What are your....

[ComeSailWithME]

One thing I didn't see mentioned.. take the first few hours on the ship to explore everything and learn your way around. You can sometimes board early, around 11ish, but your room will not be ready until at least 1:30. Take that time to grab something to eat and walk around.

 

Also, on that same note, your luggage will not make it to your room for several hours.. sometimes sooner. Pack a light change of clothes and/or bathing suit in your carryon so you don't miss doing anything because the proper attire is in your luggage.

 

If you play the slots, do NOT sign up for the ocean player's card. My husband was winning pretty big the first night on one of our cruises and we had the casino director standing by us for the next 30 minutes "chatting" after she got us a card and he started losing again. I swear they just use it to track how much you are spending and what they are paying out.

 

If you have a balcony room, order room service on a port day and enjoy it outside with a beautiful view.

 

Don't shop on the ship first thing.. there will be sales as the week goes on.

 

Meet your room steward and tip them throughout the week if you think they are doing a good job.. don't be afraid to ask for extra pillows, towels, fresh ice all the time..things like that.

 

Don't miss the shows, most of them are pretty great.

[Froufie]

Thanks we are super excited! It will be 4 families total 3 of us have boys between 12-13yr in the same grade so it will be a great group. What about any tips for traveling with teens? How close of tabs do you keep on them? I do know we are planning on getting a soda card for him since I know he is addicted to DP.

 

Not sure what 'DP' stands for? but only coke products on the ship - as mentioned you can bring soft drinks on board if your ds is fussy.

 

Also don't forget room service is 'included' - the boys will love this :) Make sure to bring along a 'wad' of one dollar bills for tipping. Also the room service menu is on the back of one of the pieces of paper provided in the cabin on the first day - don't throw it out! :)

[mikel24m]

If you play the slots, do NOT sign up for the ocean player's card. My husband was winning pretty big the first night on one of our cruises and we had the casino director standing by us for the next 30 minutes "chatting" after she got us a card and he started losing again. I swear they just use it to track how much you are spending and what they are paying out.

 

 

False information !! I have worked and played in a casino for 20 years and the only thing not signing up will do is make sure you do not get "comps" or little gifts and money from the casino on your next cruise

[1trip&Ifell]

Not sure what 'DP' stands for?

 

Sorry Dr. Pepper. I plan on bringing water as our drinks that we are allowed to carry on so figured the card would be best for him.

[mrsdoc3]

If you buy the soda card, do it after you sail. If you buy it while still in port (or probably US territorial waters), they charge sales tax -- at least they did when we sailed out of Tampa.

[yonder]

Basically........less clothes...you can wear formal wear twice...no one will care..lower the lid....trust me on this...do buy the formal dinner pic...priceless...have fun and don't sweat the small stuff.... by the way...after doing volunteer relief work in NOLA after katrina......it's all small stuff .....enjoy friends and family...that's what is important. wes:)

[seaturtle5]

Thanks we are super excited! It will be 4 families total 3 of us have boys between 12-13yr in the same grade so it will be a great group. What about any tips for traveling with teens? How close of tabs do you keep on them? I do know we are planning on getting a soda card for him since I know he is addicted to DP.

 

We have 2 teenage daughters who are normally use very good judgement. However, we do ask that they stick together on the boat when not with us or not in Circle C/Club O2 and set meeting times and places for check in periodically. They also have a curfew each night. We leave next week for our 5th cruise and have never had an issue with them exploring the ship by themselves. We do not give them charging privileges on their sail and sign cards. Soda cards are also worth the money for the teens.

[Froufie]

Sorry Dr. Pepper. I plan on bringing water as our drinks that we are allowed to carry on so figured the card would be best for him.

 

I too love Dr Pepper - but I am not sure they carry that on the ship - so you might want to bring some to avoid severe 'withdrawal'? :D (...and the water on the ship is absolutely fine - you may want to bring an insulated mug or empty water bottle that you can fill on the ship if you wish!)

[mikel24m]

I too love Dr Pepper - but I am not sure they carry that on the ship - so you might want to bring some to avoid severe 'withdrawal'? :D (...and the water on the ship is absolutely fine - you may want to bring an insulated mug or empty water bottle that you can fill on the ship if you wish!)

 

I think they carry Pibb a knockoff Dr Pepper

[divingmedic]

Sorry Dr. Pepper. I plan on bringing water as our drinks that we are allowed to carry on so figured the card would be best for him.

If leaving out of Galveston or New Orleans they will have Dr Pepper, all other ports and it is Mr Pibb (yuck)

[RMLincoln]

Post It Notes for leaving notes on the mirror, especially for the kids.

 

A watch so you know when your events on ship are happening and especially so you can get back to he ship on time.

 

Enjoy, m--

[Newbie41]

I am actually kinda scared to try this since I heard it was sooo good! LOL

I just returned home from a cruise on the Victory. Before cruising I read on these boards how good the warm chocolate melting cake was, so of course I had to try it our first night. It was so good that I ordered it every night for a week. There were nights that DH didn't want dessert, so I had him order one of these and got to eat 2 of them. My first mission when I got home was to go on carnival's website to see if I can find a recipe for this slice of heaven. The recipe was there and I made it twice in the first week I was home. I'm making it again tomorrow. Yum!!!

 

As far as tips are concerned if you are a drinker order a bottle from bon voyage. It is a lot cheaper than buying drinks on the ship. Make sure you go to the main dining room for dinner each night because the food is much better than the food at the buffet. There are people who never go to the main dining room and just eat at the buffet. I don't understand that, but to each his own.

[beshears]

It is possible that someone has already mentioned this, as I did not have time to read everyones response.

