Stuff you didn't think to do until you were a repeat cruiser

[lv2teach]

love the idea of bringing a journal..

[JennN]

Some ships are better for this than others, but after dinner, we do a walk around the track and talk out the best part/favorite part of our day. Gets us moving before we go have after-dinner drinks! Good way to talk about what we liked and didn't like that day. Sometimes we'd find a secluded place to **** and chat on decks 10-14 and continue the conversation!

[originalgeek]

Some ships are better for this than others, but after dinner, we do a walk around the track and talk out the best part/favorite part of our day. Gets us moving before we go have after-dinner drinks! Good way to talk about what we liked and didn't like that day. Sometimes we'd find a secluded place to **** and chat on decks 10-14 and continue the conversation!

 

I don't know about everybody else but I assume "***" means "Play canasta".

 

Hope to get up to some good canasta games myself on our cruise next month. :)

[CanadianDee]

love the idea of bringing a journal..

 

We have always journalled our vacations, first with our own kids and now with our grandchildren. Drawings, ticket stubs, written descriptions, pictures, menus, everything gets crammed into the journals. They are the best souvenir ever.

 

Has anyone mentioned swimming late at night? We had our granddaughter with us on our last Celebrity cruise and the pools were crowded (plus one pool was a dedicated adults-only) during the day, but later in the evening we had the pool to ourselves. They were lit up beautifully and it is one of our favourite memories of that cruise. Will definitely make this a must-do on future cruises. Late night swims.

Edited June 16, 2016 by CanadianDee

[Kanyon71]

I think the major difference between when we started cruising and now is RELAX, enjoy the trip. Have realized that we don't have to do everything on one trip, there WILL be the next cruise we can do other things on. Now we just do things at our own pace.

[crusinpsychRN]

Hi Silverspringcruiser :)

 

 

Even picking out/purchasing the journal prior to the cruise has become

a fun task in itself.

 

To us, it is another way, an interesting way, to save and also relive the

voyage...

 

 

 

 

:)

 

I wonder if you could find a journal with a Caribbean theme on it. I buy picture frames with some really cute Caribbean things on them.

[Warm Breezes]

Our first 2 cruises were on DCL in 2001 and 2004. Our friends who were veteran cruisers planned both through a travel agent. We just finished our 14th cruise on 4 different cruise lines with 2 more planned. My thoughts on what we have learned over the years:

 

1. Do all your research yourself. Don't rely on a travel agent who knows nothing about you....especially with the resources easily at hand on the internet. Once you find what you what you want then shop around for the best prices, check reviews, and book with whom you are comfortable with at a price you want to pay.

 

2. Don't limit yourself to a certain cruise line. Keep your options open. Know what you want out of your vacation and choose the ship that best fits those wants for the price you are willing to pay.

 

3. Don't limit yourself to the ships excursions. Do your research, there are so many more options out there. We have done ship excursions, independent excursions, taxi's to a beach, shopping/beaches at the pier, and a few times we have just stayed on the ship and enjoyed an empty ship.

 

4. Don't pay much attention to reviews that are based on highly subjective things. We all prefer different things. It is your job to seek out the things you would enjoy not make a decision based on someone else's opinion of what they enjoy. IMHO the best way to see if you like it is to try it yourself. Even DH and I have much different tastes in food. Our friends who sailed on DCL with us (which we loved), absolutely hate Carnival and are now admittedly loyal to Royal. If we had listened solely to their opinions without trying it ourselves, we would have missed out on some wonderful Carnival/Princess/NCL cruises. Note I haven't said Royal yet. Still looking for the one that meets our wants at a price I am willing to pay for it.

 

5. Once our kids hit the pre-teen/teen years we went to booking 2 rooms and would never go back. The extra bathroom is a huge plus. We have done side by side insides, balcony/inside, and connection balconies. Just a matter of what our budget allows for that trip.

 

6. When we first started cruising with smaller kids we kept busy all day through the first show with them (kids did not like kids clubs) then it was bed time for all. We didn't think we would ever have use for a balcony. As the kids grew up and we put them in their own room, they did more on their own during the day. DH and I found ourselves taking a nap in the afternoons so we could stay up later with them. DH prefers the room cold. I don't. We found the balcony to be a perfect solution for us. He took a nap in a freezing room, I took my tablet out on the balcony to keep warm and to try to read but would end up napping every time out there.

 

7. I am also finding the more we cruise the more we stay away from the Lido deck pool areas. We were rarely there on our last cruise except to walk through it. I am loving these ships with the wrap around outside promenades and serenity/H20 areas. Those areas along with the balcony I have no desire to go there except for the occasional movie under the stars which we have also found to be to our liking lately.

 

8. We always try to do something different on each cruise...new ship, new embarkation port, new itinerary port, etc. Just something to mix it up a little.

 

9. Finally on our next NCL cruise we will be trying something I never thought we would...Ultimate Beverage Package. I had originally chosen the Dining and internet package for our promos. But then I got to thinking that with the advances in the internet packages in just the last year, that this package might be worthless when it comes to our sail time 9/2017 with the new programs they could come out with. After some discussion with DH we switched it to the UBP. This will definitely be a new experience for us.

 

I have to say that I came back from our last cruise more relaxed than I ever have....so much so that within the week I booked our next one for our anniversary in October.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Warm Breezes

[herblu01]

Bought a week long spa pass for the first time on my last cruise. Pure Heaven!! Now I won't ever cruise without one.

 

 

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Tell me more -- tell me more -- how does this work what does it include. I have gone to the spa on sea days for a manicure or a blow out but would like to experience more. :)

[mwood0612]

I think the major difference between when we started cruising and now is RELAX, enjoy the trip. Have realized that we don't have to do everything on one trip, there WILL be the next cruise we can do other things on. Now we just do things at our own pace.

 

I am with you on this one!!! We have FINALLY gotten to that point as well!!!:D

[loretta5ue]

We find the secret decks

 

 

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[disneylover89]

Tell me about showering at the Spa please. Do they provide towels there? Do they have body wash and shampoo there like the cabins have? How many showers are there? YIA

[DenaInWyo]

So glad someone brought up this old thread. I love it! I've gotten so many good ideas.

 

I'm a relative newbie. Only 3 cruises. Here is what I've learned so far:

 

Cruise 1: Chaos because we didn't really know what the heck we were doing. Don't get me wrong, we still had a blast!

 

Cruise 2: Decided to remedy that by doing EVERYTHING on the ship we could fit it. Whew.

 

Cruise 3: Took it to the polar opposite and did VERY little on the ship other than drink, lay in the sun, and eat.

 

So I came away from that last cruise feeling like I missed a ton of things on the ship. I hope on number 4 that I can strike a happy medium.

 

Things I want to do on this next one:

 

1. Get to bed early enough that I can get up really early on at least one of the sea days. I've never really experienced the ship early in the morning because I do too much of experiencing the ship late at night :rolleyes:

 

2. Try the darned Piano bar already! I keep saying I will but I haven't yet.

 

3. Figure out which port to mostly stay on the ship. I can't talk myself into doing it entirely on this trip because I haven't been to any of the ports, but one port day I am going to make low key and back early. I think.

 

4. Try the Chef's Table! Our reservation is secured and I'm really looking forward to it. Only worry is how many seafood dishes there are for my fish hating son. It's 90% a mental thing with him though and he says he'll at least try.

 

Things I've learned:

 

1. The first two cruises were balconies and I thought I'd never be satisfied with less. The third was an interior and we liked it very much. It would depend on the itinerary, but I do just fine in an inside.

 

2. Half the really awesome tips for things to pack you'll never end up using. Be selective of all these awesome tips. The only thing you truly need to not forget to pack is your passport.

 

3. That said, I would never cruise without my 32 oz bubba mug, or similar.

 

4. I thought it would be embarrassing to order more than one of a course in the dining room. It isn't.

 

One more thing in my overly long post: I've also done a cruise journal since the first one. I don't write enough to warrant a new one for each cruise, but log them in the same one that has traveled with me on all of them so far. Reading back over them is priceless.

Edited June 17, 2016 by DenaInWyo

[DashOhQ]

It wasn't till our 7th cruise that we watched a Dive - In Movie !!!! It was awesome and I wish we had done it sooner...

 

Love, love, love this! I look forward to it so much. Great way to end your day.

[erinmarie424]

I finally learned over the last couple of cruises that when you are in port and they announce that you can get off the ship, that is a good time to go get breakfast (or lunch for a late stop) and take your time eating it, then when you get off 45 minutes later there's no line and sometimes not even a photographer to slow you down.

[storm1507]

I finally learned over the last couple of cruises that when you are in port and they announce that you can get off the ship, that is a good time to go get breakfast (or lunch for a late stop) and take your time eating it, then when you get off 45 minutes later there's no line and sometimes not even a photographer to slow you down.

 

Even more important if the ship arrives in port late in the morning. It seemed EVERYONE was ready to get off the ship at 11AM in Coz last winter. We'll wait next time.

[CruiseHealing]

Sneak booze on.

[Jdfireman]

pillow fights

[Cr2zCr8zy]

I waited till my 4th cruise to try trivia and room service. Now both are a must and I'll be adding a nap from now on..

[indiaksue]

There have been some really great ideas so far. Here is what we do:

 

I do journaling everyday also. I wake up before my DH so I always have my notebook and pen ready to take out on balcony and I write about the day before. We then also put the notebook into a folder that we keep for each cruise with memento's and tickets, etc. These we look back on folders occasionally to relive memories.

 

Some days I don't feel like trying to get a treadmill in the gym or it is too windy up on the jogging track so I walk inside; I start at the deck below Lido and I walk all the way down one side and then the other and then go down the stairs, I do this all the way to deck 1 and then all the way back up to Lido, it takes me about 45 minutes total and I get to see all the decks. I usually do this after lunch so I don't get in the way of Cabin Stewards trying to get their rooms done. With the stairs involved I get a pretty good workout.

 

My DH and I end our evening up on our Lido balcony (it is the only deck we ever book) We enjoy a wine or drink talking about our day and watch the stars and listen to the ocean waves for about a half an hour before we turn in for the night.

 

We spend our Sail Away up on the deck above the bridge. Usually forward on Lido, this way we can see views from both sides of the ship and it is never crowded.

[beshears]

I just saw this thread, and have NOT read all the 3?? responses, and it is possible what I am going to say, someone else may have said.

 

This is "before" I get on the ship. I try to read up on CC, etc., on the ship, floors, what it has to offer (restaurants, shows, games, etc.) on each deck. This way, I make notes for myself "ahead" of time of what to check out to see/do, and what deck are these on.

 

I also try to read up on the ports/islands from CC members, that tell what they seen/did there as well. I then make notes on this also.

 

This way I feel prepared to tackle in a round about way, the ship, what it has to offer, as well as the islands. If I don't do this ahead of time, I loose a lot of time just trying to find where everything is located on the ship, and on the islands, what to see, and where on the island.

[Penciltwister]

Get up early as possible to get your towel on a chair.

 

Skip the MDR on the last night.

 

 

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[First and Ten]

Get up early as possible to get your towel on a chair.

 

Skip the MDR on the last night.

 

 

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If I may add....if you are going to place your towel on a chair, please keep it company and sit with it....One of my personal pet peeves is someone who drops the towel with the mindset of "its mine as long as I keep my towel here"....I get a bit bold when I see this done and the people don't come back. After about an hour, I have been known to kindly return the towels to the attendant saying "I think these people must have forgotten their towels" :rolleyes:

Edited June 17, 2016 by First and Ten

[crusinpsychRN]

pillow fights

 

They used to do a pillow fight game in the pool. 2 girls in bikinis sat on something they put in the pool and they bashed each other over and over until someone fell off. Very funny.

[crusinpsychRN]

Get up early as possible to get your towel on a chair.

 

Skip the MDR on the last night.

 

 

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Are you a chair hog?:eek:

 

If you skip MDR last night you miss the song that gets me every time.

[BSUGrad]

Get up early as possible to get your towel on a chair.

 

Skip the MDR on the last night.

 

 

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Just another troll...:mad: