What I've learned about cruising in 1 month

[TNM]

I've been on CC for a month and our first cruise is next week, I feel like i know SO much about Cruising thanks to this website, so thanks to all of you. Here are a few things I've learned:

 

Tip tip and tip, and who to tip extra

Elevator, hallway and line etiquette

Everything I've ever wanted to know about the FOOD offered

What to wear, what not to wear

Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Suites, pros and cons of all

The different decks, Fore and Aft, pros and cons of each

Which Carnival ships are better and nicer and that they're all different

Prices of sodas, alcohol, pictures, jewelry, souvenirs, etc

Lounge chair etiquette and rules, leave it for 30 mins and its gone

What to pack, what not to pack

What to take for seasickness

Which ports are better and what to do at each port

We don't have a balcony, but if we did, there is a "balcony club" that seems to be a hot topic :D

All the beach clubs in Cozumels, and which one offers what

All about Warm chocolate melting cake

Bring my sneakers to work out, sounds like I will not be sticking to my 1200 calories a day plan! :rolleyes:

Descriptions of every drink offered on the ship (yum!)

Upsell Fairy - never got a call :(

Soda would be $50 extra for us, we dont need it THAT bad, love ice tea!

Kids or no kids are a huge "hot topic" of debate

Luggage and packing tips

 

And the biggest one -

Smuggling liquor: everything you ever wanted to know and pics from members to prove it. This never even occured to me to even do, still not sure we will be doing it. We're on a budget, but sounds like a hassle, we will just have to drink less and just in the evening. We are not "room" drinkers anyway :rolleyes:, would rather enjoy a cocktail at the nightclub or walking around the decks in the evening. Love the social aspect of martinis with friends and the romance of sharing a glass of wine on deck watching the ocean with my BF.

 

OK what did I miss? :D

[cruisinthemed]

You have a lot more info than most most would ever have after several cruises. The most important thing I would add is...have fun and I hope you enjoy cruising as much as most of us on cc.

[TNM]

Yes, I will have fun no matter what and will NOT sweat the small stuff...

 

I must admit when I first joined and started reading everything, some of the threads made me nervous, particularly the one about "the roughest seas", that one put me into a panic after reading most of it, now I'm just ignoring it lol...

[lillian marie]

Have fun and enjoy your upcoming cruise!

[Froufie]

Check and double-check your documentation (fun pass, passports, birth certificates, etc) BEFORE the cruise to make sure it's all in order so there is no panic! Otherwise relax and 'enjoy the view'! :D

[cbreit]

What is a balcony club - that's a new one for me and I've had lots of balconies..

[Froufie]

What is a balcony club - that's a new one for me and I've had lots of balconies..

 

Think of the 'mile high' club on airplanes - similar - except on a cruise ship balcony! :D:D (if you do a search I'm sure you will find some threads with this topic!)

[2gals1cruise4fun]

I've been on CC for a month and our first cruise is next week, I feel like i know SO much about Cruising thanks to this website, so thanks to all of you. Here are a few things I've learned:

 

Tip tip and tip, and who to tip extra

Elevator, hallway and line etiquette

Everything I've ever wanted to know about the FOOD offered

What to wear, what not to wear

Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Suites, pros and cons of all

The different decks, Fore and Aft, pros and cons of each

Which Carnival ships are better and nicer and that they're all different

Prices of sodas, alcohol, pictures, jewelry, souvenirs, etc

Lounge chair etiquette and rules, leave it for 30 mins and its gone

What to pack, what not to pack

What to take for seasickness

Which ports are better and what to do at each port

We don't have a balcony, but if we did, there is a "balcony club" that seems to be a hot topic :D

All the beach clubs in Cozumels, and which one offers what

All about Warm chocolate melting cake

Bring my sneakers to work out, sounds like I will not be sticking to my 1200 calories a day plan! :rolleyes:

Descriptions of every drink offered on the ship (yum!)

Upsell Fairy - never got a call :(

Soda would be $50 extra for us, we dont need it THAT bad, love ice tea!

Kids or no kids are a huge "hot topic" of debate

Luggage and packing tips

 

And the biggest one -

Smuggling liquor: everything you ever wanted to know and pics from members to prove it. This never even occured to me to even do, still not sure we will be doing it. We're on a budget, but sounds like a hassle, we will just have to drink less and just in the evening. We are not "room" drinkers anyway :rolleyes:, would rather enjoy a cocktail at the nightclub or walking around the decks in the evening. Love the social aspect of martinis with friends and the romance of sharing a glass of wine on deck watching the ocean with my BF.

 

OK what did I miss? :D

 

Oh my gosh, there is elevator, hallway and line etiquette that I need to know about? Crap. Better get to searching. I do love CC and have learned a lot too. Enjoy your trip!

[SkyMaster]

The very last thing you do before leaving your house en-route to the ship is CHECK YOUR DOCUMENTS! Make sure you have your passports, and I.D., and know exactly where they are so they don't get lost, or checked with your checked baggage.

You don't need a balcony to enjoy "balcony bingo". You can practice up, so that when you DO have a balcony, you're READY! ;)

Above all, don't sweat the small stuff. Don't let some other rude, crude cruiser ruin your cruise. There will be those who cut in line, or save deck chairs all day long, but don't worry about it. You're going to have a GREAT time anyway!

Sure wish the lovely Mrs. Jones (Vita) and I could join you on your cruise!

 

"SKY"

[KCMarie]

Don't forget to go to the purser's desk after boarding the ship and ask for the free playing cards. Also, go to the casino and get your S&S card punched and put on a coily lanyard!

 

Have a super cruise!

[racegrrl]

A friend of ours is taking her first cruise in April and she is nervous about "what to do" - I pointed her right here to CC. All the info she needs (and probably a few things she doesn't) is right here.

 

Have a great time and hopefully your knowledge will help you loads. Don't forget to "pay it forward" with a review when you return! :)

[cruzkitty]

TNM-Cracked me up this morning when I read your post. I hope you enjoy your first cruise and continue to enjoy CC.

[firefly333]

You missed that you can bring one bottle of wine per adult onto the ship, and also carry on some soda or water (we bring one soda per day)

[suzycruiser2]

I love your list. We took our first cruise last year and I was so unprepared, but it looks like you are ready.

 

I would add a few items to your list:

 

Pack your clothes and then remove about half of what you packed.

 

Bring a sweater or a light jacket. (Some of the show venues are COLD.)

 

Before I cruised, I saw that iced tea was one of the free drinks. I thought it would be fresh brewed, but it was some type of instant tea. It tasted horrible to me. I could stand it a little better if I mixed it with the lemonade.

[TNM]

Oh I forgot to add the wine soda and water carry on, and that was like the FIRST things i learned too!

OK I didnt know the tea was not brewed, grossss! Well I guess it will be water then and an occasional diet soda.

I'm near-OCD about documentation when I travel, so I will def be checking, rechecking and checking again that I have everything.

And I already unpacked some stuff I think I won't need lol..

Trip report to come when we get back.

Thanks everyone!

[TNM]

Edited and updated list:

 

Tip tip and tip, and who to tip extra

Elevator, hallway and line etiquette

Everything I've ever wanted to know about the FOOD offered

What to wear, what not to wear

Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Suites, pros and cons of all

The different decks, Fore and Aft, pros and cons of each

Which Carnival ships are better and nicer and that they're all different

Prices of sodas, alcohol, pictures, jewelry, souvenirs, etc

Lounge chair etiquette and rules, leave it for 30 mins and its gone

What to pack, what not to pack

What to take for seasickness

Which ports are better and what to do at each port

We don't have a balcony, but if we did, there is a "balcony club" that seems to be a hot topic! :D

All the beach clubs in Cozumel, and which one offers what

All about Warm chocolate melting cake

Bring my sneakers to work out, sounds like I will not be sticking to my 1200 calories a day plan! :rolleyes:

Descriptions of every drink offered on the ship (yum!)

