What are the "must knows" for 1st timers?

[wickedawesomemom]

We (teenage son and I) are going on our first cruise. What are the things that we really need to know before we go? We are cruising to Alaska on Royal Caribbean next month and are trying to plan everything and I want to make sure this is a great experience. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[wrp96]

When you pack, only pack about half of what you think you need. Also, mix your clothing up among the bags (if one gets lost, then everybody still has clothes instead of one person having nothing).

 

Enjoy Alaska!

[ald3114]

Carry your own mini first aid kit and medicine samples (advil, tylenol, tums,) etc.

 

Bring a waterproof camera- if you plan to go on shore excursions.

[Guest enjoycruises]

We too are going on the RCI 6/12/05....Serenade of the Seas. Which sailing will u be on?

[ald3114]

Hello, we are going on the 6/3/05 Voyager of the Seas to the Western Carribean.

[wickedawesomemom]

We'll be on the Vision of the Seas on June 24...Northbound to Alaska. If this one goes well I really want to do a Western Caribbean one.

[mii]

The best advice that I can give you is take half of the clothes that you originally packed, take a camera, leave your worries at home and once you get on that ship throughly enjoy yourself. Don't let little problems ruin your vacation because the Alaska scenery is fabulous. Have a great cruise.

 

Marilyn

[megr1125]

Half the clothes and shoes, more money (yes you have a shipboard account but I always like to have travelers checks for "stuff" in port and extra cash for cabs, tips, etc.)

 

A camera....an open mind! Don't expect everything to be perfect...(it probably will be close to perfect.)

 

Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't try to do everything......

 

Do try new foods, new activities, see the shows! Read the compass! Sounds obvious but we still missed some stuff...take a highlighter.

 

We didn't need a power strip or over the door shoe thing....but if you have lots of gadgets to charge you may want one.

 

I am a firm believer in "pre-tipping" your cabin attendant. Give the person a little cash and maybe a phone calling card up front. I really think this helps!

 

If you want a lot of pics of the ship, etc try to get to port early. If you take pix as soon after you board as possible you will get less people in your shots!!

 

Let the ship's photographers take your pix......my mom and I should have done htis more than we did.....we bought a few since we don't have many pix of us. They do a nice job. Even if you only buy one...or none...at least you will have more to choose from. We only planned on getting our boarding shot since it was our first cruise...we got 1 in port and 2 funny ones from dinner. We skipped the formal ones.....the lines were too long.

 

Again....have an open mind...have fun and enjoy yourself.

 

Let us know if you have any questions.....we did our 1st to the So. Carib last year, our next will be Western and I want to do Alaska in '06!

[MrsBoo]

Read as many of these boards as you can. Cruise Rituals, Ask a Cruise Question, Photo Gallery, and Ports of Call. Lots of great tips re packing, whether to do shore excursions through cruise line or on your own, taxi/shuttle info, just about everything you could think of. Be prepared to become a "cruise addict":)

[Happy ks]

Check the weather before you go. Most people assume that because it is Alaska, it is cold. Not necessarily so, plan on taking shorts and short sleeved T-shirts as well as your bathing suit. A good raincoat, not a heavy one, though, dress in several layers so you can add and remove as necessary.

[spocruiser]

Do a search for, or otherwise locate, the "put your cruise tips here" thread on the RCL Board. It is huge and full of good advice.

 

 

We just did our first cruise a month ago. Some tips that worked well for us were:

 

1) Bring an over the door shoe bag, basic Wal-Mart cheap one worked great. There was a space above the bathroom door at the top where the hok wroked well (bag outside of the bathroom) and we filled all the shoe pockets with sunscreen, cameras, film, medicine, etc. - all the nick nacky stuff that is otherwise hard to organize in a small room.

 

2) Order ice water with room service (breakfast or night before) and use it to fill a couple of water bottles for excursions (water may not be an issue in Alaska, but we were not sure what was going to available in Mexico.

 

3) Go earlier than reccomended in your paperwork to board. Our documents indicated 2:00, we went through the boarding process with ease about 12:30.

 

4) During your first walk around the ship, stop by the dining room and find your table. It allows for much easier access when the first dinner arrives.

 

5) If you like wine, but are concerned with finishing the bottle by yourself, don't be. Buy what you like, drink what you want and your waiter will cork your bottle after you are done with dinner and bring what is left the next night.

 

6) Make sure you try out the Seaview Cafe (late night snacking/eating) and the Solarium Cafe. The crepes at the Solarium Cafe are great and it was almost always empty.

 

7) Alaska is on my list of places to cruise, please post a review when you get back. I would like to hear how your son likes it. You don't mention his age, but I am looking at Alaska for my wife and boys, currently ages 10 & 11.

 

8) Have fun. Try everything you can without exhausting yourself.

[suzie21]

I'm a first time cruiser and have found this thread (below) really helpful :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=103710

[CaptData]

Reserch the ports on the port of call board. don't forget to tip at least the recommended amount per person. You can not do everything that is going on choose what you want to do. You can buy you son a nice suit at a second hand shop so it won't cost a fortune. Make sure you have meeting times. Eat together most nights and share the day. Most importantly, have fun.

