Do you have a cruise tradition?

[cruisegirl1]

We generally have some sort of door sign.

 

Also my husband ALWAYS goes to the flower cart the first evening and purchases a rose bud vase. He claims it is the best money he spends on the entire cruise! :)

 

M

[EBFURR]

What are DECT phones? How much are they? We are taking our boys on their first cruise in April and I want to give them some freedom, but I still want to stay in touch. I've thought about walkie talkies and adding an international feature to my & DS (14) phones (both AT&T) - this may be another option.

 

Dect phones are digital phones that work on the ship's phone system. They have a four digit phone number and can call any phone on the ship including other DECT phones, cabin phones, or even the spas and restaurants. We get one for us and one for each teen. It seems like they run about $20 or so for a 7 day cruise. They do not work ashore - only on the ship. We take walkie-talkies to use ashore. Go to guest relations as soon as you board and ask about the DECT phones. Some ships have more than others and they are "first come".

 

I highly recommend against cell phones, even with an international plan. See my post under "ATT Cell Phone" thread for the story of my $500+ ATT phone bill from the Mariner.

[wolfganghowell]

We cruised on Solstice over NYE and they didn't take our seapass cards - bummer. We always use them to intro each cruise in the photo albums.

[Alan13]

Board the Ship Early

Tour the Ship

Have Lunch

Unpack

Muster Drill

Have an Adult Beverage on the Balcony

 

Bon Voyage!

[djhuff]

Have a drink in each bar on the ship is mine. This becomes more difficult when I find a bartender I really like, then it's hard to get to the rest.

 

DW collects baby spoons from each port, ship, etc. on all of our trips She had an EXTENSIVE collection from growing up military, but her mother decided that she didn't need them any more when she went to college and pitched them all, so we are re-building it.

[SeaGrizz]

We always eat in Chops or Portofino the first night of every cruise. Dining room chaos on night 1 is a thing of the past for us!

[kcb]

We must have a pinacolada first. Don't drink them at home but on a cruise - it's a must.

 

Really? I thought the first call was a Zodiac, and you waited until Barrachina for one of those nasty piña coladas?

[Hobiecat01]

ALWAYS... A Bahama Mama at sailaway!!! And a Mojito at Boleros as soon at the bar opens. Now we are cruising!

-------------------------

Sea ya!

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

Previous Cruises

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2001

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/08

Planned Cruises

Something in 2009 - just have not decided yet

RCCL Oasis of the Seas - April 17, 2010

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day - 2011

[tahoemc]

Pool bar asap!

[alohanails]

We have a Banner printed with the Ships name, dates, ports and our names. We display this on our balcony so we can easily find our cabin when we are in port....then when we get home we hang them in our garage....

[kristyintx]

We have a Banner printed with the Ships name, dates, ports and our names. We display this on our balcony so we can easily find our cabin when we are in port....then when we get home we hang them in our garage....

 

Love it!

[olemissreb]

We have a Banner printed with the Ships name, dates, ports and our names. We display this on our balcony so we can easily find our cabin when we are in port....then when we get home we hang them in our garage....

 

who is not above stealing this idea for my cruise! My kids will love being able to look up and see exactly where the cabin is in relation to them on the ground!!

 

Hope you don't mind! :eek::D

[adge_dave]

I get a shot glass at each place we go to.

[constantcruiser]

On Voyager in March, you had to show your seapass when you disembarked, but then they let you keep it. I have all of ours covering a bulletin board in my home office -- good times! Also, they were very helpful in proving how many times we've sailed when RCI somehow wiped out about 1/2 of the credits in our cruise history.

[wolfganghowell]

kcb - LOL, the zodiac is a Celebrity tradition. I need a drink too fast when I board to actually have to explain a recipe. I save the zodiac for later when I find a bartender that will listen to my special needs. :)

[PhinsAndGills]

Where did you see the puffer fish at? I used to have one in my saltwater tank and it was the coolest fish ever!

 

The main beach in CocoCay. Head left toward the deeper water drop off (like you're going to swim to the ship). There's a large sunken anchor. He was hanging out under the anchor. It was SO COOL!

[MellieInWI]

The main beach in CocoCay. Head left toward the deeper water drop off (like you're going to swim to the ship). There's a large sunken anchor. He was hanging out under the anchor. It was SO COOL!

 

 

Thank you for sharing. We haven't been to CocoCay YET. I'm going to need to put it on our itinerary for 2011! I've always wanted to see one in the wild, but never thought they would be somewhere I would be!

 

Was he blown up or relaxed?

[Snowbuddy]

Get on board as soon as we can (dep. on whether we flew out the day before or not), check out where cabin & DR table is, and then head to the Lido deck for some food!

 

I used to get ornaments, but I collect Snowbuddies, and that is what my entire tree (heck, entire living room) gets decorated in at Christmas, so our "thing" now is bells from wherever we go (land or cruise). I also try to find a little something for family (mother-in-law, mom, dad, two teenaged brothers, niece, and now nephew--sis gets gipped since I spend the money on her kids instead, lol!).

[angelextreme]

Our tradition is to travel with our mascot. It's a little blue stuffed rabbit named "bunny". He has been all over the world with us and has had his picture taken with just about everyone and everything you can think of.

 

Below is a picture of Bunny getting ready for the muster drill!

 

OK...we're weird....but it's fun.

 

Well call me weird. This will be my first cruise, and I have a little rubber froggy in a binkini sitting on a raft that will be crusin with us. I plan to take her every where and take photos of her too. Maybe bunny and Freda will cross paths one day. :)

 

This is such a great thread. Thanks for sharing all your fun stories and ideas.

[PhinsAndGills]

Thank you for sharing. We haven't been to CocoCay YET. I'm going to need to put it on our itinerary for 2011! I've always wanted to see one in the wild, but never thought they would be somewhere I would be!

 

Was he blown up or relaxed?

 

He was quite mellow and didn't seem bothered by me at all. I was going to try to irritate him just to see him puff up, but my students frequently irritate me to see what I do... so I had sympathy on the guy, took a couple pictures (before digital cameras, so I only have hard copies or I'd share), and proceeded to follow a passing eagle ray. The trip I saw the puffer was in February.

[beachseeker]

We cruised on Solstice over NYE and they didn't take our seapass cards - bummer. We always use them to intro each cruise in the photo albums.

 

We were on Solstice during Spring Break. Everyone around us was complaining about turning the cards in, but, they insisted. DH said we should have refused. Not sure why they were taking the cards, but it was disappointing.

[roadmap]

Yes, I do the hair and nails the week before the cruise. Then, I am at the dock way early-all that excitement that has built up for so long! I usually rush to check out the room, and have to make it to the top deck right away to take in the vistas, take a big breath, and smile!! I love to explore the ship pretty quickly as well, but mostly, I am outside awaiting the journey.

 

Then, usually, I am a sucker for the sail-away drink (it's vacation!!!)

[Robin G]

We were on Solstice during Spring Break. Everyone around us was complaining about turning the cards in, but, they insisted. DH said we should have refused. Not sure why they were taking the cards, but it was disappointing.

 

I wonder why they're doing that? -did someone try to do something with an old card and got caught? -could they possibly be recycling them?! Hmmm...

[timmy1958]

We always buy shot glasses and magnets - hard to lose both.

[xcomet]

I always buy the three wise men or a small nativity set, if available,just the major parts. if thats not available than a christmas ornament.

We also arrange family day . We pick one day on the cruise, where we eat lunch, play mini golf,or shufleboard, or something together, before my kids all run off to hang out with their new friends. If i dont mandate this, I swear I would hardly see my kids for a week.