First Cruise - leaving Saturday on Glory - any pointers?

we are going on our first cruise ever, starting to get a little anxious...

any advice for first timers?

things we should bring that aren't on the usual "packing lists"??

thanks

Dawn

Bring half as many clothes & twice as much money. : )

Enjoy every minute doing as much as you can or absolutely nothing.

Just be yourself & remember, you'll probably never see most of these people again.

A bad day at sea beats a good day at work.

A bad day at sea beats a good day at work.

absolutely!!!

Relax and enjoy the magic of that first cruise!! Spend a little while at sail away on Lido or Spa Deck, port side, and wave at the folks on shore as you traverse the canal into the ocean. They are all jealous and wish they were waving from the ship! :')

You will need to quickly get acclimated to "ship time" as all ship activities, including port times, are based on ship time. On sea days this is not too critical, but on port days, it could mean the difference in you being on board when the ship departs or standing on the dock waving to the ship as it disappears into the sunset! Have a watch or other device that does not change time based on the time zone of the ship and be sure it is set to ship time.

Hope your first is a great one!

Bring half as many clothes & twice as much money.

Indeed!

And if you like to imbibe, I would strongly consider the Cheers! package. The price of drinks onboard, depending on where you're from, might shock you. At least with Cheers! you know exactly how much you will spend on alcohol (and water, milkshakes, juice, soft drinks).

Remember, too, the steward may ask you whether you prefer your room to be refreshed in the morning or in the evening, and the correct answer is "both, please."

Join your Roll Call. It is where you will virtually meet your new cruise friends. You will also get some info on how to enjoy a cruise at the least cost.

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I always ask for morning clean up, we didn't want both and if we needed extra towels just a phone call away. I asked for the ice bucket to stay filled which she did our room steward was awesome.The sea days to me are the best just relaxing, being on a 7 day cruise you don't have to rush and see everything. Do pack less our first cruise we didn't wear half of what we brought. Bring a room freshener like you hang on the rear view mirror.

My favorite things to say are:

Bring a Tervis (or similar) type cup to keep a cold frosty beverage with you at all times.

Pack light, you can always have stuff washed (or do it yourself) for a small fee if you need to.

BRING something for motion sickness. Even if you don't think you get motion sick. I like SEA BANDS.... I used to live on Motion Sickness meds but it always made me sleepy (even the non-drowsy ones), and then my husband bought me a pair of sea bands to wear - the are AWESOME and no side effects from meds.

Bring a Lanyard and ask Guest Service to punch a hole in your sail and sign card....then you don't have to worry about it falling out of your pocket.

Be advised (if you don't know about gratuities), they will add these to your account on board if you have not prepaid them. I see a lot of people at Guest Service complaining about this "unauthorized charge" on their account because they don't know what it is. It is automatic, but you do have the right to go down to Guest Services and adjust it if you so wish (just keep in mind these people work really hard for you).

Make sure you put your phone on airplane mode or off... calls and cell phone usage while on the ship are SUPER expensive (like $5.99 or $6.99) a minute because you are roaming off the ship. Lots of stories on CC about big bills people got when they got home ;)

A cruise is a time to try new things in dining. The great thing about the dining room is you can order whatever you want as much as you want and it is all included.... so don't hesitate to try something new - or two different things.

Read the Fun Times they put in your room each night... LOTS of really good info in there for you about onboard activities and what is happening the next day where.

Grab a little onboard ship map (can be found up and guest services), super small and fits right in your pocket helps you acclimate to the cruises ship at a glance.

If you have questions anyone with a Platinum (Silver) or White (Diamond) card is usually more than happy to offer advice! They are your well-seasoned cruisers and have lots of experience to offer :D

As a new cruiser check out the Welcome Aboard show, The Fun Ashore presentations, the Shopping Ashore presentation, and the Debarkation talk. Do these on your first cruise and you probably won't need to on any later cruises.

Just don't buy the coupon book in the Shopping Ashore talk unless you plan on doing some heavy duty shopping and can use the discount coupons. You will want to buy it because they are really good at selling them. Hurry I only have 5 (hundred) left. You really only get a few dollars of freebies out of them and that's only if you collect the Cariloha spices.

Best advice that I received as a new cruiser ... don't try to do everything! There is so much to do that you will wear yourself out and still not be able to do it all. Be choosy and allow yourself lots of time to RELAX!

Don't sweat the "small" stuff. Sometimes it takes a while for an elevator to get to your deck or lines at the buffet are long, etc. There's nothing you can do about it and moaning and groaning and complaining is just going to put you in a bad mood. Agree with all of the above, especially about the food. You CAN order more than one appetizer, salad, entrée, dessert....so on elegant night you don't have to choose between prime rib and lobster. You can have BOTH. And try different things. Order the steak if you want, but if you've always wanted to try salmon and it's on the menu, order it as a 2nd entrée on the side. You get the idea....there are many things I would never order in a restaurant because I've never had it and don't want to pay for something I might not like, so this is a good time to give your taste buds a work out! And don't forget to watch at least one sunrise and/or sunset. It is so amazingly beautiful it will take your breath away. The sun setting seems to take a while, then you blink your eyes and it's gone....astounds and surprises me every time! :eek: Don't forget to smile at EVERYONE. You never know if your smile will cheer someone up. HAVE FUN!

As a new cruiser check out the Welcome Aboard show, The Fun Ashore presentations, the Shopping Ashore presentation, and the Debarkation talk. Do these on your first cruise and you probably won't need to on any later cruises.

 

Just don't buy the coupon book in the Shopping Ashore talk unless you plan on doing some heavy duty shopping and can use the discount coupons. You will want to buy it because they are really good at selling them. Hurry I only have 5 (hundred) left. You really only get a few dollars of freebies out of them and that's only if you collect the Cariloha spices.

Agree, but If you can't make the talks in person they usually show them on the TV in your room too and you can watch and glean the info at your leisure too.