First Timer - Don't know what to expect...

[roger75]

I just booked my first cruise on the Caribbean Princess from Pt. Everglades. It's an Eastern Caribbean itinerary leaving the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26). I've done resort vacations before in Cancun and Grand Cayman and have always wanted to give cruising a try in order to compare the two types of vacations. I live in NC, but used to live in Ft. Lauderdale and work at Pt. Everglades. I saw the ships coming in and out on a daily basis and some of them looked very nice. Anyway, I've done so much research that I'm sick of it :) I finally booked this through an internet agency, cruise.com, and saved about $80 per person on this trip. They have a building in Pt. Everglades and I just decided to try and compare them with expedia, travelocity, etc. Hope this turns out to be a good choice of booking. I've taken friends to the cruise ships before and I know what kind of a madhouse it can be when they are boarding. However, I don't anything about tipping or how shore excursions work. I've also heard both good things and bad things about all cruise ships, the food, etc. so I hope that all the negative remarks I've read just come from overly critical people. I'm very much looking forward to this, I just hope that I don't end up hating the experience. I know a lot of people ask the same questions on here, but if anyone can give any "must know" advice, it would be appreciated. Thanks.

[kitty9]

Tipping is really quite easy, but for some reason, people seem to get all worked up about it. You basically tip your room steward, waiter, assistant waiter and anyone else that goes above and beyond the call of duty to serve you. That might mean the wine steward, your head waiter or a special bar waiter. When you order anything in a bar or lounge, a tip is automatically added to your bill, so you don't have to carry cash around with you for bars. You can tip in cash on the last evening, or you can put your tips on your shipboard account. Generally speaking, it's $10 per person per day for the various tips for those I mentioned above and that charge is added directly to your account.

 

As for shore excursions you have three choices: the ship's tours, private tours or going it alone by yourself. When your cruise gets closer you will receive a list of shore excursions along with your documents. You can also view the available tours on Princess' website. It's up to you on how you want to handle tours.

[wwinfl91]

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. Once many people try it they have a hard time going on any other kind of vacation. Don't worry about using an internet agency. We have booked all but one of our cruises with an Internet agency and have always been very satisfied with the service and the cruises. For a first cruise I would suggest going with cruise arranged excursions just to make sure you make it back to the ship before it sails. After you have your first cruise under your belt then start looking at arranging private excursions. Depending on your ports you may be able to just go ashore and do some sight seeing on your own but just make sure you plan ahead of time to be back at the ship at least an hour before the ship is scheduled to sail just to be safe. As the above poster mentioned tipping has become very easy as most cruise lines now will automatically charge a daily tip amount (about $10 a day) to cover the tip for your servers in the dining rooms and for your room steward to your room account. This eliminates having to bring or get cash and envelopes to give out tips on your own.

 

Generally for a week's cruise one suitcase and a carryon per person will contain everything you need for the cruise. If you are assigned Personal Choice (PC) dining that means you can go to dinner any time between 5:30 and 9:30 PM and probably will have a choice of a couple of dining rooms to go to. You can choose to sit with others or can ask for a table for just you and your partner. It is a nice feature we have enjoyed on both our Princess cruises.

 

Check out the Princess cruise board for lots of specific information Princess and your ship. Check out the port of call boards for whatever ports you are going to be stopping at for specific information on them.

 

Have a great first cruise.

[smolt]

We had the same concerns when we booked our first cruise, it took us about 10 seconds onboard to fall in love with cruising :D

 

Things to expect:

When you check in, you will be given a card (like a credit card) which acts as your room key, your ship identification and your ship's credit card. Most likely as you board the ship they will put your card into a machine and take your photo at the same time. The ship then has a photo record matching your face to your card. You put all your onboard purchases (like gifts, drinks, specialty dining) on the card and then settle up before you depart at the end of the cruise (or just have it all charged to your real credit card). You will need to show the card after excursions to get back on board the ship. It is the document you need to enter the ship and exit the various ports, remember entering and leaving various islands and ports is crossing international borders.

 

Food in the main dining rooms and main buffet rooms is included with your cruise. The food will be plentiful and available in several venues, from very early morning to late into the evening. If you want, you can eat multiple breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I would expect the food to be "good" to "very good" with an occassional "outstanding", of course that is a matter of your own taste and expectations. I think the ship you selected is known for its seafood selections which is a big plus for me. There will be a couple of specialty dining rooms which charge extra.

