First time on a cruise (reflection southern 10 day) any pointers/tips

[Firbster]

My wife and I are trying a cruise for the first time for our 10yr anniversary. Any tips or pointers we should know. We are not drinkers other than pop so I'm told you can get a pop card but don't know the cost. Any extra costs to figure on?. Any tips for food? Any excursions that are a must? ..

Much appreciated

Kevin and carolina

[cruisestitch]

Welcome to Cruise Critic

 

you'll get lots of ideas for excursions if you tell us what ports you are going to

[Firbster]

Sorry...

Antigua,Barbados,St Kitts,St Lucia,St Croix..

[easyboy]

Joining your Roll Call will provide you info and tips on how to enjoy your cruise with probably tips on saving on shore excursions.

[shipshape sam]

Hope you are sailing with the eyes of a child! Cruises in general are great trips. I can tell you from our first few trips we tried to do everything and were tired at end of cruise, but a good tired. We slowed down and did not have to attend every on board event, etc. We saved some for our 'next' cruise.

 

You can be very busy or take it easy. We like now to take it easy and have time for relaxing. It is amazing how a nap is good, both in your cabin and on a chase lounge somewhere on ship.

 

Try foods that you might not ordinary eat, especially not ordinary buy back home.

 

Cruise ships are only in port for a portion of the day, so you do not get the full feel of the port of call. We try to do a variety of types of excursion, i.e. overview, specific activity, short excursion, long excursion...

 

My favorite and take most if not all things here on CC as opinions and yours is the most important, so weigh our comments and suggestions against what you like, etc.

 

In 2012 I did a country segway excursion in Barbados. We were out in a cow pasture with goats and cows and rode to a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean for a neat view. Rode down a dirt road. Had a great time. Got to go fast and also not stop and start or follow behind each other most of the time. It was my first time on a Segway.

 

Many people like guided tours on buses, some like walking tours. Also, many will discuss the advantages/disadvantages of purchasing excursions through Celebrity vs private. We have done both and liked both and had issues with both including almost missing the ship on a private tour. We tend to book cruise line excursions, about 75% of time especially if it is a long excursion or afternoon excursion returning to ship close to the required time to be back on ship.

 

What ever you do, have a GREAT cruise and Celebrity is a good cruise to try your first on. So is your itinerary...Southern Caribbean!

[richnorto]

I don't know how far out you are from the cruise, but keep an eye on the Celebrity site under your cruise planner for the non-alcoholic drink package discounts. They will offer 20-30% off at some point.:D

[Firbster]

We sail from ft Lauderdale on Jan 19/2018 , thx for the tip I'll keep an eye on the site for a deal...

[Fmitchy]

How did you know the Islands for Ports you had mentioned? Did you read that on the Celebrity Web Site some Where?

I thought that Cruise was advertised as 2 nights in Saint Maartin ?

[Firbster]

How did you know the Islands for Ports you had mentioned? Did you read that on the Celebrity Web Site some Where?

I thought that Cruise was advertised as 2 nights in Saint Maartin ?

It was on I think icruise website..but I think consensus is that the information is wrong..I think st maarten port will be open by the time we cruise.

[serendipity1499]

My wife and I are trying a cruise for the first time for our 10yr anniversary. Any tips or pointers we should know. We are not drinkers other than pop so I'm told you can get a pop card but don't know the cost. Any extra costs to figure on?. Any tips for food? Any excursions that are a must? ..

Much appreciated

Kevin and carolina

 

Not sure if you were told when you booked, but gratuities will be charged to your sea pass on a daily basis. When we took our first cruise many many years ago this came as a complete surprise to us.:cool: Fortunately, we were able to pay it but I often advise new cruisers of this.

 

We normally tip the room service Steward a few dollars if we order it, but it is not necessary to tip extra unless you really want to.

Quote For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

Please note that for all sailings beginning on or after July 1, 2016, that gratuities will increase to the following:

•$13.50 per person, per day in standard staterooms

• $14.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms

• $17.00 per person, per day in Suite Class Unquote

We always will remember our first cruise & wish you a good time & many more cruises.. :D

 

P.S. Forgot to mention that cruise ships will not wait for you if you are out in port on your own & are not on board on time! We normally do our sightseeing in the morning & plan to get back on board at least an hour or two before scheduled departure..If you are on a ships tour they normally will wait for ships tours which might happen to be late. We've often seen passengers running up the dock when they are late & once on one of our last cruises we saw our ship leaving Psgrs who were not on board. The Captain must go when the tide is right or the Port Authorities tell him/her to leave..If you miss the ship you will have to make your way to the next port & that can be quite expensive..Shipshape Sam has given you some good tips..Would love to know how he got to the next port?

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by serendipity1499

[chemmo]

If you look under excursions on Celebrity's website you will get a flavour of the types of excursions on offer at each destination. You may choose to book independently or through your roll call but this initial browse will give you an overview.

 

We try to book in a variety of tours. For example, on one island we may pick something historic like an old plantation house, then on the next island book a beach break, then on the third just walk around the port maybe having a fresh fish lunch...on yet another island a boat trip. Obviously some people have a particular interest and stick to one activity (example, snorkelling) but if it is your first cruise I would try lots of things!

 

If you are on the ship for your actual anniversary why not try out one of the Speciality restaurants. We usually choose Murano's for celebrations!

 

It is also important to find time to just watch the world go by. If you have a balcony this is a great place to do this. Book room service a few mornings and watch the waves and when you return to your cabin in the evening sit out and watch the stars. If you don't have a balcony the sunset bar and the lawn are great places to relax too.

 

Sincere congratulations on your anniversary. Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

[waileacruiser]

We’ve sailed on Reflection three times, most recently this past August. Wonderful ship. Our favorite. We really enjoy eating at Tuscan Grill (request Ignatius as your waiter) at sunset and Qsine.

 

 

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[RealBatman]

We decided to try our first cruise in 2007, to see if we could handle being on a ship, and being that close to so many people and blah, blah, blah. Little did we know that it would become our favourite type of holiday! And we have learned a few things since then.

 

Don't eat the bubble gum that you find on the stairway railings... it isn't as flavourful as when it was first placed there.

 

We also found out on the second cruise how much fun the shows can be! So we never miss one. Yes, sometimes they aren't that well done, and sometimes they are cheesy, and sometimes you just look forward to tomorrow nights show, but sometimes we make sure we go to the SECOND show of the night because they are that good!

 

A balcony is the only way to go for us. We love sitting there having coffee and watching the boat dock, or the passengers disembark and the antics that go along with it! Same for departure. And Cafe Al Baccio is wonderful!

 

Take a yellow (or pink if you prefer) highlighter pen and read the newsletter delivered to your stateroom in the evening. Highlight the activities that you and your partner/friend/spouse want to enjoy, and work out your schedules! But as previously posted, be sure to figure in relaxation time! There's nothing like watching the water pass by and watching the horizon to put you into a peaceful frame of mind!

 

We discovered Aqua Class when we first sailed with Celebrity, and fell in love with the Blu Restaurant, as well as the Persian Room (on Eclipse - we are on Reflection right after your cruise, and they are sister ships so I suspect they will be excellent). The Blu is the reason we have always sailed Celebrity and Aqua!

 

Finally, go to the Future Cruise desk, and plan your next cruise! Have fun, smile a lot, and be respectful to the crew... they work hard for their money!

:)

[cb at sea]

A guidebook is VERY helpful in learning about your ports. Libraries have them in the "reference" section. The more you know, the better time you will have...especially, if you plan to DIY, which is quite easy if you do your research!

[mnocket]

Be sure to eat at the Lawn Club Grill. Lunch or dinner, both are great!

[RotaryMike]

Sorry...

Antigua,Barbados,St Kitts,St Lucia,St Croix..

 

Go to the main boards section , and scroll down to ports of call, then go to Caribbean and read the posting under those ports you'll be visiting. Enjoy - it's easy to get hooked on cruising ! Mike in CT :cool::cool:

[cruisin lady ca]

If you are fond of sweets, the goodies at Cafe al Bacio are complimentary. They have wonderful muffins, croissant and Danish pastries in the morning. Cookies all day and night. Chiffon cakes, pies etc in the afternoon and evening.

