What do you remember about your first time?

[HAPPYCRUISINGIRL]

you cruised...since I haven't gone yet I have to live through all of you...:D Was it the size of the ship, The decor, the people...the whole experience? Will be going on my first cruise in 27 days!!!!

[SmooCruise]

What I remember most is the food. It was so good!!! And it seemed like we were constantly eating. And the service. We felt very pampered. There were lots of other good things too....the shows, sitting on the deck sipping coffee in the morning....foo-foo drinks on the Lido deck...napping in our room in the afternoon while the ship gently rocked us to sleep. Ahhhh....so many memories Wish I was cruising again....wait! I am! In six days!!!!! *LOL*

 

But the biggest memory was the food. You are in for a great time!

[star10]

I have to say the beauty of the ship. And being in awe that we were in the middle of the ocean with no cares....

 

You are going to have so much fun!

[jw4jg1mg2eg1]

Our first cruise was in April 2005 on the Elation out of Galveston. There was my husband & I, all 3 of our kids & our granddaughter. The kids & I would make a special trip to Galveston a couple of times a month for several months prior to our sailing date & just watch that ship leave & we would be so envious of the people on it...lol.Finally when our turn came, all I could think of when we were making our way down that final stretch of the gangway was that it just won't be real unles I touch the ship on my way in. So, as I was going through the threshhold, I reached up & touched the Elation & OH WHAT A THRILL!!...LOL...GOSH! After I got over that (I really don't think I ever did get over it..can ya tell?), we were in the atrium. It was so beautiful.

I found my absolute most favorite spot in the whole world on that ship. I loved sitting out beside Tiffany's (portside) with my cup of coffee & my hubby. Just sitting there watching the world go by was so awsome. Or sitting behind Tiffany's watching the wake was so calming.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise & that you enjoy that ship as much as we did.

[deeolasingh]

you cruised...since I haven't gone yet I have to live through all of you...:D Was it the size of the ship, The decor, the people...the whole experience? Will be going on my first cruise in 27 days!!!!

 

It was all of the above for me.... but I must add the ports of call also played a major role in me wanting to do it again and again... well let me just say again cause I will be going on my 2nd cruise feb 02... I had always seen the beautiful blue/green waters in pictures but the pic did nothing for the real thing:) have a wonderful cruise.....

[MAO]

I have responded to a similar thread awhile ago...but how can you not think of that bittersweet virgin cruise....

I remember the total awe at the HUGEness of the ship, being somewhat disoriented to my surroundings and my sister in law telling me we had already passed onto the ship when I asked her, quite innocently, "when do we get onto the ship?", of couse we were still in the check in building!!

I remember endless food, the atrium....looking up up up and not believeing this is a ship!

We had been upgrded to a balcony (have not gone back) and sitting out there looking up at the stars, looking out at the sea....I had tears in my eyes at how lucky i was to experiance something so fantastic!

 

I AM ADDICTED....

Hope your memories are as wonderful as mine.

MAO

[cruisinbuddy]

I'm glad you ment 1st "cruise" and not 1st "time" LOL. Well the main thing I remember about our 1st cruise is everything. We had the quintesential (sp), perfect cruise. It was in '99 and I still can't think of a fault, and not just b/c it was the first time we ever traveled. The main things are, it was a tiny ship, 27,000 tons, decor wasn't that memorable but it wasn't gaudy either. The food was impecable and I'm a chef, our servers never missed a step. The shows that we did get to were good. The staff were great,the islands were awesome. Going on our first snorkling catamaran excursion was the best. The only problem with this cruise is that the benchmark has been set very high for the rest of our cruises, and none of them have come close yet, but that's not keeping us from going. #5 is in January. Remember have a great time and take lot's of pictures to remember it by. Enjoy.

[Schasz]

I did not know what to expect, but I was going by my DW expereinces as she had already been on a cruise. On our 1st cruise which was on the Carnival Pride, we left on New Years Eve and as we stepped on the ship they handed us a glass of champagne. Somehow I knew then that we were in for a very good time and I have been addicted to cruising ever since.

 

John & Shari

[nomoreknothead]

The first glimpse of that SHIP! The sheer size of it made me go ahhhh!!! The time I realized I was no longer attached to land! Going from murky brown waters of the gulf to the deep blue sea onto the turquoise waters of Grand Caymen! Being the only one out on the deck looking at the silent night knowing that there were 2499+ people somewhere else on this ship! The whole experince was breath taking! I live & work to cruise now!:D

[Mysticks1]

The first glimpse of that SHIP! The sheer size of it made me go ahhhh!!! The time I realized I was no longer attached to land! Going from murky brown waters of the gulf to the deep blue sea onto the turquoise waters of Grand Caymen! Being the only one out on the deck looking at the silent night knowing that there were 2499+ people somewhere else on this ship! The whole experince was breath taking! I live & work to cruise now!:D

 

I have to agree with the first glimpse you get of the ship as you arrive. I loved getting up before daylight and watching the sun rise in each port. Very few are up at that time and it is very peaceful.

[MrPete]

I had longed to go on a cruise for years, as I was one of those unlucky kids who had grandparents and parents that cruised every year out of NY harbor. We were left on the dock. I hated to get off those ships after the Bon Voyage parties.

 

So, getting on my first ship, the Carnival Jubilee in 1988, we were excited, tired, hungry, and overwhelmed by the first hours of experience on a HUGE cruise ship. We were like two kids in a candy store. After dinner, we skipped the welcome aboard show and eventually “retired early” the first night. It was our honeymoon.

 

I remember getting up the next day, and there were all these buzzwords flying about. Seems there was something more to this cruise director thing other than Julie McCoy. It turns out, as most cruisers eventually do, that the cruise director, being the HOST, is setting the stage for “something” that happens on a ship over the course of the cruise. Even as the years go by, even though the banter is the same, it’s the interacting and the guest participation that makes these things work. I’ve seen the same old Bedtime story, not so Newlywed game, spoon and string thing, balloon in the overalls, pillow fighting, male nightgown pageant, game show, etc., but they’re different every time. And they make mini celebrities out of the participants. And all these things tend to make the total ship this living community for the week. You end up talking to these people or doings things without embarrassment, cause you’re never going to see these people again (although, I’ve made many life long friends over the past 18 years).

 

When I see questions about “does it matter who the cruise director is”, to me, the answer is yes. If the guy up on stage is Johnny Carson, the air is a bit more abuzz than if it was a David Frost. We found the more we went to the cruise director functions, the more involved we felt. When we hit upon a less than average cruise director, we would tone it down and do our own thing.

 

I ventured out to another competing line for my second cruise, but there was one element that was missing. THE FUN. And everything I did and saw had to be compared to my first cruise. It took a while, but I finally realized there is never any comparison to your first cruise.

 

There were changes and (looking back) minor inconveniences to the changes they made to their ships. The speakeasy, which we enjoyed on the Fantasy type ships next to the disco, was suddenly turned into a teen meeting room. Kids had priority seating EXACTLY where we were used to sitting. The smoking in the dining room was prohibited (thank God I quit in 1990). All minor stuff looking back, but we complained, and got the 10% 15% and then finally 20% discount after each “complaint”. (Lord, how do they put up with us?)

 

We have traditionally cruised in April, so we have had very little experience with kids on our cruise, except for one year, where the Easter holiday was later than usual. We heard afterwards there were 400 kids on board, but we never noticed. We avoided cruising in the summer for exactly the reason we had heard; packed with family and kids. We cruised for 10 years before deciding to have a child.

 

We did to take our DD on a Disney cruise when she turned 4. My wife and I turned and laughed at each other when we came upon the kiddie pool on the lido deck of the Disney ship. We had forgotten what we had avoided all those years. Kids everywhere. And having a ball. We found our thick “oh no, no cruises with kids“ skin had completely worn off. Did we GROW UP? We learned quickly that we did not “own the ship”, that we “shared the ship”.

 

She now has 6 cruises under her belt at the ripe age of 8.

 

The past month I cruise on RCI, on the Explorer. It was something new and exciting, and yet different. We booked a repeat cuise for next August.

BTW, the reason for me sailing Carnival for my first cruise? A co worker had just sailed the Celebration and brought in a brochure. Advertising at its best.

[DqALEX]

you cruised...since I haven't gone yet I have to live through all of you...:D Was it the size of the ship, The decor, the people...the whole experience? Will be going on my first cruise in 27 days!!!!

All of the above. I was 14 and it was on Costa. I could not beleive the inside of that ship. The shops the casino the 1 pool. Years had past when I took my first carnival cruise, the ship was a lot nicer. It diden't need tugs to move it around.

[Kudos2Fly]

I had always herd people talk about cruises where I worked and wounder what the big deal was about. Finally my husband to be then decided for us to go on a short 5 day cruise back in 2003.

 

I fell in love with cruises. For me it was just the whole experience. I enjoyed everything from the food to the entertainment. Plus we find it the best value for our money. Well if you don't get a suite, sometimes even a balcony is pretty good price..

 

We are getting ready to go on a cruise in 30 days and have a family cruise planned in Dec. We are looking forward to both....

[bcs819]

our first cruise....as frequent travelers, everyone asked us why we hadn't been on a cruise. We KNEW we would hate it and we were so tired of being asked, he gets motion sickness, we like doing our own thing, didn't want to stick to a schedule, and worst of all, how could 6 or 7 hours in one place EVER be enough time to do ANYTHING. So, we found a 5 day cruise out of NY. We didn't have to fly, we weren't stuck for a week if we hated it, and we would be able to tell people, "Yes, we've cruised, and no, we're not going back..." EXCEPT...

as we drove around the port trying to figure out how to get in to the parking lot, we could see "our ship". We were booked on a balcony guarantee, and practically RAN from the car to the porters to get our cabin number and see if we were upgraded - and we were! This was before 9/11(July 2001 actually) and you could almost touch the ship before you were even in the terminal. It was breathtaking. As we walked onto the Victory, we couldn't believe the atrium! And our balcony cabin - yes, it was smaller than most hotel rooms, but we couldn't wait to get moving and be out on the ocean. During our sailaway, we held our breath passing under the bridge - we swore we would hit it! And I have an amazing picture of the NY skyline, complete with both towers, that I cherish to this day. And then our waiters at dinner, how wonderful they were! But the most amazing thing (no flames for this, please), we had taken our bungee cords, and slept with the balcony open every night. At 2 or 3 in the morning, we awoke to cracks of thunder. We went out to the pitch black of the balcony, and the total darkness of being alone in the middle of the ocean, when lightning lit up the sky. All of a sudden we could see for miles it seemed. We were mesmerized, in awe, and in love with cruising. It rained EVERY single day of that cruise. We were able to lay by the pool for maybe an hour. And we loved every minute of it...

[joan_al]

What do you remember about your first time? Not a thing yet, the anticipation of the wait is driving us bonkers. The only thing that's keeping us sane is this forum. :p But we'll let you know when we return!

[racegrrl]

No cell phone service. ahhhhhhhhhh.....such complete freedom from "the real world".

[deborahjo]

I had lost my fiance' to a accident and my parents felt i needed to get away. They started telling me something about this thing called cruising. I went to AAA and found out more and made my reservation. It was May of 1978. Seems like a world ago.

 

I cruised single and when I got to the port in Miami I found my roommate was from New York. I was on the Carnivale. Beautiful ship and great people. (this cruise was 2nd week of december) The lock on our door broke the first night out and we got moved to a balcony suite. This was from an inside cabin. Boy did we get spoiled.

 

I met a man at dinner the first night who happen to also be from Ohio, I lived in Ohio at that time, and we became very good friends. He cruised regulary. I mean friends and not "friendly" and I never had to spend another dime. He paid for excurisions and everything. He was 22 years my senior.

 

Saw my first all male nude review in San Juan and played my first round of golf at San Matine. It was awesome. I ate conk for the first time and sailed for the first time. Boy it was alot of first and still survived not having my "first experience" on the ship.

[Family Man]

I remember the pure awesomeness of the beautiful lady S.S. Norway. She was majestic. I remember having great food, trying escargot for the first time, amazing service throughout the ship, Trunk Bay at St. John, playing 3 on 3 basketball with Susan Anton (she was part of the entertainment that week and man did she even look good sweating on the basketball court), and smoking my first Cuban cigar purchased on St. Maarten. What a great time....

[nybumpkin]

Thoughts at random...

 

- Crossing the George Washington Bridge, looking south down the river and seeing Victory for the first time.

 

- Entering the atrium and saying "wow"!

 

- Seeing our cabin for the first time and realizing that they're not kidding, it's a lot smaller than a hotel room.

[silentbob007]

Sitting on the floor, packing, unable to stand because of the motion of the ocean. :O)

[Earthworm Jim]

That's a rather personal question, don't you think?:D

[hstrybuf]

When people say there is nothing like your first cruise, they're right! It and the ship will always hold a special place in your heart and memory. All we knew about cruising was from the Carnival commercials and The Love Boat.;) It was different and yet so much more!

 

Everything was a first. The ship looked huge to me. It was the Sensation. By today's standards, not nearly the largest, but it was big to me. The sounds, the sights, the colors, the food, the ports. Wow!

 

We sailed during a tropical storm and had to stand by in the Gulf because another ship had become disabled. Waves were about 12 feet and we bounced off the walls in the passageway until we got our sealegs. Lots of people were sick, but not us. We were having the time of our lives.

 

It was my first time to snorkel, my first time to visit the ruins at Chichen Itza, my first experience on the ocean. Unbelievable! Around every corner there was something new. We tried to do and see it all. We found out that we were only going to end up exhausted.

 

We made new friends, tried new foods, saw new places. What a ride it was!

[swscruiser]

After booking a vacation to Cancun, a Hurricane hit Cancun. I don't remember the name of the storm, but because of it we were introduced to the amazing world of cruising. Now after 24 cruises that first cruise is still one of the best memories.

 

As others have written the entire experience is incredible. The food. the shows, the service, the ambiance of the ship all individually are fantastic, but when put together under a ships funnel, it is almost indescribable.

 

The one thing I remeber most that I haven't read yet is after 2 days at sea, we arrived in St. Thomas, still the most beautiful habour ever, we had our sea legs but didn't have our land legs back a still felt like we were at sea slightly rocking and rolling. an experience I'll never forget.

 

Have a great cruise. enjoy every minute. BTW Our first cruise we had an inside cabin and was one of our most expensive cruise. You gotta love the cruising industry.

 

Keith

[auntiecruiser]

I remember seeing the ship for the first time and being amazed at the size of the ship!! Now that ship is one of the smaller ones, but for my first time, I remember thinking "How can this thing possibly float??" But fell in love with cruising, and have number 5 planned.:p

[Bran8778]

I remember being really tired when we got on the ship, and right when I was about to fall asleep the Captain got on the intercom. He said a few things and when he was done he played the song sailing by Christopher Cross. I will never forget that.