Fess Up! Share stories of mistakes you've made while cruising.

[tbmrt]

Hi all,

 

Gina Kramer, Cruise Critic's Associate Editor, here! I am compiling a list of mistakes that can ruin your cruise and would love to hear your personal accounts.

 

Have you ever made a mistake while cruising that taught you a valuable lesson -- whether it was your first cruise or something that simply slipped your mind?

 

A few of us at Cruise Critic HQ have our own, including forgetting a visa in Romania and signing up for a burger-eating challenge. (Hey, we all make mistakes!)

 

Please share your stories below. I'm looking forward to reading them! :D

 

I talked DH into using a "man type bag" to carry passports, $$ and other valuables on our cruise. He wasn't thrilled about this at all.

 

We sit in area waiting for ship to board.

 

Our turn comes to enter the ship and we go up the ramp, etc...My husband turns to me in a panic, realizing that he left his "man bag" on the chair in the waiting area!!! He dashes back and thankfully, finds it still there.

 

He finally gave in and now uses this bag when we travel although he still gets flustered at having lots of zippers and not knowing where he put things!

[mngolfer]

My wife an I took a cab to the Butter Fly Farm on St. Marteen. After we had toured the farm we asked for the owner to call a cab for us to get back to the pier. He just kind of laughed and said that with 6 ships in town that no cab would come all the way out to them to pick up just 2 people. We asked what to do and he suggested we walk to Orient Beach. He pointed to a parasail and told us to walk towards it and we would bump into the beach at some point. After walking for awhile and feeling nervous that we were lost we finally found some people that directed us to the beach. Learned to plan ahead for transportation.

[mbjboyle]

My wife and I enjoyed a fantastic cruise aboard Allure in 2011. We were sad during debarkation, but were ready to return home following a fabulous vacation. Life has a funny way of adding hiccups at random times...

Our problem arose as we arrived at the airport. The airline did not have a record of our confirmation, nor any information reserved with our name. Strange... It was only after two hours of working with several airline representatives that we realized that we booked the wrong date for our return flight. Apparently, a certain travel website has an automatic default on its "vacation dates" calendar that will self-adjust each time one accesses travel information. We had return tickets, but they were for a flight that departed 3 days after our arrival in FLA. So, off to the rental car stand we went... 10 hours later we arrived back home... Lesson learned; always check, re-check, and confirm all your travel information before you depart.

[boaterette]

going on a cruise with a friend from work and his family. Loved cruising with my friend but couldn't stand his family.

[4cats4me]

Mistake No. 1: Happened nearly 25 years ago on our first cruise, Carnival. wE purchased our entire cruise package, including hotel, through the cruise line.

After eating breakfast, we were directed to an area where they had several tables set up. We were told to register our names, which we did. Long story short, we arrived to the port, waited in a long, snaking line for 2.5 hours, got onto the ship, ony to be told that we were already pre-registered at the hotel and that we shouldn't have had to wait in that long line:mad::eek:

 

 

Mistake No. 2: purchasing our airfare through the cruise line, and when the flights were given to us,which was approx. 10 days before sailing, the times were awful, departing Vancouver at 6 pm, (but having to disembark the ship by 9 am) routed through Los Angeles, 500 miles south of our home, not arriving home until 11:30 pm, when the entire flight from Vancouver should have only taken 2.5 hours altogether. Live and learn. We always buy our own air for a round trip ticket since then.

 

 

Mistake No 3: Forgetting to bring cough syrup and cough drops one time, and an employee was nice enough to retrieve some from her cabin. The ship had run out of cough drops.

[DiamondDiva23]

Not understanding the time change thing in Cozumel on our first cruise in 2008. We changed our watches so many times back & forth between the evening before and the day of that I didn't know what time it was! Lol We went on an excursion to Passion Island with the 4 other people we were cruising with but when we were dropped back off at the pier they dragged behind and I told my husband we needed to get back onboard. I really wanted to wash the sand out of certain places, you know what I mean?! We stayed in the room after freshening up thinking we'd be sailing away at any moment. Found out later that they all stayed at the pier drinking & shopping and having a good time. I know much better now!

[Psychedout]

On a west coast cruise on the Sapphire I thought we were in San Francisco, got on the tender with tickets for a tour, while on the tender found out we were in San Diego, :eek: Had to time to get off the tender, go back up to my cabin, get the correct tickets and left on the next tender :D

 

Hugh :rolleyes:

[kazbar]

Using your phone as a clock. It updates automatically to port time, and the ship leaves on ship time

[NearEnough]

My first cruise was in 1969 with two friends - P & Os Arcadia - Sydney/Honolulo round trip. To say we were young and naieve would be an understatement. It was a great trip and the start of a lifetime of travel for me. My big faux pas was showing up at 'ladies' night' - not called formal then, not having read the day's newsletter. We were dressed in very casual clothes and I had a hair roller in the back of my hair. I had long hair and it wasn't very visible but I'd been in a rush and forgotten to take it out.:eek:

[twinmom38]

Doing an all inclusive for an early day in costa maya. Oy! We were drunk off our rear ends! Made it back to port and shopping when the guy at the jewelry store told me our ship was leaving. There was actually a line still waiting to get on but scared me to death. And the rest of the day and night was spent between bed and bathroom. Never again!!

 

yup.. we did an all inclusive in Costa Maya as well... got slammed drunk then rented Jet-ski's!! (seemed like a good idea at the time).. had a blast though, till my sister and I decided to swim afterwards.. I emerged (by the grace of God) from the water without my sunglasses, contact lenses, and bathing suit top! Not my proudest moment.

[melody hounddog]

We missed our ship's excursion to the Mayan Ruins because we exited the ship to meet up with our tour. Didn't read the ticket where it said to meet in the Princess Theatre!! Luckily the Princess rep on shore was very accommodating and we were able to get on a tour having lunch and swim time on a beach. Turned out to be a wonderful day after all. We had a delicious Mexican buffet and cooled off in the water. We heard later that the folks at the ruins were miserable because it was unbearably hot!

[Jiffymom]

wore two different shoes to dinner formal night. Oh well I had a matching pair in the cabin.

[jonboy9756]

My first cruise was out of Miami on the Costa Flavia!. But that's not the mistake. We had a great time. We were cruising with a pretty large group, some had driven and some flew in. One of the fliers had rented a car. We spent a couple of nights in Miami Beach before the cruise. The morning of the cruise we checked out and spent a couple of hours driving around sight seeing. We stopped at a strip mall in the Coral Gables/Coconut Grove area to pick up a few last minute items, and everyone in the car locked their doors. Of course the driver had left the keys in there too. Well this was before cell phones, so we had no way to get in touch with the others in our group. So we had to get with the rental car company, they sent a locksmith and it seemed like it took forever. Then we still had to drop the car off at Miami International, and get a cab back to the port. We were very literally pier runners, the last ones on! Never again.

[Shake]

On my third cruise, upon arriving at the port I accidently slipped my passport into my suitcase side pocket and then handed over all our luggage to the Porter. During check in I was informed my wife would need to board the ship, retrieve my passport, exit the ship and return it to boarding security who would then bring me my passport.

 

During this time while my poor wife had do all of this I was in the pre boarding naughty room for an hour and a half with an unfortunate family who had left their passports at home. By the time I got on the boat it was only 30 minutes before sail away. I never saw them the rest of the cruise so I don't think the family was allowed to board or figured out a way to get their passports delivered in time.

 

Talk about feeling like a dummy. :rolleyes:

Edited April 29, 2014 by Shake

[All4fun&fun4all]

On my first cruise, the girl that I was travelling with thought the 4:00pm sailaway time was the time we should arrive for check in. Like at a hotel. We almost missed the ship. We were last to board, missed muster and the ship started moving right when we got to our cabin. :eek:

 

I guess that's what happens when you have 4 newbies travelling together that didn't do any sort of research ahead of time. :o

[sharonh1885]

I booked my flight home on Priceline for the day before the 8 day sailing of the Miracle returned to home port. Totally lost the cost of two flights from Florida to CA! Expensive lesson learned

[Ken Greco]

In mexico we went to a local beach for the day. Not realizing we were running late would found out we had 10 minutes to get a cab and get back on the ship. The ship was 20minutes away. I told the driver to drive as fast as he can; making it to the pier just in time as the ship was about to leave.

[RayRay813]

It was my first cruise and I was scared about motion sickness. I bought some Dramamine just in case so as soon as I started to feel even the slightest bit of nausea I popped some of the magic pills and I felt fine. That was until I had a couple of drinks with the pills. The combo made me super drowsy and before I knew it I had blacked out and then eventually passed out. I don't remember dinner in the MDR (even though I have plenty of selfie pics in my camera and my friends have plenty of funny stories about my antics!) and I passed out on my bed fully dressed as soon as I made it to my cabin after dinner. I was so upset that I wasted my first night on the ship. I didn't touch the Dramamine for the rest of the cruise. I had PLENTY of drinks though! ;) lol

Edited April 29, 2014 by RayRay813

[Seany527]

Just reading some of these stories is giving me anxiety :( lol

 

 

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[PittsburghGirlee]

Thought I SHUT DOWN my iPad when I put it in the safe and I DID NOT. It must have brushed up against the case I had it in. I didnt have it on Airplane mode either...

Thank Godness it was only a 2 Day CruiseToNowhere. I still got stuck with an additional $289.00 in roaming fees.... Verison was very happy :mad: and said I shuld be greatful it was not a 7 day or longer:eek::eek:

**Note to self......LEAVE THE FREAKIN IPAD AT HOME;)

[Thebosn1]

Wife going to medical for Sun burn then admitting her stomach was upset (champagne). She was almost confined to the cabin for 24 hours during a port call. I would have missed her haha.

 

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[mets07]

On the subject of sunburn mistakes .... being fair-skinned and freckled (as in millions) I am religious about sunscreen. However don't ever forget your lips. They are very painful (and swollen) when sunburned as I learned on one of my first cruises. OUCH.

[hladygirl]

I am not a fashion person but on cruises I bring a lot of different sandals. I do not bring any other footwear. Our last cruise was 14 nights and when we were unpacking I discovered I accidentally only packed one of every pair of sandals. I had nothing to wear on my feet. We ended up at Payless shoes in our first port of st thomas.

[MRS3RD]

Dad had broken both ankles three years prior. We always rented a wheelchair for him when we toured amusement parks or large casinos. On our first three-day cruise, he insisted he did not need a wheelchair and would get around just fine. He did get around just fine, just at a much slower pace than even he wanted to move (the ships are huge!). We also hadn't considered the motion of the ship would make walking for him difficult. On our seven-day cruise the following year, we rented a wheelchair and he was much happier getting around and had much more energy. Lesson learned...

Edited April 29, 2014 by MRS3RD

[Queen of Oakville]

letting my hubby hold the paddle at the art auction. unbeknownst to me, he fell asleep. I nudged him to say how much fun I was having ... and he woke up, up with the paddle, and we'd bought a print!

 

lol, fortunately, it was not too expensive. We were laughing our butts of as we spoke to Parkside, and they offered to let us decline the purchase. But I insisted on following through. That print now hangs in our living room and brings a smile to my face every time I see it, ... and its been 14 years!

 

okay - so this didn't ruin our trip, but I learned not to drag hubby to art auctions because it will put him to sleep. if he wants to come - I hold the paddle!

Edited April 29, 2014 by Queen of Oakville