"I wish I knew before..."

[rakuroda]

Hi Rakuroda, I swear I read the entire thread and I did see: do not overpack several times... But there's sooooo many good ideas that I want to pack them all lol. I'm pretty good with time management and I plan to leave lots of time to return to the ship. I was just curious if extortion is the norm or if my parents just had a bad cabby. Believe me when I say I'm trying to research and I find it's a bit overwhelming but I will figure it out. I believe we are going to be doing a few excursions with the ship and also a few on our own as I have notice there are a lot of exclusion that seem better priced and more interesting. Don't be a penny wise and a pound foolish.... I can honestly say,I have never heard that term. I like it though. I work with convicts, I trust no one lol. Thank you for replying!

Aloha iconix :D

 

Sounds like your parents just got a bad cabby. Mostly it's just common sense stuff to avoid problems when traveling. You're doing your research so you're doing the right thing to try to protect yourselves. If your spidey sense starts tingling, stop & pay attention. You work with convicts so you know what I mean. I'm related to some convicts so I know what you mean. LOL ! !

 

"penny wise and pound foolish" is actually an old English idiom that is can be searched online.

 

Another favorite of mine is "Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later" from a Fram oil filter commercial which meant that the consumer had a choice of paying a small amount for an oil filter now, or a large amount for a ruined engine later. After thinking about the logic of the phrase, I saw that it also could be applied when purchasing one of two similar items that would be used over time. An initally cheaper item that would need constant repair & maintenance, or a more expensive item of better quality that reportedly never gave the purchaser any problem. Besides paying for the cheaper item in repair & maintenance, how do you value aggravation over the life of the cheaper item?

 

That is where your research (aka due diligence) is supposed to provide you with info, but only you can make the value judgement for yourself. Like I always told our kids, "we won't make the decision for you because we won't be the ones suffering the consequences"

 

Enough of my preaching, Good Luck with your cruise.

 

Aloha :D

[rakuroda]

After several cruises I feel that there are a couple of must have's and things to leave at home.

 

- Be sure to pack lots of smiles, (because your going to have such a good time) and share them throughout your cruise day, (the next person you smile at could become your new best friend,,,, or at least for the rest of your cruise )

Also, pack an extra bit of patience for your cruise, unfortunately nothing goes perfect, so a little bit of patience comes in handy, (you have paid to much money to let little things ruin your cruise)

 

- A must for some people is to not pack extra "attitude". Its not needed and I can't thing of one situation that it would come in handy (avoid and ignore the ones that forget to leave this at home.)

 

Aloha charmed101 :D

 

WELL SAID! It's kind of like watching prople playing blackjack, the ones that always seem to be having fun are the ones that always seem to win money, the ones that sit there grumpy all the time always seem to lose. Attitude seems to play a major role in lots of stuff!

 

Always smile & be nice, it doesn't cost you anything and it might just reward you.

 

Aloha :D:D:D:D:D !

[perditax]

(After reading almost this entire thread I tried hard not to overpack for my first cruise ever, last month. I ended up washing clothes in the sink a lot. No laundry on NCL. Follow advice but use common sense about your own habits.)

[Smokeyham]

Thank you all soooooooo much, just went through the entire thread... Thinking I'm going to need a suite case just for all the stuff people suggested. This is my first cruise and more or less my first time leaving Canada.

 

I'm a bit of a penny pincher and trying to fins the best adventures without going though the cruise. One thing I am concerned about is not making it back in time for the boat.... Parents told me about this one time in St Thomas they had cab tell them it was going to be x amount to take them to their excursion and then half way there he stopped and said they had to pay more to get to where they had to go. Luckily my uncle to more money with them.... Does this type of thing happen often?

 

I just don't want my fiancé and I getting stranded or be taken advantage of or worse me arguing with the cabby.

 

Thanks again everyone!!

 

iconix,

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise! To my mind you are doing absolutely the right thing by researching all you can. Ultimately, what you decide to take will depend on what is important to you. The luggage weight limits also help us to keep our baggage to reasonable amounts!

