What I do differently....

So, I thought it would be interesting to hear what people who cruise regularly (I will let people self-define the concept of an experienced cruiser) do differently now, than when they first started cruising.

Some of the things that come to mind for us are:

1) Pack much less. We no longer bring all the gizmos and gadgets like pop up hampers and shoe organizers that so many cruisers feel the need to have and we have cut back the clothing and shoes too;

2) Plan less. I was so excited in the beginning to try all the activities, food venues etc. that I tried to cram it all in one cruise. It's like Disney - can't be done;

3) Book private shore excursions. I was so afraid at first but for most ports, we are good with private vendors that have been properly researched;

4) Enjoy more specialty restaurants as they really are outstanding.

5) Relax more and value sea days. I'm a port person, but now that I pretty much have been most everywhere Carnival sails, it's enough to simply be cruising.

I'll open the floor now for others....:D

If I need to get across ship at a peak crowd time I head for a deck with cabins; much easier to cover one end to other.

If the dining room is open for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, it is almost always a more relaxing experience than the buffet.

In order to relax try to throw away FOMO; fear of missing out. No more rushing around to see every last thing there is to see, rather pick a few activities and be more leisurely.

Locate quiet outdoor spaces like forward looking decks and exterior promenades under lifeboats; I like to be where the crowd isn't.

I ask in the MDR if there is an unlisted chefs specialty for the evening; sometimes you get a surprise.

So, I thought it would be interesting to hear what people who cruise regularly (I will let people self-define the concept of an experienced cruiser) do differently now, than when they first started cruising.

 

Some of the things that come to mind for us are:

 

1) Pack much less. We no longer bring all the gizmos and gadgets like pop up hampers and shoe organizers that so many cruisers feel the need to have and we have cut back the clothing and shoes too;

 

I have always been a minimalist packer.

 

 

2) Plan less. I was so excited in the beginning to try all the activities, food venues etc. that I tried to cram it all in one cruise. It's like Disney - can't be done;

 

Not why I cruise. I pre-plan major items, but have never understood, for instance, the desire to see Fun Times for previous cruises. I want some down time, just cruising.

 

3) Book private shore excursions. I was so afraid at first but for most ports, we are good with private vendors that have been properly researched;

 

Learned this after about 4th or 5th cruise.

 

4) Enjoy more specialty restaurants as they really are outstanding.

 

Agree. The Chef's Table, for instance, is the best money I have spent on Carnival.

 

5) Relax more and value sea days. I'm a port person, but now that I pretty much have been most everywhere Carnival sails, it's enough to simply be cruising.

 

A thousand times yes.

 

I'll open the floor now for others....:D

Happy sailing.

1. Definitely, we have packing down to a science. Using packing cubes have changed the way we pack.

2. Definitely again, YTD always

3 There is a pattern here, we never book overpriced, packed CCL shore excursions. We sleep in and schedule later shore excursions. after 10 am you walk off the ship with no lines. Nothing to fear, they are the same vendors.

4. Steakhouse and Chef's Table are mandatory

5. We never understand people paying for an all inclusive for $75 + per person. You are already on an all inclusive with Cheers. In Grand Turk we walked around the overpriced shopping area for 1/2 hour and went to the Serenity Deck and thoroughly enjoyed how quiet it was

WOW, the comedy shows suck, seriously, all of them? No generalizing here.

So, I thought it would be interesting to hear what people who cruise regularly (I will let people self-define the concept of an experienced cruiser) do differently now, than when they first started cruising.

 

Some of the things that come to mind for us are:

 

1) Pack much less. We no longer bring all the gizmos and gadgets like pop up hampers and shoe organizers that so many cruisers feel the need to have and we have cut back the clothing and shoes too;

2) Plan less. I was so excited in the beginning to try all the activities, food venues etc. that I tried to cram it all in one cruise. It's like Disney - can't be done;

3) Book private shore excursions. I was so afraid at first but for most ports, we are good with private vendors that have been properly researched;

4) Enjoy more specialty restaurants as they really are outstanding.

5) Relax more and value sea days. I'm a port person, but now that I pretty much have been most everywhere Carnival sails, it's enough to simply be cruising.

 

I'll open the floor now for others....:D

You hit the nail on the head. :D

WOW, the comedy shows suck, seriously, all of them? No generalizing here.

We enjoy at least to some degree all the comedy shows we have been to - some are certainly better than others but even the least is good for a few laughs. And they are always fresh and new as opposed to the production shows which don't rotate all that frequently. Comedy is one of the Carnival pluses.

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So, I thought it would be interesting to hear what people who cruise regularly (I will let people self-define the concept of an experienced cruiser) do differently now, than when they first started cruising.

 

Some of the things that come to mind for us are:

 

1) Pack much less. We no longer bring all the gizmos and gadgets like pop up hampers and shoe organizers that so many cruisers feel the need to have and we have cut back the clothing and shoes too;

2) Plan less. I was so excited in the beginning to try all the activities, food venues etc. that I tried to cram it all in one cruise. It's like Disney - can't be done;

3) Book private shore excursions. I was so afraid at first but for most ports, we are good with private vendors that have been properly researched;

4) Enjoy more specialty restaurants as they really are outstanding.

5) Relax more and value sea days. I'm a port person, but now that I pretty much have been most everywhere Carnival sails, it's enough to simply be cruising.

 

I'll open the floor now for others....:D

I agree with all of your ideas except the specialty restaurants. I loved the Italian restaurant for dinner and last summer on the Vista we loved JiJis. My issue is with the steakhouse, don't get me wrong, it is an awesome meal but just way to much food and I have a hard time knowing when I should stop eating. I can't have all of that food and leave room for beer. Maybe I'll try the steakhouse again and find something else to drink.

I agree with all of your ideas except the specialty restaurants. I loved the Italian restaurant for dinner and last summer on the Vista we loved JiJis. My issue is with the steakhouse, don't get me wrong, it is an awesome meal but just way to much food and I have a hard time knowing when I should stop eating. I can't have all of that food and leave room for beer. Maybe I'll try the steakhouse again and find something else to drink.

Martinis...much lighter[emoji1]

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Never say we have to do something. We go with the flow and enjoy every day on a cruise.

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Great post!

Let me see;

1. No longer worrying about wrinkles, we're on vacation, and don't need to be "military pressed" with our outfits.

2. Making all of the big shows. We'd rather laugh it up with new friends at the Alchemy bar!

3. Taking ALL the photos on Elegant night. We're not gonna buy them all, so only take the ones we want to purchase.

4. Taking occasional naps. It's ok to miss some things, we don't feel cheated if we spend some hours in the cabin.

5. Skipping the art auctions. Do I really need to clarify?

6. Rushing to the Carnival Private Islands. Better to use as a spa day.

7. Finally, arriving to the port early. The later we get there, the easier and breezier it is to board!

There are more things after several cruises, but those are the ones that come to mind.

Oh yeah, one more;

8. Not rushing to the Sail Away Party. Been there, done that. I'd rather explore the ship, have a drink and a snack!

5. Skipping the art auctions. Do I really need to clarify? LOL!! :cool:

1. We no longer rely on travel agents. I now do all of our research and planning. Sometimes that leads to having a TA book the cruise for their perks or better price and sometimes that means I book directly myself through a PCC or online direct.

2. I no longer book all excursions through the cruise line. After doing my own research some excursions are booked through the cruise line, some are private companies, and in some ports we don't book any excursions.

3. We no longer get off the ship at every port. At some repeat ports we now take advantage of an empty ship.

4. We no longer restrict ourselves to inside or OV rooms. Balconies are our preferred rooms.

5. We no longer purchase formal photos on every cruise. Sometimes we don't purchase any photos at all.

6. We no longer bring formal clothes. Sundresses and dress shirts with khakis are now the dressiest we get. On some cruise lines (NCL) we are even more casual now.

7. We rarely wait in any lines now as we know the best times to avoid the crowds in the buffets, MDR, guest services, and getting off the ship.

8. We never do traditional dining anymore. Unless we go with a large group in the future, it will always be anytime dining for us.

9. We have learned to sleep in on sea days or days we are staying on the ship in port and take an afternoon nap to enjoy the later nights that we are not used to in our everyday life.

10. We no longer go through the dailies and try to fit as much in as we can. We now have a go with the flow attitude. Some things we book in advance but that doesn't mean we have to book/plan everything. While we know from research what is available, we keep most of our schedule flexible to actually do what we feel like at that time.

11. When we first started cruising, cruises were a family vacation for us. Our kids our now grown and out of the house and cruises are now mostly a couples vacation.

12. I no longer order lobster on a cruise. After being disappointed with everyone that I ordered in the MDR on our first few cruises, I now order something else from the get go.

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As time has gone by we simply can't do all the things at every port stop we once enjoyed and are so glad we did because now we have to pace ourselves. ;)

I really had to think hard about this.

• Pack fewer clothes and shoes. Others said it. True here too.
  
• Coffee
  
  • One, we spring for the good stuff. I wish Carnival had a coffee card like Princess does.
    
  • Two, we bring our own insulated mugs.
    

  [*]Driving to the Florida ports.

  • We used to leave 2 days early. Depart after dinner, drive until completely exhausted (about midnight), get a motel room, and finish the last 7 or 8 hours the next day, arriving between 3 pm and 5 pm., cranky and tired. And still tired the next day.
    
  • Two trips ago, I proposed another way. We left the day before the cruise at 4:00 am, drove all day, arrived at our destination between 6 pm and 8 pm. This method was more in sync with our bodies. This is our new way.
    

  [*]Board Games - We both pack our favorite board games. For me, it's Scrabble (which he hates) and for him it's Settlers of Catan.

  • Dh used to grumble about me the space I was taking up in our luggage by bringing my Scrabble game on cruises since ships always have Scrabble on board. I told him I bring my own game because I know it has all the tiles, I don't have to wait my turn to use it, and I can take it anywhere on the ship I want.
    
  • Our first Carnival cruise, he saw the light. I was playing Scrabble with two ladies and dh was chatting with their husbands. The men discovered they all liked Risk and Settlers of Catan. Neither of these games were available on the ship.
    
  • Now Dh travels with his Settlers of Catan. He never lacks for people to play with him. It is the highlight of his at-sea days.
    

We've learned to pack in clear plastic bags. I put all my underwear in a bag and squeeze out the air as I zip it.

All shorts in another bag, t shirts in another, swimwear in another.

DH just uses grocery store bags with t shirts in one, etc.

Dinner clothes are hung on thin hangers, two outfits on one hanger, shirts and pants.

I can get all my sundresses on one hanger and this all goes in the garment bag.

Unpacking is so easy, we just leave everything in the bags, and use their hangers to spread out our clothes.

We used to do every thing, but that was 1991.

We are empty nesters now and cruising seems more relaxing. We still do some tours as we love snorkeling from the catamarans and the music and unusual drinks they make from the open bar......no problem mon!!:cool:

Question, will the alchemy bar make us a green iguana? We had it in Aruba last year...very potent!!

Things I have changed since my newbie days:

Pack much less. Wearing an outfit 2x is totally acceptable.

Stay on board and use the "secret" pool in the ships gym when in ports I have visited multiple times.

Save and cutback wherever I can to afford a balcony room.

Bring and read an entire book.

Check for price drops daily.

Eat all the cheese I want without guilt.

Don't shave when the ship is moving.

After 19 cruises in 25 years - it's amazing how it's different now.

- like others, we pack less. Although I STILL tend to overpack. Use packing cubes. Repeat outfits. Simplify jewelry.

- do less. Use to bounce from show to trivia to bingo to music etc. now we are content doing NOTHING.

- no bingo. No casino. I think it's been at least 5 cruises since we have done either. No reason really - we just got sick of giving our money away.

- spend time alone. I usually find a quiet area in the shade or inside to read. He hangs out at the pool.

- gym. Part of the daily routine now

- food. Just LESS. Cruising has become so less about food for us. While we enjoy it, we don't feel we have to have dessert at every meal, breakfast is light, etc. still love that Ice Cream however.

- bedtime. We used to feel we needed to stay up late - dinner, show, bar (midnight buffet), etc. Now early to bed, early to rise.

- ports. We take advantage of free or cheap offerings. Research. Trolley in San Juan, grand Turk beach etc. stay on ship days are the best.

- photos. Hardly any. We don't even stop on formal night.

But most of all, we are more than content to do NOTHING. it's no longer go go go. It's more go find a quiet corner and stare at the sea for hours. [emoji1]

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1. Not rushing to our rooms....on the Vista we explored...did the Sky Ride etc.

2. Leave more tips...I didn't grasp how much the crew does on these ships and how little they get paid at first

3.Try new food options...we were pretty basic the first few sailings but on the last one we tired new stuff like the pig n anchor, JiJis, the serenity salad bar, the upscale Italian restaurant

4. Book future sailings on board

Pack less.

Be open to new things, like dining with strangers.

Get involved in new stuff, trivia. DH did the hairy chest contest this last cruise. So not like him. I felt uncomfortable for him, but he seemed to have a blast.

If I need to get across ship at a peak crowd time I head for a deck with cabins; much easier to cover one end to other.

 

 

 

If the dining room is open for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, it is almost always a more relaxing experience than the buffet.

 

 

 

In order to relax try to throw away FOMO; fear of missing out. No more rushing around to see every last thing there is to see, rather pick a few activities and be more leisurely.

 

 

 

Locate quiet outdoor spaces like forward looking decks and exterior promenades under lifeboats; I like to be where the crowd isn't.

 

 

 

I ask in the MDR if there is an unlisted chefs specialty for the evening; sometimes you get a surprise.

I am glad you described what fomo meant, I was going in an entirely different direction.

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This is a good thread!!

Pre-cruise:

Not over-packing

We have all paper work down to a science

Not showing up too early at port

On the ship:

Always meet and take care of room steward with a first day cash tip. (And last day)

Play progressive slot machines on first night...lol

We really don't investigate the whole ship on the very first day like we used to.

Interesting thread

We have been to pretty much every port in Caribbean so these days we find our way to a beach. Come and go as we please as opposed to cruise line telling us time to go.

We do not drink as we used to so no more smuggling, we are ok with our two bottles of wine.

I am up at sunrise wandering the ship and finding people to talk with and DW sleeps in to 8 30 or so.

We try to see as many comedy shows as we can (avoiding Vista as venue is way to small for number of passengers on the ship). Go to less production shows than we used to as quality has definitely gone downhill.

Pack less, with free laundry we can fit all of our stuff in one large suitcase plus carryon.

And we want to see the world these days so most of our cruises are now on Princess.

It seems like we have many consistent themes...wondering if the newer cruisers are reading?

I may be biased, but I think this is pretty darn good advice!;p

Let's see:

1-Travel very light. A nice necklace transforms the same black t-shirt I wore to the gym into a beautiful outfit for the rest of the day. For a 7 day cruise I take something like 4 shirts and 2 pairs of leggings. Leggings look good no matter where I am. It's all about accessorizing. Shoes-one pair of sneakers, one pair of sandals and a pair of flip flops! Of course clean underwear for each day.

2-The cabin. The ship goes the same places and you get the same food and entertainment no matter where you sleep. That was my motto. Used to get "the cheapest". Now, I get the best value. So, if the price is good for the balcony or mini-suite I'll take that cabin even if it cost more than "the cheapest" one on the ship.

3-Casino. After many cruises and losing many dollars much faster than I do on land casinos, I cut back my hours there.

4-The food. I used to be on the plump side and ate like there was no tomorrow. After a health situation and a life style overhaul I'm in perfect condition with a (well, DH and doctors think so) perfect body. So, now, I eat healthy but give myself a daily treat (there's always room for chocolate melting cake). Also, we never went to the MDR in the old days. Now, we do a few times per cruise.

5-Gym. So, I guess you could say the time I don't spend in the casino is time I spend in the gym. I never went there in the past.

6-Excursions. I mix it up now depending on "the time". I don't book anything that's early. Sometimes we do the ships excursions, sometimes book with outside vendors...but more often find things to do close to the port. I used to either stay right at the port or take a ship excursion.

7-Spending on board. I love jewelry. I could probably win an award as "jewelry shopper" of the year. I know my stuff and I know where to buy at the best value. Knowing how overpriced the ships jewelry is, I never bought things on board in the past...until I decided that if I saw something I liked, it would be a souvenir that would last forever. So, I buy jewelry on board (and you can bargain). Again...I spend less in the casino, so it all evens out in the end.