Cruised quite a few times- but this is the first time...

[cruznjan]

This will be our first time being able to drive to a port. We live in Greensboro, NC and we'll be sailing out of Charleston, SC.

[MeghanJ]

So DH and I have cruised a fair bit- and no they are not all listed on here;-). But I was wondering for repeat cruisers with a cruise coming up- is there anything that will be a first for you?

 

For example- this is the first time we are traveling with just carry on bags. This is the first time we are using faster to the fun.

 

My family and I had our 5th spring break cruise booked..but had to rebook for the first time EVER! When we tried to rebook for June, we found out the airline we had booked with does not fly to Miami in June, SOOO the only time that worked with our schedules was a Christmas cruise! Yes, this will be our FIRST Christmas cruise! Instead of waiting for over 100 days...we are now at 50 days until we cruise! (I likey!!) We are also using faster to the fun for the first time, AND we have an Ocean Cabana booked at Amber Cove. This is also the first time we will not have adjoining balcony rooms with our family. We will have balconies, right next to each other, but not adjoining. We are hoping that we can open the balconies up and have one big balcony--but, if not, we will STILL be out of Minnesota in December for the first time ever! Oh, and this is our first time on the Glory. That's ALOT of firsts! Yippee! OH, and I need to delete the Splendor off our our signature. ANYBODY know how to do that? That will be another first for me!

Edited November 5, 2016 by MeghanJ

[nealstuber]

We're doing a New Years cruise for the first time and it will also be the first time we pack disposable food containers.

 

 

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[soccersharon]

• First time on the Vista
  
• First repositioning cruise
  
• First time to any of the ABC islands
  
• First time cruising over Thanksgiving
  
• First time cruising out of New York
  
• First time enjoying pre-cruise days
  
• First visit to New York City
  
• First New York Knicks game
  

 

:)

 

 

See you onboard! All the same firsts for us, except the Knicks game [emoji459]

 

 

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[singbluesilver1]

First time to Antigua, Dominica and Grenada!!

 

 

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[Honolulu Blue]

This will be the first of three posts from me in this thread, probably all consecutive. The first will cover the new things I originally mentioned:

 

* First time on the Carnival Splendor

* First time visiting Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and Curacao

* First time out of the country during a presidential election

 

1. The Splendor. It's certainly a nice ship. My cabin looked like most of my cabins on Carnival ships. The layout was more familiar than I expected. There are a few things I want to highlight. First, I suspect this is Barbie's favorite ship because there is so much pink in so many places. Second, you face forward to watch the big screen, instead of fat. Third, the live band stage on Lido tended to constrict passenger flow to the fwd exit. And last, they could have used more drink dispensers.

 

2a. Grand Turk. They offered a relatively inexpensive last minute excursion that I was somewhat interested in, but ultimately did not. I explored in the terminal area and did not find much to interest me. This was more of a beach and water sports stop.

 

2b. La Romana, DR (not Amber Cove, sorry). More of an industrial town than most stops I have seen. I had an excursion here, which was interesting. We got caught in a steady shower in the afternoon. That was a little annoying.

 

2c. Curacao. This was a late arrival and our scheduled late departure was made even later by some ship repairs. Friendly place with friendly people.

 

2d. Aruba. Despite our late start, we still docked here almost 2 hours early. All the better to get my shopping in. The selection in the terminal was good and I briefly went into the city. We were joined by the Caribbean Princess in port, so things were hopping.

 

3. The election. Oh boy. :eek: I will stay on topic and say there was almost nothing planned for it - nothing on the big screen, no shows, no victory parties. Only the kids choice The Cat in the Hat was acknowledged.

[Honolulu Blue]

Now I will discuss the new things from this cruise.

 

1. Safe that used a pin. I had used them elsewhere in my travels, so this was no big deal.

 

2. Key in box. As some of you may know, the Splendor is experimenting with having the card in the box outside the room rather than handing them to me at check in. There has been much discussion of it here. I didn't think it would be a big deal, and it wasn't.

 

3. Scanned card as I approached my muster station. Worked fine. Why don't they do this everywhere?

 

4. New, more compact newsletter. I liked it, though they did chop a few items.

 

5. Bought Internet for the cruise. Usually I picked a day and bought it only for that day. It was nice to have when I wanted, though access was iffy at times.

 

6. Bought an excursion on the TV. It worked better than I expected.

 

7. Housekeeping form. I was offered the choice of morning or evening service, or both, along with several extra services. They mostly abided by my wishes.

 

8. A cabin steward with a business card? He gave me one.

 

9. Chloe the cruise director. She was nice, friendly, and didn't make many announcements. Otherwise, like most of my CDs, she was suitable for ordinary use.

 

10. I put deposits on two cruises. This was efficiently handled by Angel, our expert. I only had to wait an hour in line. :( What did I buy? Keep reading.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

And finally, I will discuss my newest purchased cruises. First is one on the Carnival Fascination in January 2018. Other than the ship, there is nothing new here.

 

Second is one on the Carnival Legend in September 2018. Almost everything is new here - first time visiting Vancouver, first time traveling the Pacific, first time visiting Hawaii, and first time on this ship. It should be interesting, to put it mildly. This is one for the bucket list.

 

Finally is one on the Celebrity Summit in November 2017. This will be my first time on a cruise line other than Carnival. Live and learn, and I am sure to learn a lot on this trip.

[travellink]

- First time without the kids

- First time on Vista

- First time visiting Bonaire

- First time doing an eleven day cruise

- First time doing a B2B with another cruise line after getting off Vista. Getting on Norwegian Getaway for 7 days.

 

When can we expect another great review from you? Where will it be posted(Carnival boards)? Thanks!

[crusinpsychRN]

This will be my 9th cruise, but my first time going to Costa Maya!

 

The ruins are some of the best. It's a long drive but they give you a lot of info.