Silly Question....leaving in 10 days!

[ckdmom]

HI! We are cruising on the Elation and leaving from Mobile on 7/16. We are 1st time cruisers and I have some question that probably seem silly!:confused: We are traveling with our 3 kids and my parents and I need to be prepared!

 

1. Do we need to bring beach towels or are they provided?

2. Is there shampoo and soap in the cabins or do we need to bring it?

3. When do we need to plan to arrive at the port in order to board?

4. What is your best cruising tip to make this trip amazing?

 

Thank you in advance for any and all help and/or advice!!!

Jenny

[JenLOverbey]

HI! We are cruising on the Elation and leaving from Mobile on 7/16. We are 1st time cruisers and I have some question that probably seem silly!:confused: We are traveling with our 3 kids and my parents and I need to be prepared!

 

1. Do we need to bring beach towels or are they provided?

2. Is there shampoo and soap in the cabins or do we need to bring it?

3. When do we need to plan to arrive at the port in order to board?

4. What is your best cruising tip to make this trip amazing?

 

Thank you in advance for any and all help and/or advice!!!

Jenny

 

1. Towels are provided.

2. There is soap and shampoo, but no conditioner.

3. I would arrive around 11:00 to get there early and get onboard and explore asap.

4. For the first timer with children my best advise is what I wish someone would have told me. I do not know how old your children are, but if they are teenagers do not let it hurt you that they want to ditch you constantly to go hang with the kids in the Circle C / Club O2. I was so sad on my first cruise I let it ruin my dinner almost every night. Alongside that... get early dining as it doesn't interfere with the Circle C / Club 02 activities and your children won't be rushing through dinner to leave. :)

[firefly333]

I arrive around 10:30, to board the earliest I can, even though I know they wouldnt start boarding until after 11. As you are new to Carnival, you will get a zone boarding card according to arrival time at the port.

[ckdmom]

Thank you so much for your information...I am sure that I will have a zillion more questions before we leave!

[alaskaalaska]

We are on the same ship, one cruise after you.... good questions! I had been meaning to ask about the towels also...

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

HI! We are cruising on the Elation and leaving from Mobile on 7/16. We are 1st time cruisers and I have some question that probably seem silly!:confused: We are traveling with our 3 kids and my parents and I need to be prepared!

 

1. Do we need to bring beach towels or are they provided?

2. Is there shampoo and soap in the cabins or do we need to bring it?

3. When do we need to plan to arrive at the port in order to board?

4. What is your best cruising tip to make this trip amazing?

 

Thank you in advance for any and all help and/or advice!!!

Jenny

 

1. Blue beach towels are provided in the room; however, if you are doing a lot of water excursions that involve taking another boat in port (like a snorkel excursion), I personally like to bring a thin towel that fits easily into my bag. The Carnival towels are nice and thick but take up space. If you are just doing the beach and have a good sized beach bag, use the Carnival towels.

 

2. Yes, but as someone mentioned, bring your own conditioner. Also, the soap is liquid, so I like to bring my mesh shower sponge. You can also use a washcloth, but I like the sponge for the liquid stuff.

 

3. We like to arrive early. You may have to wait awhile in the boarding area, but it's good to get one of the first zones for boarding...that way you can get a nice window seat up on the Lido deck for lunch. Also, if you take carry-ons, you do have to keep them with you until the rooms are ready, so just be prepared to carry that around for a while. If you take some drinks with you, you have to have them in your carry-on according to Carnival rules.

 

4. Like a pp said, don't be disappointed if your kids don't want to hang with you! My kids are 6&7 and just wanted to be at camp the whole time. I did put my foot down and say they had to eat dinner with us, but by the 5th night, I gave up and said they could eat at camp. Next time I think I will let them pick a couple of nights up front to eat at camp, then the others they eat with us...that makes everyone happy. My other piece of advice is to take two swimming suits if you have lots of water stuff planned. There is a line in the bathroom to hang stuff up, but sometimes it doesn't dry quickly. I like to have a spare.;)

 

Hope you have a great time! Check out the 1st time cruisers board here too, because there is lots of good info there.

[kentuckyluckygirl]

Hope you all have a great time on your cruise! My BF and I will be cruising the Elation in October, sailing from Mobile. I am also a first time cruiser and have become addicted to Cruise Critic. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post a review of your cruise when you return home. I would love to get your impressions of the ship, the cruise experience, and the ports that you visited as a fellow first-time cruiser. Also, how are you preparing for "sea sickness"? Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I am as nervous as I am excited!! ;):):D

[SkyMaster]

As noted above, the soap in the shower that they provide is liquid, however they do provide bar soap for the sink, and all you have to do is ask your cabin steward, and he/she will give you more bars of soap if you prefer that for the shower. I know you'll have a wonderful time on your cruise, and also as noted above, be sure to tell us all about it when you return! :cool:

 

"SKY"

[ckdmom]

I just thought of another question....

 

How much cash do you bring with you? I know that people do not like to use their credit cards to pay......

[luckycruzer]

plan to spend..not that much on a tour, I dont tour, but taxi, if any, lunch ashore, if any, souvies..booze..ect....more or less..I pay for all my cruzin stuff ahead, no tours anymore, I buy jewelry, or take it to Manuel for repair, or to renovate my old stuff. Sometimes I spend 0...til the next months cruze. Sometime I go to lunch w/a pal on the island...when I go to Europe, I give myself $100/$200 a day walk around $..my tour/air/hotels are already paid. I seldom use CC's but have Euros in my pocket, for something I can't resist, but do take one CC as a backup. I usually come home w/ $$ for my next adventure trip. You know your own spending habits. Mine are not for frivolities, just gold and silver..maybe coffee in the bag, and vanilla. I NO LONGER buy for anyone else...just me,...me me..me done with that... just me!!!

[CimW]

4. What is your best cruising tip to make this trip amazing?

 

Jenny

 

A couple of our cruises I really had to push my son to go to the kids clubs. He wanted to go before the cruises but didn't once we got on ship.

Having pushed him in to finally going he had a great time.

 

And, if they go to the kids clubs you get some time to relax or to do adult things :)

[tigereye]

Prepare for the easiest, smoothest parking and boarding tha you can imagine. Mobile is the best port that we have cruised from (we have sailed from several ports). Park in the deck and walk right into the terminal. Everyone there will be friendly and courteous and make you glad that you are there. I am so sorry that Carnival is abondoning this port. I hope that some other cruise line takes avantage of this fabulous port. We have 15 cruises with Carnival, but if another line comes to Mobile we will give them a try.

[missygirl]

Make sure they provide a blow dryer...thanks to this board I read where Fantasy did not have them so I was prepared.

 

Any questions you have ask... so many here will be glad to help you.

 

Missygirl