Best Single Tip for Improving your Cruise

[Brockwest]

Arrive a day before the cruise and stay at a Hotel near the pier. Your bags have arrived, you get a nice sleep, no stress, breakfast in bed, then Leisurely cab to the pier Early before the crowds and check in. NO stress about missing bags, delayed planes, traffic jams, 6AM flights. Have done it Three times and twice the days were the best days of the trip. (San Fransico Ritz-Carlton, Miami Fountainbleu. San Juan unfortunately was in a dirty, moldy place.)

MOST lines have special deals.....strangely Carnival didn't. Lines with special deals frequently have free transfers to the ships, but I've found it faster and less stressful to take my own cab.

Be aware Miami has fixed cab rates...$32 to Miami Beach! and $24 to the Pier regardless of distance.

[Weddingcrasher]

#1 Tip: Use Cruise Critic, Religiously. Man, I should really get to sleep!

[pe4all]

Don't let little things bug you- you are on vacation! Not everything will go 100% the way you want it to - learn to laugh things off. And, most important - smile and be polite to the crew. They are working their tails off to make your vacation rock!

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

$24 to the pier is from the airport zone. If you stay downtown, it will be metered. Cost us about $12.

[UpstateCruizer]

$24 to the pier is from the airport zone. If you stay downtown, it will be metered. Cost us about $12.

 

I was just going to post this. Also since it's a metered fare keep in mind it could be more if you get stuck in a little traffic. We ended up closer to the $20 point once because of the congestion in the port area. No biggie though as long as we could see the ship we were happy to be patient.

[Perfect Stranger]

Is there a set taxi fee from the Port of Tampa to the airport?

[flutepilot]

I certainly agree with leaving the day before.

 

In addition I would add: Don't over pack!

 

Don't try to do too much, especially on your first cruise. Relax and you won't go home more tired than when you left.

 

I know - that was two, but I couldn't help myself...:D

[BeyondKen]

Leave a $20 tip for your cabin steward on your bed the first morning.

[shipshapegal]

try the pay restaurant and go hungry!

 

smiles, bee

[Vitamin_Sea]

Leave a $20 tip for your cabin steward on your bed the first morning.

 

What does that get you?:confused:

[TexasRed]

Is there a set taxi fee from the Port of Tampa to the airport?

 

Yes there is, my brain is fuzzy but if I remember right it was $20 for two people.

[Cruisin'Lovebirds]

Read the boards for the ports of call, taking people's opinions into account but focusing on what your party likes to do. We want to see scenery and get an idea of what an area looks like, away from the port. Others may think that sitting on a mini-bus is a waste of time. For us, it gets us out of the immediate area and into where the people live.

 

When I say "forget it" I don't mean, Don't do it. I mean, if you can't do it, pick something else! No whining allowed. Just because we plan it doesn't mean we can control it. Substitute port? You might go with a Carnival excursion when normally you'd research the private vendors.

 

You're on vacation! Enjoy!

[Brockwest]

WOW it's huge folks....am an absolute fan of the above comment: READ CRUISECRITIC.COM REVIEWS!!! IT IS A MUST! I just went on my 20th cruise, this time on Carnival Sensation...almost everyone said NO NO DON'T GO.....I didn't listen...I was wrong...you wuz right. LISTEN PEOPLE to the people here who have done it!

[KFinTx]

 

When I say "forget it" I don't mean' date=' Don't do it. I mean, if you can't do it, pick something else! No whining allowed.[/quote']

 

Sometimes the best parts of any trip or cruise I have been on were surprises.

[vpwood]

Dont ask how much money they make on the ship !!!!

[SATXLady]

Actually, I think one of the best tips is to not stress so much. Instead of concentrating on everything that can go wrong, concentrate on how great it's going to be.

 

(And arriving the day before just let's the great time start sooner.)

[ccxnola]

Early on, I received some very good advice from an experienced cruiser:

Bring:

1/2 as many clothes and

twice as much $$$

:D :D

[megmno]

Make a packing list up on your computer and update it as you think of things.

 

I forgot bathing suits on our first cruise to Alaska. For some reason, the gods blessed us with beautiful weather, and I had to try to find suits in the ports. (Actually scored some in the second port, but it took a lot of asking around before someone knew of a store that carried them. I guess Alaskans don't swim much.)

[pcrum]

On embarkation day, get to the port early. We try to arrive around 10:30 am. I'd rather get checked in without a line and then sit and relax waiting to board rather than going through a long, Disneyesque (Sp?) type line to check in. Once on ship, take a moment to look at the deck plan (you are usually given a pocket size deck plan upon boarding) to familiarize yourself with the ship. That will save lots of aggravation later and fewer encounters with dead ends!

 

If you really want a particular table set-up in the MDR, be sure to note the time the Maitre'D is available in the MDR to check on your seating. I know I can't relax until I know we have our table for just 2 or 4 (depending on our party size), but that just might be me!

 

Finally, sit back, relax and enjoy that DOD! You are on vacation and you know what they say...even a bad day on vacation beats the best day at work!!

[cv322]

I agree with the arrival a day early if you're flying in, & packing only a fraction of what you had planned to pack. I agree with read, read, read as much as you can ahead of time here on Cruise Critic & having a positive outlook...don't let little things annoy you. I agree with dining in the Steakhouse at least one time.

 

I would only add that you might try go to the wine tasting! And the martini clinic. ;).

[DocF]

Board the ship with a positive attitude. You will have fun. You will not let little things bother you.

 

Use your sea time to roam the ship, explore and people watch.

 

Eat new things.

 

Doc

[Cricket63]

If your doing a private excursion...make sure you get back to the ship on time!! They will not wait for you!

Bar hopping...we know your gonna have a good time, but make sure you remember the ship will leave without you if your not keeping track of the time! :eek:

If something is not right or bothering you, take care of it right away. Don't sit there and stew over it. Most things can be taken care of right away or within a short amount of time.

[zachnlucy]

Yes to many of the posts above. You can also look at deck layouts on carnival.com, which has been useful to me in figuring out where everything was. Arrive the day before (preferably close to the pier), have a nice breakfast, check in as early as you can, hit the lido deck as soon as possible, wait for 1:30 to get into your room, hoping that some bags have already arrived, unpack, get settled, and roam the ship as much as you can before sailaway.

 

And then just forget everything. Rude passengers, no problem. Bad servers, no problem. Room steward did not refresh ice, no problem (call room service for ice or go to Lido and get ice). Everything else is just too much fun to let the little things to get to you. Have a great vacation!

[onthehighseas606]

#1 Tip: Use Cruise Critic, Religiously. Man, I should really get to sleep!

 

Don't expect everything to turn out the way you wanted. Don't put your expectations up too high.

[onthehighseas606]

What does that get you?:confused:

 

A $20 tip left on the bed the first day gets you nothing--NOTHING! Been there done that and won't EVARRRR do it again!