 

On some of the islands, if you don't want to take a tour "booking" it through the cruise ship itself, you can check here on CC and people will reccomend what tour agencies to contact to do tours. Normally they are much cheaper. I have also found that if I just want to take a tour of the island itself and they have Taxi's that is the way to go. We have used Taxi's more than one time and seen some awesome islands. Just remember before you get into the Taxi, discuss the price "per person", and if you want that, then go ahead. We always pay at the end when they bring us back to our destination. These Taxi's are driven by the natives, so they know the territory, and can take you places where a lot of tours do not go.

[simplelife]

Before my first cruise I worried about whether I would be dressed right, whether i looked okay in a bathing suit, whether people would react negatively to a physical imperfection. But once I boarded and saw people aboard of every imaginable shape, size, and body type, I realized there was no need for all my worry. People were too busy doing whatever they do on cruises to make negative judgements. if people noticed me, it was to smile and say hello. Now I wear whatever I like and just"go with the flow"

[Tgrubbs]

Get a couple of sets of walkie talkies, set them on the same frequency. They will pick up anywhere on the ship. Great way to find the kids and for them to find you. Can get them at walmart in electronics. Well worth the money.

[ccruisequeen]

[quote name='1trip&Ifell']So we are about to cruise on our first cruise in just under 30 days!! :D We are sailing on the Elation out of N.O. What are your tips, secrets, traditions ect.? What is the one thing that you wish someone told you BEFORE you set sail?[/QUOTE]

check out the Fun Times for your interests, but don't try to do EVERYTHING! Take time to scout out a place just to read & people watch. Participate in games the first night- you won't believe the attention you'll get the rest of the cruise!

[MSRussell]

[B]Stay at a hotel one night pre-cruise in the port city. It is a LOT less stress, also, if you are late getting in, you won't have to worry about missing your cruise.
I am finicky, I dislike the sugar packets they have, too messy, and they only give 3 to a carafe of coffee. I bring my own round one lb. container of sugar.
My first cruise, in the gift shop, I bought a Carnival stainless steel mug, which I still use for coffee on the Lido. A lot easier to wander around with it.
They do sell lanyards with a plastic pouch on the end in the shops. I love mine, when I go to port, I have my photo ID and my sign and sale card, no fishing for them when I get on the ship.
If you go out in the hallway to put your room service tray down, flip the inside lock so your door won't shut all the way and lock you out. I know from experience on that one.
Melanie
[/B]

[mykindaparty]

Read your funtimes very carefully, on the last sea day at around 5pm there is a farewell party in the punchliner comedy club with the showband and it is open bar and free drinks for 1 hour. Dont be afraid to ask for something to drink from the bar, hubby always gets a beer and they keep them coming for the whole hour. lots of fun and the kids can have cokes or virgin drinks and the dance floor is always hopping. Go to the guest desk and ask for a free deck of cards dont pay a dollar for them in the casino. The mexican midnight buffet is lots of good food and fun fun fun!!

[mrmet1986]

you can order multiple dinners in the mdr. try something you probably wont like, and if you dont just order something else... come on ppl really. makes me feel disgusted reading these comments

[AdoptAtty]

We always use the walkie talkies with the kids! And, we always find it is really COLD on the ship... so think about bringing something warm to put on if you get cold. Have fun!

[RWolver672]

If you are a "collector" and see something on the ship that you think you might want to buy (ship model, magnets, shot glasses, etc.) get it. After you leave the ship, you can't buy them anywhere else. I started collecting ship models after our third cruise and am now having a hard time getting the first three because they only sell the ones related to the ship you are on.

We pack very few t-shirts because we find that we usually buy one at each island we visit anyway.

I read on here years back that you should bring your old underwear. Wear it, then throw it away. Makes more room in your luggage for any souveniers that you buy.

If at all possible, definately fly in a day early and stay a day after the cruise. We have found that if we fly out on a Thursday, the flights are cheaper enough to make up for the extra hotel stay and the airports in the departure port are a lot less crowded.

Set a curfew for your teens. Lots of people complain about teens running the halls banging on doors late at night, blocking stairways, etc.

You are allowed to bring more soda onboard at the port stops. If your son doesn't like Mr Pibb, you can always buy Dr Pepper on the islands and bring it onboard.

[laumicmah]

This may have been already mentioned, but what I did not know until the last day of my 1st cruise and wish I had known was: the MDR is open for breakfast every morning and lunch on sea days. My 1st cruise was Disney and my inlaws were with us. They had been on many cruises and we relied on them for info. We ate in the buffet for breakfast and lunch every day and then the very last day we had an invite to a character breakfast (everyone gets one character breakfast on a Disney cruise). At the breakfast I said " wow, this is nice to have breakfast in the MDR...I wish they'd offer it every day" and my MIL says "they do and they open for lunch on sea days too, but we don't like to mess with the MDR and just prefer the buffet" :rolleyes:.

[Philly Steve]

[SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Average weight gain on a cruise is ten pounds but you can avoid that by staying active. Use stairs instead of elevator, etc. :)[/FONT][/SIZE]

[jtwitch]

Here's the surge protector/outlet strip that is often mentioned as a must-buy! It worked great for us!

[URL]http://ow.ly/aOSf9[/URL]

[LEFT][IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Gz4KpCCZL._AA300_.jpg[/IMG] [/LEFT]

[1trip&Ifell]

[quote name='Philly Steve'][SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Average weight gain on a cruise is ten pounds but you can avoid that by staying active. Use stairs instead of elevator, etc. :)[/FONT][/SIZE][/quote]


Wow!!! That is crazy!!! :eek: