HELP - leaving in 7 days - first family cruise

[Lovefuninthesun]

Be sure and check out the Ports of Call boards - tons of great information about what to do.

BTW - Free soft serve ice cream machine on the lido deck! :)

 

 

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[Swampbabe]

Go the second day and take the tips off and tip yourself I rip my people very well this will be my 8 cruise but everybody don't agree with this but I go to guest services the second night and asked them to refund my tips and get envelopes and tip myself.

 

IF you tipped your "people" (how rude) very well you would just leave the tips on. We did have fun on our Dream cruise this week making loud remarks about the cheapos removing their tips at Guest Services. You know good and well that you don't tip at all :rolleyes:

[MIZZ_K]

Bring on your own soda, there is a CVS across the street maybe a block down from the port, you can check in and get back off the ship, but you need to be back on board either 8:30 or 9:00, I did this itinerary twice on The Victory.

[Mrsfabo]

IF you tipped your "people" (how rude) very well you would just leave the tips on. We did have fun on our Dream cruise this week making loud remarks about the cheapos removing their tips at Guest Services. You know good and well that you don't tip at all :rolleyes:

 

It's no need to lie and I tip the people I want to tip and if u don't like it Idgaf she asked for suggestions and I gave one point blank period the end! Lmao

[mikel24m]

We are leaving in 7 days for a cruise on Carnival Valor. We are going as a whole family for a wedding in St. Thomas (orchestrated by Carnival).

 

I will be very blunt - we are a very middle class family of 5. We are on a serious budget. It took us well over a year to pay for a cruise/airfare for 5 people. We will have VERY LITTLE money on the ship & in port.

 

Would love to know fun, inexpensive, etc. ideas for keeping us all happy & in "vacation mode" despite not having a lot of money in port to play with, etc.

 

We are visiting

St. Thomas (wedding here - won't have much time for other things)

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

St. Maarten

 

I am hoping to have $300-400 TOTAL (this is for EVERYTHING once we are on board) but may have less. I guess I'm just afraid I'm going to walk off the ship, look around, and then get back on the boat for lack of spending money. My kids are SO SO SO excited. I just want to make it a great vacation. It's a "once in a lifetime" thing for us.

 

Advice, help, tips GREATLY appreciated.

 

I would get right over to the ports of calls boards and start reading :)

 

heres a link for you if you don't know how to get their

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

 

Then I would look up your sailing on your roll call.I will find it for you.Join in and say Hi you may be able to share a cab or get some good ideas form the people that already have planned things out .Good luck :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1758474

[Swampbabe]

It's no need to lie and I tip the people I want to tip and if u don't like it Idgaf she asked for suggestions and I gave one point blank period the end! Lmao

 

Classy! Like I said, you don't tip (or certainly not "well") and it's really low rent to stiff those employees who are working very hard to make your vacation enjoyable. From your post I'm going to assume you don't tip on land either.

[jolyn928]

It's no need to lie and I tip the people I want to tip and if u don't like it Idgaf she asked for suggestions and I gave one point blank period the end! Lmao

 

Depriving the people who bust their butts to make your cruise more enjoyable is a low-down way to save money. :mad:

[Waterloomarc]

Please let's not let this turn into ANOTHER tipping thread. The OP needs suggestions for how to save money. It would be unfair to her to get derailed. It seems she has already decided to handle her tips.

 

Another way to save is that the drinks of the day are cheaper if you don't get the souvenir glass. You'll have to ask for a normal cup though, they automatically come in the souvenir glass.

 

 

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[kristinp36]

I would get right over to the ports of calls boards and start reading :)

 

heres a link for you if you don't know how to get their

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

 

Then I would look up your sailing on your roll call.I will find it for you.Join in and say Hi you may be able to share a cab or get some good ideas form the people that already have planned things out .Good luck :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1758474

 

This is the best advice posted yet..... Lots of advice for thrifty port activities on the ports of call boards.

 

We have also created our own cheap excursions by hiring a cab/ driver with other cc members & splitting the costs.

 

 

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[mikel24m]

This is the best advice posted yet..... Lots of advice for thrifty port activities on the ports of call boards.

 

We have also created our own cheap excursions by hiring a cab/ driver with other cc members & splitting the costs.

 

 

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We had one of our best port days ever hiring a taxi for the day in Jamaica with friends we met onboard.I didn't have time to plan because of a hurricane we changed itineraries

[browneyedwoman]

Also the library has board games so if the kids get bored instead of spending money, go to guest services and get the key...family game time!

 

This is a great hint. I didn't know that you could ask for the key. I thought that the room had limited hours and if you missed the small "open" timeframe, that was it. I always like to check what is in the lending library. On my last cruise all of the books were in languages other than English. They did have several fun games available.

[cruizinisthebest]

Go the second day and take the tips off and tip yourself I rip my people very well this will be my 8 cruise but everybody don't agree with this but I go to guest services the second night and asked them to refund my tips and get envelopes and tip myself.

 

Her tips are already accounted for and not part of the money she needs to budget.

 

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[combatboots2jimmychoos]

I was in St. Maarten last August on the Dream.

 

In St. Maarten, there is a beautiful beach within walking distance from the ship- Grand Bay. There are many restaurants lining the beach that offer beach chairs for a fee- these aren't needed. I just laid my beach towel down and went in the water and had fun. (In case you don't know yet- Carnival provides everyone with a beach towel to use so you don't have to bring your own to the ship). Once You are finished with the beach, there is a town right there that you can walk through. Bring some change for this beach though since I had to pay 50 cents to use a public restroom. In this port, things like bottled water were cheaper than on the ship so wait until you get into port instead of buying water on the ship to bring off.

 

Drinking is usually cheaper in port if you want a drink. In St. Maarten you can get a beer for half the cost than on the ship.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Here are a few suggestions:

 

1. Even though you might be tempted to buy more only buy 1 photo (they are expensive).

 

2. Before you leave let each kid pick a few snacks (small bags of chips, popcorn, M&Ms, etc.) that can be placed in their backpacks or carry-on. They really come in handy especially on days at sea and at night time when the kids want something to munch on.

 

3. Join the Roll Call here on CC for your cruise so you can meet others and maybe be able to share a cab while at port. I never go on any of Carnival's excursions, we hire a cab and ask the driver to take us on a 1 hour tour and then head to a local beach. Never agree with the first price the driver gives you always ask for a lower price. The driver will normally take you and will come back to the beach at the time you want ( most will not ask for the money until they take you back to the ship). My Fun Group did the same cruise last year and did this at every port.

 

4. I would not buy a soda card. Ice tea, lemonade, hot chocolate are free. So is the ice cream on the Lido deck.

 

5. I have been on several cruises and the only cost on my Sail & Sign card was my tips.

 

6. Make sure your kids cannot use their S&S cards to make any purchases.

 

7. I know your family will have a wonderful time on the cruise!!

[lilpum430]

We are leaving in 7 days for a cruise on Carnival Valor. We are going as a whole family for a wedding in St. Thomas (orchestrated by Carnival).

 

I will be very blunt - we are a very middle class family of 5. We are on a serious budget. It took us well over a year to pay for a cruise/airfare for 5 people. We will have VERY LITTLE money on the ship & in port.

 

Would love to know fun, inexpensive, etc. ideas for keeping us all happy & in "vacation mode" despite not having a lot of money in port to play with, etc.

 

We are visiting

St. Thomas (wedding here - won't have much time for other things)

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

St. Maarten

 

I am hoping to have $300-400 TOTAL (this is for EVERYTHING once we are on board) but may have less. I guess I'm just afraid I'm going to walk off the ship, look around, and then get back on the boat for lack of spending money. My kids are SO SO SO excited. I just want to make it a great vacation. It's a "once in a lifetime" thing for us.

 

Advice, help, tips GREATLY appreciated.

 

It's been a while since I did this itinerary and it was a different ship but if memory serves me correct St. Maartin and St Lucia have festivals when the boats dock or they used to. It was a huge street party with dancing and a parade. Of course it was free and was a great time. During the day there are always free beaches to go to and I agree with the others take public transportation so much cheaper. Alot of the ports also have little street shops and markets that you can wonder around and check things out. Alot of the trinkets and stuff are cheap and hubby and I ALWAYS haggle for souveniers. They almost expect it. On board the kids will stay busy in the clubs or just relaxing by the pool there are tons of other kids there as well. The shows are great and the kids will like them as well. They have Bingo and other activities that they can do for cheap or free as well. Set your budget and stick to it. You can def make it work for what you have. Have fun and tell us all about it.

[Blk_Amish]

As this poster notes about getting flamed. I personally would not post for anyone to break the LAW. Its against the LAW in most ports to take any unsealed food off the ships. you could be fined if they wanted to push it... why be embarrased if they choose to make you open up your purse or backpack and search it and find a apple (fruit is among the worst because it could have bugs). I would think myself, I dont like being embarrassed. There are also signs at the doors leading off the ship saying do not bring food off the ship. I've even read it in the daily planner, so you would have to plead deaf and dumb to be trying to sneak off food.

 

if you must.. grab a couple of those little boxes of cereal from the breakfast buffet that are sealed and allowed.. I think you should respect the country you are in. Besides, wouldnt you be embarrassed to be caught sneaking food off the ship? Countries do not allow it to protect their ecology from bugs which you may carry off the ship.

 

I would also bring empty water bottles in my suitcase and fill them with water in the buffet to bring off in ports to save money.

 

There has to be better ways to save money than breaking the law.

 

i dont care if you do or dont .. I just think if someone is going to suggest something like this they also add that its against the law... take off a couple of boxes of cereal to munch on a fill a empty bottle of water to throw in your backpack.. it works and its allowed.

 

Do what you want.. I really dont care.

 

Yeah you do or else you would not have wasted your time and posted, me thinks.

 

OP- I vacation with kids for the past 18 years from the time they were babes. I promise you, they won't remember what they did in any one of these ports and might bug you after a few minutes once you are off the ship. Unless you are at your kids beck and call, they will be better entertained and fed in one hour on the cruise than a week at home. Carnival has the overall BEST kids program I have seen, including Princess and RCCL. The only other one I have seen come close is Beaches (land vacation) in Jamaica with Sesame Street.

 

At home my kids eat breakfast in the morning, then go for hours without another meal. I am very cautious about the foreign foods they try or worse I spend my money just to hear I don't want this. Unless a beef patty in Jamaica, I am hesitant to give my kids food in port. Most times it's too different and I don't care to waste my money trying stuff. On port days I advise them to have a big breakfast because we might not be eating for awhile. My stomach is lined with lead but this is not true for my kids. Dragging kids along on excursions is a completely different cup of tea than doing it as adults. Get off the ship, take a few pics and you will be fine if not loved for letting them get back on the ship sooner than later. if I had it to do over again, no kids on excursion lasting more than 60 minutes, if that!

 

Whether or this is acceptable tip is suggested and therefore what you do about it is up to you. I tip based on conscience and not what anyone on a public forum thinks.

[ShanteS]

To the OP, since you are traveling with kids I highly suggest you head over to the Family Cruises board here on CC for more ideas. I'll be cruising with my toddler for the first time and I've gotten a lot of great ideas there. Here's what I suggest:

 

- I recommend you NOT buy a soda card but bring aboard a 24 pack instead and a case of water (or water filter pitcher) and make good use of the free lemonade, iced tea, and juice. Also, if you and DH are drinkers you are allowed to bring 2 bottles of wine each on board (and get off, buy more, and bring it back on if you want). You can also pack juice boxes and pouches which are perfect to take into ports. Just be sure to pack them in between clothes

 

- Pack plenty of snacks for the family to snack on when in port. Goldfish, granola bars, apple sauce pouches, trail mix, crackers, cereal boxes from the buffett etc. Also, take some Gerber Graduates pasta pick ups (for the babe) or those small cups of Chef Boyardee ravioli. They'll be room temp and ready to eat.

 

-I also suggest taking the collapsible cooler to take into port to keep the drinks cool. It can be packed in one of the side pockets on the way there and back.

 

- Pack small activity bags (ziplock bags work fine) to entertain the kids at dinner, on flights or whereever. I cleaned out Targets dollar bins and found coloring books, dry erase boards, small toys, mini etch-a-sketch, stickers, foam shapes, different colored pipe cleaners, etc.

 

- Make your own first aid kit to avoid having to shell out $10 for something that normally costs $2. Pack bandages, alcohol/peroxide wipes, tylenol, benadryl, thermometer, neosporin, hydrocortisone cream (a must), powdered pedialyte, and any other medications you think you might need. Also pack plenty of wipes.

 

I'm not comfortable doing excursions or a lot of driving in port with my daughter and without a carseat so we'll be doing beaches close by the ship and walking around close to port too. I hope this helps some and yall enjoy your cruise! We'll be on the August 4th sailing and it can't come soon enough. Enjoy!! :)

[lastinga]

I usually bring along our own snorkels and masks, as well as sodas, water, Crystal Light, unopened snacks to take off of the ship, shampoo/conditioner and an over the door shoe holder to help keep the small things semi-organized. I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!

[chrisedwards]

Brink your own snorkel gear or goggles for the kids. Research some free beaches and try to negotiate on the cab fair. I am going on the cruise in 2 weeks and I am also on a budget but plan on having a great time anyway. Also you might be able to find beaches that are close to the boat so you don't have to take a cab. Your family will have a blast. :)

[DEL67]

Lots of illegal things are done on and off ships daily, doesn't mean it's right or "less illegal." There are plenty of ways to not be hungry and save money while docked without smuggling sandwiches. This is the OPs first cruise and she will have her children and plenty of family around. It's bad advice to suggest she do anything that could potentially embarrass her should she get busted. Don't see the need to have to cite a study for something the cruise industry has already deemed bad practice. Once the tourists like us leave, we don't know what we leave behind. It ain't always just our money.:rolleyes:

 

I agree. In addition, if you are not going far from the ship, you can go back aboard to get lunch or you can bring prepackaged snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc.) to snack on while onshore.

