Newbie with lots of questions

[muddyfamily]

Hi all! DH and I will be taking a last minute cruise (last minute because we will be taking a military flight in to Charleston and dont know exactly when we will get to the US) sometime in Feb. We are having a hard time picking a cruiseline & ship. Ideally we would like to leave from Jacksonville or Orlando. I have lots of questions and would appreciate any feedback.

 

Which cruise line has the best onboard "active" activities (ie.rock climbing,water park,mini golf)

 

Of the lines that have the best activities which is geared more towards adults?

 

Where do I find out the cost of parking at the diffrent ports?

 

Is it fairly safe to leave your car at the port?

 

Do most interior cabins have twin beds that can be pushed together or something diffrent? (we dont really want an inside room but since its last minute we will take one if thats all we can get)

 

What do men usualy wear on non formal evenings, will dress pants with shirt and tie be acceptable or should he bring a jacket?

 

DH plans to wear his dress blues on formal night, will he stand out like a sore thumb?

 

Thanks in advance for you help!

[Seanzie]

I am attending my first cruise here pretty soon, and seem like we are set in the same boat. I will be taking 2 weeks from overseas to enjoy a vacation on the seas;-)

 

It will be my first cruise, and it will take place Feb. 7 2010. I cant really tell you I had much selection on that day, but I enjoy what the Carnival Legend has to offer.

 

As far as packing, I think i'm going to pack some cargo short and swim suits. Tshirts. Of course a suit, for formal night, and I think I may pack a few polos and some khaki or black slacks for most of the meals. Im still not sure if this is even acceptable. Im just hoping it is :-)

[cb at sea]

Parking at the ports is as 'safe' as anywhere.

On almost every line, the beds can be configured to your specs...

Again, most lines have a formal evening....and dark suit or tux is appropriate for men. Carnival and NCL are the exceptions. Both are very "informal" and don't really do the "Formal" nights any longer.

Dress blues are MORE than appropriate on Formal nights!

Call the cruise lines (or go to their websites) and have them mail you brochures..that way, you can compare side by side the different options! (The brochures are free, and include deck plans!!!!!)

[uppitycats]

I am attending my first cruise here pretty soon, and seem like we are set in the same boat. I will be taking 2 weeks from overseas to enjoy a vacation on the seas;-)

 

It will be my first cruise, and it will take place Feb. 7 2010. I cant really tell you I had much selection on that day, but I enjoy what the Carnival Legend has to offer.

 

As far as packing, I think i'm going to pack some cargo short and swim suits. Tshirts. Of course a suit, for formal night, and I think I may pack a few polos and some khaki or black slacks for most of the meals. Im still not sure if this is even acceptable. Im just hoping it is :-)

 

Collared shirts -- like dress shirts (could be colored) would be better than polo shirts. The cargo shorts, swim suits and Tshirts would be fine for during the day, when you're on the beach, excursions, etc....but a little "dressier" for dinner would be more appropriate.

[Seanzie]

Collared shirts -- like dress shirts (could be colored) would be better than polo shirts. The cargo shorts, swim suits and Tshirts would be fine for during the day, when you're on the beach, excursions, etc....but a little "dressier" for dinner would be more appropriate.

 

even with Carnival? I figured like above mentioned, its much less formal!

[emo]

Hi all! DH and I will be taking a last minute cruise (last minute because we will be taking a military flight in to Charleston and dont know exactly when we will get to the US) sometime in Feb. We are having a hard time picking a cruiseline & ship. Ideally we would like to leave from Jacksonville or Orlando. I have lots of questions and would appreciate any feedback.

 

Which cruise line has the best onboard "active" activities (ie.rock climbing,water park,mini golf)

 

Of the lines that have the best activities which is geared more towards adults?

 

Where do I find out the cost of parking at the diffrent ports?

 

Is it fairly safe to leave your car at the port?

 

Do most interior cabins have twin beds that can be pushed together or something diffrent? (we dont really want an inside room but since its last minute we will take one if thats all we can get)

 

What do men usualy wear on non formal evenings, will dress pants with shirt and tie be acceptable or should he bring a jacket?

 

DH plans to wear his dress blues on formal night, will he stand out like a sore thumb?

 

Thanks in advance for you help!

 

Hi there! Just thought i'd throw in my $.02, my husband and I just completed our first cruise (on Celebrity), we are in our 20's, and he is Air Force. So sounds like we have a few things in common! When I was researching our cruise, I found a lot of helpful info on these boards, so it's time to try and pay it forward :)

 

Cruise Line: I can't suggest much, since we were on Celebrity and while we loved it, it may be a little more relaxed than you like. From the departure ports you mentioned I think your only options are Carnival, RCI, or Disney. We did just have some family members do the Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral (Orlando) about a month ago, and they absolutely loved it. That sounds like a very active ship, probably what you're looking for. The ship has all the activities you mentioned, and probably will be very few kids on board anyway that time of year.

 

Parking: At Port Canaveral it is $15 a day, but i'm not sure about Jacksonville. Another option is to find a hotel near port to stay in the night before, where they will allow you to leave your car parked there for the duration of the cruise. We were gone for 10 days so this turned out to be much cheaper than parking at the port, but even for a 7 day cruise, this would still be cost efficient i'm sure.

