First time cruisers - please help!!!

[Jefficy1234]

Hey everyone!

 

 

 

Me and my family are first time cruisers so this vacation may be more stressful for us than most people. We are cruising on Allure of the Seas January 2017 as many people said it was a BEAUTIFAL ship and I AGREE (from the photos at least haha)

 

 

 

 

 

1. Do any experience cruisers have any very important tips for those that are cruising for the first time? Any tips no matter how small or how important are wanted. Basically anything you wish you had known on your first trip!!

 

 

 

 

 

2. We are doing Western Carribean! Our ship (Allure of the Seas) will be departing from Fort Launderdale (Port Everglades I believe) and will be stopping at Nassau, Bahamas, Cozumel, Mexico, and Costa Maya, Mexico. How is the weather in the Western Carribean? Is there bad weather often? Also, anyone have recommended excursions for these three ports? If we do not go an excursion, how easy is it for us to travel to attractions at these ports? Lots of choices but we really want to get the best out of our money so any recommendations would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

 

 

 

 

3. How worthwhile are the drink and wifi plans? Again, another extra charge that our family is debating to purchase or not.

 

 

 

 

 

4. We have My time dining and we have booked at the Main Dining room for each of the dinners for the six nights. Will this be too repetitive? Are any of the a la cartel restaurants actually worth it? Are there specialty days for restaurants-ex. Seafood night? Besides from the main dining room are their other restauarant that are complimentary for dinner or is it just the main dining room? If you do not reserve online, will you still be able to reserve on the ship? If we were too reserve one night for a paid restaurant - which restaurant would be the best choice for a family of 4? I've also been confused because I believed the windjammer and MDR are different areas on the ship- please confirm!

 

 

 

 

 

5. What floor has the best rooms. We have booked a room on the back of the ship on the seventh deck with a balcony facing the ocean. Will this have a nice view of the ship and ocean?

 

 

 

 

 

6. My family has been interested in this excursion:

 

 

 

Tulum Mayan Ruins and Fifth Avenue Experience

 

 

 

COZUMEL, MEXICO / DURATION: 8 HOURS

 

 

 

PRICES

 

 

 

134.64*CAD*Adult*

 

107.44*CAD*Child

 

 

 

Has anyone been on it before? Is it worth the cost? We just want to visit the Mayan Ruins not anything fancy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, IT WILL BE A HUGE HELP TO US!

 

 

***ANY*** opinion/answers will be looked at so please state any opinions or info you have!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Jeffrey

Edited December 8, 2016 by Jefficy1234

[Biker19]

Some of these might help:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/allure

[dmc6469]

6. My family has been interested in this excursion:

 

Tulum Mayan Ruins

 

I just booked this excursion for our cruise in January. People I've spoken with highly recommend it!

[troykahack]

Hey everyone!

 

Me and my family are first time cruisers so this vacation may be more stressful for us than most people. We are cruising on Allure of the Seas January 2017 as many people said it was a BEAUTIFAL ship and I AGREE (from the photos at least haha)

 

 

1. Do any experience cruisers have any very important tips for those that are cruising for the first time? Any tips no matter how small or how important are wanted. Basically anything you wish you had known on your first trip!!

 

 

2. We are doing Western Carribean! Our ship (Allure of the Seas) will be departing from Fort Launderdale (Port Everglades I believe) and will be stopping at Nassau, Bahamas, Cozumel, Mexico, and Costa Maya, Mexico. How is the weather in the Western Carribean? Is there bad weather often? Also, anyone have recommended excursions for these three ports? If we do not go an excursion, how easy is it for us to travel to attractions at these ports? Lots of choices but we really want to get the best out of our money so any recommendations would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

 

3. How worthwhile are the drink and wifi plans? Again, another extra charge that our family is debating to purchase or not.

 

 

4. We have My time dining and we have booked at the Main Dining room for each of the dinners for the six nights. Will this be too repetitive? Are any of the a la cartel restaurants actually worth it? Are there specialty days for restaurants-ex. Seafood night? Besides from the main dining room are their other restauarant that are complimentary for dinner or is it just the main dining room? If you do not reserve online, will you still be able to reserve on the ship? If we were too reserve one night for a paid restaurant - which restaurant would be the best choice for a family of 4? I've also been confused because I believed the windjammer and MDR are different areas on the ship- please confirm!

 

 

5. What floor has the best rooms. We have booked a room on the back of the ship on the seventh deck with a balcony facing the ocean. Will this have a nice view of the ship and ocean?