 

I don't think the experience you relayed of a cab driver demanding is ransom is at all common. Most people here seem to share good experiences with getting a driver and being taken around. Of course, read reviews for the particular ports you are going to.

 

We also try to leave plenty of time to return to the ship, just in case of traffic or other problems. We've had some very nice excursions with non-ship provided excursion companies, and these have cost less and been of higher quality than the ship-provided versions.

[TwoCruisers]

Hi Rakuroda,

 

I swear I read the entire thread and I did see: do not overpack several times... But there's sooooo many good ideas that I want to pack them all lol

 

I'm pretty good with time management and I plan to leave lots of time to return to the ship. I was just curious if extortion is the norm or if my parents just had a bad cabby. Believe me when I say I'm trying to research and I find it's a bit overwhelming but I will figure it out.

 

I believe we are going to be doing a few excursions with the ship and also a few on our own as I have notice there are a lot of exclusion that seem better priced and more interesting.

 

Don't be a penny wise and a pound foolish.... I can honestly say,I have never heard that term. I like it though.

 

I work with convicts, I trust no one lol

 

Thank you for replying!

 

Congratulations on going on your first cruise. I know you are excited about the cruise but I found out, for myself, that I got even more excited on my second, third, fourth and so on, cruises because I then knew just how great they are.

 

As for shore excursions: Check out the “Ports of Call” section on the Cruise Critic boards. There is lots of good information there. You are going on a cruise with a great itinerary. I will also be on the same ship and itinerary in Feb 2016. If you like to see the islands and learn some of the history I have a couple of local tours to suggest. These are both very reputable companies and they give some of the best tours for a very good price.

St. Kitts: Thenford Greys “The Grand Tour of St. Kitts”. Web site: thenfordgreytours dot com

St. Lucia: Herod’s Tours: “Land and Sea Tour”. Web site: herodstours dot com

 

I have been on both of these tours more than once. Whenever a friend comes on a cruise with me and they haven’t seen these islands before I always book these tours.

 

Whatever you decide to do, have a great and exciting time on the cruise.

[avcruz]

I believe we are going to be doing a few excursions with the ship and also a few on our own as I have notice there are a lot of exclusion that seem better priced and more interesting.

 

Thank you for replying!

 

iconix, I just replied to your other post. Join us on the Roll Call, quite often we put together our own tours which are less expensive than the ship's tours and we are able to customize to our preferences.

[kelkel2]

That you can wear some of the same clothes more than once.

 

Keith

 

I second this! Especially shorts... I used to pack a clean pair of shorts for dinner every single night. Not anymore. I also used to have the mentality of "what if they got dirty?" Ok, you can go wash them if they get spilled on...

Honestly, when I pack I find a few colors that mix and match, like black, navy, khaki, and white and then tops that will match several of those colors. Packing lighter is all about mixing and matching outfits. I could never pack in a carry on size, but I can slim down on my packing in that way!

[dlg64]

The expense of the laundry is one point, but even when they have the all-you-can-jam-in-a-bag specials, I'm not crazy about the idea of having my expensive underwear and delicate knits subjected to the rigors of hot water in a commercial washer and the heat if a commercial dryer.

 

And doing laundry by hand in a sink is NOT the way I want to spend vacation time. I like the Princess ships that have washer and dryers on board.

 

My first cruise on RCL in 7 weeks has NO laundry and I hate going home with a heap of washing from any holiday. I will do one bag thru the room service but for the rest T's and smalls I have purchased a "Scrubba bag".... Google scrubba wash bag and buy one of these they are really good and a new product on the market that I saw on Shark tank show. ;)

I am also taking only 1 black evening trousers and 1 skirt and then lots of evening tops to mix and match but as always shoes are an issue for ladies.

I have almost read all of this thread and now have pages of packing ideas in my notebook so thank you all forum members for some wonderful posts that kept me up VERY late last night !! hehehehe....:D

[brillohead]

My first cruise on RCL in 7 weeks has NO laundry and I hate going home with a heap of washing from any holiday. I will do one bag thru the room service but for the rest T's and smalls I have purchased a "Scrubba bag".... Google scrubba wash bag and buy one of these they are really good and a new product on the market that I saw on Shark tank show. ;)

 

Make sure you also pack an electric fan, then.... nothing will dry in under 2-3 days hanging in your cabin.

