joie1016

We are going on our 2nd cruise next month on the Getaway. Our 1st cruise was on the Sky a few years ago. I suffered with being sea sick 2 out of the 4 days despite using Motioneaze and prescription Meclizine. I am thinking of using the Scopolamine patch and trying the Sea Bands for this cruise. I would appreciate any advice/suggestions on what anyone has found that works for them to prevent sea sickness.

Sea Bands can actually cause seasickness. Prescriptions, not good for the body. Green apple maybe twice a day and ginger capsules, not pills :)

that's a loaded question. The ports that some people like on here I hate and the ones I probably love they hate. There is no "first timer ports". Its all about the experience and not where you are :)

I have seen references to DW and DH and occasionally DS and DD. what the heck do these mean? All I can guess are Da Wife, Da Husband, Da Son and Da Daughter.

"darling wife, darling husband, darling son , darling daughter"....is what that all means

We buy TRAVELGUARD thru our cruise agent. There is also no reason to fly in the day before unless you are crusing to Europe then i would fly in the day before . We always fly the day of the cruise and in 30 cruises we never had a problem. As long as you are 4 - 6 hours early before the cruise you shouldn't have an issue .

I was told several times to quit over scheduling and planning and wait until we get on the ship and go with flow.

 

Yes, I am the weirdo who stresses about scheduling relaxation.

Have no pre-concieved notions of what you think it will be and don't plan...going with the flow or "winging it" works best. Because if a "plan" falls through it makes people nuts and disappointed. :)

Flying into Ft. Lauderdale the night before . Need hotel to stay in before the cruise that has free/low cost shuttle to cruise port in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

What one piece of advice would you give me about cruising?

 

Thank you,

 

PG

Don't listen to others people's negative experiences. I don't :)

Can you buy bus passes for Bermuda on the Explorer of the Seas?

i love collecting the cups from the DoD and the special cruise ones, but i dont always like the drink in it or want to pay for it. our first cruise our room steward saw that i was collecting them and suggested that i look for ones just laying around and ask about if anyone wanted them. ohhhhhhhhhh that man was so wonderful.

 

now my grandkids use them for their tea parties and have all kinds of shapes and sizes.

I've been doing that for years and years :)

Thank you all !!!:)

I saw somewhere that Carnival is only taking $50.00 per person when booking. How long is this good for?

You have to purchase 100 shares of the stock to get the benefit. That would run you around $4,000 at today's price. The stock is publically traded. If you would want to buy, you would need to contact a broker or do it online (etrade, or similar) I would not purchase if you just plan on using for the OBC. I feel like the stock is at a high right now, but who knows.

Thank you so much. Not buying for the OBC. Looking to invest. thanks again:)

what is the website for buying Carnival stock? Is it "managed" by someone, do they have to be paid, what is the smallest amount to buy to get something out of it ? thanks in advance.:)

Hello all! I am taking my family on a 5night cruise in June. We are planning a cruise planning party and I would like help with ideas of what to put in the goodie bags.... This is what I have so far:

Personalized lanyards

Highliters (for cruise daily newsletter)

Sticky notes

Pens

Marker

Suntan lotion

 

What else do you recommend that they can use on the cruise?

 

Thank you so much!!!!!

Karen

Small zip lock baggies (we put our passports in them when going to beach), duck tape for "hems" that come down,bandaids,:)

A few years ago the Dawn had self service launderettes. SInce her "refurb" are they still in existance?

Just curious what the general feeling is about nude sunbathing, or just being naked on your own balcony while at sea... is that illegal or indecent? Is it just your balcony and you should be able to do what you want as long as it isn't disruptive to the neighbors?

 

And no, this doesn't apply to being in port... I just wonder if people can see into your balcony...

 

Thanks

 

Leaving on Freedom Sunday wahoooooooo!

Most balconies you are able to see into when looking down. Also when the balcony panels are joined, there are big spaces to see thru. There are also cameras along side of ship. :)

Hi seasoned cruisers. Myself, DW, DD4 and DD7 will be cruising for the first time in January aboard Carnival Legend. If you can only share one piece of advice that you think is essential and all cruisers must absolutely know. What would it be ?

 

Thanks for taking the time to educate us novice cruisers :)

M.

 

 

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Have no expectations of what you think it should or might be. Don't listen to anything negative and do your own thing. We all have different expericences and some bitch about it and some rave about it. Don't listen to anyone and just do your vacation your way:)

When I talk to people who are considering their first cruise, one of the questions I get is “what’s it really cost?” Yes, it’s easy to see the price of a cabin, but there’s a lot more things that contribute to the overall cost of the cruise.

I thought it might be helpful to first time cruisers to give them a breakdown of all the costs associated with our recent cruise. The cruise was a five day trip on the Carnival Glory from Norfolk to the Bahamas. We drove to Norfolk (about two hours away), so we didn’t have any airfare charges.

All costs shown are for two people.

Stateroom - $1648

We had an ocean suite on this cruise. Larger cabin, larger balcony and larger bathroom than a standard balcony cabin. It also gave us priority boarding.

Taxes and Port Charges - $163

Depending on the ports you are visiting, you’ll be charged these fees. Our cruise included two stops in the Bahamas

Prepaid Gratuities - $115

Like most lines, Carnival automatically charges a daily gratuity ($11.50 per day, per person).

Parking $75

Unless you have a friend dropping you off at the cruise port or the airport, you’ll spend money parking your car. The $15 a day charge at the parking garage near the cruise port is pretty typical.

Liquor delivered to Cabin - $150

We enjoy cocktails on the balcony so we pre-ordered a bottle of rum and a bottle of vodka (along with orange juice and coke mixers). They were in our cabin waiting for us when we arrived. This is a bit pricey, but still cheaper than buying by the drink at the ship bars. We took a couple of insulated tumblers with lids, which made it easy to make a drink to go while we were on board.

Excursions - $490

We booked a snorkeling trip in Nassau ($120) and also did two onboard “excursions”. We did the Behind the Fun tour of the ship ($190). We also did The Chef’s Table ($180 w/tip) that Carnival offers once on each cruise for up to 12 people. It’s a 7 course meal in a private dining room with wine and the ships executive chef.

Pictures - $61

All cruise ships have photographers taking your picture during the cruise. They display these pictures in the photo gallery and offer them for sale. They are a bit expensive, but we bought four pictures we really liked.

Souvenirs - $104

We bought a few T-shirts and trinkets for family back home

Duty Free Liquor - $33

You’re allowed to bring one liter of alcohol per person back into the States duty free. For $33, I was able to buy a liter of Bacardi Rum, and a liter of Dewars Scotch. Much cheaper than I can buy it stateside!

Onboard Internet Access - $15

We couldn’t resist the urge to check email once during the cruise. At 75 cents a minute the bill can add up fast. You can buy packages of minutes for less per minute, but we didn’t need that many minutes.

Wine and Cocktails - $85

We brought two bottles of wine on board with us when we departed, and coupled with the liquor we purchased for our cabin, we didn’t need to buy many drinks from the bar. We bought one bottle of wine in the dining room and a few drinks in the comedy club one night. Prices for drinks onboard are comparable to a typical nice restaurant or bar. 15% gratuity is also automatically added to each drink purchased.

Cash Tips - $65

You’ll want some cash to tip the porters who help you with your bags, the waiters who deliver room service and a few bucks for those that gave you great service. In our case, we gave our room steward an extra $20, gave each of the five room service delivery waiters $5, and the rest was tips to porters getting on and off the ship

Total cost of the cruise - $3054

Obviously you can spend a lot less or a lot more, but I thought this breakdown would offer a good idea of what we consider typical cruise costs.

This is nothing what our cruises cost us for 2 people. You are listing alot of things that not every one uses. Our costs for 2 people in a balcony cabin ($1500.00) with some drinks and some pictures is always under $350.00. So our total is $1800.00 for 2 people for a 7 day cruise. :)

...do people really do this?

 

i am very leary about leaving my bags unattended outside my room overnight.

what if i need to add something to my bag?

Well, its not a choice, unless you take it off yourself, and dont pack something that you think you will need. We only travel with carry ons so we don't have to do this anymore.:)

GINGER CAPSULES AND/OR GREEN APPLES....not drugs and no side effects. Much cheaper:)

Try ginger capsules. Stay away from the "patch" as those can actually make you seasick. Ginger capsules work well . Or eat a green apple, not red, it actually calms the stomach. You don't want to "sleep" thru your cruise with the drugs.:)

Staring with week one, whenever that is, put a dollar away first week, 2 dollars the second week , 3 dollars the third week , 4 dollars fourth week, etc. In 52 weeks you will have $1364.00 in a year. Double the amounts for 2 people !!!:)

I'm going on my first cruise in January. I thought a lot about it, and did buy a lanyard and a clear plastic vertical "badge" holder that it attaches to for both my hubby and myself. I think they will be useful when we're on the ship. When we're in port, I plan to throw the lanyard/card in my small backpack. It will be easier to dig out that way when we get back to the ship. But yea, I think it would look a little geeky to wear it around my neck in port. :) But lanyard or not, locals will spot most of the tourists a mile away, in my opinion.

You're "spotted" only if you make yourself appear like you don't know where you're going:)

Lanyards remind me of work. I had to wear one for years and never could wear my necklaces because they kept getting tangled with the darn thing.

 

On my last two cruises you had to put the key card in a slot for the power to stay on so you couldn't just leave it in a holder on the lanyard anyway.

You shouldn't be leaving your key card in the key card holder because why light your cabin when you are not in it? that's the whole idea. You are supposed to take it with you.:rolleyes:

I go on the BREAKAWAY in 2 weeks and always go with an open mind. I don't pay attention to what most people have to say as everyone is different and what bothers one might not bother another. This is only one persons opinion .:)