 

 

6. My family has been interested in this excursion:

 

Tulum Mayan Ruins and Fifth Avenue Experience

 

COZUMEL, MEXICO / DURATION: 8 HOURS

 

PRICES

 

134.64*CAD*Adult*

107.44*CAD*Child

 

Has anyone been on it before? Is it worth the cost? We just want to visit the Mayan Ruins not anything fancy.

 

 

 

 

IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, IT WILL BE A HUGE HELP TO US!

Any opinion/answers will be looked at so please state any opinions or info you have!!

 

 

 

 

- Jeffrey

 

We enjoy the drink package. My reason, already paid for and we like to sample lots of drinks... and lots of drinks... and it's already paid for..

 

I think you will be happy with a Deck 7 Balcony

 

We book MTD but make online reservations before the cruise.

Edited December 8, 2016 by troykahack

[jamesboat]

Tip 1: Cruise excursions are always higher priced than those offered by other travel agencies which in turn are higher priced than local agencies which are usually higher priced than doing things on your own.

 

Tip 2: Take lots of cash for the ports, especially smaller bills.

[CntPAcruiser]

Hi, and welcome.

 

You will not need an excursion in Nassau. It's the kind of place where, if you get off the ship at all, you can just wander around the touristy area of town, do a little shopping, maybe getting something to eat or drink. You'll walk off the ship basically right into town, and the straw market and other shopping are all within walking distance.

 

As for visiting the Tulum ruins in Cozumel, please be aware that this is a very long day. You will go by ferryboat to the mainland (usually a rough crossing, so take Bonine or something like that for motion sickness), then a bus, then do a lot of walking, all to see the ruins for an hour or so. And then you go back, with the walking, the bus, and the ferry. It's something to see, but can be exhausting. If they still offer the snorkel with sea turtles excursion in Cozumel, I'd recommend it. You still have to take the ferry and bus, but it was a great day in the water and the turtles were amazing.

 

My suggestion is to see the Chacchoben ruins when you're in Costa Maya. We used Native Choice (https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/chacchoben-ruins-tour) for a private tour, and it was excellent. You go by van, about an hour, and then are given a guided tour that takes you through the jungle, pyramids, and the ruins of a village. While Tulum has a more impressive overall look, the experience with Chacchoben, we found, was more interesting and a better look at the ruins.

Edited December 8, 2016 by CntPAcruiser

[NEARING 100 CRUISES]

First time cruisers want to participate in everything. Watch your on board spending. You should check your bill daily on the TV and make sure you can afford the things you are doing. Have fun. Your first cruise is the one you will remember forever. The weather will be warm. The interior of the ship is cool to prevent germs from spreading. Enjoy yourself.

 

Jerry

[bouhunter]

If you think you'll have more than 4 alcoholic drinks/day that package might make sense for you. For the kids, 3 or more soda's then get that package.

 

Weather should be in the 80's:)

 

Take some hi-lighters and go thru the Compass each night to hi-light what you might want to do the next day. Give the kids one and let them do the same!

 

Having a balcony, take binoculars.

 

Take some time the first day to walk the ship and get familiar with it.

 

Main Dining Room is the sit down "formal" one where they serve you. WindJammer is the buffet.

 

If you log into MyCruises at RCCL you should be able to reserve some of the shows if interested.

Edited December 8, 2016 by bouhunter

[BillOh]

this vacation may be more stressful for us than most people. ......

 

1. Do any experience cruisers have any very important tips for those that are cruising for the first time?

- Jeffrey

 

Dont' let it be stressful! Make sure you enjoy yourself. You don't have to do see everything, they let you come back if you like it.

 

Do study the deck plans, getting around is easier if you know where you are going.

[Wolfhunt]

You will get a Cruise Compass in your stateroom each night. This is the ships daily schedule of activities. I would suggest picking up a few extra copies at guest services each day so everyone has a copy.

 

Work out some sort of communication system on the ship. It can be something as simple as post-it notes put somewhere in the cabin that everyone in your party knows to look. This way if your group decides on splitting up you can leave a note letting everyone know where to find you or you to find them.

 

As hard as it will be, try not to do everything. The Allure is an incredible ship but can be overwhelming. Try to plan some down time each day. Veg out at the pool, listen to one of the piano/guitar/bands in a club at night, or even (my favorite) sit on your balcony with a drink and enjoy the view.

 

Have a great cruise

[cb at sea]

I would hit my local library and pick up a guidebook on your ports....they are in the reference section....and it will give you a good idea how easy it is to DIY...most things are very easy to do on your own, and it can really save you BIG BUCKS!

 

If you do a DIY thing, make sure you bring a WATCH...do NOT rely on your phone for the correct time! Always make sure your WATCH is set to the same time as the ship's clocks (they are at all exits!) before you leave the ship! That way, you won't get confused about "local" vs. "ship" time. Ship's time is ALL that matters!

 

The packages really depend on your drinking habits. If you only have a drink now and again, a package isn't worth it. If you're big drinkers on vacation, then get the package!

Included drinks are: ice water, coffee, tea (iced or hot), lemonade or fruit punch or flavored water (depends on the ship), milk and juices at breakfast.

[Sysdeath]

Congratulations on your first cruise vacation! The folks before me gave you suggestions. Just to pile on, don't stress out. Everyone wants the perfect vacation and that seldom happens. There will be at least one hiccup along the way.

 

Tulum is great for the family. Cozumel is great for shopping too.

 

Unless you have to stay connected to home or work, turn off the Wifi. It's one of the few times you get to disconnect from the online world. I have to keep my phone available because of work and aging parents. I just turn my data off, and leave my phone on for voice calls. Plus, I use my phone for music and taking photos too.

 

 

 

IPad Application

[Ken Greco]

You booked a cabin at the back of the ship; fantastic location but there is one major drawback. To walk to the all the shows in the major theater is a very long way from the cabin so plan accordingly so you do not have to go back if you forget something. I measured it one year and it is just under 1/2 mile back and forth. Take some time out and stroll thru central park at night when most of the diners have left. I will amaze you that you forget you are on a ship. The first year they had bird singing with recordings there; now there are live birds living in central park and they thankfully are not seagulls.

[Biker19]

F The interior of the ship is cool to prevent germs from spreading.

 

:confused: https://weather.com/health/news/cold-air-fosters-the-spread-of-cold-germs

[Losnab]

Here are a few things I always bring: First aide kit. Magnets for hanging schedules etc. A multi outlet plug. Enjoy!

 

 

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[crusinot]

- Don't over pack

-We have booked excursions at every port and felt like we rushed for most of vacation to get here and there. Best cruise has been getting off ship and hiring a taxi for a tour with a beach stop.

-In Cozumel I took my teenage sons on the fury catamaran and snorkel beach break. Awesome. with my husband and another couple we recently visited Mr Sanchos while In Cozumel. $55 everything included food and drinks. If you have children they have a section w/ water toys (extra charge) Awesome time!

-In Nassau. Very pushy vendors in Straw Market. Walk, shop eat and visit Junkaroo Beach. It is free! very Close to Senior Frogs.

 

-We enjoyed our first cruise and were hooked from then on. Congratulations! Relax and enjoy.

[kalliekae]

I agree that Tulum is a very long day. My dd and dh never get seasick and they were both queasy by the time they reached shore. The waters were very choppy so take Bonine or something similar to be safe.

 

The Allure is our favorite ship. We enjoy eating outside at Chops in Central Park. The atmosphere is lovely and there is usually live music in the evening. Izumi is also a fun place to eat and your family will enjoy the chefs cooking the meal and putting on a show. Be sure to make reservations for the Aqua show on the first night in case it gets cancelled due to weather on later nights. It is well worth seeing. Personally, I would make reservations for all the shows that interest you. If you make reservations for a show and decide not to attend, no worries. There is always a waiting line of people who want to get in so the seat does not go unused.

 

Relax and enjoy your cruise!

[grandmarnnurse]

First tip, make sure you have a carry on bag for everything you will need that first day/evening on ship, as your luggage may not make it to your cabin until that evening.

Second tip, if you are not big alcohol drinkers, the packages are not worth it. Not sure how much soda your family drinks, so even that package may not be worth it. Plenty of free beverages on ship. As for the wifi package, we "unplug" on vacation, as does our kids and their families, so we NEVER buy any wifi package.

Third tip, MDR food is very good, as is buffet. No need to add more cost of specialty restaurants, unless that's your thing.

As for deck 7-- the lower decks are better for less rocking, if you are susceptible to motion sickness.

And I did Tulum excursion several years ago. Long ride, and not worth the cost. But just my opinion.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[southnam]

Check the new cruisers forum.... Great stuff there. The check the forum for each of the stops, they will give you better info as those who visited those forums have often done a lot of research. Finally join the roll call for your cruise. Great source of information there too. Enjoy

 

Sent from my BlackBerry Dtek50

[wilmingtech]

Hey everyone!

