As a first-timer, which mistakes did you make?

[rmf11699]

any good rules of thumb for anticipating those price drops or just check with the booking agent (travelocity in my case) on a regular basis?

[janice2348]

1 not checking luggage

2 over packing

3 not taking a tour. We only saw a small part of Bermuda

4 DH forgot his bathing suit

5 skipping 2nd formal night

[smooth_toaster]

Overpacked.

 

Did not try out the complimentary room service on the ship.

 

Did not thoroughly research shore excursions pre-cruise (we only visited 2 ports on our first cruise).

[smooth_toaster]

Not knowing that we could eat somewhere else, as well as the main dining room, which gave us no time between coming back from snorkelling expeditions and 1st sitting....

Jo.

 

We found ourselves crunched for time a lot too on our first cruise, partly because we chose the traditional first sitting. That is exactly why we do the anytime dining now. If we ever did traditional, then it would be the late seating.

[retiredgram]

The biggest mistake I made as a first time cruiser was why I didnt start cruising sooner in life.

ditto

[dustyroad]

i had 3 mistakes.

 

1. i was in the cabin unpacing my suitcase when we had our sail-away. i dint even know we had taken off because the ship was so smooth and motionless. i had always dreamed of being on the deck with a glass of wine during sail-away and i missed it.

 

2. i tried too do too many tours in each port. i have learned too enjoy the port cities by walking around on my own or going too free things like museums and things. yes, i do 1 tour per cruise now, but it is something i really want too do and wont be able too do again.

 

3. OVERPACKING. i cant beleive all the clothes and junk i brought that i never wore or used. i absolutley pack light now and if i need something i dont have i know i can get it on the ship or in a port. a small carry-on for a 7 day cruise is all i take.

 

i know you will have a wonderful cruise if you just relax, read all you can and use your own common sense on '' what others take or do '' might not apply too you. have a great cruise :)

[suezyq50]

Not realizing I can get on board before the noon. Nothing like having that extra time. Overpacking is another item. I definitely scale way back now.

[navybaby1113]

Not researching rooms before I booked. Our room on our first cruise was in the very front of the ship and I was so miserable and sea sick. Never again.

[ranger10!]

Didn't realize we needed our birth certificates. Didn't read the fine print and our TA didn't tell us we needed them. Luckily we flew in the day before. I was sitting on the plane looking at our tickets, this was years ago when you actually received a packet of tickets. Noticed in the fine print that we needed our BC! This was also before Cell phones. As soon as the plane landed we plugged the pay phone full of money and had my parents get in our house and find our BC and send them over night. They arrived two hours before the ship left. Wow! :eek: I think that was when I started getting gray hairs! Once on ship we only ate at the MDR at night. Didn't know until the last night that we could eat at the MDR at all meals! Now we eat in the MDR as much as possible!

[dustyroad]

i talked too a solo passenger on her first cruise who was saying it was very expensive too eat on the ship. i told her about the mdr and buffet. she was shocked and did not know they were available. i didnt ask her where she had been on the ship not at least noticed the buffett. she was glad for the info. it pays too do as much research as you can here on the cc board.

[ducklite]

Overpacked.

[CruzieSue]

1. Overpacked - not enough shorts, too many "dress" or "dress casual" clothes.

 

2. Chose MTD with prepaid gratuities and then decided NOT to eat in the MDR anymore after 2 evenings and 1 breakfast. If it's your first cruise - don't assume the food in the MDR is so much better than the buffet or anywhere else. Of course, this will be a personal preference (nasty comments not needed), so only you can decide what works for you. :)

[smooth_toaster]

 

2. I got off the boat the last day instead of finding a place to hide!!!!!!!!:eek:

 

On my first ever cruise, if I had known or really understood about future cruise credits, I would have made a deposit before I disembarked. Thinking back, it was a real low knowing I was leaving and I didn't quite know how/when I'd book another cruise and get back to do it all over again. Those end of the cruise blues are no joke, so I learned how to solve that problem quick!! :D

[serene56]

First time cruiser we booked our airfare the same day as the cruise.

 

Ship leaves at 4pm so we booked a 6:45am plane with no stop overs. Arriving right before 10. Plenty of time right?

 

we get to the airport and the plane was cancelled for mechanical problems. Next flight out will get us there at 4:15.

 

Thats when we found out about a law that if the airlines cancel a flight because of mechanical problems then need to put us on another flight (and pay the difference) we scrambled all over that airport. 4 of us all with luggage. this was before 9/11 so there was no security.

 

Going from Delta, USAIr on and on. THought about getting to the nearest airport and flying., (there was 4 of us so really no availablity.

 

Finally found a flight that will arrive in Tampa at 3:45pm. Called the ship and they said HURRY.

 

What stress. We arrived at 3:45. I paid a cab 50 bucks to HURRY. We got to the ship- check in was at the pursers desk. muster drill was happening so no elevators. We had to carry the bags all the way aft and and to the room. we missed muster. we missed sail away.

This was a sunday and it took me until tuesday to even out the stress.

 

NEVER again will i fly in the same day as the cruise.

