Do you have a cruise tradition?

[svetty]

I always get mani, pedi, hair before the cruise

i try to find a plate or a magnet from every city we visit, our fridge is filling up and the walls on the kitchen are also filling up - when our friends come to visit they can go to the kitchen and see every place we visit:))

[Senoj84]

I buy something from every port usually a key chain. I bought some earrings from my 1st cruise in 07 from Panama & have never worn them! Before my next cruise I will find all the keychains & use them.

[jz6982]

At each port we visit I buy something related to what we did at that port. For instance, we snorkled with stingrays in Antigua and I had found a magnet with a stingray on it. In St. Thomas we spotted a large iguana, within minutes of arriving to the beach, only a few feet from our towel so I bought a little porcelain (I think?) iguana in a gift shop. St. Maarten was a little more difficult because we went parasailing but I came across a magnet of a sailboat that said St. Maarten so although it was a stretch I thought. "boat...sailing...parasailing..." it worked. You get the idea. :)

[CaribbeanLVR]

My wife will get a coffee mug from EVERY port.

 

Some Saturday's when we are in the back yard having coffee, she may have a mug from Cabo, or San Juan, or St Thomas, or Ocho Rios or wherever. This gets us talking about "REMEMBER when we saw this or did that".

[TnMDougherty]

1) I have to have some sand from every beach I go to. I have collections at home, and I can tell you where each bottle came from.

2) I buy some kind of decoration for my screened in porch-also known as my Caribbean Room- I have hanging parrots, iguanas, wind chimes, wood carvings etc. Last year I bought a hanging hammock chair in Cozumel - that was fun to bring through customs! I think we will need to build on to our porch next year.

3) I buy a Christmas ornament for our Tacky Tree - which of course goes up in the Caribbean Room.

[45014]

I collect owls, so I try to find an owl from every place we visit. Also, we always get our son a shot glass so he can enjoy OUR vacations.

[pensoul]

We always buy a Christmas ornament from every port, too...tip if you can't find a christmas ornament in each port...buy a key change...they are easy to hang on the christmas tree. We used to buy magnets, but they don't work on stainless steel frig. Sometimes we buy coffee mugs and t-shirts from only our favorite places...we always wait until the end of the cruise to get souvenirs on-sale in the ship boutiques.

Lauren

[jjaa404]

Collect sand from each beach. Amazing how different "sand" can be.

My favorite. The first night of the cruise my DH and I purchase a new fragrance we both like. We alternate whos turn it is to get one every cruise.

 

Then they wear it the rest of the cruise depending whos turn it was.

 

Of course, everytime we wear it after we get home, it takes us back to great memories!

[PDC55]

I collect hat/lapel pins from every port or activity. I place them with the ship pins on cork board in a shadow box frame. I've heard that Carnival has stopped giving the ship pins to past cruiser so I'm a little bummed about that.

[BroncosFan2010]

We always buy a HUGE bag/box of Twizzlers and eat them on the flight down to the cruise. If there are any left, we snack on them throughout the cruise. It is a weird one, but DH won't leave for a cruise without his Twizzlers!

[msboo18]

jewelry, jewelry, jewelry.........:p must buy something "special" on each cruise. Oh and tipping the room steward on the first day to get spoiled for the rest of the cruise!

[tutuwahineLV]

first meal must include the chilled fruit soup, usually banana. After lunch the room is ready so we start getting unpacked, get the door decorated and then we're ready for the muster drill.

and must be as far up and forward as possible for the sail-away. I'm not really ON until that horn blows the first time.

[noydouask]

My DW and I collect children(16 and 13). We sail again Sunday this is a tradition I hope not to continue. I can't wait to sail..........

[argentina_keeper10]

We call someone as the ship is leaving the dock on the first day and talk to them until the phone connection cuts off because we are too far out in sea!

 

I buy a keychain at every port we stop at

 

We only use stairs, with the exception of boarding and leaving ship with luggage

 

We all go get pizza at 2 am atleast once, not cause we are hungry but just because we can :)

 

[SeaTeach]

My DW and I collect children(16 and 13). We sail again Sunday this is a tradition I hope not to continue. I can't wait to sail..........

My your wishes come true and you not create um I mean collect more children on your upcoming cruise.

 

We also do the normal stuff once onboard i.e. Windjammers, tour ship, etc. Once I hit land, I go into high gear looking for a tile to hang in the kitchen, or a painting which reflects the geographical location and the people, about the size of a sheet of paper. Plus a pebble or shell is added to the collection. I try for representation from every place visited, whether by land or sea. The down side is that pebble collecting is a dirty business...there's always sand in my luggage.:eek:

[MszKitty]

I have quite a few traditions. The most important of them are:

 

1.) On the first formal dinner of the cruise, we take a photo of our daughters with a spoon hanging off their noses. It all started on their first cruise when they were 10 & 15. On formal night, our waiter showed them how to do it. They are now grown adults, 24 & 29, but they still do it....."ITS TRADITION!!"...LOL (when they were teenagers, I know there were times they'd rather not had do it, but for 2 minutes, they humored Mom & Dad...LOL)

 

 

2.) I eat escargo. (although I'm getting over that tradition..it just doesn't appeal to me anymore)

 

3.) The first time we sail on a new ship we start at the top deck and walk our way front to back, then down a deck, back to front, etc. (we don't do that on ships we've sailed on more than once or twice)

 

4.) Just as we are sailing away I call my best friend. I don't know how that got started, but I missed it recently, and it just didn't feel right. She doesn't get to cruise much, but she is always so excited for me.

 

5.) Hubby & I have a "Date Night". 98% of the time, we cruise with other family or friends, (or when we cruise alone, we end up sitting with others in the dining room) so hubby and I take one night and go to one of the alternate dining venues on our own...Date Night!

 

6.) When we travel with a bigger group, we always meet "as far up and as far forward as possible" for sailaway.

 

7.) Buy Christmas ornaments and shot glasses from every port. (used to do the mugs and the magnets too...but it just got to be too many things.)

 

 

There are a few more, but those are the most "traditional" for us.

[scottbee]

Silly cruise traditions, some new, some old;

 

1) Unpack the carryon suitcase (and it's bottle of champagne -- buy at duty free generally). That way I can refill my glass easily (and much cheaper) during sail away

2) Buy the wine package

3) Be the last person to post on the CC roll call before the ship leaves port (preferably with a picture of the ship)

4) Always sit next to someone different at your table each night

[shashi883]

As soon as we board the ship, we find our cabin, drop off our bags and head straigt to the bar. We get a fruity drink (usually sex on the beach) and toast to our vacation. We tour the ship and then get a slice of pizza. Princess has the best pizza.

[bfallen1]

Don't ask me why but I always wear my Titanic swim team t-shirt to the life boat drill.

[sailingsistah]

Since we have only one cruise under our belt (Nowegian Spirit 2007), we don't have traditions formed yet except for my husband taking the kids up to the very top of the ship at night and saying good night to the sea. The two young ones thought that was a neat ritual.

 

But what seems to be taking the form of a tradition are our "Pre Cruise Parties". With the other families we are travelling with, we start in the fall and each month take turns hosting a cruise party. We each bring a "tropical dish" like Kahlua Pig, Coconut Shrimp, get the blender going, crank up the heat and where shorts and hawaiian shirts. I order cheapo leis from Oriental Trading and download a bunch of Calypso music and play it all evening. It gets us through the winter. Vermont winters are long and brutal!

 

We offer any pics or info we gather about the cruise and talk about it. This time around, we will be able to say the "remember when....."

 

Also, last time and this time one of the things that we did with our kids to get them excited was to take a 5 gallon water jug and decorate the heck out of it with cruise pictures from magazines and ribbon. Then we leave it out in the living room so everyone can contribute to it throughout the year. The first cruise we saved enough that each of us (6 ppl) had $50 each in spending money.

 

This time we are going on Norwegian Gem out of NY 2-20-10 and there will only be two kids with us...the other two graduated. :(

[tutuwahineLV]

Don't ask me why but I always wear my Titanic swim team t-shirt to the life boat drill.

 

 

:D now thats funny, I love it.

[Shipshape2]

When the waitstaff are entertaining us I always quickly fold up my napkin to make the ears/horns - like they make, put it on my head and make THEM laugh! :D

[momofmeg]

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 hear RCI is doing that too now-I hate that-as that is my best souvenir. I have all 15. I hope the other lines do not soon follow.

[cheezgrl]

OMG LOL! I LOVE it!

That's a darn good reason to get on the ship early!

[mains_dream]

When we book a cruise, I get busy making a variety of bead lanyards to go with each of my cruise outfits. After I have used them, I often give them to other people at my table. They are a unique gift and always get a smile. I'm getting ready to leave soon on our longest cruise ( 22 days), so I am not sure I'll have one for each day, but I'm going to try!

 

Last year while on an Alaskan cruise, the girls at the spa loved them, so I passed a couple on to them as well!