Feedback Wanted: Help for First Time Cruisers

[LauraS]

Calling all Experienced Cruisers: We’re working on an upcoming article for first time cruisers and would love to get your feedback!

What question(s) are you asked most frequently by first time cruisers (and feel free to note how you reply). Please feel free to note anything else you might want to add that you wished you had known prior to your first cruise.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Laura

[cruiserone]

Friends who wanted to go sooo bad but were afraid they would not enjoy themselves due to being sea sick. My best advice was to book a room at the middle of the ship, in the middle of the ship! We spent our first 3 cruises in that location over 18 years ago and I have passed that on to "first time" cruisers and everytime they have told us "It worked". Of course they are all now full time cruisers!!:D

[PhoenixCruiser]

Not really a question, however I would recommend that they call their charge card companies and inform them where they will be traveling to. This way they will not have a problem charging something.

 

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[Happy ks]

I would caution them not to take the packing lists they will read here too seriously. I often read how people purchase a bunch of stuff, then ask what it's used for!

 

You have to consider your own needs, you really don't need that extension cord if you air dry your hair, have a 35mm camera and don't carry along a laptop!

 

Some of the lists I read here are great, for camping or travelling the world for a year.

[sas80]

"I am afraid I will feel confined on a ship" is the one I always get when talking about cruising.

I just cite the numerous activities aboard and the daily program that is left in your room.

[Slam308]

My first advice to new cruisers, before they even ask, is to check out the deck plans before you leave. Every time you start thinking about "how many days to go" check out that deck plan. That way you get on the ship and have some sense of where things are and don't spend half of your week trying to find the pool, Windjammer, whatever.

The other thing is that the ship leaves very shortly after the muster drill. My first two cruises, we missed sail away because we went back to the cabin after muster, saw our luggage there and decided to unpack. Drag the luggage into the cabin and leave it. Get back up on deck (quickly) and enjoy the sights of them throwing off the lines and leaving the port.

There's nothing like it!

[sherry7]

You really DON'T need 30 outfits of clothes and 10 pair of shoes per person for a 7 day cruise. Really, you don't. :)

[harrodsfan]

I think my love of cruising is do to the fact that Bonine works...

and the best other things to pack are flexibility and a sense of humor!

[dyanna72]

One of the first questions usually asked is after making final payment what else do I have to pay for. Ex...drinks, shore excursions, souviners, tips, Johnny Rockets, Ben & Jerry's, Chops, Portofinos etc...

 

Dyanna

[smeyer418]

How does tipping work is a biggie. You shouldn't have to worry about tipping but people do. What can I bring? should I buy my own snorkle gear? How does eating work?

 

What I tell people is to relax get on the ship as early as possible... Most people don't know that when it says boarding at x you can almost always get on a couple of hours earlier. Almost every ship has a ships tour that takes you to the public areas. Yes they do try to sell you somethings(don't buy anything on the tour), but it will be a good orientation to the ship and you will meet other people just like you and they sometimes hand out discount cards or have a contest for something.

Also pack to carry on a change of clothes(swimming suit), your toiletries and any thing valuable so you can change as soon as they let you into your room and not have to wait for your luggage.

[wrp96]

I would advise people to be flexible. Don't overplan your vacation because the second you do, that is when things start to go wrong. Ports can change, excursions can be cancelled. Go with the idea of no matter where you go and what you do, you are on vacation and then you'll have a good time and won't be disappointed.

[Love2cruisegirl]

A big one I've seen is regarding shore excursions. Should I go thru the cruise line or try to organize a tour w/an independent tour company. A seasoned cruiser knows to research the port, find out how long/far away the excursion will go/take place and only book thru independent tour guides that you have recommendations for-never someone that no one has any information on. A 'newbie' might not think about the time factor involved & that a ship will leave you if you're on an independent tour & running late getting back to the ship. However, booking on your own can save you a good bit of money. It's just something that you must investigate for each port.

[HappyFamilyNJ]

Friends often ask whether my kids enjoy cruising (they LOVE it) and are afraid there aren't enough options for them. First time cruisers should know that many cruise lines make a big effort to keep the kids happy and that they'll never hear "I'm bored!"

[wrp96]

Another frequent question, I see is "Can I make this flight? It's a lot cheaper than all the other ones."

 

Don't book a flight before noon. Instead of ruining a great vacation by stressing over whether you can make a flight at the end, book the later flight and plan on doing some sightseeing in port. The cheaper the flight, the less likely it is a cruiser can make it. And remember, it's a lot easier to fly standby on an earlier flight because at least you are guaranteed the later flight, than to miss the earlier flight and try to get home flying standby on the later flight.

[paulap70]

If you have to fly to the port, fly down a day or two earlier so you don't have to deal with missed or late flights.

 

Extend your vacation by staying a day or two later in the port city. When you get off the ship by 9 or 10 AM and can be at a hotel by 11 AM (instead of a crowded airport), you'll nearly have the whole day. Usually, the next morning at the airport is not as crowded since the new cruise ship passengers have sailed away and your shipmates have flown back home!

 

Be aware that the cruise line is a business out to make money. There will be NUMEROUS places to purchase items onboard - drink of the day served in a really cool glass that's yours to keep - lots of photographs - etc. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the cruise and to blow your budget by buying all of this stuff, but like everything else, once you get home, you'll ask yourself, "why did I buy ALL of this" - by all means, get souvenirs, but don't go "overboard" with it! I am speaking from experience - I have a cupboard full of those little cordials from dinner "love cups" from RCCL, in an array of shiny colors. Have I EVER brought them out, even once - NO!