 

 

 

Me and my family are first time cruisers so this vacation may be more stressful for us than most people. We are cruising on Allure of the Seas January 2017 as many people said it was a BEAUTIFAL ship and I AGREE (from the photos at least haha)

 

 

 

 

 

1. Do any experience cruisers have any very important tips for those that are cruising for the first time? Any tips no matter how small or how important are wanted. Basically anything you wish you had known on your first trip!!

 

 

 

 

 

2. We are doing Western Carribean! Our ship (Allure of the Seas) will be departing from Fort Launderdale (Port Everglades I believe) and will be stopping at Nassau, Bahamas, Cozumel, Mexico, and Costa Maya, Mexico. How is the weather in the Western Carribean? Is there bad weather often? Also, anyone have recommended excursions for these three ports? If we do not go an excursion, how easy is it for us to travel to attractions at these ports? Lots of choices but we really want to get the best out of our money so any recommendations would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

 

 

 

 

3. How worthwhile are the drink and wifi plans? Again, another extra charge that our family is debating to purchase or not.

 

 

 

 

 

4. We have My time dining and we have booked at the Main Dining room for each of the dinners for the six nights. Will this be too repetitive? Are any of the a la cartel restaurants actually worth it? Are there specialty days for restaurants-ex. Seafood night? Besides from the main dining room are their other restauarant that are complimentary for dinner or is it just the main dining room? If you do not reserve online, will you still be able to reserve on the ship? If we were too reserve one night for a paid restaurant - which restaurant would be the best choice for a family of 4? I've also been confused because I believed the windjammer and MDR are different areas on the ship- please confirm!

 

 

 

 

 

5. What floor has the best rooms. We have booked a room on the back of the ship on the seventh deck with a balcony facing the ocean. Will this have a nice view of the ship and ocean?

 

 

 

 

 

6. My family has been interested in this excursion:

 

 

 

Tulum Mayan Ruins and Fifth Avenue Experience

 

 

 

COZUMEL, MEXICO / DURATION: 8 HOURS

 

 

 

PRICES

 

 

 

134.64*CAD*Adult*

 

107.44*CAD*Child

 

 

 

Has anyone been on it before? Is it worth the cost? We just want to visit the Mayan Ruins not anything fancy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, IT WILL BE A HUGE HELP TO US!

 

 

***ANY*** opinion/answers will be looked at so please state any opinions or info you have!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Jeffrey

 

1. Welcome to cruising. Its an addiction. After out first cruise we booked 2 more within a 12 month period. Just be prepared for that. Bring cash as others have said. We prepaid our grats but there were many times where servers, bartenders, room attendant and pool attendants went out of their way for us and (please dont feel that you have to because it is unnecessary) we liked being able to show our appreciation for them via tipping. Also - Cash goes a long way on the Islands. It will be overwhelming trying to schedule everything. Almost stressful. If you can, try and get copies of the Cruise Compass a few months out before you go. Get a look at whats happening on the ship, decide what is a MUST DO, what is a maybe and whats a not interested before you get on board. That helped us alot. There were suprisingly only a few MUST Do's for us and we let everything else we just let fall into place.

 

2. If I had to do my first cruise over again I would have skipped the excursions the first time. Only because it seemed that we missed out on the Islands themselves. We would spend the day traveling to and doing the excursion and then get back and be on the ship an hour before all aboard and it seemed we missed everything in port. Remember the first thing I said. Its an addiction. You will be back. Enjoy your first cruise with walks around the ports, local beaches, local shops. The exception to this may be Nassau...

 

3. First time we had wifi for one day and it was awful, couldn't even send an email. Since then they have upgraded all the larger ships so it should be use-able. I only get Wifi because I need to check into work to make coming back into reality a little less hectic on my inbox. My wife hates that I get wifi. She wants me to bury my phone when I get onboard and pay attention to her the whole time. Its hard not to pay attention to her the whole time but thats another story. As far as the drink packages... I could spend a day drinking but 2 days? 3 days? I think by day 4 i'd be worn out. We usually have OBC and use that for drinks. We mostly drink water (as do our kids) so drink packages dont work for us. We do buy the coffee card though. 15 drinks gets us each a morning coffee on a 7 day cruise.

 

4. We did the MDR just about every night on our first cruise. We had great service and loved it. Sometimes we would snack at WJ with the kids early (they had dinner) they would go do something fun (Kids club, movie in the room) and we would have a nice dinner for 2 in the MDR. We have not done specialty on RCI but have on NCL. Loved Specialty on NCL, our next RCI we have already planned a night at Sabor and might add another night for just wifey and I when we get on the ship (yes you can make ressies on board).

There are a number of complimentary eateries on Oasis class ships including MDR, WJ, Sorrentos (Meh), Park Cafe... you'll have to do some research for the others.. Windjammer(buffet) and MDR(seated service) are completely different although sometimes you do find the same dishes in both places on the same night.

 

5 & 6 cant help with. We have only been on the Freedom OTS. Kind of jealous that you are on the Allure for your first cruise.

 

Have a great time!!!

 

-Sean

[molsonschooner]

As some one else mentioned, bring a first aid kit. Make sure it has something for sea sickness. With any luck you will have smooth seas but in case you do get a little sick you will want something to help. There are different over the counter medications you could try. Ginger works well for some people as does green apples. I have never needed anything, hopefully you won't need anything either. Don't forget to bring any prescriptions you take, have them in your carry on when you board

[dh464]

In Nassau you can do a walking tour of the city on your own. This review http://www.zydecocruiser.net/nassau_walking_apr_2006.htm with pictures years ago inspire me to make my family do this And we had a great day.

Edited December 9, 2016 by dh464

[rkkunk]

Are you sailing on Jan. 2? We will be on that 6 night sailing. It will be our 3rd time on the Allure. She is a beautiful ship!

As far as specialty restaurants, Giovanni's is our favorite. Great food and service and to save a little money, you can go for lunch instead of dinner. Maybe choose an evening after a busy port day to have dinner in the Windjammer at the buffet. That way you don't feel so rushed to get ready for dinner in the MDR. We did that on our last Allure cruise and it felt so nice to not feel so rushed to get everyone ready for dinner after a port day. We thought the food was good, although we still preferred the MDR.

 

Our favorite shows are the aqua theater show and the ice skating show. Although we did see Momma Mia and it was really good too! (Probably not for young kids)

 

I probably would not spend money on an excursion in Nassau. You can get off of the ship and walk around. As with any other tourist spot, just be aware of your surroundings. In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. It was a nice inexpensive beach day. The taxi was $15 one way. The admission fee at Paradise Beach was $3 per person and they ask that you spend $10 per person for food or drinks. That is not hard to do. They have a nice beach with loungers and shade. They have a nice big pool with more loungers and the bar is right there. There is an area out in the water with toys for people to climb/slide on. (Extra charge) I'm pretty sure there were jet skis to rent. They also have a pier that you can out on and a ladder to go out into the water and snorkel. We spent less than $80 for the 3 of us for the day. The facilities were clean. We have never been to Costa Maya before.

 

There is just so much to do! As someone else said, don't try to do everything. Make sure you have a few must do/see things, then if you have time, fill in with some other things that interest you. But, do make sure that you have some down time to relax and enjoy! Central Park is a nice place to unwind. They usually have some nice soothing live music playing there in the evening. The Trellis Bar there is a nice place to get a drink.

 

I hope that you and your family enjoy the cruise and the Allure! Like another person said, it can be addictive.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited December 9, 2016 by rkkunk

[vacationlover_mn]

Here are my thoughts/tips...

Bring at least 2 swimsuits, and try to remember to rinse them out if you go in saltwater (they can get very stinky).

We REALLY got a kick out of doing ship excursions maybe our first 5 trips. Yes, they are more expensive, but going with the ship was less stressful for us, and picking them out was like Christmas :). Now that we've visited a lot of places once, we do about half on our own, half with ship.

 

On the Oasis class, I recommends booking everything in advance that you possibly can, like the shows and even my time dining.

 

Guys don't need a tux, in fact many guys don't even where a coat on formal nights. Lately my DH has been bringing a black sports coat/tie for formal nights, but only cuz we want cute formal pictures.

 

Some of the bars have different drinks! For example, Boleros has a coconut mojito.

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Definitely have a plan for Nassau. I think those who say just get off the ship and walk around are those that report back not to get off the ship at this port. There are free walking tours online, there is the free beach at Junkanoo, there are many hotel day passes, I believe a Segway tour - do your homework. We've done Atlantis twice, the Amelia, and the Hilton, and always had a great day.