New cruiser questions!

[bride93006]

Hi all!!

 

We're leaving out on Sunday for our very first cruise (and our honeymoon!!). We're traveling on the Mariner and I have a few questions.

 

1. How much cash should we take? I've read on here before that we should take at least $500 per person. Geez! After just planning a wedding, we don't even have half of that to take!! So, will we miss out if we don't have a lot of money to spend??

 

2. Our stateroom is #2562 and the map says it's at the "front of the ship". When I booked our cruise, I asked for a room that is low on the ship and in the middle so we won't feel much movement. Is our room in a good spot or are we going to feel a lot of the ship moving???

 

3. I'm taking a lot of Bonine with us!! Can we also take Ginger pills/caplets if we need to? Is it best to take 1 or 2 of the Bonine.

 

4. If possible, name a couple of things that you wish you would have taken on your cruise that you forgot!!

 

I think that's it for now!! We're also first time fliers on an airplane so that will be an experience!

Thanks SO much for any advice!!

[Sue L]

First Welcome to the boards and to the addiction of cruising, and Congrats on your marriage!

 

We're leaving out on Sunday for our very first cruise (and our honeymoon!!). We're traveling on the Mariner and I have a few questions.

 

1. How much cash should we take? I've read on here before that we should take at least $500 per person. Geez! After just planning a wedding, we don't even have half of that to take!! So, will we miss out if we don't have a lot of money to spend?? We spend about 100 a day for BOTH of us and that is with drinks, souveniers,excursions etc. But everything can be put on the credit card, the ship is a cashless society so charge it!!!! The sign and sail card will be set up with a credit card if that is the way you choose to do it or cash if that is your choice.

For our honeymoon we also didn't have alot of cash on hand, so my dad drove us home from the reception and DH and I were in the back of the car opening up the gifts to bring some of the cash with us. This was 22 years ago, and I don't know if people give cash give anymore or not!

2. Our stateroom is #2562 and the map says it's at the "front of the ship". When I booked our cruise, I asked for a room that is low on the ship and in the middle so we won't feel much movement. Is our room in a good spot or are we going to feel a lot of the ship moving??? Your room is more forward than midship...didn't you check this out on the deck plans? Are there any other rooms available, it can still be changed if there are. Call your TA or RCCL depending on how you booked and check this out.

 

3. I'm taking a lot of Bonine with us!! Can we also take Ginger pills/caplets if we need to? Is it best to take 1 or 2 of the Bonine. Can't help you I don't get seasick.

 

4. If possible, name a couple of things that you wish you would have taken on your cruise that you forgot!! Best advice is take your sense of humour and your patience. Sometimes everything does not go perfectly

 

I think that's it for now!! We're also first time fliers on an airplane so that will be an experience! WOW double whammy. Relax and enjoy. If either of you is nervous just get a drink on the plane, why not it's your honeymoon.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Sue

[lauren0309]

Congratulations on your marriage!

 

We usually bring about $700 for a 7 day cruise even though we dont spend $100 a day. The only time you will need cash is for souvenirs off the ship or food off the ship. Everything else on the ship you have to use your seapass for.

 

As for the bonine, take one but if the seas are rough take two. I was fine on our first two cruises with just the one, but on our 3rd cruise I got very seasick because the seas were rough plus our cabin was in the front of the ship so we felt more rocking. We usually book Deck 3 midship but on that ship we were in the front. On our next cruise in January, we are booked on Deck 7 midship. I am a little worried about motion since we are higher up so I might end up taking two bonine pills plus I have an elastic bracelet for motion sickness and ginger altoids. I want to make sure I'm all equipped!

 

Things not to forget...

 

Underwater camera-beautiful pictures of the colorful fish

 

Highligher-I like to highlight the activities we wish to attend on the daily cruise compass

 

Everything esle is just basic necessities.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[CaribbeanCrush]

On our first cruise we were also on a very tight budget, do to some unexpected situations before the cruise. It came down to us making sure that we had enough for tips, we chose some of the least expensive excursions and had money for souvenirs (T-shirts, etc.). We didn't get to do everything we wanted or buy everything we liked. For a while we felt a little down, but it wasn't long before we went from the "who knows if we'll ever get to do this again" (cruise) mindset to "we have to do this again!" and then we'll do all the things we couldn't afford this time. By the way, we still had an awesome time. I know that you will too. Congrats.

[Hypo]

Congratulations on your wedding and honeymoon.

 

Here are my suggestions:

 

1. How much cash should we take? I've read on here before that we should take at least $500 per person. Geez! After just planning a wedding, we don't even have half of that to take!! So, will we miss out if we don't have a lot of money to spend??

 

We are a family of three and usually take $1000.00 and bring most of it home. Take what you can afford. Once on the ship you will have to pay your tips at the end of the week cash (or you can automatically charge them to your Seapass and then it will be automatically charged to your Credit Card). On the ship you will use your Seapass to pay all of your charges, which typically include alcoholic drinks and cokes (If you are a big coke drinker you can buy a sticker good for fountain cokes for the entire week , last I knew it was $42.00 per week per person), wine (on your seapass). You will also pay for shore excursions on your Seapass, items purchased in the gift shops(on your seapass), gambling (cash). And specialty restaurants (on your seapass). We typically charge about $700 to $800 on our seapass (for three) and it is automatically charged to our Credit Card at the end of the cruise.

 

Also you will need some cash for anythin you buy or do onshore at the ports.

 

2. Our stateroom is #2562 and the map says it's at the "front of the ship". When I booked our cruise, I asked for a room that is low on the ship and in the middle so we won't feel much movement. Is our room in a good spot or are we going to feel a lot of the ship moving???

 

You can go to www.rccl.com and look at the deck plans for your ship on the internet. Cabin #2562 is on the port side (left) about 1/3 of the way back from the bow (front) of the ship. It is a pretty good location and you probably won't feel much movement. Just remember, any ship will move some as it is subject to the weather. We find we sleep like ababy since there is usually a very sloooow and gentle rocking. You should be fine.

 

3. I'm taking a lot of Bonine with us!! Can we also take Ginger pills/caplets if we need to? Is it best to take 1 or 2 of the Bonine. We use the generic form of Bonine (meclizine) which you can buy at Wal Mart and other pharmacies for about $11.00 for a bottle of 100. Just ask the pharmacist, as it is a lot cheaper than buying brand name Bonine. I am very susceptible to motion sickness and I take one in the morning and one in the evening and have never had any motion sickness problems on the cruise ships. My wife and son each take one a day and they are fine.

 

4. If possible, name a couple of things that you wish you would have taken on your cruise that you forgot!!

 

Make sure you have your passports or whatever forms of identification that are currently required. Don't overpack, you will probably wear half of the clothes you bring with you. When dining, if you don't like something, send it back, they will cheerfully bring you something else. If you can't decide on one entree or the other, order both. Always try something new, like escargot, chilled soups. On all of the cruises we have been on I have never ordered turkey and dressing, as I can always get that at home. I have never eaten a hotdog or hamburger on a ship. Try the fish dishes, they are often very good. Your waiter will make suggestions, and you should listen to them, if you order something that is not one of the better items on the menu they will tell you you might like something better, thye are usually correct.

 

Read the other posts on this and other bulletin boards, there are a lot of good people out here who will be glad to offer advice. But ultimately, make your own decisions, and have fun.

 

Hypo

[ncdazz]

Congratulations to the groom and best of luck to the bride!!

 

As far as how much $ you need: that depends on if you want to have alcoholic drinks, buy lots of souvenirs, or want to go the casino. If you don't want to do those things, you can have a wonderful time doing all of the activities on the ship that are free. there are soooooo many free things to do!! be sure to study the daily itinerary for your ship and plan your day around those activities.

 

what should you bring: make sure to bring comfortable shoes as you will be doing LOTS of walking (the ships are huge!) That doesn't mean wear tennis shoes with your cocktail dress, just make sure your dress shoes are comfortable too.

 

have a blast!

[waterbound]

I agree with what everyone has said as far as how much money needed.. It really depends on you.. You can spend as little or as much as you want.. The food and entertainment is free.. Mainly what you will pay for is coke, alcohol, souvenirs, bingo, casino, excursions, tips and pictures.. As far as Im concerned I can do without the souvenirs, although we do usually get a few things, but if I had to watch my money that is one place Id watch it.. I dont need all that stuff cluttering up my home.. excursions can be done cheaply depending on what you choose to do.. if you are on a budget, just do the things that are the least expensive.. We have even done excursions direct with companies rather than using the cruiseline and pay a substantial amt less.. I can take or leave the casino.. If I had to watch my money this would be another thing Id leave out along with bingo.. Id keep my money for the drinks, tips and maybe one or 2 pictures.. Pictures generally run $20 for an 8 x 10.. and then of course excursions.. but I might do one I really want and then the others would be ones that are cheaper..