[familycruzer]

Make an informed decision -

 

Study the cruise lines and ships before you even book. That way you will have an idea if you are about to cruise on a ship that is suited for your taste and style.

[Nliedel]

Calling all Experienced Cruisers: We’re working on an upcoming article for first time cruisers and would love to get your feedback!

 

What question(s) are you asked most frequently by first time cruisers (and feel free to note how you reply). Please feel free to note anything else you might want to add that you wished you had known prior to your first cruise.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Laura

 

What time can you board the ship?

What is really included?

Will I be bored?

Will I get seasick?

Will I get enough to eat in the Speciality Restaurants?

How does debarkation go?

What don't I want to miss?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

and then relax and enjoy your day! We made it a habit to thoroughly read the Compass left in our room every day. Not only were we able to plan any activities that we wanted to participate in, but we stayed informed on special port instructions & other helpful tidbits. I was amazed at the people who had no clue about where to pick up tender tickets, for example. One tendering day there were several people who became quite upset when they found out they could not board an early tender ashore just because they wanted to. Imagine that! They were told go get in line for a ticket and then wait for their number to be called. Whereas we had read in the Compass the night before when & where tickets could be picked up, sent one person to get them early & were on the first tender to meet our planned shore excursion. Simple.

 

Many helpful & time saving information is available for those who would take the time to read a little in the evening. Of course if you are planning on partying that night you may want to read your Compass BEFORE you go out.........:D

[Nliedel]

You know I was an anti "bring the duct tape" kind of girl until the last cruise. OK, except for taping the children up so I could go out late at night (kidding, we used the ships sitter service and loved it) I could find no use for it at all. However, a yellow highlighter was top notch for marking my Compass. I took a small one and used it every day.

[PelicanBill]

Learn what the dress code is for dinner, then bring appropriate clothes for each dinner if you plan to eat in the dining room, plus casual clothes for ship and port days, plus bathing suits for lounging by the pool. (You do need a lot of clothes!) Bring an extra shirt, extra pair of shorts in case one gets soiled. Coin laundry is available on many Carnival ships but not on RCI ships!

 

Cabins get dark at night. A night light and extension cord so you can plug it in is useful.

 

Bring all the medicines you might want if you get sick, plus a thermometer, and basic first aid materials. A visit to the nurse or doctor is VERY expensive.

 

On smaller ships, the cabins will feel very small and you may feel ship movement more. On larger ships the movement is felt less and the cabins tend to be a bit bigger.

 

Be prepared for changes of itinerary and ports - know that this can change will little notice, and understand it so you are not surprised if it happens on your trip.

 

Make sure you understand tipping expectations and have the money prepared or plan to put it on your ship account.

 

Make sure you have proper identity documents - passports, or while still valid, driver's licenses with your correct name. Separated/diorced parents may need special documents with notarized permission for travel from the other parent!

 

The ship's pools are probably salt water!

 

Cell phones do not work on ships (except for a new GSM system being installed on RCI ships.) Some services work in some ports. Contact your provider to learn if they will work at your ports (and despite what they say, it may still work even if they said no or it may not work if they said yes.)

If you can get them to work, it is much cheaper to use your cell phone with roaming than the ship to shore phones. Public phones in ports may be a good way to call home but they may be very costly too.

 

If you're bringing a digital camera buy extra cards and batteries to last the whole trip.

[East Islander]

For the Men -

Can't stress this enough. I found that renting Tux and packing only the essentials works best. I limit the amount of clothing I wear to a couple of days and rotate the items by having the laundry service clean my clothing. This is an excellent way to downsize the luggage and have room to pack those itmes you purchase on the cruise.

[Host Caroline]

Always take at least one of the little disposable cameras (we like Fujifilm) with you in those locking sandwich bags -- or even two -- you never know when you will decide to do a tour that might get you wet -- or it will decide to rain on you and you won't want to get your good camera wet... Also excellent for beach days on private islands... something you COULD live w/out if it got "lost"... which BTW seldom happens.

Also, if you are going on a warm weather itinerary that could get switched on you (as has happened to us 4 years in a row in hurricane season), take one of the disposable underwater cameras! YOu will save money when you decide to go snorkeling on your new itinerary. We have amazing pictures underwater and above from our Stingray Sandbar tour in Sept but paid a lot for that camera in Coz...

Crusing next year in early December with the Hurricane Avoidance Cruisers.. c'mon along and "Meet the HAC-ers"!!!! :) on the Explorer of the Seas!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

My best advice would be to be.....

 

Always take insurance!!!

 

If you are booking during hurricane season, be flexible and expect some changes.

 

Be aware of what cabin location. Look at what is above, near and next to the cabin to decide if the location is what you really want. Sometimes going up one category for just a few dollars makes a huge difference in location.

 

And my all time favorite piece of advice.......

 

TAKE AWAY HALF THE CLOTHES, AND DOUBLE THE MONEY!!!! :D

 

 

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[starry]

Seems everyone asks about clothing and all the "lists" talk all about the subject but the one thing we learned from our first cruise is pack a daybag for when you board. Nothing worse then flying in from the North and watching everyone else who boarded enjoy themselves while you await your luggage to be able to get into your swim suit, shorts, whatever.

[joeyancho]

As the saying goes, "Get Out There"... Take an excursion. Learn about the local culture. Taste the local cuisine. Taste the local beer. See how othey live in their country. Get wet. Don't just go shopping. A cruise is an adventure.........be adventurous.