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What is the one valuable lesson you learned on your first cruise 🚢

Mommawo

By Mommawo,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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MommytoAsquared

MommytoAsquared

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Never separate when heading out to your excursions...

 

We were in Halifax, Canada.  I packed a backpack with everything we needed for the day, including money and credit cards.  We were waiting in the queuing area and my oldest daughter needed to use the restroom right as they were calling people.  Mistake #1 - I allowed her to go the restroom.  Mistake #2 - I handed my mom the backpack and told her to take my younger child and save us a seat on the bus.  We would just be a minute.  I didn't realize this excursion had MULTIPLE buses.  When my daughter and I got outside (I swear only about two minutes later), we couldn't find which bus my mom and younger child had boarded.  Then I looked up to see a bus with my mom and younger child pulling away.  My older daughter and I took another bus that took a completely different route and was never intercepted my mom's bus.  We had no $$$ for lunch or anything.  It was kind of scary to be in a foreign country with no money and no identification and no foreign cell phone service.

 

So my lesson learned was #1 - Do not let your child go the restroom and #2 - Do not separate from your party

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Mommawo

Mommawo

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2 minutes ago, MommytoAsquared said:

Never separate when heading out to your excursions...

 

We were in Halifax, Canada.  I packed a backpack with everything we needed for the day, including money and credit cards.  We were waiting in the queuing area and my oldest daughter needed to use the restroom right as they were calling people.  Mistake #1 - I allowed her to go the restroom.  Mistake #2 - I handed my mom the backpack and told her to take my younger child and save us a seat on the bus.  We would just be a minute.  I didn't realize this excursion had MULTIPLE buses.  When my daughter and I got outside (I swear only about two minutes later), we couldn't find which bus my mom and younger child had boarded.  Then I looked up to see a bus with my mom and younger child pulling away.  My older daughter and I took another bus that took a completely different route and was never intercepted my mom's bus.  We had no $$$ for lunch or anything.  It was kind of scary to be in a foreign country with no money and no identification and no foreign cell phone service.

 

So my lesson learned was #1 - Do not let your child go the restroom and #2 - Do not separate from your party

My goodness I would have been flipping out as well!!! Good lesson for us all. I would have never even thought anything About doing that 

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MommytoAsquared

MommytoAsquared

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10 minutes ago, Mommawo said:

My goodness I would have been flipping out as well!!! Good lesson for us all. I would have never even thought anything About doing that 

 

We laugh about it now.  I think my mom was actually more freaked out about it than I was.  For some reason, she thought we would get back on the ship and not take the excursion.

 

It sounds dramatic that we had no $$$ for food.  There was a stop in the excursion that had lots of samples.  That was our lunch.  And we had a large breakfast that morning so we were fine.  It's just humbling to get a taste of what some people deal with on a daily basis.  My daughter was most upset that the nice camera went with the backpack and she couldn't take photos that day.

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Mommawo

Mommawo

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5 minutes ago, MommytoAsquared said:

 

We laugh about it now.  I think my mom was actually more freaked out about it than I was.  For some reason, she thought we would get back on the ship and not take the excursion.

 

It sounds dramatic that we had no $$$ for food.  There was a stop in the excursion that had lots of samples.  That was our lunch.  And we had a large breakfast that morning so we were fine.  It's just humbling to get a taste of what some people deal with on a daily basis.  My daughter was most upset that the nice camera went with the backpack and she couldn't take photos that day.

How old was your daughter at that time ? My 13 year old gets hangry lol I would have been begging people for money for her 😆 yes it would be kinda scary honestly to be without anything.  Very humbling 

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ontheweb Holiday Sharing Rare

ontheweb

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Wow, did I make a HUGE mistake on our first cruise!!!!! Our first cruise was to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We differed on where we wanted to cruise, but then I found a Western Mediterranean cruise with many interesting ports that I knew that DW, an elementary art teacher would love,

 

So far so good, but then I decided we could go from the port to Florence on our own. AND I GOT US ON THE TRAIN GOING THE WRONG WAY!!

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ontheweb

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Just now, ontheweb said:

Wow, did I make a HUGE mistake on our first cruise!!!!! Our first cruise was to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We differed on where we wanted to cruise, but then I found a Western Mediterranean cruise with many interesting ports that I knew that DW, an elementary art teacher would love,

 

So far so good, but then I decided we could go from the port to Florence on our own. AND I GOT US ON THE TRAIN GOING THE WRONG WAY!!

Ooos, I hit post too early. Luckily DW figured it out, and we got off and got the next train back. We did have time to get to see Pisa, but not Florence.

 

But, the mistake eventually got corrected. Ten years later, we did a similar cruise, This time, being more experienced we probably could have gone on our own, but instead booked the cruise line's Florence on Your Own. In addition, DW booked timed entrances into the two major museums in Florence. It was expensive, but well worth it, and of course much better than the first experience.

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MommytoAsquared

MommytoAsquared

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30 minutes ago, Mommawo said:

How old was your daughter at that time ? My 13 year old gets hangry lol I would have been begging people for money for her 😆 yes it would be kinda scary honestly to be without anything.  Very humbling 

 

She was 15.  She was a trooper.  We had a large breakfast that morning, so we really didn't start to get hungry until 2 or 3 and the excursion got back around 5.  With teens, you never know what is more mortifying...no money...or mom asking strangers for $$$ :classic_biggrin:

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MommytoAsquared

MommytoAsquared

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8 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Ooos, I hit post too early. Luckily DW figured it out, and we got off and got the next train back. We did have time to get to see Pisa, but not Florence.

 

But, the mistake eventually got corrected. Ten years later, we did a similar cruise, This time, being more experienced we probably could have gone on our own, but instead booked the cruise line's Florence on Your Own. In addition, DW booked timed entrances into the two major museums in Florence. It was expensive, but well worth it, and of course much better than the first experience.

 

This is funny - I know the helpless feeling when you miss an exit and have to drive to the next one.  I can imagine it's the same helpless feeling going the wrong way on the train.  Eeeekkk!

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Mommawo

Mommawo

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3 minutes ago, MommytoAsquared said:

 

She was 15.  She was a trooper.  We had a large breakfast that morning, so we really didn't start to get hungry until 2 or 3 and the excursion got back around 5.  With teens, you never know what is more mortifying...no money...or mom asking strangers for $$$ :classic_biggrin:

Probably mom asking lol

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schazzy

schazzy

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On my first cruise I learned:

 

You should take a minute to freshen up and change clothes before going to dinner.

 

That little plastic card they give you actually uses real money.

 

Taking a "booze cruise" on a party boat in Nassau is not the best idea in the world.

 

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Mommawo

Mommawo

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1 minute ago, WorkerBee74 said:

Don't befriend the bartender at the piano bar so that he makes your drinks nice and strong.  It made one of my next-mornings very very miserable.  :classic_laugh:

 

Bwahahahaha oh how many times must we learn that lesson in life ?? 

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schazzy

schazzy

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4 minutes ago, WorkerBee74 said:

Don't befriend the bartender at the piano bar so that he makes your drinks nice and strong.  It made one of my next-mornings very very miserable.  :classic_laugh:

 

 

Or befriend the barista at the coffee bar who is also bartender in the evening that gives you a quadruple double! I don't even think there was any ginger beer in my rum! :classic_laugh: 

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