[wickedawesomemom]

Thanks everyone for all the tips. I'm taking lots of notes.

[Keksie]

Try to get to the city of embarkation at least a day early. Much less stress to have a window for travel problems.

[celbercrz333]

Wicked,

With only a teenage son and yourself, I would recommend one thing that some cruisers here like to have: 2 way radios. Trust me when I say the two of you will not want to be in the same place at the same time. Take a ship (about 800 feet long x about 10 floors) and you will be all over the place at any given time. While you son might be in the video arcade, you might be in the casino or in the library. Or you might be out at the pool while he's online in the internet cafe. See my point? I've been told on these message boards that you don't need a license to operate these walkie talkies.

[Tmeister]

Bring a small alarm clock, especially if you have an inside cabin.

 

Be prepared to have a great time and to not want to come home!

[jerseyfolks]

This is our first cruise. Celebrity states no alcohol in cabins, yet you can

bring your own wine to dinner and be charged a corkage fee. It's hard for

us to believe that folks don't keep alochol in their rooms. We love our cocktails!

 

Love to hear from experienced cruisers on this.

 

:)

[dakotajeanmarie]

I just sailed on my first cruise two weeks ago on the Caribbean Princess. I packed our clothes using the 2.5 gallon ziploc bags (Target) and it worked great!!! The bags keep your clothes from becoming wrinkled. DO NOT squeeze all the air out of the bag or else you will end with with wrinkles. Once you reach your stateroom, hang your clothes up. Everything was virtually wrinkle free. Since the airport luggage screeners serach your luggage, the ziploc bags make the search easier and doesn't mess up your clothes. I ironed the clothes first, folded them carefully, and then packed them in the bags in "coordinated groupings". For example, I packed my tan shorts with the two or three coordinating shirts together in one bag and so on. Since we checked two bags at the airport, I put half of my ziploc bags in one suitcase and the other half in the other suitcase just in case one bag got lost. At least we would have half our clothes on the cruise. Also, use the plastic bags your newspaper is delivered in to pack your shoes.

 

Also, in your carry on bag, pack some clothes you can change into for dinner just in case your bags don't arrive to your stateroom right away. One of our bags arrived soon after we arrived. The other one didn't come until after dinner.

 

If you are flying to your cruise departure point, I recommend flying in the day before. Our ship delayed sailing to accommodate some late passengers. A few others never did make it and had to the fly to St. Thomas on the third day to meet the ship.

[clackey]

I am amazed that someone did not pass on one of the most important tips. Be sure to book for early dining. WHY? So you will be able to do justice to the midnight BUFFET. I am totally serious.;)

 

Have a great trip and eat a shrimp for me.

Clackey

[MrsBoo]

We were on Carnival Triumph last December and they only had 1 or 2 midnight buffets:( , the other nights you had a choice of hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, or caesar salad.

[Sheffie]

This is our first cruise. Celebrity states no alcohol in cabins, yet you can

bring your own wine to dinner and be charged a corkage fee. It's hard for

us to believe that folks don't keep alochol in their rooms. We love our cocktails!

 

Love to hear from experienced cruisers on this.

 

:)

 

Well, Jerseyfolks, this is what all the cruise lines state, and it is something very few listen to. Bring your own and don't fret about it.

 

For the OP: When it comes to dining, if you would like to try more than one entree, ask for it. If you try something and don't like it, ask for a different entree. If you want steak AND lobster, ask for both. If you want more than one dessert, you can get that too! :eek:

 

You are in for a fantastic experience!

 

Michelle

[celbercrz333]

Jersey,

You bet we smuggled liquor about Celebrity. It was our 25th anniversary, our first cruise and we wanted to party. People on these message boards gave us advice on how to smuggle it, (put in packed luggage, not carry on) and we did just fine. Even the room stewards didn't rat us out. Go for it!

[Skinsfan1311]

This is our first cruise. Celebrity states no alcohol in cabins, yet you can

bring your own wine to dinner and be charged a corkage fee. It's hard for

us to believe that folks don't keep alochol in their rooms. We love our cocktails!

 

Love to hear from experienced cruisers on this.

 

:)

Not true! Enjoy your cruise! (BTW...I have family in Phillipsburg!)

[Happy ks]

clackey, I have to respectfully disagree with the choice of early dining, especially in Alaska. We were somewhat forced to choose the early dining, mainly because of health reasons for some in our group. Early dining means early back from port excursions and rushing to get ready, even on sea days. We always prefer late dining and it would have been marvelous in Alaska with the long days. I never bother with the midnight buffets, way too crowded.Our main purpose of cruising is relaxation and being able to enjoy all the ship has to offer, early dining takes away a lot of that time, at least for us it did. After dinner, I'm just about done for the day, a heavy meal and a few glasses of wine, I'm gone. We were in bed by 10pm just about every night.