Traditions?

[mrar]

Does anyone have a tradition that they have always done/plan to do on cruises? Please share, I'm interested to see!

[zoncom]

I always bring on a nice bouquet even in Europe.

[paul929207]

I order flowers for my wife & our cabin

[Lena B]

We take one of those goofy photos of ourselves, where one of us holds the camera, arms extended, the minute we set our stuff down in the cabin.

[griffy116]

We always have to take a photo of our group in the lifejackets headed to the muster drill. God, orange is not our color, so I don't know why we keep taking this photo, but it's now a tradition. The first photo was taken 23 years ago at our very, very first muster drill. We also have to have a drink..not just any drink, but a frozen drink, in our hand as the ship pulls away from the pier.

[Cya@Sea]

My husband checks out the bathroom lol, I check out the Spa...

[STARFISH*4]

board the ship head to the buffet call our friends and say "guess where we are"-they do the same to us when they cruise.

hubby and i always hug when we get to the cabin

[mrar]

God, orange is not our color, so I don't know why we keep taking this photo, but it's now a tradition.

 

Haha, well that wouldn't be so bad for us since we go to OSU (Oklahoma), we're used to seeing the atrocity of thousands of people looking hideous in orange.

[suezyq50]

I shout out Wahoo. Hubby has a "special" hat that he wears.

[frangran]

Champagne with chocolate dipped strawberries in our cabin!

[griffy116]

I love seeing all the other traditions and it's a fun, positive thread. I'm hoping to pick up some pointers to add to our traditions. Keep 'em coming! (I'm glad orange is appreciated by some cruisers...you will be a happy camper during the muster drill).

[AZNative2000]

Haha, well that wouldn't be so bad for us since we go to OSU (Oklahoma), we're used to seeing the atrocity of thousands of people looking hideous in orange.

 

You and the folks from that other OSU ... Beaver Nation ... Oregon State University.:D:D

[tigger1968]

I go on board, find the booking agent desk and sign up for an appointment to book my next cruise....it is the tradition that keeps on giving!!!! :)

[omgrl79]

What a great thread! Love some of these ideas. I'm leaving in 15 days with the hubby on our first cruise. This thread has perfect timing!!! I'm thinking I need a picture with the life vests and some chocolate covered strawberries. For sail away, we will most certainly be having a drink and I'm taking a small container of bubbles (or bubble necklaces if I can find them) for our family to use as "streamers".

[Lena B]

We sometimes cruise with another couple and I love to have pre-cruise dinner parties, where we can anticipate, obsess and plan. We're sailing out of New Orleans this February, so our last menu included roast beef po-boys. We may have another with a tropical menu. Or try a 5 course MDR type menu.

[griffy116]

Because we travel as an extended family, we book early to make sure everyone can get the time off work, etc. We book a year or more in advance (we don't get to take as many cruises as some do :() We break out the countdown clock, set it and put it on the mantle at each of our homes. We have a small party for those of us going, when we hit 100 DAYS on the countdown clock. Everybody gets something really small that each household can use/take on the cruise. We've given big obnoxious luggage tags, a small bag with travel sized toiletries, one year, my daughter printed a really nice itinerary with some cute clip art and laminated a copy to go in every suitcase, with everyone's info on it (Last name of the family, pre-cruise hotel, hotel's phone number, Cruise ship and the emergency number; where we were each day and a cell phone number). We've given and gotten tiny travel books about a favorite island, cute air fresheners, night lights, etc.)We can't wait to see what everyone has come up with to exchange. We get together and have another little "impromptu" when we pay the final payment..restaurant with frozen drinks. We've gone on 9 RCI cruises together and we do this EVERY single time. While on the cruise, we pick up a special Christmas ornament for each of the households that has a little bit of a special meaning, like a dolphin ornament when we went to Blue Lagoon and did the Dolphin swim. Every year our Christmas tree has reminders of all the wonderful islands we've visited.

[emmtee]

I start each trip with a fresh memory card for my camera. Before I leave, I take a couple of pictures of my cat. I always miss my "baby" when I'm away. On the cruise, any time I think of her, I can just hit the forward button on my camera, and there she is. :)

[rajones007]

We don't have any traditions yet since the cruise this coming January is my girlfriends first cruise (and my first in 15 years).

 

I was thinking about pre-ordering some flowers from Princess to have waiting in the stateroom for when we arrive. She'll like that. It probably adds some colour to an otherwise neutral cabin.

