"I wish I knew before..."

[CarnivalGirl3]

Our first cruise was for our honeymoon over thanksgiving!!

 

Enjoy!

[tfox1018]

Lots of great, useful info. Thank you!

[2bthereagain]

Here are a couple of things I just thought about:

 

1. The ATM on my last ship (Carnival) charged a $6.00 fee, plus my bank charges 2.25. However, you can get rolls of quarters charged to your sail and sign from the Casino cashier for a very small fee. I got $20 and paid a 0.60 cent fee. I can spend quarters just as well as bills to save 8 bucks.

 

2. Don't leave credit/debit cards lying around in the cabin. My cruisemate had her number written down by the staff (they didn't take the card, just copied down the number) and the week after we returned home her bank account was wiped out. She had fraud protection and the bank made it right in the end - but what a hassle.

 

3. (On Carnival) you HAVE to go to the safety drill. DON'T think you can hide out, they check every cabin and "clear" the ship. Please, don't keep all of your fellow vacationers smoldering in the heat waiting for the crew to come drag you to drill.

 

And besides that, Keep Calm and Cruise On

 

 

Happy Cruising :)

[CarnivalGirl3]

ah, 2bthereagain, there is no 'have to' when I'm on vacation. I've skipped muster drill at least twice, if not 3 times on carnival. I do think dh did make me go the first time. But I know for a fact we didn't the last two times. That's when I unpack. :D Yes, then knock on the door, and call for you. But smoldering in the heat waiting for the crew to drag everyone is not my idea of fun.

 

NCL got a little pissy, they leave a nice note and something about make up muster drill. didn't do that either.

 

We will go this time, being a responsible parent and all. Plus we don't have to wear the lift jackets.

[blonde1981]

My husband and I are going on our honeymoon and first cruise just after Thanksgiving. Any last minute packing tips/recs for things to do on board/any thing else before we leave or to enjoy while on board?

 

Any advice and ideas are welcome and appreciated! Getting so excited!!

We did our honeymoon on a cruise too. I have to say we were extremely happy and willing to try out new things. So even if you think something might be corney just give it a try. Who would have thought that we would enjoy Disco Dance lessons. LOL

 

Order room service. It sounds silly but we loved just being able to call and get cookies or a pizza when we started to feel slightly hungry (or bored).

 

Another thing, most cruise ships have a few 2 person tables in the main dining area. Don't feel bad if you want to be a little anti-social and sit alone with your husband. Dining in groups can be stressful or cause anxiety if you aren't a people person or you get someone at your table who doesn't share your viewpoint on things. We had an interesting couple my husband still complains about. They liked to try and talk politics, how cheap they were, animal rights (donkeys in Santorini), etc. You can also request a table change if you get a person like that but want to still try group dining.

Edited November 16, 2012 by blonde1981

[2bthereagain]

ah, 2bthereagain, there is no 'have to' when I'm on vacation. I've skipped muster drill at least twice, if not 3 times on carnival. I do think dh did make me go the first time. But I know for a fact we didn't the last two times. That's when I unpack. :D Yes, then knock on the door, and call for you. But smoldering in the heat waiting for the crew to drag everyone is not my idea of fun.

 

NCL got a little pissy, they leave a nice note and something about make up muster drill. didn't do that either.

 

We will go this time, being a responsible parent and all. Plus we don't have to wear the lift jackets.

 

I see you have not cruised recently. If your siggie is correct, not since 2009. Specifically, not since the Concordia sank. You'll find on your upcoming cruise that your antics will no longer work. It's a new world in regards to the Muster Drill. You might as well get ready to go, because in the end - you will. And while they are searching for you there will be elderly, disabled, and small children reaching the point of fainting out beside the lifeboats. They now enter the cabins, and not to help you unpack....

[dustyroad]

Here are a couple of things I just thought about:

 

1. The ATM on my last ship (Carnival) charged a $6.00 fee, plus my bank charges 2.25. However, you can get rolls of quarters charged to your sail and sign from the Casino cashier for a very small fee. I got $20 and paid a 0.60 cent fee. I can spend quarters just as well as bills to save 8 bucks.

 

2. Don't leave credit/debit cards lying around in the cabin. My cruisemate had her number written down by the staff (they didn't take the card, just copied down the number) and the week after we returned home her bank account was wiped out. She had fraud protection and the bank made it right in the end - but what a hassle.

 

3. (On Carnival) you HAVE to go to the safety drill. DON'T think you can hide out, they check every cabin and "clear" the ship. Please, don't keep all of your fellow vacationers smoldering in the heat waiting for the crew to come drag you to drill.

 

And besides that, Keep Calm and Cruise On

 

 

Happy Cruising :)

 

was it proven a cabin member copied it :confused:. i would not post that untill it was investigated and proven.

[johneeo]

I see you have not cruised recently. If your siggie is correct, not since 2009. Specifically, not since the Concordia sank. You'll find on your upcoming cruise that your antics will no longer work. It's a new world in regards to the Muster Drill. You might as well get ready to go, because in the end - you will. And while they are searching for you there will be elderly, disabled, and small children reaching the point of fainting out beside the lifeboats. They now enter the cabins, and not to help you unpack....

 

I read where Holland America removed some people from the ship that had attempted to skip the muster drill.

 

You are correct, it ain't 2009. The muster drill is taken very seriously, and no one will be able to skip it without suffering the consequences.

[calliopecruiser]

I read where Holland America removed some people from the ship that had attempted to skip the muster drill.

 

Seabourn has done the same thing. And every ship does have a brig ;)

[Marian Paroo]

What is the big deal about taking the hour or two for the Muster Drill? Good Grief!!! I got some great pictures on mine!

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[merryblissmas]

I'm with you - I'd rather just have dinner with my sweetie. We are on vacation to be together, something that is extremely rare for us at home because of our schedules. The thought of being stuck at a table with some blowhard who won't shut up or someone who talks with their mouth full makes me queasier than any rough seas could. I know everyone keeps saying that we'll be missing out, blah, blah, blah, but I think that's a personal opinion. It depends on how social you are. Personally, I'm not terribly social. I'm going to be on vacation and I want to enjoy my sweetie, not someone else.

 

Great resource here. I'm about half way through this thread. Please forgive me if this has been addressed.

 

First time wanna cruisers. We're geezers with some health and emotional issues. We love dining in a restaurant. On a cruise we'd like to dine with each other. Being with each other is why we want to do a cruise. We really don't want to have dinner with strangers. Sorry if this sounds bad. It seems that the included dining options are with others.

 

Are our perceptions correct? If so, are there alternatives (other than additional charges)?

 

Thanks for this forum and thread.

[cjdixon4]

I read where Holland America removed some people from the ship that had attempted to skip the muster drill.

 

You are correct, it ain't 2009. The muster drill is taken very seriously, and no one will be able to skip it without suffering the consequences.

 

 

You know johneeo, I'm SOOOO worn out from the lazy folks who can't take 15-20 minutes out of a 7 day+ vacation to hear the essentials of safety on a cruise ship. They'll be the first ones to want to sue the company should something horrible go wrong on the ship. Geeesh....:mad:

[JimAOk1945]

I wish I had known about this website! It's an encyclopedia of cruising information! :D

[Marian Paroo]

Cjdixon4 - ain't that the truth!

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[GlendaleCruiser]

I see you have not cruised recently. If your siggie is correct, not since 2009. Specifically, not since the Concordia sank. You'll find on your upcoming cruise that your antics will no longer work. It's a new world in regards to the Muster Drill. You might as well get ready to go, because in the end - you will. And while they are searching for you there will be elderly, disabled, and small children reaching the point of fainting out beside the lifeboats. They now enter the cabins, and not to help you unpack....

 

 

Last June on Carnival they came by and read our S&S cards with a reader. At one point they started calling names to report. No shirking anymore. For my part, I cannot imagine why anyone would skip the muster drill. I want to know exactly where to muster and which is my life boat. If there is a disaster, don't expect me to save the sorry, lazy A$$ of anyone who thinks they are too smart to show up. I had a friend on the Splendor when it lost power, and my daughter was on Ecstasy two weeks before the kitchen fire that disabled her in the Caribbean. We take it VERY seriously.

[Oshawapilot]

We stood, smashed shoulder to shoulder for 25 freaking minutes last November on Allure because of some dolt who decided he was above the Muster Drill. There was a real hustle for chairs when the elderly passengers started having trouble standing after the 15 minute point.

 

When he finally showed up, almost being dragged by a member of the muster crew (he was part of the next station over on the Promenade) he received a rousing round of sneers and boos.

 

Please, don't be that person. Muster should be a 10 minute deal for which we all politely take part in for our own damn safety, and then move on to having fun, not a nearly half hour ordeal because some self-righteous person who feels they are better than everyone else decides they don't want to be bothered.

Edited November 26, 2012 by Oshawapilot

[kruzkween]

The last several cruises we've been on we didn't have to go outside and stand with our life vests on. Muster stations are inside in the theatre, lounges, etc. You can sit, you do not put your life vest on till the very end, and then only to make sure you can, then take it off before you leave your muster station. It still has all the safety information and lots of crew members there to help & give directions, but it's so much more comfortable. 20 minutes or so at the very beginning of a wonderful cruise certainly isn't too much to give up to ensure your own safety and that of your fellow passengers. I don't know if all cruise lines are going to this method, but I know that many are.

[2bthereagain]

The last several cruises we've been on we didn't have to go outside and stand with our life vests on. Muster stations are inside in the theatre, lounges, etc. You can sit, you do not put your life vest on till the very end, and then onlyto make sure you can, then take it off before you leave your muster station. It still has all the safety information and lots of crew members there to help & give directions, but it's so much more comfortable. 20 minutes or so at the very beginning of a wonderful cruise certainly isn't too much to give up to ensure your own safety and that of your fellow passengers. I don't know if all cruise lines are going to this method, but I know that many are.

 

This is the exact way we did it before, in 2009 and 2010. However, on my last two cruises in October of this year (both Carnival) we had to go out by the lifeboats. The good news was we did not have to take our life vests.

[eltotaupin64]

5 things I wish I would have known:

 

1. Put suitcases under bed (more room in closet)

 

has anyone brought home any unasked for "pets" with this practice? I mean, sure sounds reasonable but i'm darn worried about finding a bug, i think we all know what kind i'm talking about, was on Sensation last summer and found one.

[NoobCruise]

The last several cruises we've been on we didn't have to go outside and stand with our life vests on. Muster stations are inside in the theatre, lounges, etc. You can sit, you do not put your life vest on till the very end, and then only to make sure you can, then take it off before you leave your muster station. It still has all the safety information and lots of crew members there to help & give directions, but it's so much more comfortable. 20 minutes or so at the very beginning of a wonderful cruise certainly isn't too much to give up to ensure your own safety and that of your fellow passengers. I don't know if all cruise lines are going to this method, but I know that many are.

 

Our cruise on HAL 3 months ago was outside under our assigned lifeboats. They did a roll call but did not scan cards. We also were told NOT to bring life jackets. We just walked out to our boat and stood for maybe 20 minutes, then we were done.

[yemaya03]

Our drill before our Transatlantic on the Carnival Breeze was very civilized. In the Saphire restaurant, no life jackets, etc. Not very many crew members either, though, which brings up the problem of how effective these drills are and would people and crew know what to do in a real emergency.

 

As for bugs, we do store our luggage under the bed and haven't found a bug yet, but I'm sure they're around, just like at home!

[GlendaleCruiser]

Our drill before our Transatlantic on the Carnival Breeze was very civilized. In the Saphire restaurant, no life jackets, etc. Not very many crew members either, though, which brings up the problem of how effective these drills are and would people and crew know what to do in a real emergency.

The crew actually have lots of drills and they do them while passengers are in port. If you stay on the ship sometime you can see them take a few lifeboats out and practice. They also do medical emergency and fire drill training during this time. This was my experience on Carnival, anyway.

[yemaya03]

That's been my experience too, not just on Carnival but other lines as well. This was our 12th Carnival cruise and was very disappointed on the ship and its crew, their obvious inexperience just being one more thing. We did stay on board a lot of the time as the excursions we took and our ramblings were short and we were on board early, but no drills were completed nor any boats taken out, or even down. During other cruises they even do fire drills on sea days, but on this cruise, unless they were totally silent and unobtrusive, no drills were practiced.

[GrammaJo128]

The last several cruises we've been on we didn't have to go outside and stand with our life vests on. Muster stations are inside in the theatre, lounges, etc. You can sit, you do not put your life vest on till the very end, and then onlyto make sure you can, then take it off before you leave your muster station. It still has all the safety information and lots of crew members there to help & give directions, but it's so much more comfortable. 20 minutes or so at the very beginning of a wonderful cruise certainly isn't too much to give up to ensure your own safety and that of your fellow passengers. I don't know if all cruise lines are going to this method, but I know that many are.

 

On our cruise we also did it that way. We ended up in the French restaurant, but we were all commenting on how effective is that really? We weren't near any life boats. I would not have known where to go to get to my life boat, if there were to be an emergency. I imagine if there was a problem, it would be mass chaos because people would go to there assigned restaurants, bars etc. We just didn't get it. (Not that we weren't grateful for the comfort!)

[GlendaleCruiser]

That's been my experience too, not just on Carnival but other lines as well. This was our 12th Carnival cruise and was very disappointed on the ship and its crew, their obvious inexperience just being one more thing. We did stay on board a lot of the time as the excursions we took and our ramblings were short and we were on board early, but no drills were completed nor any boats taken out, or even down. During other cruises they even do fire drills on sea days, but on this cruise, unless they were totally silent and unobtrusive, no drills were practiced.

 

 

When I was on the inaugural of the Breeze June 3rd, they did drills in EVERY port.