[jerick]

We're leaving out on Sunday for our very first cruise (and our honeymoon!!). We're traveling on the Mariner and I have a few questions.

 

Congratulations! We'll be on the same cruise. It's going to be great!

1. How much cash should we take? I've read on here before that we should take at least $500 per person. Geez! After just planning a wedding, we don't even have half of that to take!! So, will we miss out if we don't have a lot of money to spend??

You might want to take a couple hundred in actual cash just for incidentals while you're travelling and in ports. You will probably spend more than that, though. If you have a credit card with a fairly good amount of available credit on it, use that for your onboard account. Otherwise, you'll need to take more cash. If you use a credit card, you can also get more cash from the casino cashier and it gets put right on your account. We probably spend $500-700 onboard plus souveniers and expenses in the ports (meals, transportation, etc.). It can add up.

 

2. Our stateroom is #2562 and the map says it's at the "front of the ship". When I booked our cruise, I asked for a room that is low on the ship and in the middle so we won't feel much movement. Is our room in a good spot or are we going to feel a lot of the ship moving???

 

You might feel some movement, but I find it to be very relaxing. I'm looking forward to it, actually. The ship is so big its unlikely that you would feel enough to have it bother you.

 

3. I'm taking a lot of Bonine with us!! Can we also take Ginger pills/caplets if we need to? Is it best to take 1 or 2 of the Bonine.

 

I've heard that ginger is very good for motion sickness. I'd suggest that you not take anything unless you actually begin feeling bad. You may not need anything!

 

4. If possible, name a couple of things that you wish you would have taken on your cruise that you forgot!!

I agree with Sue's answer. Expect to have a great time, and you will.

 

I think that's it for now!! We're also first time fliers on an airplane so that will be an experience!

Thanks SO much for any advice!!

 

Have a GREAT cruise/honeymoon!

[Hypo]

Another thing I forgot to mention, be certain that your watch is set to ship time, and not local port time. If the Compass says be back on board by a certain time, believe it. If you are not back, they will sail without you.

 

We always allow at least an hour additional margin just to be on the safe side.

 

Hypo

[parrotthead]

Congratulatuions! Welcome to the boards and you will love cruising!

 

1) Take what cash you can...as mentioned you use your 'Seapass' to buy things on the ship...if you have no acess to a credit card then you will set up your seapass with a cash deposit and they will notify you when you are at a certin amount and will want more cash (Thank God for Credit Cards) If you do need to watch your budget onboard...just remember Iced/hot tea, hot chocolate, some kind of punch/lemonaid and water will be available and included in your cruise fare...as well as juice at breakfast. **Bonus** Free champagne at the Captians Reception...I never miss it! Also at the ArtAuctions** So if your not big drinkers or gamblers you can have pretty low onboard expenses...But, be forewarned (and this is my downfall) everytime you turn around they will be taking your picture...and some of them will be quite good...I cant resist...(altho I have been told I will be purchesing NO photos on our upcoming cruise;) they add up quickly...my advice is to look at the pics if you like them wait till the last night to purches, that way you can choose the best of the best..they will be displayed all week.

 

2). Room...judgement call...next time choose a specific cabin and give the resi agent the cabin #..that way you will beable to choose where your cabin is.

 

3) Some people dont get seasick..I do only in very rough seas...gingerale is great also, sometimes I will lay on the bed in another direction than the norm ...sometimes it seems to be no so much the rocking it self, but the direction of the rocking,,,ie: side to side vs back and fro. Try whatever you can..and if all else fails, they have a Doc onboard to dispense seasick pills/patch.

 

4) Everyone says to take Ducttape...I take it everytime..and have used it a few times...I also take an extention cord..there is only one plug outlet and its by the mirror. Remember to go with the flow...check out the compass each day to decide what you want to do..enjoy a sunset and a sunrise...go on deck late at night and cuddle up in a lounge chair and look at the stars...there are a million stars visable from ship at night..it is beautiful!

Enjoy and let us know how you liked it and what a good timeyou had! :)

[Hans Solo]

Wow !!! A lot of "Firsts"

One suggestion is to complete all your pre-boarding docs on-line before you get to the port. This will save you time during the check-in process. Also, bring any marriage license docs you may have since your name may be changed.

Have a great time !!! :cool:

[Inshape]

Sorry but I am amazed at how much people spend on stuff and run up their bill. First of all, if you are on a budget: i am sure your TA will send you a bottle of wine. use that for the dining room, which you can bring at no extra charge. Drinking is what adds up... and it is just wasted calories that you pee out...sorry all of you drinkers. yes the drink of the day may be nice to try so do not get it in the glass they bring around, that costs more. Go to the bar and get one in a regular glass. You are on your honeymoon so I am sure you will want some pictures....but are you going to want the formal ones taken by the ships photographer...you just had a wedding with pictures I am thinking. If not, then the pictures for formal night are 20$ each. that is not much if you want that. The informal ones against the white background come out great. So even if you got that...that is still not much spending on. But you will take your own camera and just snap away... and do not buy all the pictures they take of you.

 

There is nothing extra on the ship that you will miss if you do not spend. You do not need to eat in the specialty restaurants.. the main dining room experience is great and so is the food. There is free coffee and tea all day , so you do not need to buy the specialty coffees that they do charge you for. There is free frozen yogurt so why pay extra for Ben and Jerrys. You do not need a soda card... free ice tea, lemonade, and water all day. And hot tea and hot coffee is free too.

 

For the excursions, rent a car and do the beaches. Or find one that is great for you to do not using the ships excursions. if you are then be prepared to pay more but enjoy it and limit yourself. There will be other cruises to do more things.

 

Most of all, relax and enjoy yourselves. There is plenty to do without spending extra. I look at it like this: The less we spend the more often I can cruise. We tip (there are 4 of us, 2 cabins), and we usually do one excursion or tour. Other than that, we take a car to a beach and enjoy the day. You do not have to do something at each port. The best time on the ship is when everyone else is in port and the ship is empty. Enjoy! Not counting tipping, we have done cruises where we spend under 100$ on the sea pass. Now we do rent a car on our visa, but that is not a ton of money anyways. We usually get 2 formal pictures and one of the kids. We do not drink much.

 

As for the sea sickness__take ginger. Take it as soon as you get on the ship, dinner time and when you wake up. We usually take 2 with each meal.... Or adjust for the way the ocean is. it does not make you sleepy.

 

Always stay on ship time when in port and come back in plenty of time...never aim for the last minute to be running for the ship.

 

Pack half of what you plan on taking.

Happy wedding and enjoy the cruise.

[zuscruiserz]

Bring a nightlight/clock. We never knew what time it was, and needed help finding the bathroom in the dark - lol!

 

Have a great wedding/honeymoon/cruise!!!

[Nurse Daybreak]

Here is the link to your deck on Mariner.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do;jsessionid=00006Txw78iw3AJtHIYZqN8uWFx:10kohi76p?shipCode=MA&shipProfile=1083

 

While this cabin is more foward than aft it is between the two sets of elevators and I find that DH has never had a problem there. He has been ill aft and foward. It could be just luck though.

 

As far as ginger tablets go I was told by a rep from C&A that you should take those starting a week before and continue through your cruise. I personally have never been seasick but I do know that DH was relieved quite easily with the dramamine provided onboard. I just went to the pursers desk on Carnival and got it, free. I have always brought my own since but I have been told that it is available free of charge in the clinic.

 

Congratulations on your impending wedding. Hope you have a wonderful life toghther.

[kpgclark]

My daughter who is 9 gets seasick. I've given her medicine before but it totally knocks her out-- she sleeps all day. Not fun. I saw on Myth Busters on TV that ginger actually works as well or better than traditional seasick meds. On our next cruise I plan on giving my daughter only ginger which I purchased yesterday in liquid form (with honey I think and other ingredients). I have no idea what the dosage should be nor does it say how many mg there are in a teaspoon. I guess I'll just hope for the best! Anyhow, my suggestion is that you take ginger instead of meds that may knock you out. Also no alcohol if you take the meds.

[Inshape]

KPGCLARK: may I make a suggestion. If she cannot swallow the ginger capsules go into a good health food store and buy real ginger snap cookies. Or ginger candy. My kids who are 10 and 11 now take the capsules. I take 2 of them 3 times a day. My kids take one capsule 3 times a day. Just make sure after you leave the ship to still take the ginger. I got land sick for 4 days when we got home last time. This time, it will be ginger for the next few days after we get home. And yes it really does work, the ginger.

[sha88]

First, CONGRATULAIONS! Have a wonderful trip!

 

I am taking about $1200 for a seven day cruise in October, but I like the casino, so I take money to cover that.

However, I am hoping that some of that money will be put towards our onboard expenses before we depart.

 

As far as a forward cabin, we didn't know any better on our first cruise in 2005. Not a member of this forum at the time, etc., so I had no idea what was a prime a location. We enjoyed the forward location (well, actually, you do hear the anchor being lowered, but heck, that is a part of cruising, right? :D ) But, we had NO problems with forward location.

 

We are booked in October on Empress and decided to go ahead with another forward cabin ( that's where the real sailors stay! :D )

 

I put a patch on before we boarded for seasickness, but never felt a thing, so I took it off after 24 hrs. I have two left and will bring them with them me next cruise just in case.

 

Next cruise I will take a power strip ..........between cell phones, psp, portable DVD, walkie talkies, lots of stuff thats needs charging!

 

Again, have a great cruise and don't worry, you are starting an addiction that can't be stopped! :)

[Need2Cruze]

Bring a power strip so you never run out of outlets; Battery powered clock with glow in the dark numbers; Over the door shoe hanger - we brought one on our last cruise and it really does make life so much easier. Get one with clear pockets - they're like $5 at walmart. You can put anything and everything in them to keep organized: sunglasses, bathroom stuff, chapstick, stuff you often misplace, etc.

 

WD40 (they make small bottles) - I wish I had some on our last cruise, because we leave the bathroom light on as a nightlight, but there were a few nights where the seas were rough and that door kept creaking!

 

As far as seasickness goes, get the patch. My mom got terribly sick on her first cruise 2 yrs ago, and this last time she was really worried. So she got the patch that goes behind the ear. Only, she cut it in half and used 1/2 every 3 days. But put it on the night before you embark. Try to prevent the seasickness, rather than chasing after it.

And keep this in mind: aparently, the patch dosage is like a one size fits all, which means that both a 6 foot 200 lb man and a 5'5'' 130 lb woman get the same amount. So my doctor said to cut it in half to avoid too much medicine. My mom did so and did not feel a lick of sickness. She also did not have any side effects, probably because the dosage was just enough to ward off seasickness, but not too much so as to make her drowsy, etc.

Have a wonderful time and congratulations!

[kpgclark]

Inshape, what I got was a bottle of liquid ginger which is suspended in a honey type of solution. It doesn't say on the bottle how concentrated it is in mg though.

[rsscaptain]

If you can't afford to spend much, you certainly don't have to. There were some good tips here for that. You can certainly spend alot if you're not careful, there is always something to buy. But if you are careful you will have wonderful time just taking advantage of what the cruise offers without the extra's.

 

Have a great honeymoon!

[mark290]

I think you can have a great time spending very little money.

If you like to drink adult beverages pack what you enjoy in your luggage.

 

Hey I know but they are on their honeymoon and on a tight budget.

 

By the way, nothing is free on a cruise but many, many things are included in the price you have paid.

 

Congrats !

[Fran Harp]

If you can't afford to spend much, you certainly don't have to. There were some good tips here for that. You can certainly spend alot if you're not careful, there is always something to buy. But if you are careful you will have wonderful time just taking advantage of what the cruise offers without the extra's.

 

Have a great honeymoon!

 

Everyone else has said just about everything!!!! We discovered about the only thing we actually rack up on the seapass card on-board is the drinks in the bar, excursions on port-days, and maybe some souvenirs from the shops. We take cash in various currencies for land excursions - so in May we took Euros as well as dollars. We never exchange currency on the ship because the charges are higher. We actually came home with money left from the cash, and in two weeks probably spent $500 on the ship - 350 for excursions and 150 for drinks. Of course, we're happy just sitting out in the sun, reading books, walking around the ship, eating (lots of that), talking with other people we meet on board.:D

 

 

Fran in Toronto

[Deborito]

If you scroll down to forum jump and click on money saving tips there is a lot of info available there. congratulations and have a great time!:)