FIRST TIME CRUISER w/ LOTS OF ???'S

[timsgrl]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in May on the Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean. I've been reading a lot of the posts to try and get all my questions answered, but am still a little confused about certain items. Any help or suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP YOU CAN GIVE!!

[phinfan63]

1. All food is included. I think alot of ships have a restaurant that you can pay to go to but otherwise all food is included. You can get on/off the ship while in port.

 

2. Jeans are definitely appropriate in ports of course, it will be hot and you may not want to wear them. You will get lots of answers on this one but my personal opinion is that as long as you don't wear jeans into the dining room for dinner, jeans are even fine on the ship.

 

4. There should be a safe in your room that you can lock your valuables in. I've only been on one cruise and don't remember seeing shampoo/conditioner on the Holiday but I've reads lots of posts here that say it is provided. Personally, I'm very picky about my shampoo so I took my own.

 

Good luck and have fun!

[Heidi101]

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? It's all free with exception to the Supper Clubs. As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? Correct. When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals? Yes.

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? It is okay to wear denim on the ship or at port. Your choice. The only time it would be inappropriate is at dinner in the dining room.

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? It was in the Category 12, so I'm sure it is available for all cabins. Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? They will not allow you to have an iron in your cabin, but there is a laundry room on each deck that you can go to that has an iron and ironing board. And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up? Yes.

[reggierail]

A good start would be to go to the first time cruiser section.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=97

 

You can also check the port of call section for more info on particular ports.

 

Most meals and room service is included in your fare. There are specialty restautants on many ships that have a surcharge but I've always been more than happy to eat in the main dining room at no charge. Coffee, tea, milk and juice are included with your meals.

 

You can dress casually almost anywhere on or off the ship. The exception would be on formal night in the dining room. Shorts are not allowed in the dining room for dinner at any time.

 

Can't help with ports except to say I'd love to do that itinerary.

 

Shampoo and other amenities are provided in your cabin. There are no irons and they are not permitted on the ship due to the fire hazard. It would depend on what cabin you have as to if there would be a safe, if not security boxes are available at the Purser's desk.

 

Reggie:D

[Wennfred]

The Food and Drinks are provided free, the only Drinks you pay for are liquor, Beer, wine, Soda or Pop etc. As for Dinner time, Ice Tea, Water, Milk, Coffee are provided. On the Lido Deck where the Buffet is, the Juice bar is free and Ice Cream. Most ships now have a Formal Dinner room that you can reserve and there is a fee for that. I have never used one since the Dining room is perfect.

 

As for wearing Jeans throughout the ship, no problem, that all I wear during my cruise because inside the ship it is abit cooler, Jean shorts and a polo shirt, Except for Dinner of course.

 

Most ships now have Shampoo and Conditioner Dispensers in the showers, they also have some samples you can try for free. I recommend buying those travel size empty bottles you get at Walmart and then filling them up with yours, then put them inside a Zip bag.

 

Irons are not allowed

 

The St. Thomas Snorkel & Beach Adventure is great and the 5 Star Divers certified 1 tank dive

 

The Barbados Island Tour is what we did and enjoyed it.

[obx_fintoo]

Most food IS free, but some ships (I know the Fantasy did) have a little area that has these beautiful desserts, pastries, etc. that you are charged for. I did break down and buy one one afternoon, but usually you'd be just as happy getting your beautiful FREE dessert in the dining room.

 

Have lots of fun on your first cruise! :)

[M.S JAZO]

There is no Supper Club onboard the Destiny so in your case ALL food is included on your cruise. No irons all allowed in the cabins, Fire Hazard, and the same response to what everyone else. Happy Sailing, And Welcome to the life of sailing, which I think is the best life can get.

[KenMo]

timsgrl: When are you going???? Just curious!

[LizaMM]

Nope..no extra fee dining room on the Destiny.

 

Yes...there is a cafe on the promenade that serves coffee drinks such as espresso and cappucino, milk shakes and a variety of other speciaty beverages and pastries/cakes/chocolates. This is an additional cost. You can get regular coffee, tea, lemonade, water from the self-serve dispensers at any time. Any other beverages, both alcoholic and non, may be purchased at any bar and the lovely people who serve on the deck. During dinner coffee/tea is included and I was able to order cappuccino.

 

Attire can be a volatile subject on the boards :) Personally, I like to dress for dinner everynight and go all out on formal nights. I would say that the general "rules" regarding attire on Carnival only applies to the dining room during dinner. I have seen people dressed in pretty much anything you can imagine but I would say that appropriate etiquette is no jeans or shorts in the dining room during dinner. The buffet area is another story.

 

In my cabin on Destiny there were full body soap and shampoo dispensers mounted in the shower. There was a basket of ammenties which were sample sizes of various produts. I always travel with my own shampoo, conditioner and body products as I am picky about these things.

 

There are laundry rooms however, I can't tell you a darn thing about what's in them :)

 

As far as excursions go....it really depends on what you enjoy doing. All the ports are awesome!

 

I have been to St Thomas a few times and have enjoyed various things from sailing/snorkeling to the Kon Tiki Party Boat. I had a great excursion in Barbados that included kayaking, beach time a sail and snorkel with sea turtles. I loved this and would highly recommend it. In Aruba I enjoyed DePalm where I lounged, ate and Snuba.

 

I have not been keeping up with it but there is a thread here titled Destiny Cruisers - Past, Present and Future which will give you a lot of information as well. The Ports of Call area on CC is filled with a wealth of info and links to websites on each location.

 

Research and planning a cruise is big part of the fun for me!! Enjoy!!

[mnk2005]

The food is all included in the price of the trip but anything other than coffee, juice, lemonade, tap water and unsweet tea is extra. The dress code is very loosley enforced, I saw a woman with a see through dress and a bathing suit underneath in the dining room in the evening. Her husband had a towel around his neck, a tee shirt and a pari of jean shorts. I hope this helps.