 

Personally, I'd rather just take it home and do it in the machine there for practically-free rather than paying someone to do it or spending my precious vacation time washing things by hand.

[Tinatheloop]

I love the "let people out of the elevator first".....so true....and funny.

[julie3fan]

Personally, I'd rather just take it home and do it in the machine there for practically-free rather than paying someone to do it or spending my precious vacation time washing things by hand.

 

Plus, dirty clothes are easier to pack - you don't have to worry about wrinkles!

[Ole417]

What type of power outlets does HAL have? If I bring a power strip (sounds like a great idea), do I need to bring a converter, an adaptor, or something else? What about using a hair dryer?

 

Thanks.

[brillohead]

Plus, dirty clothes are easier to pack - you don't have to worry about wrinkles!

 

Exactly! :D

[legaljen1969]

 

take a power strip and air freshener. (yes, it is a small bathroom)

 

let people out of the elevator before you try to get on.

 

The cruise shampoos work fine...the wind will mess your hair anyways.

 

As to air freshener, if a store around you sells Poo-pourri- get some. It's even better than regular air freshener to leave in the bathroom. I know they sell it at Bed, Bath & Beyond where I live.

 

Yes, definitely use good elevator/lift etiquette. Let folks out before you barge on. Don't be afraid to say excuse me to get off the elevator either. People crowd on like they will never see another one. Also, unless you have a reason you cannot use the stairs, I would recommend using the stair if you have anything less than 3 flights up or down. The elevators are so slow. You can obviously use them all the time if you choose, but it just saves you time to use the stairs.

 

The cruise shampoo/soaps do work fine. I don't care for them, but if you are getting ready in the evening and have thick hair or hard to style hair- you may want to take a travel hair dryer. The ones in the rooms often require you to hold the on/off button as you are drying your hair. It can get a little aggravating.

[griffy116]

If you take a hair tie or scrunchy, you can wrap it a couple of times around the hairdryer on the button and it stays down, and therefore it's not as aggravating.

[kruzkween]

I read the post about taking bathroom spray, which is so true...small bathrooms and really need a good product. Here's what I do and it works just great. I buy a product called Pure Citrus Orange; comes in a 7 oz. spray can. The orange has a very strong & natural scent and it's a wonderful product. I usually buy it at Walmart but have also ordered a case from the company. I bought several little plastic spray bottles, 2 oz. each (at Walmart), and fill them up with the Pure Citrus. Two of these little bottles are more than enough to get you thru a cruise for 2 weeks. You only use 2 or 3 little squirts each time. The little bottles are small enough to go thru airport security with no problem.

 

Hope someone will find my "innovative suggestion" helpful. When it comes to effectiveness and efficiency while cruising (& flying), I guess every little hint & shared idea helps.

 

Blessings to all!!

[seapals2]

Having done almost 40 cruises you would think we would know everything there is to know but ... I keep coming back to this topic and still find a hint or tip to use. I like aromatherapy oils and find their concentrated aroma very long lasting. You can dilute them in a small plastic travel spray bottle and spritz them.

In the Aqua class cabin we had on the last cruise on Equinox there was an air freshener included in the cabin the type with wooden type sticks standing in a fragrant fluid. A nice touch.

Not sure if it has been posted already on the thread but my tip would be to take a small plastic suction hook for the shower. The type where the hook anchors the suction pad to the plastic wall of the shower. Very useful if you use a shower scrubby net or even to hang shower gel if you buy the one with a hook. The little shower shelf is never big enough.

Always take sellotape .. blu tak .. super glue and needle and cotton ... covers almost every 'emergency'.

[plan09]

If you take a hair tie or scrunchy, you can wrap it a couple of times around the hairdryer on the button and it stays down, and therefore it's not as aggravating.

