1st Cruise Scheduled

[LasVegasDiana]

Hello Everyone,

 

Well I booked our first Cruise almost 50 years old and never cruised before.

 

I am so nervous - It will be my hubby age 55 (never cruised either) and 18 year old daughter. Booked on Royal Caribbean Independence of the Sea 9/13/2015, Eastern Caribbean - Balcony Cabin - Stops San Juan, St Maarten, St Kitts.

 

Here are my concerns:

 

1. Sea sickness!

2. Crowded

3. Lots of walking (have a bad knee)

4. Will we like being on a ship for 7 days?

 

HELP!

[Langley Cruisers]

Hi Diana,

 

Welcome, and congratulations! I'm sure you will become addicted to cruising like the rest of us. A cruise is a wonderful vacation - meals and entertainment are included, and you unpack once and you are good to go!

 

There is a specific board for Royal Caribbean here; I'll give you the link and you can continue your research there, but I will address your concerns first.

 

~Yes, you may get seasick but you may not! How's that?! Some people are prone to it but the new ships have wonderful stabilizers. You are apt not to feel sick, but you will probably be "aware" of the rolling motion. You might take some medication with you in case you feel ill, but personally, I do not take it as it makes me feel "loopy" and I don't want to miss my vacation. You can use Google.com or another search engine and read all about remedies.

 

~Indy is a large ship but I think you will find that you will feel most crowded at certain times, such as muster drill and when shows let out. Otherwise, people pretty much spread out. Yes, you may have to wait in line a few times, but honestly, have you got somewhere to go? ;):D

 

~Again, large ship + ports = walking involved. This will have to be your call. If you get tired or sore, there is always somewhere to sit down. Take your pain relievers and knee brace with you (or whatever you normally use). Elevators may have a bit of a wait but that goes without saying on a ship of any size, in my opinion.

 

~I think a 7-night cruise is a good introduction to cruising. Our first one was 4 nights and it was too short! Now we look for the longer cruises - we love them! I think you will find there is plenty to do, and nothing to do. It's your vacation, your call on how you want to spend your time.

 

Here is the link to the Royal board, where you can do some more reading and research:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83 <--click here

 

Have fun! :)

.

[t_car]

Wow, you booked you cruise really early. Lots of time to get ready.

 

Honestly, I could not go that long before my next cruise. :(

 

No worries about seasickness. Bring something with you for it just in case. Good that you have a balcony cabin. Looking out at the horizon has a calming effect, and lessens any motion sickness.

Yes, ships can get crowded, but not that bad. Plan on what you want to do and get there a little early for seating and such.

My wife also has bad knees and legs, but with planning and taking it easy, you won't miss any of the sights and activities on board and on land.

Seven days with three stops is a perfect start to cruising. You are not on the ship for all seven days, unless you plan on not getting off at the ports of call.

 

Here are some things you may want to plan for so that you can have an even better holiday.

 

1. Book your airfare as early as you can to get the best direct itinerary, and cheapest prices.

2. Plan and book your excursions. See what appeals to you.

3. Budget. First timers always spend too much money in the casinos, shops on board, and on photographs.

4. When about 6 months to your cruise date, do join your roll call. Make new friends. Maybe see what activities and excursions can be shared. Lots of fun.

5. When packing, bring half the clothes you think you need. Sometimes, we still tend to overpack. Check out the first timer board for this much asked about topic, and get many more tips.

 

Have fun planning for your cruise. We know you will be a cruise addict like most of us on here. :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hello Everyone,

 

Well I booked our first Cruise almost 50 years old and never cruised before.

 

I am so nervous - It will be my hubby age 55 (never cruised either) and 18 year old daughter. Booked on Royal Caribbean Independence of the Sea 9/13/2015, Eastern Caribbean - Balcony Cabin - Stops San Juan, St Maarten, St Kitts.

 

Here are my concerns:

 

1. Sea sickness!

2. Crowded

3. Lots of walking (have a bad knee)

4. Will we like being on a ship for 7 days?

 

HELP!

 

I never thought I would like going on cruises (even worked for an ad agency that handled a major cruise line so I could have sailed for a special fare once, but didn't go for it). But I started dating a guy who already went on his first cruise and loved it, so he got me to try it. Since then, and 20 years later, just about every vacation we've gone on over a couple of days long has involved a cruise.

 

Try out different remedies ahead of time while on land to see what has a negative effect on you (drowsiness, etc). Then take a few of these with you just in case something doesn't work in actual use on the sea. For myself, I take ginger chews (available at World Cost Plus Markets) and candied ginger (my grocery store carries this). Your doctor can prescribed a patch too. If you're on prescription medicine, ask your doctor for suggestions for ones that won't affect your medicine. A veteran cruiser who was a tablemate a couple of cruises ago was wearing the wristbands.

