

The last thing I would do on a cruise is iron! Even if I did it at home;)

I'm spending enough money, I can spend a little more using the laundry/dry cleaning/ ironing service.

We just finished our first cruise and I wished that I would have known about this website before we left. What I learned:

1. Pack lightly! You really do not need a lot of clothes!

2. Excursions are a great way to see different things. Be aware that you may not have time to shop depending on how long the excursion is (even if you have 2 hours left after the "end" of the excursion").

3. I attended the shopping lecture and learned about the different shops - where to go to get what. This helped as there were many times we had limited time to shop due to our excursions.

4. Read the newsletter from the ship - and plan your activities that you would like to do (or not depending on your mood :D).

5. Most of all - enjoy every minute of it. It will be over before you know it :eek:

1. Don't forget to bring a night light or a flash light for the middle of the night trips to the bathroom!

2. It's nice to split up and spend some alone time just by yourself or with your significant other.

3. Bring some suction cups with you, so if you wanted to hang up stuff up.

4. For the women out there, don't forget to bring a magnifying mirror for the bathroom.

5. On vacation, I always bring a couple of chapsticks, 2 combs and a couple cheap pairs of sunglasses. I learned to keep 1 pair of sunglasses, 1 comb and a chapstick in my beach bag. The remaining chapstick, comb and sunglasses go in to either my day bag for excursions or the purse I use at night.

It only took two days (lol) but I've finally finished this thread.

I'm one of those obsessive planners too, however as everyone else has said, I am SOOO glad I found this thread prior to leaving.

You have cut my packing in half.

We're driving to port, and had planned to leave the morning of, but now we're driving down the night before.

I've made my own "can't be without it" list.

I am so flippin' excited I can hardly stand myself. I come home from work everyday telling my DH something new I learned and he just rolls his eyes. He's the "tell me the day before we leave and I'll just pack a bag" kind of guy! I think he's getting tired of my daily updates, lol.

Thank you guys so much for being willing to share all this great information!

 

I am so flippin' excited I can hardly stand myself. I come home from work everyday telling my DH something new I learned and he just rolls his eyes. He's the "tell me the day before we leave and I'll just pack a bag" kind of guy! I think he's getting tired of my daily updates, lol.

That's too freaking funny! My husband is the same way! I told him that if he doesn't start oohing and ahhing over everything I tell him and everything that I buy that he can't go on the cruise and I will just take my best friend! He is shaping up quite nicely :D

In my house it is just the opposite I am obsessed with our cruise and doing stuff in Seattle the day before and the 3 days after and checking out all the excursions and I am driving my wife crazy. Calling our TA getting everyones opinon on stuff. I am having a blast. Living on Cruise Critic reading every thread. Whew:o

I second many of these good suggestions.

1. Check to make sure your passports are current. Do this now.

2. If you do not like something, have a question, have a special request, ask. If it a question/concern at the dining room- the Maitre d' is your go to person. If it's a cabin need, talk first with your steward. A kind word and a tip for exceptional service go a long way.

Otherwise, find and use the customer service desk (Hotel Director, etc.). The staff is usually quite willing to help you out with any reasonable concerns or requests. Again, a kind word, is useful

Likewise, if a staff has been exceptionally useful, do let the cruise line know via feedback-- this can be done at the end of the cruise, as most lines have a request for comments card.

3. Note all medications, and any medical needs of all travelers. Make sure you pack a sufficient supply.

4. If you're going to take motion sickness prevention, take one tablet of the medication (e.g. dramamine) the night before you get on the ship, and each night subsequently. This helps avoid excessive daytime sedation, and does just as good, if not better, a job. Likewise if you take the scopalamine patch, start the night before. Ginger tablets do well for any "breakthrough" sickness.

5. And most importantly, pack a great, laid-back attitude. Know that at least five to ten little things will likely go wrong (rain, forgot batteries, chair hogs, pool closed for cleaning, spouse fell overboard, etc) and don't let it spoil your vacation. And if it is of significant concern, see #2 above.

Happy cruising!

Hi Fredr

 

Thanks for this-its very helpful for newbies-any thought on getting land excursion costs down in Alaska ports it would be appreciated. Oh yes I know don't do any.

 

thanks

Check on the ports threads (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55), there are many independent operators, and I would strongly suggest consider sharing excursions if you don't have a large group going, a larger group often brings the cost down. Ask on your roll call if anyone is interested in sharing.

i second many of these good suggestions.

 

1. Check to make sure your passports are current. Do this now.

 

2. If you do not like something, have a question, have a special request, ask. If it a question/concern at the dining room- the maitre d' is your go to person. If it's a cabin need, talk first with your steward. A kind word and a tip for exceptional service go a long way.

Otherwise, find and use the customer service desk (hotel director, etc.). The staff is usually quite willing to help you out with any reasonable concerns or requests. Again, a kind word, is useful

likewise, if a staff has been exceptionally useful, do let the cruise line know via feedback-- this can be done at the end of the cruise, as most lines have a request for comments card.

 

3. Note all medications, and any medical needs of all travelers. Make sure you pack a sufficient supply.

 

4. If you're going to take motion sickness prevention, take one tablet of the medication (e.g. Dramamine) the night before you get on the ship, and each night subsequently. This helps avoid excessive daytime sedation, and does just as good, if not better, a job. Likewise if you take the scopalamine patch, start the night before. Ginger tablets do well for any "breakthrough" sickness.