 

Dinner Dress: We were on one of the more formal of the mass-market lines, so i'm sure if anything, RCI and Carnival would be slightly less formal. For the NON-formal nights in the dining room, dark jeans or khaki/dress pants and a polo shirt or button down shirt with no tie were more than acceptable, and what most men were wearing. There were very few jackets worn for the non-formals. For the formal nights, a dark suit with tie was worn by the majority, but there were also plenty of men in tuxes as well. When you mentioned dress blues, I assume you mean the Mess Dress, as the regular blues with jacket and tie is not considered formal. We did see one young LT wearing the Mess Dress on our cruise, and to be honest, he did stick out like a sore thumb. We thought that a) he was in it for the attention factor(albeit with no deployment ribbons to show off), or b) he just couldn't scrape up a few bucks to buy a suit. Either way, a military member only gets so many opportunities to dress up in civilian clothing, so why not take the chance? Also my husband said that his suit was a LOT more comfortable than the blues, and our formal pictures turned out great! It sounds like from your post, your husband already owns a suit, so you're all set.

[paul929207]

I don't know how "last minute" you areplanning to book, but you now must be booked at least 72 hours before sailing. The cruise line must supply a passenger manifest to TSA.

[muddyfamily]

I don't know how "last minute" you areplanning to book, but you now must be booked at least 72 hours before sailing. The cruise line must supply a passenger manifest to TSA.

 

Thank you for the tip Paul! I hope we aren't cutting it that close. I am hopeful that we will book no less than a week out.

[TrevyMcShaw]

Wear the uniform, and wear it proudly. If I see you, I'll be the first to buy you a drink, and thank you for your service, even if you don't have deployment ribbons.

[emo]

Wear the uniform, and wear it proudly. If I see you, I'll be the first to buy you a drink, and thank you for your service, even if you don't have deployment ribbons.

 

Apparently my comment was taken with offense, when it shouldn't have been. I don't want to get off topic, and I realize that some service members appreciate the extra attention/free drinks brought on by wearing the uniform in civilian situations, and to each his/her own. My husband has worn his uniform more than proudly in the 18 months of the last 2 years that he has been serving in the forward operating locations, and during his brief time home, we prefer to blend in and enjoy a relaxing vacation.

 

I was just trying to make the poster aware that yes, as she mentioned, he would "stick out like a sore thumb". If that is what they had in mind then by all means wear it proudly, but it sounded to me that she didn't want to stand out.

[Seanzie]

Apparently my comment was taken with offense, when it shouldn't have been. I don't want to get off topic, and I realize that some service members appreciate the extra attention/free drinks brought on by wearing the uniform in civilian situations, and to each his/her own. My husband has worn his uniform more than proudly in the 18 months of the last 2 years that he has been serving in the forward operating locations, and during his brief time home, we prefer to blend in and enjoy a relaxing vacation.

 

I was just trying to make the poster aware that yes, as she mentioned, he would "stick out like a sore thumb". If that is what they had in mind then by all means wear it proudly, but it sounded to me that she didn't want to stand out.

 

I took no offense to what you said, and Ill be the first to say that I will be putting money for a REAL suit for my upcoming cruise, and my Dress Greens will continue to remain in my closet at home. ;-)

 

Im want my cruise to be as relaxing and fun as possible! No need to feel restricted wearing the uniform!

[emo]

I took no offense to what you said, and Ill be the first to say that I will be putting money for a REAL suit for my upcoming cruise, and my Dress Greens will continue to remain in my closet at home. ;-)

 

Im want my cruise to be as relaxing and fun as possible! No need to feel restricted wearing the uniform!

 

Good for you, and I hope you have a GREAT time on your cruise! I'm sure if you've been deployed for awhile you are more than ready to get back into some civilian clothes.

 

BTW, i'm sure your wardrobe of khakis/pants and polo shirts will fit in just fine on the non-formal nights. Nothing to worry about there. And you can definitely get a nice suit without spending a lot of money. Enjoy your R&R and have a safe trip home!

[simplelife]

Of course a suit, for formal night, and I think I may pack a few polos and some khaki or black slacks for most of the meals. Im still not sure if this is even acceptable. Im just hoping it is :-)

Polo Shirts with Khakis are FINE for the non-formal nights. In fact, this is what I see most men wearing on all the lines I've been on.

[Seanzie]

Good for you, and I hope you have a GREAT time on your cruise! I'm sure if you've been deployed for awhile you are more than ready to get back into some civilian clothes.

 

BTW, i'm sure your wardrobe of khakis/pants and polo shirts will fit in just fine on the non-formal nights. Nothing to worry about there. And you can definitely get a nice suit without spending a lot of money. Enjoy your R&R and have a safe trip home!

 

Polo Shirts with Khakis are FINE for the non-formal nights. In fact, this is what I see most men wearing on all the lines I've been on.

 

 

awesome! Thank both of you!

[TrevyMcShaw]

Apparently my comment was taken with offense, when it shouldn't have been. I don't want to get off topic, and I realize that some service members appreciate the extra attention/free drinks brought on by wearing the uniform in civilian situations, and to each his/her own. My husband has worn his uniform more than proudly in the 18 months of the last 2 years that he has been serving in the forward operating locations, and during his brief time home, we prefer to blend in and enjoy a relaxing vacation.

 

I was just trying to make the poster aware that yes, as she mentioned, he would "stick out like a sore thumb". If that is what they had in mind then by all means wear it proudly, but it sounded to me that she didn't want to stand out.

 

No offense taken, but thank you for clarifying. I figure that buying a drink for the military man or woman who is willing to risk his/her life for me is the very least I can do.

[griffy]

RCCI has rock climbing, basketball court, ice skating, etc. There is always some activit. We have cruised out of Port Canaveral and love it. You can get a hotel package that includes parking and the hotel will shuttle you to the port and pick you up when you return (at no cost), which is very convenient. Polo shirts are fine for dining room and carry suit for formal night.

[muddyfamily]

Griffy- thanks for the great anwsers! It looks like we will go with RCCI.