 

I read many peoples storys about how they cant afford a night at a hotel. $100 is not a lot of money in terms of missing your cruise

[Tanbella]

Biggest mistake I made was going on carnival liberty pregnant, some people have excellent pregnancies. My first was horrible and even thought I was there at 18 weeks. I spent almost the whole time tired with no energy and I could not do half the thinks I wanted as pregnant women can do anything remotely simulating lol. On top of that I was vomiting and even though the food was good the baby was picky. Live learn still fell in love with Cruising. Can't wait for the next pregnant free

[simplelife]

1. Overpacked - not enough shorts, too many "dress" or "dress casual" clothes.

 

2. Chose MTD with prepaid gratuities and then decided NOT to eat in the MDR anymore after 2 evenings and 1 breakfast. If it's your first cruise - don't assume the food in the MDR is so much better than the buffet or anywhere else. Of course, this will be a personal preference (nasty comments not needed), so only you can decide what works for you. :)

 

It's not a quality issue as much as that I like being served.

[redhatterlv]

Cruising with the wrong roomates.

[dustyroad]

Cruising with the wrong roomates.

 

 

ditto on this. i was really excited too take a co-worker to alaska for her first cruise as a roommate. we even got an upgrade too a balcony. we didnt book any tours as we were going too play it by ear with what we wanted too do. but when she saw the coupon book at embarkation all she insisted we too do in the ports was spend the whole day rushing from one jewlery shop to the other ( and putting up with the pushy sales people ) collecting all the free '' junk '' for her grandkids. i was informed i was the other person too get 2 of everything. :eek: i should have left her on her own but i kept my annoyance hidden. ;). i mean really. if you go too alaska for the first time i would think anybody would at least want too do one thing too see more of the area. and she smoked in the cabin instead of not doing it like she said she wouldnt. :mad:. i could take it on the balcony, but it really was inconsiderate too do it in the cabin when she knew how i felt about it. my protest got me know where.

 

you really see the other side of someone when you bunk with them . so i go solo when i can. i like it better.

[BeagleOne]

1. Overpacking. Take half as many clothes and twice as much money.

 

2. Not remembering to bring a hat on my recent Caribbean cruise.

 

3. Not realizing right away that the dinner menu in the buffet is often the same as the dinner menu in the dining rooms.

 

4. Not remembering, on my first cruise (as opposed to crossing) in 20 years, that "all aboard" time is at least 30 minutes prior to sailing time, so, even though my friend and I were only five minutes late to all aboard time, we were already being paged over the ship's intercom, much to the consternation of the rest of our group. Haven't made THAT mistake again! :)

 

5. Not researching non-ship shore excursions before booking. Some ship's excursions are worth it, others are not. Some independent shore excursions are great, others are not.

 

6. Not going solo sooner. I've never had trouble with cabinmates, not even when I roomed with a stranger on the QE2, but I LOVED having my own cabin.

[griffy116]

Almost forgot...

 

Buying every stinking photo the ship's photographers took! We have more than an album full of us on one cruise! With what I spent on photos, I could have paid the deposit for our family on a 7-day cruise! Ouch!

 

Also Add: Sailing with a busload of relatives!!! We sailed with 29 of the biggest whiners and complainers on earth...never again cruised with them...in fact, we even removed them from the Christmas card list after that cruise!! I would have went into the Witness Protection Program before cruising with them again! Who can possibly be miserable and hate everyting for an entire week on a cruise with booze and beautiful weather?? My (ex) relatives (LOL)!

[monicajay]

Realizing that not all inside cabins are equal.:confused:

 

First traveled with our two children on a Disney cruise and found our inside plenty big for us. Even had a curtained off bed area for the adults. The children had a day bed style sofa and a Pullman bunk that came down from the ceiling. There was still plenty of room to walk around.

 

Then, booked an inside on Carnival Victory. Two bunk beds set up in a tight 'L' formation. I started crying when we walked into our cabin. In the end, we made the best of it and started calling it 'the cave'. The family still jokes about it.

 

Since then, I started paying a lot of attention to sq. ft., bed and bathroom configuration. It makes a lot of difference!

[johneeo]

Almost forgot...

 

Also Add: Sailing with a busload of relatives!!! We sailed with 29 of the biggest whiners and complainers on earth...never again cruised with them...in fact, we even removed them from the Christmas card list after that cruise!! I would have went into the Witness Protection Program before cruising with them again! Who can possibly be miserable and hate everyting for an entire week on a cruise with booze and beautiful weather?? My (ex) relatives (LOL)!

 

They probably did not care for some of the passengers that were on the ship.:rolleyes:

[pedirn]

First couple of cruises we would just read the brochures and pick out the cabin category we could afford. And because of that we had some pretty interesting cabins. All done by a local TA who knew very little about cruising....but then again neither did we. This was all before computers and the internet. Now we know better.

[Sarajevosue]

1. Not realizing that the military discount wasn't only for career military.

 

2. Not knowing that you can ask your steward for just about anything and they will try to oblige. ie bathrobes when they aren't provided, additional hangers, different pillows etc. even when you aren't in a cabin that provides these things.

 

3. Checking for price drops. Had no idea that prices could change!

[Jimnbigd]

Not realizing the main dining room (MDR) is all-you-can-eat. My first cruise I only ordered one starter and one entree for dinner. Bummer.