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If your ship has a slide, no matter how young or how old (dignified, mature, etc.) you think you are, if you are physically able, go down it at least once. There's a reason kids coming off the slide have such a big smile on their faces...go get yourself one of those big smiles! :D

 

Just reading this made me laugh. I just showed my mother the port webcam of one of the Carnival ships leaving and she got all excited. "Is that a slide?!! Is there one on our ship?"

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Don't be late when coming back to the ship. It will leave without you.

Bring a power strip without a surge protector.

Bring compression bags to put your dirty clothes in. It will help save space in your luggage for souvenirs.

Relax, it will be okay.

Explore the ship, there are a lot of little hidden surprises if you look for them.

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Bring compression bags to put your dirty clothes in. It will help save space in your luggage for souvenirs.

 

Since the compression bags that I'm aware of use vacuum cleaner suction to compress, how do you

accomplish that aboard? :confused:

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Since the compression bags that I'm aware of use vacuum cleaner suction to compress, how do you

accomplish that aboard? :confused:

We purchased the kind that you lay or sit on to get the air out. We've used them much more than the vaccum kind, because there are never vacuums at our destination. Also, make sure you leave plenty of room for the trip home. Dirty laundry magically expands. ;)

 

Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for all the very helpful hints. Two weeks from tomorrow I will be going on my first HAL cruise to Alaska. This will be my 16th cruise but through this forum I continue to get many helpful hints...I am a serious planner for vacations because I like to actually enjoy the cruise while I am on it. Earlier cruises, I spent way too much time planning excursions, trying to help family members and friends get the most for their vacation and keep everyone happy. I will say though since my first in 1993, cruises have become so much easier thanks to modern technology.

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  • 3 weeks later...
No longer. Each person may bring on one bottle of wine at the embarking port. The only exception is if HAL has a shore excursion to a winery or where wine is the focus, then you may bring one bottle back. I believe this is the current rule.

 

Thanks for the update.

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Just experienced my first cruise - P&O Pacific Explorer (Australia)

 

I read this thread a month before cruising and got lots of great ideas on things i thought i may need for my first cruise, but turns out i didn't!

 

DON'T NEED:

**Wall magnets - there's adequate space for paperwork, tickets ect. You don't need added crap all over the walls.

**Power adaptors - there is one/two available in your cabin. Enough for the 4 people in our room. Want to charge something? Simply wait your turn.

**Bathroom storage - enough space for the essentials. Again why would you want to hang something over the door? Just added crap clogging up your space.

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When traveling, I scan all my important documents, passport, visas, prescriptions etc. I keep an extra copy of these items in my luggage and email a set to myself. If I ever loose my passport or any other document all I need to do is get to a computer to recover the information I have lost.

 

 

 

Great tip. I have a Dropbox file specifically set up for this info and before each trip I add any reservations, tour info, paid receipts- basically anything specific for that trip. It has saved us a couple times as I could pull it up on my phone to verify a time or location that we thought we knew...

 

 

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# 2 Take wine to drink in your cabin , you can bring 2 bottles of wine on board at every stop .

 

 

Is this still true in 2018?

 

Not sure which cruise line you are referring to, as most have different policies.

 

Our preferred cruise line - Viking Ocean has no restrictions on bringing alcohol aboard, either TAR port or subsequent ports, and will even open your own wine bottles in the dining room (no corkage fee).

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  • 2 weeks later...
Do you find it more advantageous to book with a TA or directly with Carnival? Thank you
Large online TAs earn 10 to 16% Commission on the base fare (excluding port fees, taxes, gratuities and insurance), depending on the cabin category and price you pay.

So, an Online TA will usually give you a discount up to 10% of the base fare (without port fees, taxes or gratuities) or equivalent OBC.

Edited by drsel
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Large online TAs earn 10 to 16% Commission on the base fare (excluding port fees, taxes, gratuities and insurance), depending on the cabin category and price you pay.

So, an Online TA will usually give you a discount up to 10% of the base fare (without port fees, taxes or gratuities) or equivalent OBC.

Found this out the hard way...I will shop around and book directly with the cruise line, airline and hotel!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Forums mobile app

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Found this out the hard way...I will shop around and book directly with the cruise line, airline and hotel!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

I think you may have misunderstood the previous poster. A good TA will charge you the same price as the cruise line and then throw you some extra benefits. Mine rebates part of his commission to me. He also watches for price drops and automatically applies them for me. Why would I want to book direct and not get these things when the direct price would be the same to me and the cruise line gets to keep the difference?

 

 

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I see...I definitely misunderstood. I booked with a TA and paid way too much.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Forums mobile app

Do you mean that you didn't get any discount or OBC from your TA

or

that you paid more than the cruise line price?

Online TAs provide free service, no charge. They even share a part of their 10-16% commission with you and provide quick, excellent service.

What more can you ask for?

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  • 5 months later...
On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2009 at 6:16 PM, MrsPete said:

Arrive in your port city a day ahead of time; it's the cheapest insurance you can buy, and it will save massive stress.

 

Pack lightly, but do dress appropriately for dinner.

 

Wear comfortable shoes, especially in port.

 

Research your ports ahead of time, and reserve private excursions. Never take a ship's excursion -- the financial savings are nice, but the real perk is the smaller groups.

 

Don't be afraid to try new things.

 

You don't have to take adavantage of everything to have fun. Don't feel that you must do an excursion in every port, must buy all the stuff they put out in the promenade, must eat at specialty restaurants, must have a suit . . . you can have a great cruise at a more moderate price.

Quick question, is it advisable to make seating reservations in the dining room or just show up when you want?

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