New to Cruising: What Do You Wish You Knew Then?

[Steelers0854]

Here is my take:

 

1) Don't book a balcony or higher, you will never go back :) That being said, we love the balcony, never have to fight for a chair on deck, and it makes you room feel so much larger!

 

2) Bring an alarm clock and a small flashlight.

 

3) The Ultimate Ship Tour is amazing!

 

4) Purex 3 in 1's are great for self serve laundry. You can still find some on amazon I think.

 

I echo some of the other things people have said:

 

-A good TA is priceless

-We always come in a day early

[Pmorton3360]

I never used the no extra charge room service on first cruise. Now the morning coffee is one of my favorite ways to start the day. It starts the day feelling pampered. Also I will say again,the watch is a must. We take a waterproof one as well. Also think about a waterproof camera. It makes the day on the beach easier. Never have to worry about water or sand.

[wrecks]

Make a packing list, pack early and then unpack half of the stuff you have in your suitcases. Don't overpack!

See you on the water,

Rex

[Whoo]

I wish I had known to check prices after booking, and if the price dropped I could request the lower price.

Also wish I had understood about the Future Cruise Credits sooner, and the Military OBC and Shareholder credits!

I can thank Cruise Critic for educating me on these, and other important important information and guidance!:)

[blueflicker]

Before our first cruise, we learned through Cruise Critic... (as mentioned by others):

 

1 - Bring a small battery operated alarm clock with large LED numbering to see the time if you wake up in the middle of the night, and to use as a quick alarm when required... early mornings, quick naps etc...

 

2 - Bring a light sweater.. love walking along the Promenade at night but even in the Caribbean it can get cool (and windy).

 

3 - Princess has self-landromats, so we brought along washer & dryer sheets, coins and a light weight landry hamper.

 

4 - Always plan to be at the originating port at least the night before and not fly in day of... risking too much if the flight doesn't work out.

 

5 - In our luggage from home to our hotel (staying over the night before the cruise) we brought along a light weight bag on wheels. We purchased a small pack of diet pop (the kind my spouse enjoys but not sold onboard) and a couple of small bottles of water to take onto the ship - but then used the same bag to haul off our items from the last night, morning of debarkation as we had to put our luggage out the night before. If I didn't know about the leaving the luggage out the night before, I would've been freaked out to not have a small bag to carry off all of our items (evening clothes, jammies, toiletries, etc)

 

6 - Kicking myself for missing out on the chicken salad at the IC during our cruise on the Ruby in '10, to try it on the Emerald last year.. and now hoping it is still there on the Emerald in April. Delish... Lesson, look around 'closer' at items on board. lol

[denimore2000]

power bar and extension cord

rice or silica pacs (from shoe boxes) for your camera..especially in humid climates.

bungee cord to hold the balcony door open

wine opener

Magnet room identifier...I had a palm tree and someone took it last cruise but I still think I will get another one.

[SoBaycruiser]

Everyone has said most of the important things...but one little hint for Alaska trip: if you like to sleep in the dark in a balcony room, bring a clothes pin or two to keep the drapes together. Depending on what month you travel, the sun might not set till 11pm and rise early.

[IECalCruiser]

I wish I had known about CC on our first four Princess cruises. I would have purchased CCL stock sooner and I would have brought wine on those first cruises :) We also might have done some private tours on those cruises.

[Happy ks]

Cruise Critic wasn't around when we were preparing for our first cruise, but I was on another, dedicated site for Disney Cruise line. Many people posted the little items they took "just in case" and I thought we needed it all. Most of it was not needed and took up precious packing space and weight. Not to mention the extra cost incurred.

 

So, my advice is to make your own list based on what you think you need for the destination you are traveling to. If you read about an item you would not have thought of yourself, chances are great you will not need that item and will not miss it.

[satxdiver]

How much fun it was and the stock option OBC or for that matter what an OBC even was.

[fireflymd]

Thanks, everyone! Really appreciate it. I love all the little things to know to bring.

 

How large is the cruise card that I would need a lanyard? Are they too large to be put in a back jeans pocket?

[IECalCruiser]

Thanks, everyone! Really appreciate it. I love all the little things to know to bring.

 

How large is the cruise card that I would need a lanyard? Are they too large to be put in a back jeans pocket?

They are credit card sized and I have never felt the need for a lanyard although DW has at times.

[fireflymd]

Oh, no wonder people are answering about Caribbean and European cruises!

 

I posted this on the Alaska forum, because we are cruising to Alaska, and my post was "MOVED"! Too funny!

[olemissreb]

2 things I wish I knew before our first cruise:

 

1 - cruise transfers are a pain. Cabs or some other independent transfer are the way to go. There's no waiting to claim your luggage and then waiting again for a full bus. Claim your luggage, get your cab and go.

