Two old ladies first time cruising

[Kthypear]

Hi everyone, I (50's) am taking my mom (in her 70's) on our first time cruise to New England - Nova Scotia Cruise. We love to travel together and she has never been east of Kentucky! We are from Arknasas...

This is a September Royal Caribbean Granduer of the Sea cruise, we are excited first time cruisers. Any tips, hints from the more experience crowd would be helpful. My mom just drops hints and what she would like to do on our next vacation, and I take care of everything, so she is relying heavily that I know what I am doing, any education I can receive from now to September would be appreciated! :)

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. If you head over to the Royal Caribbean board, under Cruise Lines P-Z, you will get plenty of help with Grandeur. Visit the Ports of Call board for ideas about what to do/see in the ports. And whether you are driving or flying to the port, it is always best to arrive a day before your cruise. EM

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

EM has given you a great start, so I will just say to relax and have a wonderful cruise.

[cb at sea]

Well, first...NEITHER of you are old! Get that out of your head right now!!!!

 

I would advise reading up on your ports, to get the most from your time ashore. Libraries do have guidebooks, so check one out!

[Sixtytwo]

Congrats on your first cruise! We have talked about the fall foliage cruise but just have not put it on our short list.

 

I would add one further "tip". Be sure you have a passport or birth certificate. Knowing it could take several weeks to get a passport, don't wait until the last minute to discover you need a document. :)

[George C]

Congrats on booking your 1st cruise, Granduer of the Sea is a nice ship and perfect for a 1st cruise, join the roll call so you can talk to people that will be on your cruise. RCCL is my favorite line , I am sure you will enjoy it, most of the fellow passengers will be either your age or your mothers.

[RSLeesburg]

Enjoy. We took our first cruise on Grandeur in 2013. She is beautiful ship with great crew. Definitely go to RCI forum, and search "Grandeur" - tons of advice, reviews, and information on this ship :).

[Scrapnana]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

I agree that you should join your roll call. It is always nice to see some familiar faces onboard and you can discuss ideas, problems, questions, etc. with your cruise mates while you are waiting for the cruise. You may want to set up or join a shore excursion with others on your roll call.

 

I hope both of you have a fantastic time!

[crystalspin]

Destination board for New England/Maritime Provinces is here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=7&src=nav

 

and your Roll Call is one of these four:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/?cruise_line_id=32&ship_id=74&sailing_date=201509

 

We've taken my mom on two cruises -- one thing that was important to my mom was that she DIDN'T have to dress up... there is always an alternative to MDR (main dining room) on those nights. You mom may want to dress up! But just saying.

 

As far as formal nights, they have become less formal (than they used to be) -- anything from a skirt suit or pantsuit to floor-length sequins will be seen... more of the former than the latter. If you're concerned about packing et al, come on over to the Fashion and Beauty "board", here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=182

[wassup4565]

Oh you are going to have such a great time! I cruise a couple of times a year with my daughter when she can find the time. Very great way for mothers and daughters to travel together.

 

You will be travelling through this autumn landscape when it is at its most beautiful. No need for a lot of specialized shore excursions. The leaves will be in all their colors everywhere you go, the minute you get off the ship.

 

Have a great trip with your Mum!

[Ofmyheart]

Kthypear,

 

Old ladies ??? He*l no!

Have fun

[GUT2407]

If 50s and 70s are old maybe you should go with Holland America you two will be some of the young ones.

[Talisker92]

You will love this cruise. Below is the story and pictures of our New England cruise.

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/canada2011.pdf

We are always happy to answer questions.

[trish1c]

I think this cruise leaves out of Baltimore, which is a wonderful city that is very easy to explore. While it's always a good idea to arrive at your port of departure the day before your cruise, since you have never been to the east coast, please do try to come earlier or stay a little later.

 

Read up on your ship, both here & on the official web site of the cruise line. Also check out the You Tube videos for movies about your ship.

 

Pay attention to the weather. September is hurricane season. Although Inner Harbor is by definition sheltered, the weather can wreck havoc on your travel plans.

[Cruisin' Chick]

You've got two pieces of great advice: getting to your embarkation port ahead of your cruise (at least a day) and checking to make sure you have the proper documents now rather than in summer when it's a rush to get a passport or replacement birth certificate (in that case, make sure it's a legitimate copy and not the hospital issued one).

 

Definitely go on the Royal Caribbean website and read the FAQs section as it will answer many of the questions you may have.

 

Don't try to pack your days on board or in port full to the brim. Must of what's great about going on a cruise is the chance to just relax. You'll get a daily newsletter every night for the next day's activities and you may find some fun things to do. For ports, google each port and you'll find many tourism sites. I also go to my public library and check out the books there for my itinerary. If there's a book that I want to take on my cruise, I'll go on Amazon (we do have a nice used book store and I actually found a book on Hawaii that I bought for our last cruise).

[navybankerteacher]

First of all: you are not old. My wife and I hold that title - both mid-seventies - our favorite line happens to be Holland America - we we are regularly among the oldest - so do not pay any attention to the idiotic posts about HAL having average age in the 80's.

 

Hal has great New England -Canada itineraries from Boston, but Royal Caribbean from Baltimore sounds great as well. Whatever port you sail from, you will be more relaxed and extend your vacation by getting there at least a day before sailing. If it's Baltimore, consider staying at Celie's Bed & Breakfast, in the old harbor area.

 

Once you pick your cruise, join the roll call, speak up, get to know your shipmates and perhaps share port tours. I would recommend you select traditional dining, large table - it's great to have a group you meet with at dinner every day to share experiences and ideas.

[seanugget]

You are not old! Stop that right now young lady! :) I'm pretty much going to advise on what everyone else has already said. Do online check-in. Getting to the embarkation dock the day or night before is highly, highly recommended.

I live in coastal Maine and I can say you will probably need a light jacket, sweatshirt and long sleeved tops. But then again, we can hit the 80's in the blink of an eye even in fall so it wouldn't hurt to bring a pair of sandals and some shorts or sundresses.

Things to bring:

A good pair of sneakers/walking shoes

Binoculars

Nice camera

Light jacket/sweatshirt/long sleeved top/rain jacket/umbrella

Motion sickness tabs

Please feel free to ask questions about Maine should you be headed our way. :) Enjoy