 

Crowds would depend on the ship and what you're doing. Some activities may attract a lot of passengers but whether it's crowded will depend on the venue.

 

Some passengers use aids such as scooters, but you can easily injure passengers if you're not careful. Before walking anywhere on board, check the deck plan plan (you'll be given a miniature map; if not, just ask for one). There should be diagrams on walls, especially by the elevators that you can check. That should help cut down on the walking.

 

Before your cruise, research the ports and decide what you want to do. The ship will offer tours or you can get a non-ship tour that may pick up right at the port. Usually the cruise line's website should have a description with an indication of the activity level (Princess ones will state whether it's an easy,moderate or active excursion so that someone with a physical problem can easily pick an "easy" one). It may be that you won't want to prebook anything just in case you feel like staying on board (many passengers will just go into port for a short while and return to the ship early or just stay on board).

 

As others have said, 7 days is a great length for one's first cruise. Some people like the short ones to get in a quick vacation, especially if they live near a port. But by the time you get on board the first day (and the last day is more waiting to get off the ship in the morning), you'll appreciate the other six days. My family's last three cruises have been two-week ones and now my hubby says, he can't imagine going on a cruise for any time shorter than 10 days.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

First you should talk to your family doctor about what kind of sea sickness medication you should take -- just in case. He knows you better than we do and what medications (if any) you all are taking.

As to walking -- I now rent a walker/rollator from Care Vacations to use on the ship and when we go ashore. It has a seat which is a great help when I tire out.

You have lots of time to plan everything.

There probably isn't a Roll Call yet for your cruise but you can check to see if there is one or start your own here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=457

 

And you can check out the ports here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Also read about RCI here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

[cb at sea]

Cruising on the mainstream lines will be like being at a resort hotel that moves! There is nothing to be nervous about!

A ship is no more "crowded" than anyplace else....when shows let out, that's when it feels the most crowded...otherwise, you'll wonder where everyone is!

Again...it's like a hotel...if you can manage walking there, you can do it on the ship.

[Kartgv]

Check on the Royal Caribbean Roll Call. There is one started for your cruise,

9/13/15. Not many on it yet, but that will change!!

You and your DH are going to have a "fantastic" voyage!! :)

[LasVegasDiana]

Thanks for all the points and tips. I scheduled the trip for 2015 because have this years vacation already planned to San Diego.

 

And 2015 was a good time daughters 18th birthday and Royal Caribbean had that WOW 50% off sale.

 

Still worried about sea sickness but will take precautions.

 

New Question

 

Hurricane Season - How is it in September to travel to Caribbean?

 

Diana

[OCruisers]

New Question

Hurricane Season - How is it in September to travel to Caribbean?

Diana

 

Honestly, September is the time of year when hurricanes/tropical storms are a big factor. You could also have an absolutely storm free week ... roll of the dice. Even in the worst case, once you make it to the ship, you will be kept out of harms way. Just go knowing your itinerary may not be end up being what you booked.

Look forward to having a wonderful time on your cruise.:)

LuLu

[Bankshot]

Relax, if there is a storm rolling through the Caribbean the Captain will head for calm waters. Most of the time you will not even feel the ship moving. During all our cruises, which includes four Transatlantic crossings, we've never encountered a problem.

[GORDONCHICK]

Spend your 1.5 years until the cruise reading cruise critic! You will be amazed at what you can learn here. If I were you, I would go ahead and join the roll call instead of waiting until 6 months out. You can ask questions of the people on the roll call. Chances are, they've cruised with RCCL before and can answer many questions. Maybe they've even been on your ship before. Read about your ports of calls and pick some excursions that sound interesting to you. Just keep researching.

 

BUT, take some issues and posters with a grain of salt. If you read a bad review of your ship, don't worry - there are plenty more that are great of the same ship.

 

Go into your cruise as an adventure and with a good attitude.

[griffy116]

Here's a tip I didn't see on any of the other posts. I'm sure you have already booked your particular cabin, but since you booked early, you might want to check the location. When my parents traveled with us, both had some mobility issues. We always booked early and chose a cabin that was close to the elevators, mid-ship. The halls don't look that long on the maps and diagrams, but they are actually very long. By choosing a cabin that was close to the elevators it cut down on the amount of walking considerably. Mid-ship means less motion felt too, which helps if you are prone to seasickness. Lower decks, mid-ship have the least motion. Therefore, we chose lower deck, mid-ship and it worked perfectly. You would still have time to change the cabin selection without any change in costs if you stick with the same category. Won't hurt to look into it.