 

I also agree about bringing empty water bottles. If you fill them with a combination of ice and water, they will stay cool longer than the ones the ship sells. Just remember you are not supposed to fill them directly from the water dispenser. Fill glasses with ice and water and then transfer them to the water bottles.

[cynt]

OK, bringing all this extra food on board is CRAZY!! You will end up taking most of it back home. Been there, done that!

 

If you and your family normally don't drink soda don't worry about getting a soda card. Tea and lemonade are more than enough to satisfy you for the week.

 

Start with a good hearty breakfast in the morning on the ship. Walk to the local free beach and have a beach morning. Return to the ship have lunch. Walk back out to peruse the local town w/in walking distance and then return to the ship.

 

If there isn't a free beach w/in walking distance - Have a hearty leisurely breakfast and enjoy cruise ship until mid morning. Peruse the local area w/in walking distance and return to ship for a late lunch.

 

Enroll your kids in the kid's programs. MAKE SURE TO ATTEND THE ORIENTATION ON THE 1ST DAY! This will keep them entertained all day and avoid them roaming the ship and finding things to purchase.

 

When your kids get cranky and bored suggest an ICE CREAM break.

 

I've been on several cruises, the kids normally tend to relax and have more fun and spend $0 because of the kid's club, busy swimming, golfing, going down water slide, hanging w/ friends, etc. Our teens were happy just eating pizza and drinking lemonade 24/7.

 

Spending zero to very minimal $$ is fairly easy on a cruise. And you won't feel like you're deprived.

[smplyblessed619]

Set a budget and stick to it... I broke down how much I could spend per day and stuck with it the entire cruise.

 

I was completely satisfied with taking a taxi to a private beach on Paradise Island in Nassau and coming right back --- My mother and I paid for lawn chairs for the afternoon and had the beach to ourselves. We returned for lunch each day only snacking in ports...

 

My mother and I took on our water/sodas and ended up taking some back off --- the lemonade was *licking lips thinking about it* amazing and I hardly drink sodas anyway. We made sure a bottle of water was cold for each of us each morning and threw it in our bag to take into port.

 

I ended up getting money BACK from the cash that I placed at the beginning of our cruise. So that would be my next, best tip I was given and will probably always do --- don't link a cc, just place cash (taken out at an ATM before hitting the POM) and they'd alert me if/when it got low (it never did). This will keep you in your budget and you won't have any hidden surprises. You can also check your S&S account periodically at the kiosks and/or speaking to Guest Services.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[ShanteS]

Set a budget and stick to it... I broke down how much I could spend per day and stuck with it the entire cruise.

 

I ended up getting money BACK from the cash that I placed at the beginning of our cruise. So that would be my next, best tip I was given and will probably always do --- don't link a cc, just place cash (taken out at an ATM before hitting the POM) and they'd alert me if/when it got low (it never did). This will keep you in your budget and you won't have any hidden surprises. You can also check your S&S account periodically at the kiosks and/or speaking to Guest Services.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

 

This is a great tip as well and something I always do. Don't link your S&S card to any cc's or bank accounts. I put a specific amount on my card at the beginning and simply add more if I need to. Also if you'll be giving your children S&S cards be sure to place limits on how much they can spend or simply don't give them spending priviledges at all.

[HarpHarp]

OP- I vacation with kids for the past 18 years from the time they were babes. I promise you, they won't remember what they did in any one of these ports and might bug you after a few minutes once you are off the ship. public forum thinks.

 

The OP's children are 12, 10 and 9. Are you saying kids don't remember anything from their first 6 years of school, or are you saying you give your children such bland vacation experiences that are so much like home that nothing stands out as special? The first time I saw a guy take a machete to a coconut sure stands out in my mind.

Don't let this poster scare anyone from trying the local food. Heck, I can buy mangos and even plantains at my local, hoplessly midwestern grocery store. I don't know any kid that doesn't like a banana and a chocolate chip cookie goes over big with most kids even big kds like my DH. Pizza and burgers are island staples. Meat pies, like Cornish pasties, are also popular and inexpensive. Buy some Jhonnycake, like flatbread-or fungi, like polenta, & let everyone have a taste. You won't starve or break the bank if you have to be off the ship for lunch

These islands are great for exposing kid to different cultures, Get away from the tourist traps. It is the most exciting and most economical way to go.

[laura57]

I agree. Get a soda card if they like soda. Other than that just keep an eye on your bill. Tshirts go on sale for 10 each in the shops. We always get a family Xmas tree ornament and that is about it. Have a great time!

 

 

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