 

But knowing me, I'll get caught up in the moment and do something foolish like try to carry her over the threshold when we first get to our cabin door, pop a disc in my back (again), and spend the cruise hunched over like a running back.

[AZNative2000]

We don't have any traditions yet ... But knowing me, I'll get caught up in the moment and do something foolish like try to carry her over the threshold when we first get to our cabin door, pop a disc in my back (again), and spend the cruise hunched over like a running back.

 

Or in the infirmary?:eek: That is NOT a good tradition to start:):).

[Harry and Lucille]

Wife sleeps in. I am up early. Usually me, the deck crews and maybe one or two other cruisers. Get my coffee on the lido deck. Go find a place to sit at the fantail rail. Enjoy the light from the ship illuminating the wake. The sound of the engines chugging us along. Set up the camera and watch the sun come up. Ahhhh. Another day of earthly experience cruising across the wet surface of this great blue marble buried in the expanse of the universe. It's a wonderment every morning when the billions of stars fade into the brilliance of the sun rising on the horizon. Life is good. :cool:

[workinggal]

When we are on the top deck pulling out of port and land is very far away, we hold hands ,thank our dear Lord for each other, fairly good health a wonderful 40 yr marriage, and being able to enjoy such a fantastic time ahead,then a quick kiss and off we go!! Oh,yes, DH always says this sure beats the 4 years in the U.S. Navy!!:D:D:D

[summibc]

When we are on the top deck pulling out of port and land is very far away, we hold hands ,thank our dear Lord for each other, fairly good health a wonderful 40 yr marriage, and being able to enjoy such a fantastic time ahead,then a quick kiss and off we go!! Oh,yes, DH always says this sure beats the 4 years in the U.S. Navy!!:D:D:D

 

I love it! Me and DH are going on our 1st cruise for our 15th anniversary. I think I might just take that tradition with us.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We always have to take a photo of our group in the lifejackets headed to the muster drill. God, orange is not our color, so I don't know why we keep taking this photo, but it's now a tradition. The first photo was taken 23 years ago at our very, very first muster drill. We also have to have a drink..not just any drink, but a frozen drink, in our hand as the ship pulls away from the pier.

 

We always take photos of us in the lifejackets in the cabin. Then we take them off and carry them to the muster drill (Princess asks the passengers not to don them until told to at the drill).

[Bound4Bermuda]

What fun! :)

 

Because we travel as an extended family, we book early to make sure everyone can get the time off work, etc. We book a year or more in advance (we don't get to take as many cruises as some do :() We break out the countdown clock, set it and put it on the mantle at each of our homes. We have a small party for those of us going, when we hit 100 DAYS on the countdown clock. Everybody gets something really small that each household can use/take on the cruise. We've given big obnoxious luggage tags, a small bag with travel sized toiletries, one year, my daughter printed a really nice itinerary with some cute clip art and laminated a copy to go in every suitcase, with everyone's info on it (Last name of the family, pre-cruise hotel, hotel's phone number, Cruise ship and the emergency number; where we were each day and a cell phone number). We've given and gotten tiny travel books about a favorite island, cute air fresheners, night lights, etc.)We can't wait to see what everyone has come up with to exchange. We get together and have another little "impromptu" when we pay the final payment..restaurant with frozen drinks. We've gone on 9 RCI cruises together and we do this EVERY single time. While on the cruise, we pick up a special Christmas ornament for each of the households that has a little bit of a special meaning, like a dolphin ornament when we went to Blue Lagoon and did the Dolphin swim. Every year our Christmas tree has reminders of all the wonderful islands we've visited.

[Bound4Bermuda]

I'm definitely going to do this! In Turks and Caicos a few years ago, that was the most amazing thing to wake up before everyone and go sit on the beach and watch the sun rise without another person in sight. I couldn't believe people would sleep through that! I tried waking up my family to join me; they didn't know what they were missing out on! :rolleyes:

 

Wife sleeps in. I am up early. Usually me, the deck crews and maybe one or two other cruisers. Get my coffee on the lido deck. Go find a place to sit at the fantail rail. Enjoy the light from the ship illuminating the wake. The sound of the engines chugging us along. Set up the camera and watch the sun come up. Ahhhh. Another day of earthly experience cruising across the wet surface of this great blue marble buried in the expanse of the universe. It's a wonderment every morning when the billions of stars fade into the brilliance of the sun rising on the horizon. Life is good. :cool: