Question I haven't seen asked

[mamaofami]

OK..how to explain the front and back of the ship, or in nautical terms, bow and aft? Someone help Ham. I can't really think how to explain it.

 

 

[jayjaycan]

My wife found the motion sickness patches last night (I hadn't thought about it). They're good until 2014, so we're good there. But I didn't realize the carpeting colors were different. And the extra ship layout card.

 

I'm really glad I asked the question. Learning all kinds of things.

 

As other posters have mentioned the patches are not for everyone. On our first cruise my wife took them "just in case" but found they made her sleepy and so discontinued them. Best to try them before you leave. My wife's best friend swears by the wrist bands and has never had any adverse effects from them.

 

As I said Dramamine or similar medications are available ar rhe front esk if you need them.

I might suggest she ask her family doctor for recommendations for motion/seasickness meds.

[Boytjie]

OK..how to explain the front and back of the ship, or in nautical terms, bow and aft? Someone help Ham. I can't really think how to explain it.

 

Bow - pointy and goes forward = pointy end of the ship.

Aft - associate it with another three-letter word that starts with "a" and is the behind/back. :D

 

For me the easiest way to detect forward or aft is to look out and see which way the water is going. :) (OK, the water isn't moving but the ship is :D )

[Cruising Ham]

OK..how to explain the front and back of the ship, or in nautical terms, bow and aft? Someone help Ham. I can't really think how to explain it.

Well, we can tell the front and back from the outside, but we found it hard to do that while in the ship. Especially at night when you can't see the water movement.

 

It was bizarre because we both have a pretty good sense of direction. But once inside the ship we become anti-GPSes. The good news is that once we learn our mistake, the solution is pretty simple...go the other way.

[Boytjie]

Well, we can tell the front and back from the outside, but we found it hard to do that while in the ship. Especially at night when you can't see the water movement.

 

It was bizarre because we both have a pretty good sense of direction. But once inside the ship we become anti-GPSes. The good news is that once we learn our mistake, the solution is pretty simple...go the other way.

 

At every elevator bank there is a map of the ship with ship's "pointy end" pointing in the direction of the bow/forward.

[matondo]

I have to confess I was a tad bid anxious and excited before my first cruise. The night before I remember thinking do I really want to get on a ship? Little did I know how much I would enjoy it. So hopefully it is just precruise jitters mixed with excitement.

 

I would suggest you talk to her about the motion of the ship. We took three first timers two of which were in their 70's (my MIL and her husband) and they thought they were getting seasick when in reality they were just getting their sea legs. My best tip is make sure you have something in your stomach before sailaway. I always take a roll with me from either the Lido or MDR so I can munch on it if I am feeling a tad off.

 

We also made a photobook up of the cruise for them to keep as a souvenir. I had that in the back of my mind when I was taking pictures during the cruise. They had it out at my MIL husband's funeral. We were touched that it meant so much to them.

 

Enjoy.

[wander]

Suggestion - be sure she has her cabin number written down somewhere that she can easily find it - but NOT with her room key. That way if looking for her cabin she can always ask someone for help. I traveled with a group once and one person would get very directionally confused. If all she knew was her name - hard to help her. Once she had her cabin number written down she did just fine.

 

Also, to emphasize what others have mentioned, impress on her how to find the deck plans posted by each bank of elevators and stairs. They can be useful for all of us and if one can find what they want (say the MDR), from the plan they know which way to walk. The maps they give us on board are great IF you are holding them properly, but for the directionally challenged, holding it in the proper direction is an issue in itself.

[Crusin Kelly]

Ham - One other thought . . . .

 

Explain that the room key is vital in gaining access to her room...once you are outside in the hall, you got to have it to get back in... Explain also that it IS a key AND it is a credit card - when she wants to buy a coffee in the Explorer's Lounge, or a coke by the pool, or even a Scotch or glass of wine (she had a life long before she knew you!). ;)

 

The room key also has her cabin number on it and ANYONE (passenger or crew) on the ship can help her get "home". Explain the crew is (mostly) VERY helpful - the fellows in the white uniforms especially!

 

You might want to think about some manner of attaching the key to her . .. a sparkly lanyard or badge holder would do just the trick.

 

You may also want to get a second keycard for her room and keep with you, just in case she forgets.