Upsell Fairy - never got a call :(

Soda would be $50 extra for us, we dont need it THAT bad, love ice tea!

Kids or no kids are a huge "hot topic" of debate

Luggage and packing tips

Check and double check my documentation

Can bring 2 bottles of wine, 12 pack of water and soda as carry on

Pack a little sweater

Free playing cards at purser's desk

Get S&S card punched and lanyarded (I'm NOT wearing it on my neck though!)

Smile, enjoy and don't sweat the small stuff!

 

And the biggest one -

Smuggling liquor: everything you ever wanted to know and pics from members to prove it. This never even occured to me to even do, still not sure we will be doing it. We're on a budget, but sounds like a hassle, we will just have to drink less and just in the evening. We are not "room" drinkers anyway :rolleyes:, would rather enjoy a cocktail at the nightclub or walking around the decks in the evening. Love the social aspect of martinis with friends and the romance of sharing a glass of wine on deck watching the ocean with my BF.

 

OK what did I miss? :D

[suzycruiser2]

You can also bring some of the Crystal Light packs to add to your water.

[TNM]

You can also bring some of the Crystal Light packs to add to your water.

 

WOW, perfect idea!! THANKS!

[cruisinthemed]

I also did an experiment 2 nights ago for the thread... Do you 'roll' or 'fold' when you pack? Rolling your clothes was what I found to be the best. I unpacked my suitcase from having been at my BF's, rolled everything, unrolled and folded everything. I may even unpack and re-roll if I decide to take my laptop.

[TNM]

I also did an experiment 2 nights ago for the thread... Do you 'roll' or 'fold' when you pack? Rolling your clothes was what I found to be the best. I unpacked my suitcase from having been at my BF's, rolled everything, unrolled and folded everything. I may even unpack and re-roll if I decide to take my laptop.

 

I've tried rolling my clothes before and, dingbat that I can be at times, I think I did it wrong, as it took up even more room...I wonder if I can find a pic of what rolled clothes in a suitcase should look like? Mine looked like a clearance bin at a flea market, a mess! When I travel I must pack and repack like 5 times, ugh..

[reno3]

Free playing cards at purser's desk

I don't think they are free anymore.

They were not on the Freedom last April.

The casino had them for $1.00.

[Singer4Him]

You can also bring some of the Crystal Light packs to add to your water.

 

I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who does this. When I've done it in the past, the waiter acted like he'd never seen anyone do it before! LOL!

 

Also, the lemonade is free and I enjoyed it quite a bit on our last cruise.

[TNM]

I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who does this. When I've done it in the past, the waiter acted like he'd never seen anyone do it before! LOL!

 

Also, the lemonade is free and I enjoyed it quite a bit on our last cruise.

 

I have a friend that brings those packets on every vacation and adds them to her vodka drinks. She orders vodka on the rocks, add the lemon razberry flavored stuff and poof, she has a yummy low calorie-ish cocktail!

[cruisinthemed]

I've tried rolling my clothes before and, dingbat that I can be at times, I think I did it wrong, as it took up even more room...I wonder if I can find a pic of what rolled clothes in a suitcase should look like? Mine looked like a clearance bin at a flea market, a mess! When I travel I must pack and repack like 5 times, ugh..

 

I don't know if the link will work...not sure if copy & paste works, but it is on page 5 right now. last post at 11:11 am yesterday. take a peak at the pics. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1268738

[bobbyleduck]

Oh my gosh, there is elevator, hallway and line etiquette that I need to know about? Crap. Better get to searching. I do love CC and have learned a lot too. Enjoy your trip!

 

Yes! Block a stairway and watch out for tomato juice!:eek:

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob