Newbie - where to start?

Hi All,

As the title suggests I'm a total newbie to cruising - I have my first cruise booked for June 2018 (a bit far in advance, I know), and I really cannot wait! It's a 7 night Western Caribbean on the Carnival Glory.

My question however, is in this massive world of cruising where there seems to be SO many things to consider - where do I start with all things cruising? (any advise to get me going with preparation/ excursions/ things to pack/ cruisecritic forums would be great - just a few pointers so I know what kind of questions to be asking)

Thanks a lot in advance - I'm really excited to start learning about cruising from people who know it best!

There's a forum full of information here. I suggest reading as much as you can and posting specific questions in the appropriate forums as they arise. You're not the first one to take your first cruise and all of the things you've mentioned in your post are basic topics that have been covered here ad nauseam. Joining the roll call for your sailing could be helpful with your excursion planning.

Congrats on booking your first cruise and welcome to CC! I would post your questions on the Carnival section. You will get a lot more responses. I have been on the Glory and in my opinion, it is a great ship for a "first" cruise. Not too big and not too small. Great food, entertainment and nightlife. :cool: I would also do as much reading on the Carnival section, as you will get some great tips.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

There is also section here called"Ports of Call" where you can check out your ports.

Also, check out Calgon's packing list or packing list posts in this forum. You won't NEED everything thats for sure, but certain items such as extra outlet (non-surge protector ones) will make all the difference when you want to charge 2 cell phones, a camera, and an ipad and notice Carnival cabins only have 1 outlet LOL. The Carnival forum seems to be the biggest one, so you have plenty of time to do amble research.

Welcome to the forums!

I'm a Carnival girl myself so you will see me over there as well.

For a second there, I thought we were going to be cruise buddies. ;) But we're taking the June, 2018 Eastern Caribbean cruise on Glory. This will only be our second cruise. Our first was last year aboard the Conquest (same class ship as Glory). We're taking 5 members of my wife's family this time...it'll be their first.

We're planners and I research the ever living daylights out of our vacations before we go. I spent countless hours reading the Carnival FAQ's and the old Carnival Funville forum (it's since been closed) before our first one. And ever since we booked this new one a couple months ago, I'm back into "research" mode. :D

I highly recommend reading through the Carnival FAQ's (under the "Plan" tab on their homepage). And this forum has a wealth of information. If you want to read threads that are sorted just for the Glory, go here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/carnival/glory Otherwise, the entire Carnival section of this forum is full of info that's useful, regardless of the ship. Click on the "Search Boards" link near the top of the page to search specific questions you might have. There's more than likely already several threads about it. If you can't find what you're looking for, just ask. Either in a thread pertaining to the topic or by creating a new one.

I know it's still a long ways off, but that gives you plenty of time to plan and learn. One thing we're using all this time to do is buy some discounted Carnival gift cards. There's several threads about those too. I'd say AARP, Verizon, & AllState are probably the three most popular sources. You sign up for their rewards programs and every so often they sell Carnival gift cards for 10% off using your rewards points. Those cards can be used to pay on the balance of your booking, excursions, or to spend on board. Personally, I'm using the AARP rewards program. I've only been signed up for about 3 weeks now and have enough points racked up to buy over a dozen discounted gift cards. For that particular one, you don't have to be a member of AARP, you just have to register for free on their website. If that's something that appeals to you, there's a couple threads about them on the first page of the Carnival section.

Cruising isn't that much different from ANY vacation. Pack for the climate you'll visit. Google that.

Research your ports. I find guidebooks to be easier than googling, but google will work fine, too.

Get the cruise line's brochure...that will tell you all you need to know about the ship's policies.

It's a vacation..remember that! It's not a race or marathon or competition! It's a vacation!

Whenever I sail on Carnival cruises, I click on their excursions and read the reviews. I find them very helpful in deciding on excursions.

BWook a hotel room in the city you are sailing from and go to that city a day before the cruise. Check our your roll call. There will be lots of suggestions on excursions and on hotels near the port.

Book a hotel room in the city you are sailing from and go to that city a day before the cruise. Check our your roll call. There will be lots of suggestions on excursions and on hotels near the port.

Welcome to CC and the best vacation you could have booked! Someone mentioned it, but RELAX! Your cruise will be great if you don't have all the answers before sail away! You can't control the weather or the motion of the ocean, so don't stress! Lastly, learn what "ship's time" is and how it could affect the enjoyment you get from your cruise! [emoji6]

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Hello and welcome to the world of cruising. One thing you can do is; since you will be with Carnival; go to their website and look under cruising FAQ(frequently asked questions). They will cover most everything you may want to know. Each cruise line has their own set of FAQ's. But it is good; and this forum is wonderful. Good luck and search all the threads here.

Hi All,

 

 

 

As the title suggests I'm a total newbie to cruising - I have my first cruise booked for June 2018 (a bit far in advance, I know), and I really cannot wait! It's a 7 night Western Caribbean on the Carnival Glory.

 

 

 

My question however, is in this massive world of cruising where there seems to be SO many things to consider - where do I start with all things cruising? (any advise to get me going with preparation/ excursions/ things to pack/ cruisecritic forums would be great - just a few pointers so I know what kind of questions to be asking)

 

 

 

Thanks a lot in advance - I'm really excited to start learning about cruising from people who know it best!

June 2018? Hardly "a bit far in advance."

As you become more familiar with the world of cruising, you will begin to notice that some highly desirable (rare, exotic, unique, etc) itineraries on certain cruise lines have all their prime cabins booked solid within a week of the schedule being announced. That means, in some cases, it's already "late" for spring 2019.

And, if you're flying on FF points, you'll also learn that the best selection of available international destination seats often coincides with an airline's ticketing start at 333 days prior to flight. That, too, makes booking a cruise almost a year out a worthwhile consideration.

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Find a friend, travel agent, someone who cruisesd before and go to dinner. There so much information especially here that it helps to have someone sort it all out. While you are here read about the ship you are going on and the ports you are going to.

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Our first cruise I knew absolutely nothing about cruising other than what was in the cruise line brochure. This was pre-Internet. I based my wardrobe on what the people in the pictures were wearing! But everything turned out just fine anyway. It will all make sense by the second day onboard.

definitely go on the cruise line's website as there will be a lot of info there, including deck plans. I always do this before a cruise even if we're repeating a ship.

Also google each port and you should be able to find tourism sites. Your local library should have guide books for the area you're cruising too. If you find a book you really like (great maps, etc.), you can go on Amazon and buy the latest edition.

As someone pointed out, it's best to get to your embarkation city at least a day early, especially if you're flying or taking a train. Then you'll be there and can relax the night before your cruise.

You can also find a lot of packing lists on this site and by googling, but many people will suggest all sorts of things you'll "need," but most things may just take up room in your suitcase.