First Cruise - Any Tips/Advice

[boleynkid]

Less than 3 weeks now to our first cruise (Norwegian Sun - 31st March) which we are looking forward to with great excitement but also a certain amount of apprehension.

 

Any tips or advice from all of you experienced cruisers out there is much appreciated including perhaps what to look out for at the Port of Miami.

 

Did I see a thread somewhere with regards to Luggage Tags, we have now received ours and they are only paper so I'm sure they could easily come off.

 

Thanks in advance, the assistance we have already received has been a great help to a couple of complete novices.

[GoVikes]

We have not had a problem with the tags coming off. We do not fly with them on our suitcases. I bring a mini-stapler and attach them prior to arriving at the port.

 

Love the Sun! Excellent buffalo wings in the sports bar!!:) Have a great cruise!

[ColinIllinois]

First timer tips:

 

Don't try to do everything the ship offers for dining and entertainment in one week. Pick and choose, relax and enjoy the experience.

 

Don't sweat the small stuff or an annoying passenger. No cruise is perfect but some come pretty darned close.

 

Strike up some conversations with other guests. It's lots of fun to meet new people from unknown places.

 

Turn off your cellphone and put it in the room safe. Take it back out when you leave.

 

Hope you have a great first cruise. It's addictive.

[boleynkid]

We have not had a problem with the tags coming off. We do not fly with them on our suitcases. I bring a mini-stapler and attach them prior to arriving at the port.

 

Love the Sun! Excellent buffalo wings in the sports bar!!:) Have a great cruise!

 

Thanks GoVikes and I will have to give those buffalo wings a try in the Sports Bar. I wonder if they show English Soccer matches in there.

[boleynkid]

First timer tips:

 

Don't try to do everything the ship offers for dining and entertainment in one week. Pick and choose, relax and enjoy the experience.

 

Don't sweat the small stuff or an annoying passenger. No cruise is perfect but some come pretty darned close.

 

Strike up some conversations with other guests. It's lots of fun to meet new people from unknown places.

 

Turn off your cellphone and put it in the room safe. Take it back out when you leave.

 

Hope you have a great first cruise. It's addictive.

 

Thanks ColinIllinois. Tips duly noted and definitely looking forward to meeting people. I think one thing I have worked out is that we have some very early starts/breakfasts.

[DDD06]

Don't miss the crew talent show.

 

Pack a power strip if you plan on charging electronics..

[karen_g]

Take half as many clothes as you think you'll need.

[boleynkid]

Take half as many clothes as you think you'll need.

 

Crikey, I was only taking a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt !!

[SteveH2508]

Take half as many clothes as you think you'll need.

 

and twice as much money...:rolleyes:

 

Seriously though - do what you want to do - if someone is being an a*shole and upsetting you (drunk/ I am entitled/feral kids etc.) - it is a big ship - you can avoid them.

If in doubt about anything - ask.

Join your roll call and go to the Meet and Greet - learn from others experience and knowledge.

Talk to other cruisers - there are all sorts on board and you will learn all sorts of things from them.

 

Try not to worry about the onboard bill too much - you are on holiday - indulge yourself.

[NCLcruiserGem]

Less than 3 weeks now to our first cruise (Norwegian Sun - 31st March) which we are looking forward to with great excitement but also a certain amount of apprehension.

 

Any tips or advice from all of you experienced cruisers out there is much appreciated including perhaps what to look out for at the Port of Miami.

 

Did I see a thread somewhere with regards to Luggage Tags, we have now received ours and they are only paper so I'm sure they could easily come off.

 

Thanks in advance, the assistance we have already received has been a great help to a couple of complete novices.

 

Take half the clothes and twice the money

[karen_g]

Crikey, I was only taking a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt !!

 

YIKES!! Well, ok then, my rule might not apply to you!

[Richpontone]

1. I find the problem with most cruisers is that of an attitude problem. After seven NCL cruises, I found that you must have patience and a sense of humor. You will have to wait on a line somewhere on your cruise--just cool it. Inpatience leads to stupid, immature actions and no one wants to see that. Also, you need a sense of humor. You will never get your way 100 percent of the time, and you will see some bad behaviour from a fellow cruiser--joke about it, and dismiss it. Getting angry will destroy your enjoyment of your cruise and you must have paid a thousand or more for it, which includes the mandatory staff tip and whatever extra you spend on the boat.Not worth it.

2. Go to the CC meet and greet, usually on your first sea day. Consult your roll call for details. Talk to the CC coordinator, and learn from him or her what to do on the ship and in the ports. They are a source of valueable, experienced information on what to do on the ship and in the ports. Invite the coordinator to a dinner at the MDR, you will have more time to talk and soak in the needed information.

3. At the CC meet and greet, talk to the hotel director who will be there. Get his or her name and their direct extension. If you have a problem with your cabin or steward, complain first to the steward. If no resolution, call the hotel director and leave a message mentioning that you are a CC member. You will get immediate action. Forget the front desk, except for resolving your final NCL bill which you get the night before the end of your cruise. It is also a good point to talk to and introduce yourself to your cabin steward at the beginning of your cruise. You will get better service and remember to give him or her a tip at the end of your cruise-they deserve it.

4. Bring an extension cord that gives you multiple electrical outlets. You only have one in your cabin.

5. Remember, NCL serves only Pepsi products. If you are a Coke addict or want to save on soda charges, you are allowed to bring as much soda in cans or bottles as you wish with no extra charge. Your cabin fridge will be filled with costly bottles and cans of soda, beer and liquor. Ask your steward to remove them, and you will have plenty of room for your soda to get cold.

6. The coffee in the buffet is a bit bland and not that strong. If you are in a ocean view or inside cabin and value a good, strong cup of coffee, bring your own bag of ground coffee and four cup filters and ask for a the standad four cup electric coffee maker. If the steward can't provide it, then ask your hotel director. A good cup of coffee is worth the extra effort. Of course, you can spend extra money for a good cup of coffee at the ship's Java Station, but the cost can add up.

7. The water is good on the ship. No need to bring your own although you are allowed to. Bring empty water bottles and fill it up at the buffet with plenty of ice. Good for use on the ship and on execursions in the ports.

8. Bring an insulated coffee mug. Useful in bringing your brewed coffee with you.

9. Have dinner at the MDR. It is really part of your cruise experience to have a nice, unhurried served meal in a nice atmosphere. More time to talk with your cruise partner.

10. Make sure you plan to eat your dinner with an eye in attending the early or late entertainment show. They are quite good and your cruise fare pays for it whether you go or not. Bring a sweater-it gets cold sometimes and try to get there fifteen minutes early to get a good seat in the front rows. Those seats go fast.

11. Bring a nite light, room deordorant for your bathroom and maybe a big, battery powered alarm clock. It gets dark in your room and if you get up in the middle of the night, you might want to know the time.

12. Bring a highlighter and mark out events that you are interested in the daily cruise daily newsletter-which gives you the dates and times of on board activities.

13. If you are a really big wine gourmet, you may not want to buy wine from the list of wines that NCL provides. You can bring your own at 15 dollars per bottle corkage fee. If you are not particular, on the first day of the ship's departure, you can buy a minimum of six bottles with a 20 percent discount. There are wine packages with special lower prices, but please buy it after you leave port. You escape the local sales tax but unfortunately, you still have to pay the service tip.

14. Get to your cruise early on the first day. In NYC, boarding starts usually at 11:30 am or 12 noon. Get there at this time, and you will breeze onto the ship in less than twenty minutes. At 1pm or later, it could be double that time and not a great way to start a cruise vacation. Also, remember on ship's embarkation day, there is one MDR that is open for lunch but it closes at 2:30pm. Great way to start your cruise with a leisurely, waitered lunch in a very nice place. All the other cruise passenger will not know this and will go to the crowded buffet and its long line. If that is not enough, try getting an empty table with your filled lunch plate with 1500 other passengers at the same time.

A final tip. Most stomach sicknesses on a cruise happens when you get the Noro Virus. Remember, alcohol based hand sanitizers do not destroy this virus. Only vigorous, thorough hand washing with hot water and soap,

will get the virus off your hands. And that means washing both the top and bottom of your hands for at least twenty seconds. Do this before every meal, and don't touch walls or other surfaces. People have a habit of touching surfaces and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes-that is how you get it. And you don't want to be stuck in your room for several days because you came down with that virus. It is not fun.

Hope that helps. Good luck. The key to a great cruise if that if you have a problem, get it resolved during the cruise. Don't wait til after the cruise to do a bad review on the CC message board. You will still hate your cruise and it is too late to do anything about it.

[lbt43]

Check out the pictures I just posted of the Sun! It is a great ship, you will love your cruise!

[gizmo911]

This will be my 8th cruise and I have done all but 2 alone.

 

1.While there is food everywhere all the time, you don't have to try and eat it all. I used to pile my plate and try to eat it all. I would leave feeling uncomfortable for hours. Try a "little" of everything.

 

2.If you meet someone traveling alone or a couple and you hit it off, invite them to dine with you once or twice. You meet the nicest folks on cruises if your friendly.

 

3.Don't try and do everything, get some do nothing time in also.

 

4. No vacation is perfect and something may not go as planned, don't let it ruin your expierence.

 

5. Have a blast or at least try.

[kcdancerkc]

there is a section on the top of the main page for forums for new cruisers -- lots to read there

 

My favorites are :

 

to bring a clear cheapo plastic hanging shoe rack for $5 and hang over the bathroom door - as many ships for NCL especially don't have a lot of counter space for sunglasses - lotion - makeup - eyedrops -- helps to see everything there hanging in pockets!

 

Room service -- NCL is the only one that I've seen a small fee for after midnite ---

but we like to sometimes have the free roomservice in the morning before an excursion -- always tip

also great for late night munchies

 

 

bring your own often used or anticipated over the counter meds -- a bottle of pepto or advil will be $$$ on the ship!

 

go to tripadvisor.com with thousands of reviews - and put the island name in the search box -- then click on things to do --- try and do something culturally different than you are used to!

 

Our fav place for sail away from port is front of the ship decks with a tropical drink!

 

Showers are small -- so I usually go to ladies spa/gym/locker room -- gigantic showers with many showerheads , or powerful ones -lots of room, scented products, and hubby can have the micro shower in the cabin!!!

 

Some ships have hot tubs in the spa areas for free NO KIDS - or thermal loungers ahhhhhh

 

I think with each cruise we bring less and less printed off tips -- unless we are on an island for extended time - I always make a word doc of top 10-20 tips to remember - saves time to do other things if we can anticipate shortcuts!

 

ohhhh many / all NCL ships have fishies on the carpet so if you are going to the back/aft of the boat go the direction of fishy prints - and for the front of the ship walk the way the head faces --- saves time!

[Shelli]

And speaking of room service... We always use the door hanger menu (look in the tabbed information book in your cabin) to order coffee for the morning, and sometimes a li'l something to eat as well. Make sure you put it on your door before 2 a.m. (I think), and your coffee will be delivered the time you choose. We use it as our wake-up call-- they usually call you to say it's on its way.

 

Veranda and higher cabins have their own coffeemaker, but I still like to use room service. Be sure and tip the delivery person $1 for just coffee and more if you get a meal.

 

There are ports of call boards here on CC to find info on what excursions others have taken and how they feel about it-- check it out.

 

Finally, I have a link in my signature for a bunch of articles about cruising that I wrote for Examiner.com-- there are quite a few suitable for new cruisers there.

[azappraiser]

1. Bring several memory cards for your camera(s) and/or download your pictures to a laptop/netbook/tablet daily. Also have at least one spare camera battery.

 

2. Remember your ABCs; Always Be Charging - Remember to bring the necessary cables or adapters to recharge batteries.

 

3. Pack an extension cord (or power strip) and a multi-outlet.

 

We also pack a shoe organizer that hangs over the door for sunglasses, sunscreen, beach shoes, etc.

 

One of the most important items to pack is a small roll of duct tape. On our last trip, we had a couple of drawers that wouldn't stay closed when the ship was rocking & rolling; a small strip of duct tape on each one took care of the banging in a jiffy.

 

Be sure to head to one of the hot tubs after a long day in port. ;)

[GORDONCHICK]

Clear packing tape works well to re-enforce the luggage tags. Fold paper along lines, then cover in clear tape either wrapping or trimming sticky edges sticking out. Then use the same tape to secure to your luggage. If you're flying to your port, do not attach your cruise tags until right before you're heading to the port. I carry the roll of tape in my carry-on with the luggage tags in a folder.

[Rounder]

Most of the baggage porters have the proper luggage tag's, just ask them, we alway's do. Put your cabin # on them. never had an issue.:cool:

Vic

[trish1c]

I didn't read all that carefully. Somebody may have answered your luggage tag Q but fold as directed. Once you get it into the long strip take a long strip of clear packing tape -- the wide kind -- and cover the folded tag on both sides. Viola -- strong luggage tags. Wrap around your bag & staple.

[KirkNC]

Less than 3 weeks now to our first cruise (Norwegian Sun - 31st March) which we are looking forward to with great excitement but also a certain amount of apprehension.

 

Any tips or advice from all of you experienced cruisers out there is much appreciated including perhaps what to look out for at the Port of Miami.

 

Did I see a thread somewhere with regards to Luggage Tags, we have now received ours and they are only paper so I'm sure they could easily come off.

 

Thanks in advance, the assistance we have already received has been a great help to a couple of complete novices.

 

Yes, have a great time !;)