 

As a first timer, I would book excursions thru the cruise line, its a bit pricey but they take some of the responsibility for getting you to the right place at the right time. The cruise line will probably send you a booklet about 1 month before departure, browse thru the offerings to see what you might like. You can book online or just wait till you are on the ship and go to the excursions desk to get tickets. You aren't required to go on any excursions, many people just lounge on the ship all day or walk around town at their own pace. Again, its your preference, be as relaxed or busy as you want. There are a couple of things to keep in mind about shore excursions. Some ports have nice big piers. In those ports, you walk off the ship onto the pier and look for the sign that describes the excursion you have booked. Other ports require "tendering" either because there is no big pier or the waters are shallow. A tender is a smaller boat that carries passengers from the ship to the shore. If you booked early excursions thru the cruise line and need to take an tender, you will get early tickets for the tender. Other people have to wait for "open tendering" which may start a couple of hours later in the day. That can be a frustrating time for those who are waiting to get to shore and can't get into the early tenders. The tenders go back and forth between ship and shore all day, the time of the final tender to the ship is posted. If you miss it, the ship leaves without you and you make your own arrangements to catch up with the ship at the next port. That's an expensive error to make. Plan accordingly ;)

[MrsBoo]

#1 - Well in advance of your cruise make sure your identification is in order. Either passport or certified copy of your birth certificate & photo i.d. (I am always astonished by the number of posters that are looking for their birth certificate the night before the cruise)

 

At the dining venues that are included in the price of your cruise, you can ask for more than one of each course. Let's say there are 2 appetizers that sound good, order one of each. If there is something that is served that you don't care for, don't hesitate to ask for something else.

 

If there is a shore excursion you want to go on that has limited participation, be sure and book as soon as possible.

 

Just be aware that the "recommended shopping" stores have paid $$$ to the cruiselines for that recommendation.

 

I would also recommend to check purchases on your sea pass account on a daily basis. It is always easier to clear up any mistakes while you are on board the ship. If you wait til the end, you may have forgotten about certain purchases. It will also save you from "sticker shock" on the last night.

 

We also take lots of $1s & 5s with us for tips for porters, taxis, shore excursion guides, etc.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time.

[roger75]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I'm sure I'll be checking this board quite often to try and pick up as much info as possible!!!

[docksider21]

You mentioned you did resorts before, but not whether they were all inclusive. Alcohol is NOT included in your cruise fare. I met a guy onboard who was bummed out, cause they always did resorts before, and was used to a limitless open bar. This is strictly pay as you go.

 

1. If you like wine at dinner, order by the bottle the first night. If you don't finish it off, the bottle will be corked and stored for you and brought out to your table each night. So you can save vs. the by the glass cost.

 

2. If you are also partial to cocktails, order a bottle of your favorite spirit and set-ups from room service on the first night. You keep it in your cabin all trip. You are not to consume that alcohol in public areas, but I use it to make a little cocktail or two for while I shower and fix up for dinner. It gets the party started and with one or two under my belt already, I want less at the bar during cocktail hour, and that saves a little too.

[roger75]

No. I've never done the AI Resort vacations. Always the "European Plan". I'm not much of a drinker anyway. I will probably order a few, but doubt that I will drink every night. Thanks for the info.

[bakery]

Great information on ports that have tendering -- I hadn't read about that before. How do I find out in advance if a particular port requires tendering?

[docksider21]

Hi

 

Some ports have a pier, some don't. That is, there are some ports where you will always tender. Especially if you are on a new mega ship. The pier or the water is too shallow, etc. You can get some of this info from Frommer's or a Frommer's book.

 

Your TA can also ask the cruiseline about your specific sailing. May or may not get the info.

 

Sure, it's more convenient to be on the pier. But unless you have a disability (wheelchair, etc) that really need to avoid tendering, I don't see a big deal. It's just part of the trip. I use the tender time to view the shoreline, etc.

 

And ships often use their lifeboats as tenders, so I am glad to see that those puppies are working!

[smolt]

That question about tendering jogged a memory with me that I wanted to share. When you get your excursion tickets.. read the tickets! There are a couple reasons for this, first of all the tickets tell you what time to report for tendering :D and of course it is good to verify you actually got the excursion you asked for.

 

As docksider mentioned, tendering is actually fun. You are much closer to the ocean in the tender, almost like a joy-ride in the family boat. If you're lucky, you'll get a chance to see your ship in nice perspective. Have your camera ready, I think the image is much nicer without all those lines (ropes) that keep the ship tied to the pier.

 

The places where we have used tenders are Grand Cayman and Belize City. At Grand Cayman, its a short distance so the tenders were lifeboats launched from our ship. The distance from ship to shore was much greater at Belize City and the cruiseline had chartered local high speed launches to speed up the trip.

 

Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Costa Maya and Key West all had piers. Sorry I can't be more helpful but I suspect if you read thru these boards you will be able to learn which places use tenders and which have Piers.

[Host Kat]

Dear Roger75,

 

Per most cruise lines, tips for your food service or accommodation staff persons can be prepaid by having them added to your reservation by your agent, added to your on-board account to be paid with your credit card or paid in cash in the envelopes that will be provided in your stateroom the last night of the cruise for you to give your staff person.

 

Thanks to Theron P Keller, there is a site for a Cruise Tip Calculator to help on how many bills of each denomination will be needed if you pay cash. Just click on the site below & fill in how many days, adults, & click on your cruise line. The calculator will show you the suggested tip per person per day and the suggested total tip amount for the staff persons . There is a "Transfer" button which will move the suggested amounts over to the Actual Tip column and rounds up to the next dollar. There are links there for each box which round the tip up to the next closest $5.00 if you want. A recent poll showed that over 85% of the people tip the next highest $5.00 or more. The calculator will then give you the grand total at the bottom and also break out the number of 50s, 20s, 10s, 5s & 1s needed. You can uncheck the 50s box if you do not want to use them.

 

Click here:

 

When I plan to pay my tips in cash, I figure how much cash is needed & put it envelopes which are packed in my bag while still at home. Then when on-board, I unpack the envelopes and they are placed in my stateroom's safe. That way, the cash will be handy when needed that last night and not sucked up by one of the casino slots or Bingo games during the week!Also, it beats standing in a looooong line at the Purser's/Guest Relations Desk the day of the last night trying to get the type of bills needed.

 

It is nice to put a thank you card in the envelope for you to personally fill out for each person. (Yeah, I know. They love the "dead presidents" the best but everyone enjoys a special thank you every now and then!) I add more $$ to the envelopes that last night if the staff persons deserve it, which they usually do!

 

Please remember most cruise waiters, cabin attendants, bartenders, etc. do not get much of a salary (sometimes as low as only $1.25 a day or sometimes no salary at all). Your tips or gratuities are really their salaries. They work very long hours with many split shifts and with very little sleep. Their contracts are for 6 or 9 months at a time where they live in veerrrrry small cabins with 4 bunks and 3 roommates. Their cafeteria does not serve the same food as the passengers receive. (Our assistant waiter last cruise on Carnival's Glory said the food is very repetitive and gets very boring, very fast.) Most always, they do a fantastic job of waiting on you. They also work the buffet and other areas on the ship too. Please pay the full suggested tip per person per day by prepaying on your reservation with your agent, adding them on your on-board account or in cash. (Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. People that stiff the staff persons are a pet peeve of mine.)

 

Besides cash, the best "tip" by far is when you fill out the comment cards at the end of your cruise and write something using specifically a staff person's name. Raises and promotions are based on the comment cards. It is also good to personally write a letter to your cruise line with the staff person's name mentioned and be sure to put in specifically how they helped you, etc. Those letters are shared MUCH faster with the staff person by a Supervisor than the comment cards which they may not find out out about for weeks. When a good letter is received by a Supervisor, a crew person may be rewarded with extra time off, which is probably the best "tip" given the excruciating long hours they work.

 

The others you might need to tip in cash at the time of service are the Room Service folks if you order anything brought to your stateroom, Casino folks that are real helpful (Hey! Maybe they will steer you to a loose slot machine?), a special bartender that knows exactly how you want that drink, a special cocktail waitress that makes a point of making sure she waits on you and already knows what you like to order, a special cabin attendant that makes sure you always have enough ice, fresh towels, etc., Spa folks that make you feel rrrreeeeal good, or any of the ship crew members that go out of their way to be helpful. And don't forget while in port, taxi drivers and tour guides. Again, "dead presidents" always make you their new best friend!

 

Good luck, and welcome to the cruise world!!

 

Happy trails,

 

Kat

[TPKeller]

Thanks Kat, that was quite a generous and thorough plug for the tip calculator! :)

 

Theron

[Host Kat]

Just trying to be helpful as an old Girl Scout should!

 

Your calculator is really neat and I like to tell anyone I can about it.

 

"On my honor, I will try, to do my duty, to God and my country, to help other people, at all times, and to obey the Girl Scout laws."

 

Er, uh... it's been a long time... hope I got that right!

 

Happy trails,

 

Kat

[TPKeller]

Your calculator is really neat and I like to tell anyone I can about it.

Thanks! A few people have been talking about it... It just reached 60,000 hits a couple days ago! :)

 

Theron

[Happy ks]

Some really great advice, I love reading from first timers, the excitement can almost be felt.

 

I know you want your first cruise to be special, everyone does, but I'd just like to advise you to watch what you are spending. It's very easy to go way over budget on a cruise. Unless you have a limitless budget, learn to just say no to all the "goodies" onboard. Our first couple of cruises, we succumbed to the lure of the souvenir glasses, photos and cruise-logo items. Sad to say, most of it went into the trash shortly after returning home.

 

Now, we wait until the end of the week to purchase one photo (you can group them all together, you can have them discard embarrasing shots :D ). If we order the drink of the day, we order it in a regular glass, it's a buck or more cheaper and you will be surprised how many of the souv. glasses you see laying about. Also, a good thing to know about tipping for beverages, there is always a 15% gratuity included in the price of the drink. There is an extra line for additional tips and it is fine to tip more if you want to.

 

One more thing, watch what you pack. Remember it is a cruise ship, very much like a nice resort. There is most of what you need available right at your fingertips. I read lengthy packing lists on these boards and I have to say, if you don't know what an item is being used for, you probably don't need it. If you're flying to your port city, use the allowable weight for clothing, shoes, toiletries and such. Leave the blender and the coffee maker at home (yes, I read of people taking these items on a cruise).

 

Have a wonderful time planning your cruise.