Do you have a cruise tradition?

[bellybutton530]

I buy magnets, shot glasses, keychains, and patches from all of the ports. I am now sewing the patches onto a beige tablecloth.

 

I also have a cruise t-shirt.

 

Front of t-shirt says: HI!!! I'm Deck.

 

Back of t-shirt says: ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!!

 

 

Oh yeah, my party always has a couple of great Cuban cigars on the verandah, along with a great XO cognac, usually after dinner....

 

 

 

 

 

[na44]

I love cruising so-so much!

 

I usually embark in shoes and socks so that when I finally settle into a good spot on deck to listen to the band for sail away I can take them off and feel the air of vacation on my cute pedicured toes.

 

I also always eat at least one breakfast in the dining room and order eggs benedict in honor of my grandpa. It was his favorite thing to do on a cruise.

 

On the last night we gather up all the "proofs" of the pictures the cruiseline has taken of us over the week and take our picture next to pictures of us.

[Waihekean]

On the last night we gather up all the "proofs" of the pictures the cruiseline has taken of us over the week and take our picture next to pictures of us.

 

Love that idea! Will start that tradition on my first cruise. Yeah:cool:

[Baowen]

• We always get up really early (4-5 AM) and watch the ships arrive as we yell at everyone on board to "Get off our Ship" ( Gee that sounds so mean when I write it down-but it's all in good fun really)
  
• We have a BBC in the Schooner Bar
  
• We eat at the Windjammer
  
• We check out our Dining room table
  

[EmmaCel]

Reading this thread has gotten me SO excited for my cruise in a few weeks!!! It will be my 3rd cruise but my boyfriends first one, and I can't wait to see what traditions he and I start on this trip =)

[pinkie1]

These are some great rituals. I like the magnet idea and Christmas ornament. I'll haveto start that, is it too late???

 

I don't know if this counts as a ritual, but my last two cruises I decided to buy a mug with the ships name.

 

My girlfriend and I have gone on more cruises together than with my husband. She and I after every cruise, no matter where the port is, we head to the local shopping mall. We don't buy anything but we act like tourists and pretend our vacation is still going until we are home.

[MadameButterfly]

The first honorary fruity drink happens during the sail away party on deck for my husband and I, and the last two cruises have started with a cell phone snapshot of the two of us sent out to our family and friends via text message before we happily lose signal and turn off our phones until the end of the cruise. Also, we've started buying liquor from our various ports of call, tequila from Cozumel, rum from Jamaica, etc. Good for little escapes back to those places that fit into a glass.

[tgptmp]

Here is a tradition I started on my first cruise and have continued it. One of the first purchases that I make on board is a travel coffee mug. I use it daily on board--often filling it at the buffet. Then it becomes my work travel mug until my next cruise. Keeps cruising in the forefront of my mind daily.

[nbastats]

After putting our luggage in the hallway, I put on my robe and head to the nearest bar to get two glasses of champagne. My wife and I like to celebrate another successful cruise with a toast and a kiss on the balcony and look forward to our next cruise. The world cruise awaits.....

[cruiseloverohio]

We get a Christmas tree ornament at each new port we visit to hang on our Travel Tree;

 

I have a charm bracelet that I purchase one maybe two charms representing a favorite thing we did on that particular cruise;

 

my daughter always kisses the floor when we first arrive on the ship either in the lobby or once we get into our room. It's dirty, I know this...

 

I buy ornaments and charms too!

[finsup01]

On the last evening of the cruise we go to the "bar at the back of the boat" at sunset and purchase our customary drinks. We then place the drinks on a table so that the sunset is in the background. Then we take a picture of our drinks resting on a table with empty chairs surrounding it. Whenever we see the picture after the cruise has ended we are reminded that our cocktails are waiting for us at one of our favorite places on earth until our next cruise.:)

[mrmrscheese]

Didn't even think of this until the other day, DH asked if I found out if there was a Waffle House on the way to Miami, asked why and he replied we always get breakfast there before we cruise. Actually it is the only time we eat there! I also do the charms.

[cruising to paradise]

Love everyone's ideas. I collect sand in a tiny bottle from each beach we go to and magnets from everywhere we go. My DH has a local beer in each port we go to. We always start our cruise with a Pina Colada, we are doing our 1st cruise to to the Mediterranean, I wonder what drink we should start this cruise with.

[t60]

snip.... we are doing our 1st cruise to to the Mediterranean, I wonder what drink we should start this cruise with.

 

It depends where you´re starting your cruise...If a Spanish port, a jug of sangria, a glass of cava, a fino sherry, a small anis or glass of Rioja.

 

When you feel really brave, the early morning tipple is a ¨paloma´, smallish glass of ice cold anis with added lemon juice.

 

Sandy in Spain

[nonny2tnj]

My husband and I will be first time cruisers on RCL Freedom of the Seas, Sept 2012 so we have no previous experiences and such, but we will and are doing what we always do.

 

We are big Vegas vacationers, but decided to do cruising next year as we have always wanted to in the 39 years we have been married so next year is it.

 

Let me say that we are not kids or people with children, but seniors but we do something very childlike and it is super fun for us. We start out with a folder labeled with the vacation name, then start hunting for deals and such, get hotel reservations and all that and put it all in a folder. We do all kinds of research together before we plan a vacation. The topper for us though is the childlike part. We sit in our living room and cut out colored construction paper and make chains for the vacation. The first year we went to Vegas we did it for every day, but we do it a year in advance so that took forever. From then on, we did a link equals one week. We hang them up and cut one link every week until there are no more links and throw away the last link as we leave for the airport, or in this case the car as we are driving to Port Canaveral. Nutty, huh? My husband is a 20 year retired Navy veteran and I used to do this for the kids so they could know when daddy would be home. I always hung the chain at the front door and the two kids took turns cutting a link off everyday. So as old codgers, we have continued the tradition with our vacations and get as excited as the kids to get rid of that very last link.

[cruising to paradise]

Thanks for the suggestions t60. We are leaving from Barcelona so I will write these down so i'll remember. Nancy

[itsuits]

On the last evening of the cruise we go to the "bar at the back of the boat" at sunset and purchase our customary drinks. We then place the drinks on a table so that the sunset is in the background. Then we take a picture of our drinks resting on a table with empty chairs surrounding it. Whenever we see the picture after the cruise has ended we are reminded that our cocktails are waiting for us at one of our favorite places on earth until our next cruise.:)

 

:cool:So going to do this in...... see days below.

[artmc]

I like exploring the ships. During the course of the cruise I make it a point of going into every nook and cranny where passengers are allowed, with the exception of the medical clinics.

 

My DW and I never take the elevators. You never have to wait for a staircase.

 

I never get tired of being on deck when the ship leaves port.

 

On the last night of the cruise I stay up late and sit on a deck reading or watching the water. On my first cruise (Carnival Inspiration 2004) I remember the all-night pizzaria was located next to a patio area at the stern of the ship that provided a great view of the ship's wake and the stars. I figured I'd be the only one up there at 2:30 a.m. but there must have been about a dozen of us hungry, insomniac, bibliophiles.

 

artmc

[Realblonde474]

I love all of these ideas...

 

We do many of these listed above (no elevators and exploration) and a couple I won't list here (:D let's just say the room steward with the luggage surprised us once) when cruising from FLA we always tack a day or two at either end of the cruise at the same hotel in route from ATL. Helps us get our land legs back.

 

I also start planning, researching, exploring as much as I can about the cruise and the ports as soon as possible.

 

Happy cruising y'all

 

Donna

[Anjanu]

I would not eat ribs starting 1 to 2 months before my cruise. My ritual was that I always ordered ribs on the first night in the dining room. I always looked forward to it. Now I've heard that they no longer serve ribs on the first night.

Very sad to hear that.

[booksbythepool]

There are so many great traditions on this thread! I'm glad I found it before our first cruise so I can think about what I want to do. We started off our last non-cruise vacation with a bottle of champagne in the room so I might stick with that theme.

 

But I love the workout t-shirt idea and the couple who bring a framed photo from their first cruise.

[dspencer]

Its been so sweet reading all your traditions and the sense of love and family that radiates from them :)

I had not thought about this before reading this thread ..

We have a lot of travel traditions trying to think if there are any cruise ones.

We always watch the ship sail from our balcony from every port it leaves and arrives at, on our most recent cruise we skipped desert and went up on deck to sail into venice.

I am a bit spoilt and always get a gift of jewelary either on ship or in port. I treasure these pieces for their sentimental value.

That first evening we are on ship we sort the kids out for kids club, I do a tour of the spa and get my spa pass, we buy our soda cards always from the attrium bar. this is the bar we use most and the one we hit all hot and bothered from shore trips needing at least 2 drinks! also use the outside bar at the back of the ship a lot. sit there after dinner.

Go all the way up and down in the glass elevators, we rarely use the stairs :)

We keep our room keys to remind us of our trip my hubby has them stashed someplace :)

We stock up on rum cake if the ship has some onboard.

Have a wander round the ship. we too always make sure we see it all.

masses of pictures of course

one of the biggest traditions of cruising for us is to get very romantic every cruise is like a honeymoon :)

[melmar02]

A week or two before the cruise, we start having a drink of the day every night at home. DH makes a killer mudslide! Once onboard I always sample the real drink of the day everyday. DH gets a bloody mary as his first drink onboard - anytime he travels, actually.

 

We also get ornaments and shot glasses in each port, and I get a charm to remind me of the port or what we did there for my travel charm bracelet (though sometimes I have to order one when we get home if I want something specific).

 

We both used to compete in ballroom dancing, so most nights we're usually burning up the floor somewhere. We also book our next cruise while onboard.

[artmc]

Further to my above posting, in the months leading up to the cruise, I get every cruise brochure the travel agent will give me, even for other cruise lines. Reading them and looking at the pictures whets my appetite, both for the culinary delights and the overall cruise experience.

 

AMC

Carnival Inspiration 2004

Carnival Triumph 2008

Carnival Miracle 2008

Carnival Freedom 2011

[uncleg]

and a bottle of champagn or sparkling wine with dessert on formal night.