 

5. And most importantly, pack a great, laid-back attitude. Know that at least five to ten little things will likely go wrong (rain, forgot batteries, chair hogs, pool closed for cleaning, spouse fell overboard, etc) and don't let it spoil your vacation. And if it is of significant concern, see #2 above.

 

Happy cruising!

lol! :d

there are thousand of ideas and tips here that i wish i would have seen and read before i booked but the more important threads i would have gone too are :

1. cabin choice--inside cabins are wonderful and so much cheaper ( balconies are wonderful but insides are just as good ).

2. check what the safest ports are before you decide too go. unfortunatle things are happening in some of the ports that are unsafe. make your port choices good ones.

3. you can go on a cruise and live withing your budget if you make up your mind you dont have too spend every cent you have in each port or on the ship. i have spent $300 for extras during a 7 day cruise and had a wonderful time. so dont break the bank just because you think that is the only way to have a good time.

4. D0 get too the port the day before and check all the airlines for the best price with comfortable flight times and lay-overs. personally, i will never let the cruise line book my flight. my opinion only.

i will stop for now. my best advice is too do all the research you can here and on the net and be prepared for some glitches in the trip you can shake off with a smile.

I don't think it can be said too often -- be sure to get to the port at least one day in advance. And I would say two, if you are leaving from a foreign port and are taking a long flight too get there.

It only took two days (lol) but I've finally finished this thread.

 

I'm one of those obsessive planners too, however as everyone else has said, I am SOOO glad I found this thread prior to leaving.

 

You have cut my packing in half.

 

We're driving to port, and had planned to leave the morning of, but now we're driving down the night before.

 

I've made my own "can't be without it" list.

 

I am so flippin' excited I can hardly stand myself. I come home from work everyday telling my DH something new I learned and he just rolls his eyes. He's the "tell me the day before we leave and I'll just pack a bag" kind of guy! I think he's getting tired of my daily updates, lol.

 

Thank you guys so much for being willing to share all this great information!

My DH is the same. That's why this site is so great so I can obsess without driving him mad for 478 days!

Great tips

I have added to the list I've started.

Trying hard to not overpack!

Lot's of great tips!

This ia an awesome thread :) :)

My DH is the same. That's why this site is so great so I can obsess without driving him mad for 478 days!

OMG! I can't even imagine waiting that long for a cruise!

The one we are taking on April 7th was booked the end of July....that is the most advanced we have ever booked!

I was reading lots of comments about bringing a fan or a white noise machine to help sleeping. If you have a smart phone, you can download a white noise application before you leave and use that to help you sleep, it will save on space and once you have the app it won't use any data so you don't need to worry about the bill. I also find using my phone as an alarm and a torch at night means I don't have to take nightlights or travel alarms.

I have to disagree with this. The crew lives in quarters smaller than the inside cabins for the passengers, and they share them with another person. They don't have room for extra tee shirts or other knick knacks from your hometown. Of course they're going to thank you for it, but odds are, it ends up in the trash, because they just don't have the space for it. Can you imagine how stuffed their rooms would be if everyone brought them a shirt or souvenir from their hometown?

 

My tip is money talks. If you liked the service someone gave you, cash is the best gift. Also be sure to fill out your comment cards, they get promotions and raises based on the comments you write.

I second this.... It's a nice thought, but with such limited storage space, the t-shirt (even if it is the right size) or trinket will not be kept.

I was reading lots of comments about bringing a fan or a white noise machine to help sleeping. If you have a smart phone, you can download a white noise application before you leave and use that to help you sleep, it will save on space and once you have the app it won't use any data so you don't need to worry about the bill. I also find using my phone as an alarm and a torch at night means I don't have to take nightlights or travel alarms.

Didn't know there is a white noise app -- will have to check it out.

Haven't found a really good torch app - which do you recommend?

Great tips in this thread, I read every one!! I am still a bit confused on the phones onboard thing if anyone would be willing to help me out! This is our second cruise, but I can't remember what we did last time. We will be on Royal Carribbean next week. We all have smart phones.

I would like to use them as our cabin clock/alarm and onboard of course to text each other if we go separate ways. What should I do? Airline mode, turn off data roaming...what is the best way to access the phone/texting without it charging us like crazy for being out of range?

Also, I was planning to get three cheap blow up mats for our beach day. $12 a day isn't bad, but times 3 is almost $40...when I can bring 3 with no space wasted and throw them out for $5! Is this something many do, or are we going to feel silly being the only ones with our own floats?

Thanks!

Didn't know there is a white noise app -- will have to check it out.

 

Haven't found a really good torch app - which do you recommend?

i leave the tv on too the bow cam station. when i wake up i know if it is day or night and what the weather is like ( i get insides ).

Sounds like GOOD advice to me

OMG! I can't even imagine waiting that long for a cruise!

 

The one we are taking on April 7th was booked the end of July....that is the most advanced we have ever booked!

I know it is madness but it is only 476 days now! :D:D:D

On our last cruise we ordered subs from room service to take with us on our excursion. Used the ole zip lock bag to keep it in that way we did not have to buy lunch or go back to the ship for it.