1st Time Cruiser - 25th Anniversary

[Sherbear67]

We are going on our 1st cruise in Feb and was just wondering if there is any advice you would like to share? Do's and Don'ts, places you loved when visiting and places to stay away from,must eat at and must NOT eat at, stuff like that. It shows we dock at 5:30 am so what time do you usually get off the ship? We are on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas deck 7 room 7408. We are going to Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. I am as excited as excited gets as we have talked about doing this for the past 5 years but are just now doing it. I am also a touch nervous, but I am sure most are their 1st time.

 

 

I posted this in the wrong thread earlier.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Sherbear67

[cb at sea]

Nothing to be nervous about! It's a vacation...that's all! Consider the ship to be your resort hotel (albeit, with smaller rooms!)....and us it as such!

A guidebook on your ports will help you a lot! GC is an easy DIY port!

 

If you have binoculars, bring them...there's a lot to see at sea!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Congratulations on booking your first cruise.

Lovely way to celebrate your 25th anniversary.

You have lots of time to plan on what you want to do.

Ports of Call at this link:

 

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

 

Join your Roll Call at this link -- just scroll down until you find the date of your cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=261

[obnurse]

Our first cruise was for our 25th, too. It was a trip to remember and we were quickly hooked on cruising. My advice?

Enjoy each other. Freedom is a awesome ship that I know you'll enjoy.

 

We ask our cabin steward to leave ice once or twice a day for drinks when we want to enjoy our balcony.

 

Try the movie out on deck one night. It's a wonderful experience to snuggle out on deck with the ocean going by, watching a good movie on a big screen.

 

Get serious about keeping your hands washed. You're sailing during flu season and you'll want to do whatever you can to stay healthy.

 

If you venture out on your own while in port, be extra careful to get back on time. Your resort floats and heads back out to sea on time, whether you're on board or not. If you partake in excursions the cruise line sells you will not be left behind in case of late arrival back to port. Some will argue the cruises' excursions are more expensive and not as good, but that's debateable.

 

When you get off this ship in port, it's clearly stated at the exit what time to be back on board. Give yourself extra time.

 

Please don't throw a towel on your pool chair and leave it there all day long while you enjoy lunch, bingo, a nap in the cabin, trivia, etc. Chair Hogs are not looked upon nicely. Generally, you can leave your chair saved for about a 1/2 hour. That's it. Please don't join that Chair Hog group.

 

Again, enjoy your special anniversary!

[Sherbear67]

Nothing to be nervous about! It's a vacation...that's all! Consider the ship to be your resort hotel (albeit, with smaller rooms!)....and us it as such!

A guidebook on your ports will help you a lot! GC is an easy DIY port!

 

If you have binoculars, bring them...there's a lot to see at sea!

 

 

My nervousness comes from leaving my 3 girls at home (20-24). I am worry wart mom. ;)I am just so ready to go but trying to do research and find out all I can that way I am prepared. An thank you, I have put 2 pairs of binoculars on my list. :)

[Sherbear67]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Congratulations on booking your first cruise.

Lovely way to celebrate your 25th anniversary.

You have lots of time to plan on what you want to do.

Ports of Call at this link:

 

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

 

Join your Roll Call at this link -- just scroll down until you find the date of your cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=261

 

Thank you for the links. I will check out the ports tomorrow, but already posted on the roll call.

[Sherbear67]

Our first cruise was for our 25th, too. It was a trip to remember and we were quickly hooked on cruising. My advice?

Enjoy each other. Freedom is a awesome ship that I know you'll enjoy.

 

We ask our cabin steward to leave ice once or twice a day for drinks when we want to enjoy our balcony.

 

Try the movie out on deck one night. It's a wonderful experience to snuggle out on deck with the ocean going by, watching a good movie on a big screen.

 

Get serious about keeping your hands washed. You're sailing during flu season and you'll want to do whatever you can to stay healthy.

 

If you venture out on your own while in port, be extra careful to get back on time. Your resort floats and heads back out to sea on time, whether you're on board or not. If you partake in excursions the cruise line sells you will not be left behind in case of late arrival back to port. Some will argue the cruises' excursions are more expensive and not as good, but that's debateable.

 

When you get off this ship in port, it's clearly stated at the exit what time to be back on board. Give yourself extra time.

 

Please don't throw a towel on your pool chair and leave it there all day long while you enjoy lunch, bingo, a nap in the cabin, trivia, etc. Chair Hogs are not looked upon nicely. Generally, you can leave your chair saved for about a 1/2 hour. That's it. Please don't join that Chair Hog group.

 

Again, enjoy your special anniversary!

