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TIPS FOR 1st time cruisers

goingtosnorkel

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travelntreats

travelntreats

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Any "special" tips for cabins (on Carnival Legend)? Do most book excursions through Carnival or other?

What tips are you looking for regarding staterooms ? Inside/Oceanview/Balcony ???? Shore excursions booked thru the cruiseline are generally higher than booking thru an independant tour operator, but if a first time cruiser, may be wiser to eat the price difference and book with the cruiseline to avoid concerns of missing the ship, less stress, etc.... You will probably get alot more feedback on this specific ship if you place your inquiry on the Carnival Cruise Boards ;)

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NCTribeFan

NCTribeFan

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Go to the Carnival board and look for recent reviews. I've sailed her sister ship, Miracle, twice and absolutely love the layout. SO much better than the usual big, floating box type, imo.

 

Go to the various Ports of Call boards and do some reading about independent excursions available at the various ports. Most are much more reasonably priced and a better experience just because you aren't wasting so much time being herded around, which seems to happen way too often on ship excursions.

 

Belize is one place to be careful about independent excursions. I've read some horror stories about nearly missing the last tender because of flat tires or stuck in the mud coming back from Mayan ruins. Consider cave tubing with an independent operator, though.

 

Again, read through the descriptions that Carnival has. Assume you are already booked? If yes, you need to register your sailing and then you can see what excursions are available. Depending how far away you are from sailing, they may not all be showing up, but you'll get an idea of what you'll be able to book. Compare the cost and duration of the excursion to what's available through independent tour operators.

 

See what appeals to you and see what sort of reviews the tour operators receive. READ, read, read, and read some more. There's no substitute for doing your homework!

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SASA13

SASA13

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If in a balcony cabin, bring bungee cords to hold the balcony door open. Bring insulated cups with lids, this way you don't have to bother with the small cups at the pool, and it makes bringing coffee back to your cabin much easier. Believe half of what you read in the reviews, keep an open mind and remember -- everyone makes their own good time. Enjoy :)

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skierT

skierT

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Bring binoculars on all cruises!

Read a guidebook on your ports before you start booking excursions--you may find you don't need one!

 

We are going to Alaska. Which guide book do you recommend?

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marshhawk

marshhawk

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One problem most people have is they take too much. A vacation especially a cruise is to unwind, and discover new places. That being said, you need to give us more information. How many people are going? What are the ages of the people? Are you adventurous, night people, day people? Food officianaros? Are you smokers? non smokers? Cigar? drinkers? Claustrophobic, karaoke singers?

Before we bare our souls about Legend and our cruise secrets tell us about you, and when you are going. Other wise you will be overloaded with well wishing cruisers. LOL. Let us know. I loved the Legend so much, we are rebooking her for next december.:D

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