 

2 - Independent excursions are so much better than ships excursions! In many cases, the independents will charge your credit card right away, but they are also very quick to refund your money should they cancel your excursion - or at least they were for us. In Curacao 3 years ago, we were scheduled to go on a Jeep tour and it was raining cats & dogs and every other animal God created at the time we were to get off the ship. We went back to our cabin to try and call the tour operator, but the call didn't go through. We just prepared ourselves to eat the cost of the tour and didn't show. By the time we got to Puerto Rico 3 days later, we had a refund on our credit card. The tour operator cancelled the tour and the only way they could contact us was via our personal email since none of our phones had international calling (something we'll remedy next time).

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[printingchick]

So many things!

 

• I wish I knew that if the price of my cruise dropped before final payment, I could ask for the discount!
  
• I wish I knew about Cruise Critic roll calls.
  
• I wish I'd known about the message boards. I knew about cruise critic, but only the REVEIWS. I didn't find the message boards until later.
  
• I wish I knew about private excursions and to research the ports of call before traveling. I just cherry-picked ship-offered excursions without having done any homework on my first couple of cruises.
  
• I wish I'd know San Juan was not a drastically longer flight than Miami. I might have tried the Southern Caribbean sooner.
  
• I wish I'd discovered the piano bar sooner.
  
• I wish I'd known about the 70s party before my first Royal Caribbean cruise. I'd have packed 70s clothes, like I do now!
  

 

I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting! Live and learn!!

[Cru1s1ng2009]

I wish I knew that they still charged tax when in port. I dont like giving our gov. O'malley one extra dime.

This isnt a big deal if you are buying one drink but when you are purchasing a drink package or a clothing item, it adds up.

[hbu5555]

Be aware of any Military time and shareholder benefits available. I left money on the table

early on.

[fireflymd]

Thank you all! Really enjoying reading what you wish you knew before you first cruised!

 

We actually cruised once many years ago, before we had kids (and I recently found our Holland America cruise glasses--I couldn't even remember which cruise ship we took!) I don't remember much from that cruise except that the ship was like a big floating hotel. We were caught in a hurricane near Puerto Rico and I remember that pretty well!

 

Prepare a cruise kit: those things you may need like over the counter cold medicines, bandaids, duct tape, rain poncho, stain stick.......and it's ready for all your cruises afterwards.

 

Um...duct tape? I hope you see that I am typing this with humor, but what did you need duct tape for?

[Teeara]

That I didn't have to do everything! The more I cruise now the less I do. I didn't understand those people when I was first learning about cruising but now I do.

[jdvmd]

Wish I had known to proceed from the airport to the port when flying in the same day. We had an early flight and waited and waited around the FLL airport because the cruise documents had said not to arrive until after 1 p.m.

[fourkittys]

...not to arrive a the ship the times suggested. I had read to go early (10:30 am) but hubby said we should do as instructed. It was a total disaster. Mobs of people and no one knew anything. We always go early now and avoid all the crowds. Sometimes we have to sit and wait but that's ok.

I know now to book our own flights and go a day early.

Found out that the drinks that were offered on the Lido deck on the embarkation day were not free the hard way.

[olemissreb]

One other thing I did learn on our first Celebrity cruise - the champagne they offer upon boarding is FREE!!!! But that's cruise line specific. Just nice to know that you really can start off your cruise with a nice drink and not be asked for your cruise card right away.:D

[fireflymd]

Appreciate hearing about not needing to do everything.

 

I have planned an excursion out of Juneau that takes us whale watching, then by van to look for bears, then a flight over the glaciers to get back to port. We love hiking, but this tour/timing would mean we would miss hiking Mendenhall Glacier National Park. (The tour goes from 6:45 am to 1:30 pm). I don't want to miss out on this particular tour because it is a small group for both the whale watching and the bear excursion. I don't really need another flightseeing excursion, but this one includes whales and bears.

 

I'll just have to hope I can get back to Alaska to hike to Nugget Falls. We've hiked around falls before, at Niagara Falls and Bushkill Falls, so the bear viewing would be something completely new. What wonderful decisions to have to make!

 

Glad to know ahead of time about the drinks on embarkation day--thank you both for mentioning that. Appreciate the heads up--don't want an unpleasant surprise!

 

We had no idea until I read here on CC that there was no benefit to using a travel agent to book our flights. Gosh, I really wish I had known that before going to the travel agent. We had to reschedule our arrival flight at great cost (because he really screwed the timing up on that one)--and the price he quoted was $400 more than it was for me to do it myself.

 

Thanks to this forum I learned I could change the flight myself--I thought because he booked it for us we could only do it through him.

 

Enjoy hearing what you all have learned!

[Llmtax2000]

If you plan to use the Luggage EZ check at disembarkation, you'll need a printed copy of your flight itinerary. The passenger services won't accept the form without it. So be sure to bring an extra copy of the itinerary--don't rely on your ipad or iphone for the info.

[UPGrandma]

Thanks! I keep reading about the magnets. Since we are doing the land tour first, I think I'll pick up magnets along the way.

 

I can't wait to go!

 

 

Great idea to pick up magnets along the way..... a few extra & you have gifts for co-workers/family etc. :)