 

Brilliant! Thank you

[ReneeFLL]

The Port and Shopping Guide talks are a waste of time. They will hype certain stores, but these are the ones that give a kickback to the cruise line.

 

If you see some beautiful expensive jewelry you can usually buy it cheaper at home. Also, if something happens to it dealing with a company in the USA is easier than dealing with someone from another country.

 

Not all ships have self service laundry. Bring a small bottle of laundry soap to hand wash small things if needed.

 

Some ships have a bad connection when trying to get on the internet and most charge to get on it. If it can wait, go off ship and there are plenty stores and cafes with free wifi. Most cafes you will have to buy a drink or food to get the password.

 

I have never heard of bringing 2 bottles of wine or champagne on at every port. I have only been one Celebrity and RCCL and they only allow it when you first get on the ship. Maybe other cruise lines have that policy, but I am not aware of it.

 

Buy some magnetic hooks to hang extra clothing or a gown on. The closets are often not tall enough to hold a gown without it getting wrinkled at the bottom. Here are the ones we bought. We also bought the ones that hold 20 pounds and that is not true, at least on the ships we have been on. I hung a gown on one and it slowly slipped down.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Magnetics-65-lb-Magnetic-Pull-Hook-07580HD/202639939

[irial77]

I'm sure I'm repeating some things already posted but:

 

1. Book a hotel at the embarkation port for at least one night (I'm a bit OCD and always worried for my luggage so I book 3 nights).

 

2. Have a good travel insurance (please see above, also if something happens aboard, it's not cheap but you don't have any options).

 

3. Book and pay for as many things as you can beforehand (excursions, gratuities, spa services etc.). Also, there's always a REALLY long queue to the shore excursions desk on the first evening which you want to avoid at all cost.

 

4. Check the daily planner for things you might want to do but don't get stressed: you don't need to go everywhere you're "cordially invited to". It's OK to just sit on your balcony and read a book.

 

5. Do as much of the ports on your own as you can. Excursions are often crowded and expensive compared to their quality. On the other hand, in some ports it makes sense to take a ship excursion so as to not miss the all-aboard. So research beforehand.

 

6. Always tip well!

[train460]

Reminder that unless you have international plan on cell phone you want to put your cell in "airplane" mode. You dont want to get home with a $1k cell bill.

altho ports have bars that offer free wifi, be carefull using.

michael

[Daruma]

Not to sound like a broken record... but what an awesome thread !!

 

I'm currently on page 20, with plans to read the entire thing... but wanted to post about something.

 

I've only been on two cruises, first just wife and I on Princess, second, with our son on Disney.

 

The Princess cruise was where the following occurred... because I'd learned my lesson so there'd be no repeat occurrence on Disney or any other cruise we take.

 

Oh, and I'm reading this because we're planning a Carnival cruise for Summer 2016...

 

So... tipping ahead of time as some have suggested. No way, not gonna happen, never again, fool me once...

 

On our Princess cruise we had such an AMAZING cabin steward... everything you'd ever want, this guy was. So, much so, that I wanted to personally hand him his tip, and actually had DOUBLED it !!

 

So, the next to last night on the cruise, the one preceding our last full day, I saw him and gave him his tip, great comments on the comment card, and thanked him profusely.

 

Fast forward to the next day... at no time did he EVER even enter our cabin !! Nothing was touched, cleaned, straightened, no animal towel, NOTHING at all. He basically took him money and said "Bleep you guys now !!"

 

I'd watch the advice about pre-tipping. Maybe day one, to encourage added service... but we will never tip early again. Now don't get me wrong... we tip... we'll GLADLY tip extra... but never again early.

 

Take care,

Lou

[Ole417]

I totally agree with you about tipping early. I have had the same experience in different situations and have learned to do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time.

 

It is really sad that people will only do their job when they think a tip might be coming. Hopefully the crew will learn and do the right thing just like they expect us to do!!

[evelyn donner]

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!

Please describe, a binder clip.

Thank you Evelyn

[Underwatr]

Binder clip:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binder_clip