 

Thank you. And I assure you we are not chair hogs nor do we want to be part of that group. ;) :)

[BigDozer66]

We are going on our 1st cruise in Feb and was just wondering if there is any advice you would like to share? Do's and Don'ts, places you loved when visiting and places to stay away from,must eat at and must NOT eat at, stuff like that. It shows we dock at 5:30 am so what time do you usually get off the ship? We are on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas deck 7 room 7408. We are going to Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. I am as excited as excited gets as we have talked about doing this for the past 5 years but are just now doing it. I am also a touch nervous, but I am sure most are their 1st time.

 

 

I posted this in the wrong thread earlier.

 

My wife and I are going on our 1st cruise in January and we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary as well! :D

 

We will be on the Carnival Breeze sailing to Isla Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. :)

[Sherbear67]

My wife and I are going on our 1st cruise in January and we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary as well! :D

 

We will be on the Carnival Breeze sailing to Isla Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. :)

 

Congratulations to you an your wife. I hope yall enjoy it an will hopefully read any updates from your cruise when you go.

[Sherbear67]

My wife and I are going on our 1st cruise in January and we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary as well! :D

 

We will be on the Carnival Breeze sailing to Isla Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. :)

 

By the way, how does everyone have that countdown? I can't find them.

[Sixtytwo]

Congrats on the 25th! I know you will have a great anniversary cruise!

 

That clock another poster mentioned as you debark the ship shows you what time the ship leaves...based on SHIP TIME! Be sure you have a watch and set it to ship time, do not use a cell phone that is going to change time based on your location!

 

Both Cozumel and Cayman are fun places to go! If you are the type that wants to be entertained, check the excursions offered by the ship then check TripAdvisor and the Ports of Call threads to see what private excursions you might want to check out. Most private are less expensive and you can be pretty sure the operators are reliable. Just ensure before you pay and board a private excursion your tour guide knows the time you need to be back at port!

 

Don't be surprised if by the end of the first day you look in the mirror and say "I've got this!". From then on, you will relax and enjoy every minute! [emoji267][emoji41][emoji2]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[obnurse]

Sherbear, I cried all the way to the airport before our first cruise. My stomach was turning and I was a mess. I probably would have cancelled if I could have. I was so nervous to leave our kids. I couldn't wait to call home the first time from St. Maarten. By then, we were totally hooked and that feeling was gone. I trusted my mom and I knew the kids were fine. Yours will be, too. If you're nervous, check in with texts (they're cheap). It's reassuring to just KNOW everything is ok. Now my kiddos are adults and I worry about my mom, who is elderly and not well. Go have fun. You deserve it!

[6rugrats]

Sherbear, I cried all the way to the airport before our first cruise. My stomach was turning and I was a mess. I probably would have cancelled if I could have. I was so nervous to leave our kids. I couldn't wait to call home the first time from St. Maarten. By then, we were totally hooked and that feeling was gone. I trusted my mom and I knew the kids were fine. Yours will be, too. If you're nervous, check in with texts (they're cheap). It's reassuring to just KNOW everything is ok. Now my kiddos are adults and I worry about my mom, who is elderly and not well. Go have fun. You deserve it!

 

OP's "kids" are ages 20-24. They are also adults.

[Sherbear67]

Congrats on the 25th! I know you will have a great anniversary cruise!

 

That clock another poster mentioned as you debark the ship shows you what time the ship leaves...based on SHIP TIME! Be sure you have a watch and set it to ship time, do not use a cell phone that is going to change time based on your location!

 

Both Cozumel and Cayman are fun places to go! If you are the type that wants to be entertained, check the excursions offered by the ship then check TripAdvisor and the Ports of Call threads to see what private excursions you might want to check out. Most private are less expensive and you can be pretty sure the operators are reliable. Just ensure before you pay and board a private excursion your tour guide knows the time you need to be back at port!

 

Don't be surprised if by the end of the first day you look in the mirror and say "I've got this!". From then on, you will relax and enjoy every minute! [emoji267][emoji41][emoji2]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you. :) I think we just kinda want to hang on the beach an do our own site seeing that way we arent tied down to certain things an miss other stuff, but I am going to be spending the next 5 months looking into stuff though.

[Sherbear67]

OP's "kids" are ages 20-24. They are also adults.

 

Glad I am not the only one. :D

[Sherbear67]

Sherbear, I cried all the way to the airport before our first cruise. My stomach was turning and I was a mess. I probably would have cancelled if I could have. I was so nervous to leave our kids. I couldn't wait to call home the first time from St. Maarten. By then, we were totally hooked and that feeling was gone. I trusted my mom and I knew the kids were fine. Yours will be, too. If you're nervous, check in with texts (they're cheap). It's reassuring to just KNOW everything is ok. Now my kiddos are adults and I worry about my mom, who is elderly and not well. Go have fun. You deserve it!

 

 

My daughter went on this cruise ship with her boyfriend and his family last year an had a blast. Now on the flip side, mom (me) was home crying cause the first few days because i wasnt able to check on her. But she did check in with me every chance she got.

[Sixtytwo]

Thank you. :) I think we just kinda want to hang on the beach an do our own site seeing that way we arent tied down to certain things an miss other stuff, but I am going to be spending the next 5 months looking into stuff though.

 

I think you will find both ports to be easy for do-it-yourselfers! That is exactly how we have done them for a while and have always enjoyed our visits. Good luck!

[TXSACruisin]

My wife and I just returned from our first ever cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary on the Carnival Liberty. We had a blast and want to do it again.

 

We were also nervous about leaving our daughters 19 and 23.

 

We took a taxi in Cozumel to do a zip line, shopping and enjoy the beach. It helps we both speak fluent Spanish although everyone is so friendly.

 

Enjoy it all.

[George C]

We are going on our 1st cruise in Feb and was just wondering if there is any advice you would like to share? Do's and Don'ts, places you loved when visiting and places to stay away from,must eat at and must NOT eat at, stuff like that. It shows we dock at 5:30 am so what time do you usually get off the ship? We are on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas deck 7 room 7408. We are going to Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. I am as excited as excited gets as we have talked about doing this for the past 5 years but are just now doing it. I am also a touch nervous, but I am sure most are their 1st time.

 

 

I posted this in the wrong thread earlier.

 

Congrats on the 25th ( we just had ours 2 months ago) , we were just on a sister ship of Freedom a few months ago, as for do's so not miss the ice show. it will be repeated a few times. I would also want to try at least one of the specialty restaurants. I would try to go to Sting ray city while in Cayman, it is better to do a private tour if possible. Loads of options for Cozumel we normally just take a taxi downtown do some shopping and have lunch there. Normally you get off the ship starting about 9am to 10 am . Cruising is addictive our 60th is just 9 days away.

[maldenmusic]

Been to Cozumel many times. It is super easy to do on your own and safe. Taxis are everywhere.

[4x4bob]

Take a camera and remember to use it.

 

Your Girls back home will want to see the photo's of the ship and places you visited.

 

Bob

[zactak]

Congratulations on your anniversary! Going on your first cruise is a great choice! My parents went on a cruise when I was a child for one of their anniversaries and they loved it so much we did a family cruise a couple years later. That's how my love for cruising started.

 

Here are some of my suggestions:

 

By searching around Cruise Critic, you can probably find some dailies that show what went on during similar cruises to yours, so you can get an idea of what may go on during yours. Connect with your roll call here, research what is available on your ship, and figure out things you might want to do while on board before you embark.

 

Don't just settle on the excursions provided by your cruise line. There are a lot of third party excursions available out there, and at many ports you can figure out things to do on your own without going through a company. Look into all the options available to you. I think this maximizes your experience. I have done third party excursions, and explored ports on my own without problems.... and I'm not *that* experienced with cruising.

 

A key note to this: if you choose a third party excursion, or choose to do something on your own, ensure you get back to your cruise on time. Doing a cruise line excursion guarantees you will get back to the ship on time OR they will get you to your next destination. Some third parties provide guarantees, but make sure you read what those guarantees include. If you do something on your own, make sure you give yourself enough time to get back to the ship.

 

I'm not sure how much you enjoy getting into water, especially on the cruise, but I bought a waterproof camera. It's nice to know I don't have to remember whether or not my camera is in my pocket, and if it is where to put it while I get in the hot tub. If that's not an option, you can always look into waterproof cases too!

[WupperAV]

I cry all the way to the bank every payday. Good grief. You worry about that age? They should be out on there own earning a living and paying their own way. My wife left home after high school, went to college and never looked back. Get on the boat, give the Captain the keys, turn off your phones, (the ship has a number you may be reached at in emergencies) go to lunch and wait til they call cabins open. Settle in and wait for the lifeboat drill. Watch the launch and wave like hell. Forget everything. You aren't driving, flying or taking a train. You're on a ship and enjoy it all. I can be fun if you don't worry.

[CruiseDreamer66]

We are going on our first cruise in October to celebrate our 25th Anniversary! Freedom of the Seas deck 7! We are super excited too. Friends will be on the same cruise so we don't feel as nervous. I hear the shows are great!

[Krozulo]

We're going on our first cruise for our anniversary, too! It'll be our 20th in 2018, and we're bringing our daughter (well, she'll be 23 and paying her own way).