First Cruise - Jewel of the Seas 01/14/11

[ManitobanNew2Cruising]

Booked our first cruise yesterday. Firstly, I was quite shocked at the final price - all those "hidden fees" ... blew the budget already! Our cabin is 2016, after reading a few posts, I realize that maybe I should try to change to a lower cabin. Is that possible? Worried about being sea-sick. Stopping in Labadee Haiti, Caragena, Colon, Puerto Limon and Georgetown. We like to just sit on a beach or check out the local area - can we do that at those ports? Or should be we booking excursions? Any suggestions would be helpful. I need to keep our costs down, since the initial cost is way more than I anticipated. Any suggestions for first time cruisers would be appreciated.

:)

[alcpa1]

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

I cannot answer all of your questions but after almost 30 cruises perhaps I can help.

You can move to a less expensive cabin as long as there are cabins available. RCI also has sales from time to time and perhaps your TA or RCI rep will adjust your fare.

As you set aside funds for your cruise do not forget to include about $11 per person per day for your ship's waiters, bus boys, cabin stewards and other crew. This tip money is well earned and this is the minimum suggested. If you order room service a tip of a dollar or two is greatly appreciated.

If you have booked directly with RCI you can transfer your reservation to a travel agent. There are quite a few on line agents who include an onboard credit (OBC) for booking with them. This credit can be used for tips and onboard expenses and does help make things financially easier. Brick and mortar agents can often provide the same OBC's. It never hurts to ask.

I do not know how you booked but the port taxes should have been included at some point during the booking process and not been such a shock. These fees are broken out because of lawsuits many years ago.

I have several suggestions for you to consider. First, go to the Roll Call board and join the roll call for your sailing. You will join a community of passengers on your sailing. There will probably be some who will have suggestions for port activities. Booking tours with the recommended companies on Cruise Critic will save you not only money but traveling/touring with a large number of people. Small groups often get to sights more expeditiously but you may also see additional or alternate sights not offered by the cruise line.

If you love beaches you will love Labadee. It is on an out parcel in Haiti and is a destination constructed by RCI. There are additional charges for alcoholic beverages and souvenirs. A beach luncheon will be served as part of your day.

In Georgetown, Grand Cayman you can catch a cab and head to the beaches. You definitely do not need the ship's transportation there. You will have to purchase any food and/or beverages on the island. Check out the Ports of Call board for the best beach recommendations.

Colon is a distance from Panama City and you will need to arrange a tour or transportation. There are no beaches close to the pier that I can recommend. The port area is not the safest area to wander on your own.

I believe you mean Cartagena. I have not been there. I think I have been to Puerto Limon but it was ages ago and my advice would be worthless. This is where your roll call will come in handy in conjunction with the Ports of Call boards.

I hope this has helped. Please ask any questions you may have. It is a wonderful cruise on a great ship. My BIL, SIL and their children and grandchildren are actually onboard the ship as I write.

[laurakdy]

Which deck are you on, that you think you have to move in case of sea sickness ?

[Teeara]

Booked our first cruise yesterday. Firstly, I was quite shocked at the final price - all those "hidden fees" ... blew the budget already!

 

There are a couple of reasons why your cruise is a bit pricey.

 

1. Your cruise leaves in only 4 months. The further out you book a cruise the less expensive it tends to be. For instance, I tend to book 12-18 months in advance. I get my choice of cabin and save a load of money over those who are booking just a few months in advance. If cruise prices go down then I simply call RCCL and ask for the going rate. Just saved $150 per person earlier this month because the rate dropped for my category.

 

2. Your cruise is 10 nights. The more nights the more money you'll pay.

 

Our cabin is 2016, after reading a few posts, I realize that maybe I should try to change to a lower cabin. Is that possible? Worried about being sea-sick.

 

1. Cabin 2016 is on Deck 2. You cannot go any lower into the ship than Deck 2 to book cabins.

 

2. Generally, you should be more concerned about booking more towards the center of the ship (between the front and the back) or the aft (back) of the ship. There is less up and down motion the further away from the front of the ship.

 

3. I suffer from seasickness myself and there are a variety of things you can do for it. You can take non-drowsy Dramamine or Bonine. I recommend non-drowsy so if you want to take it during the day it won't make you sleepy. You could also get the patch from your doctor (and I've never used it). You could eat candied ginger which you can get in any grocery store. Ginger is calming to the stomach. Of course you really have to like the ginger flavor if you use it ;):D. Or you can use SeaBands (which I use). You can get them in any drug store (same section as Dramamine and Bonine) and cost about $10 a pair. You wear them on your wrists and they have a plastic knob which rests on the pressure point on your wrist. Some people swear by them (like me) and others say they don't do anything for them. Since this will be your first cruise you might want to bring a couple of the above items to see which works best for you. I also like SeaBands because it doesn't interfere with drinking alcohol since there is no medication involved (as opposed to the Dramamine, Bonine or the patch).

 

Stopping in Labadee Haiti, Caragena, Colon, Puerto Limon and Georgetown. We like to just sit on a beach or check out the local area - can we do that at those ports? Or should be we booking excursions? Any suggestions would be helpful. I need to keep our costs down, since the initial cost is way more than I anticipated. Any suggestions for first time cruisers would be appreciated.

:)

 

You never HAVE to do shore excursions. In many locations you can simply grab a cab to head to the beach. You should check the Caribbean message board for specific beaches in the different ports you will be visiting. You also don't have to get off the ship if you don't want to! It's so quiet onboard when everyone else is off exploring the ports--you feel like you have your own private ship!

 

You should also check out the CC roll call for your cruise. One has already been started. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1008015

 

Continue to review the CC boards and please feel free to ask questions. We were all first timers at one point!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Theresa

[cb at sea]

You don't even have to leave the ship while in port, if you don't want to! Sometimes, on port days, the ship is a good deal! You've already paid to use it's facilities and on port days, the ship is virtually yours alone! It's a great time to get those "prime" pool loungers, or make use of the self-leveling pool tables, the gym.... Everything except the casino and shops will remain open.

At most ports, beaches are quite easy to do on your own. Do get a guidebook (libraries are free!) on your ports, so you'll know WHERE to go and how to get there! In places docked near a town, you can wander to your heart's content! We seldom, if ever, PAY do do things ashore...waste of money, IMO!

Aside from the suggested tips, there doesn't have to be any other expenses. If you gamble or drink, you will need to budget for that...but that's about it!

[ManitobanNew2Cruising]

thanks for your responses. Our room is in the middle of the ship, on floor 2. Some of the posts seem to indicate that the 8 -10th floor are better for sea sickness. So if we are on the 2nd floor in the middle, we should be ok? Is that a good spot to be or should I request a room transfer. I did pay for the window room as I thought I may feel claustraphobic without any window at all -

We have booked "any time" meals so our tips had to be paid in advance. If we want to ensure we can get into some of the shows and programs, do we need to book in advance, or is there usually lots of room?

Thanks!

[Teeara]

thanks for your responses. Our room is in the middle of the ship, on floor 2. Some of the posts seem to indicate that the 8 -10th floor are better for sea sickness. So if we are on the 2nd floor in the middle, we should be ok? Is that a good spot to be or should I request a room transfer. I did pay for the window room as I thought I may feel claustraphobic without any window at all -

We have booked "any time" meals so our tips had to be paid in advance. If we want to ensure we can get into some of the shows and programs, do we need to book in advance, or is there usually lots of room?

Thanks!

 

Actually, the lower you are in the ship the less movement there is. You should be fine on Deck 2.

 

Shows are free and tickets are not necessary (unless you were sailing on one of the ships with the ice rink in which case you would need to get free tickets to the ice show onboard in advance [use of the ice rink itself is free]). There will be plenty of seating. There are two shows nightly in the main theater, one during first dinner seating (for those who eat later) and one during second dinner seating (for those who eat earlier).

 

The only thing you might want to book in advance would be shore excursions, but since you're trying to save money you shouldn't worry about it. You can also book shore excursions onboard the ship, just be aware that some do sell out prior to the ship sailing.

 

Every night your cabin steward will leave a "Compass" which is like a newsletter for the next day. It will have all the details of what will be offered onboard the ship the next day. You will find one in your cabin when you board on embarkation day which will tell you what is going on that day. To give you an idea of what they are like, click the following link. http://travel.webshots.com/album/93707016jbohhd. Although it is for Carnival, all cruiselines use somewhat similar formats.

 

Also, don't feel like you have to do EVERYTHING on your first cruise. Most of the stuff that is offered are offered on other ships. If you miss something you can generally do it on your next cruise! On my first cruise I tried to do everything and just ended up exhausted. I'm finding that the more I cruise the less organized activities I partake in simply because I've done them all. Give me a balcony cabin with a lounger chair and I'm a happy camper.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Theresa

[crumpet]

Booked our first cruise yesterday. Firstly, I was quite shocked at the final price - all those "hidden fees" ... blew the budget already! Our cabin is 2016, after reading a few posts, I realize that maybe I should try to change to a lower cabin. Is that possible? Worried about being sea-sick. Stopping in Labadee Haiti, Caragena, Colon, Puerto Limon and Georgetown. We like to just sit on a beach or check out the local area - can we do that at those ports? Or should be we booking excursions? Any suggestions would be helpful. I need to keep our costs down, since the initial cost is way more than I anticipated. Any suggestions for first time cruisers would be appreciated.

:)

We took this cruise last year and the three ports Colon, Puerto Limon and Cartagena you need to take a side trip. The role call boards are excellent and we booked all our side trips with other members. Labadee you get off for the day right at the dock. We had rain so it was a wash out and Grand Caymen you can walk around town if you wish. You will be tendered in.

My husband also gets seasick but did not have trouble. We were outside cabin (porthole) deck 4 in the middle and it was perfect. You will incurr cost on the ship, liquor, pictures and gift shop. Pictures are taken every night so don't get excited to take the first ones. Last time it took the entire 10 days to find ones we really liked. First time we jumped too soon. Also offer the pop pkg but consider it closely. It may not be worth it unless you drink lots of soda. You can take your own water on the ship if you wish or order 6-12-24 bottles to be delivered. I ordered 12 and I had way over plenty. Don't over pack. Days on the ship you are in swimwear all the time. Two formal nights, but take a skirt and two tops..unless you are into dressing up big time. Have fun, you won't regret 10 days. We are looking at 14 now....7 too short. One piece of advise, we have not gone the day before but will this time. We come from Minnesota and have had no problems, but many have. Last year there were storms out east and many people were happy they came the day before and some had to drive to Miami.

[alcpa1]

Manitoban,

Deck 2 midship is the perfect location for a new cruiser concerned about sea sickness. The rule of thumb is low and middle, so you have step 1 complete.

The Purser's desk always has bonine available. From reading Cruise Critic for so long I know this is not available in Canada but it is a mild form of dramamine and works quite well.

You do not need to bring your own water onboard. If you have an empty plastic bottle you want to bring from home you can fill it daily, or at will, once you board. The water supply is from the US and as safe and good as your water from home. It is much safer than anything other than bottled water you must purchase ashore. The ship will supply the water on Labadee.

I hope this has helped.