 

Second the motion on dinner at the Lawn Club Grill. We were offered a discounted rate for dinner on the first night while we were having lunch on embarkation day. You may be able to negotiate a larger discount by asking nicely when offered the discount. The 30% offer presented to us became a 40% discount after we joked about getting a 2-for-1 discount. We liked it so much that we returned for dinner on the last night.

 

Breakfast and lunch at the Aqua Spa Cafe are also a nice change from the buffet or the MDR. You can order grilled chicken breast or salmon for lunch at the Aqua Spa Cafe - very nice with a salad. Our favorite breakfast at the cafe was oatmeal with berries and fresh fruit. I'd stop by Cafe al Bacio to pick up a few muffins and a latte - and take those items with me to the Aquq Spa Cafe or MDR WHERE I'd order the rest of my breakfast.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Reflection is a beautiful ship.

[Luvcrusn]

Here's a few practical tips. The S class ships (Reflection, Silhouette, Equinox, Eclipse, Solstice) have no clothesline that pulls across the shower to dry wet bathing suits. Since all the walls in your cabin are magnetic, including the shower, we purchased a set of 4 strong magnets and bring along some twine. We use two in the shower and tie the twine between and have a great clothesline. We also use the hooks in the cabin to hang various things.

 

The hairdryer is in the desk drawer. In order to get airflow you have to keep the button depressed while in use which gets tiresome if you have long or thick hair. You may want to bring your own or pack a thick rubber band or some duck tape.

 

The water bottle that you find in your room is not included, even if you have a beverage package.

 

There are two US plugs that are at the desk. That's all that's available in the room unless you utilize the European outlet with an adaptor. You can find pictures of them on other threads. Power strips with surge protectors are NOT allowed and will be confiscated and returned to you at the end of your cruise since they are a fire hazard. Clothing irons are also not allowed. If you need to charge multiple electronic devices (as most of us do) we found a 5 port USB charger made by Lumsing on Amazon. It takes up one plug and is great for charging multiple devices at once. The only thing we've found it doesn't work on are our Fitbits. There is also a plug in the bathroom ceiling. It can only be used for low voltage items like shavers, electric toothbrushes etc.

 

Your room key and seapass card are one and the same. Don't put your card near you phone or anything magnetic or you will have to get a new one from guest relations. It will de-magnetize.

 

Often, specialty restaurants are offered at a discount onboard, especially on the first or last nights. Room service is free of charge except in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Bring copies of your passports. One of us carries our passports and one carries the copies. We only take the copies with us while in port in the Caribbean. Also, it's wise while in port to bring along the page of the daily with the phone numbers just in case. Notify your credit card companies of your travel dates and destinations. Make note of your card numbers and phone numbers in case you need to reach them. We each carry our spouse's info. We also transpose our numbers in a way that we know but will be useless to anyone else. Skip jewelry while in port. Don't forget while in port to carry your seapass cards. You will need them to get back on the ship. Turn off your data on your phones and put them in airplane mode unless you have a WIFI package aboard ship or you will have a LARGE phone bill when you return.

 

Most important, have a wonderful time!

Edited October 11, 2017 by Luvcrusn

[fielddreamer]

If I recall the Reflection will be coming out of dry dock on the Jan 19th 2018 ! It still looks like the first day ever. We are sailing on the 8th of Dec 2017 We love the ship ! Its up in the air about St Maarten in Jan. They are posting that the earliest will be Jan 2018.

[DENIE]

Welcome to cruising! It is quickly becoming our favorite vacation. We just sailed on the Celebrity Infinity a couple weeks ago. Cafe al Bacio has awesome coffee - we often stopped there to get a latte to go, and took it up to the buffet for breakfast.

 

As others have suggested, check out your port stops on other links in CC, and you can get some good ideas of things to do. We found that with careful research (and checking sites like TripAdvisor, etc), you can often find small/private excursions or taxi companies that will customize something for you. Many times, a private tour for 2 is better than being on a bus with 40 other people. In these small ports, taxi companies rely on tourism, and are used to putting a package together based on the number of hours you desire. Do be aware that the ship will not wait for you if your "private tour" is late. We've never had a problem with this, as we have only used highly rated, experienced companies.

 

Enjoy!