[Boytjie]

The room key also has her cabin number on it and ANYONE (passenger or crew) on the ship can help her get "home". Explain the crew is (mostly) VERY helpful - the fellows in the white uniforms especially!

 

The cabin numbers are never on the key card! :eek:

[innlady1]

I wonder if there are any video tours of the Maasdam on YouTube? Viewing that before boarding could make it more familiar when she actually gets on board.

 

This is a fabulous idea for Ham, Peter. Visuals always help. Even after all this time on HAL, I still look to you tube to see the ship we'll be on next!

[innlady1]

OK..how to explain the front and back of the ship, or in nautical terms, bow and aft? Someone help Ham. I can't really think how to explain it.

 

 

 

The bow of the ship is forward; the stern of the ship is aft.

[RuthC]

The room key also has her cabin number on it and ANYONE (passenger or crew) on the ship can help her get "home".

No, your cabin number is not on your keycard, and for very good reason: If you were to drop the card, anyone who finds it can't use it to find and enter your cabin.

[shrimp56]

I liked the one piece of advice...you wanna eat, go back. You wanna amuse yourself, go forward. If you don't know forward from back, ask one of the nice people in uniform. One of them will surely know.

 

I've been on 12 cruises and still have a problem with this. Love that one sentence advice. It will be my new mantra.

[RuthC]

omg, by the time all of these 'procedures', pieces of advice, maps, tours, and medications have gone on, the poor woman will likely jump -- forward or aft, port or starboard. a 20 year old couldn't keep up with them all.

Hey, Sunshine! Let's try for positive and uplifting, shall we?

[Cindy]

OK, true confessions time...someone has to tell my wife and I which way is front and which is back. I'm not kidding. On the Noordam last year we were absolutely confident we were headed the correct direction to "whatever". I can't tell you how many times we ended up on the opposite end of the ship from what we intended. Yes, I know there are signs...we don't need no stinking signs. Or so we thought.

 

Seriously, though, we've explained there's a library and various other venues and a daily schedule where she can pick whatever she wants to do. Or to do absolutely nothing. Her call. Think I'll print off a copy of the deck plans we'll be on, so she can get some idea of what's there. It's not the same as seeing it, of course, but it might help with orientation.

 

That makes me smile. It doesn't matter how many times I've cruised, I still get off an elevator and have to pause for a few seconds to figure out which way to turn.

[Skipper's Mom]

My dear MIL and I cruise once a year and she's now 91! :D She loves it and starts asking around January when we are going again. Since we leave DH at home with the pups, it's just a girls cruise for us. We're lucky since we just drive to one of the Ports here in FL, so no planes involved (thank goodness).

 

I'm sure that your MIL will have a great time and it's a great itinerary. :)

[Vict0riann]

I have to admit, I frequently don't know which way we are going, the ride is so smooth - unless there's a window I can check! My suggestion for your mother is to tape a balloon or other distinctive adornment to her door. Someone had done this on their door in our corridor, and I used it time and again, just to know where I was. The doors all look the same otherwise.

[jtl513]

OK, true confessions time...someone has to tell my wife and I which way is front and which is back.

 

...we don't need no stinking signs. Or so we thought.

When the Eurodam first went into service there was a sign in one of the elevator bays saying Forward, with an arrow ... which pointed AFT! :eek:

[geocruiser]

(1) To help her get oriented, print out an enlarged deck plan of the ship and use a highlighter to show your cabin location, cafe, library, theater and MDR. Give this to her ahead of time so she can relate to where she's going to "live" for the week.

 

(2) Order the glossy brochure from HAL so she can enjoy the photos and learn more about cruising.

 

(4) Let her review the excursions and choose ones that are more to her liking.

 

(5) If perhaps you can locate some "dailies" from your itinerary, print them out and share them with her so she can get a feel for the type of activities offered onboard.

 

(6) Personalize her cabin for her with a favorite photo or two of family (or pet), and a small vase of silk flowers.

 

This is a great idea . I would mark each deck with forward, aft, port & starboard. Then I would make a game of it at home with the three of you study the deck plan and quiz each other on where something is. This way if she is not with you she will not feel lost. Also there might be a way to tell if you are facing forward or aft on PAX decks. I forgot what cruise line it was but they had the crest of the waves in their carpet facing forward. (if I remember). I all way try to know the deck plan of a ship before I get on so I don't walk in circles.

[OlsSalt]

First days onboard the ship? I would start even sooner before you go. Print out the maps of all the deck plans on your ship, and practice visually getting from point to point on the ship. What are the key floors you want to use, what is the easiest way to get there.

 

What are the identification names to sort out: How is the Explorer's Lounge different from the Explorations Cafe. What is the Ocean Bar, Piano Bar, Pinnacle Bar, Atrium Bar and where the heck is Northern Lights if you are on a ship that has one of those, or has MIX to replace many of them in the first place.

 

Which direction to turn getting off the elevators or stairs, which direction the ship is pointing, which direction to go down the hallway to your cabin, which direction to take when your leave your cabin -- all the internal ship navigation you will be immediately facing. This confusing still for us, and we have now well over 200 days on HAL ships, which are pretty much laid out the same. And worst of all is are their any stairways of death that don't let you go across the ship full length if you take them - usually blocked off by the large kitchen galley in the middle of the ship.

 

So first off for me is when you board the ship is finding visual landmarks for orientation, and the names of various decks and elevator buttons to push is really key. Problem is the lobbies of the cabins floors are often symmetrical in decor, so that makes it even more confusing when I go down a hall on one side of the ships when I should have gone up the hall on the other side.

 

Some people put out balloons or some sort of door decoration which is handy for a landmark for the rest of us that start looking for that too to get to our cabins.

 

I always wished there were directional patterns on the walls or floors to tell me fore from aft because many times you can't look out at the sea to tell which way you are going and port and starboard become meaningless directional signs as well.

 

HAL I think could do a better job making it more obvious by visual clues where you are and what floors you are on when you go up and down stairs or immediately get off the elevator if you can't see or hear the floor level in the elevator itself.

[LindaM]

omg, by the time all of these 'procedures', pieces of advice, maps, tours, and medications have gone on, the poor woman will likely jump -- forward or aft, port or starboard. a 20 year old couldn't keep up with them all.

 

I am agreeing with you for the first time. (Something must be wrong with my thinking...) Unless this woman has dementia, she is going to be just fine!! She is no different than any of us---getting on a new ship for the first time. She will learn the ship like the rest of us do!! I meet all kinds of people in her age group on cruises that don't need all these special instructions. I hope when I'm in my upper 70's, people aren't going to assume I will need special help. My mom and her friend( who had never cruised )didn't get any help----we let them do their own thing and they managed without any problems. I'm surprised no one mentioned walkie talkies---in case the poor woman gets lost and confused!

[Cruising Ham]

First days onboard the ship? I would start even sooner before you go.

Exactly, which is why I'm asking. I've printed the deck plans and will try and explain the other "stuff". The only thing she's mentioned she wants to see are shows. OK, we can handle that.

 

But she mentioned nothing else, even in the abstract, so we're going to let her feel her way through. We've already explained that she doesn't have to use the MDR, there's the Lido. Basically saying the way she was dressed the evening she came over was a bit underdressed for MDR but perfectly fine for the Lido. Or she could do room service. Whatever.

 

The ideas about putting something on the door are very good. We're close to but not right at the forward elevators, so that'll be the key for everything.

 

It'll all be fine, but I'm taking these ideas and developing a plan both before and during the first hours of the cruise. Lots of suggestions I hadn't considered.

[Cruising Ham]

I hope when I'm in my upper 70's, people aren't going to assume I will need special help.

Please understand that I'm soliciting these suggestions out of an abundance of caution, as I'm pretty sure she'll be fine. It's a very long story, but I'd rather ask now and get these suggestions then wonder later why I didn't ask. Trust me, there's reasoning behind all this.

[OlsSalt]

KeyCard: I learned finally to go to the front desk and get a hole punched in my key card, and then put it on one of those springy wrist coils and just "wear" it all the time. No worries about no pockets or hanging around my neck on a lanyard or having to carry it in something.

 

And when going back to the cabin, to always take it off and put it in the exact same place every time, or even better hang it on the door so you make sure you have it before you leave the room. If/when you take it off for meals, don't forget to put it back on.

[Boytjie]

Please understand that I'm soliciting these suggestions out of an abundance of caution, as I'm pretty sure she'll be fine. It's a very long story, but I'd rather ask now and get these suggestions then wonder later why I didn't ask. Trust me, there's reasoning behind all this.

 

That is how I read your original post: you wanted suggestions and would figure out what to use with your MIL since you know her better than anyone else here. :)