I'm a Newbie- to the board and to crusing.

[Karmaangel2003]

Hiya everyone.....

Well let me quickly introduce myself- I'm Corley and on May 5, 2006 I will be taking my FIRST cruise, EVER!!! :p

My best friend and I are going on SOS, leaving Port Canaveral and going to NAssau and Coco Cay.

I have been to the Bahama's (not the Nassau area) and such but it's usually through all-inclusive resorts.

Can y'all please give me any suggestions you may have about on board experiences, off-shore excursions- etc???? We are interested in the Spa area of the cruise, and what's the best for getting the most from Nassau - food, entertainment, shopping-etc.

Thanks so much :)

[Dawniepoo]

Welcome Corely, and I am sure you will have an awesome time!

[jerick]

Welcome to the forum and to cruising! The best advice I can give is to plan to have one of the best times of your life, be flexible, and don't sweat the small stuff. It is possible that there will be minor things that don't go as expected and you'd be surprised how many people let little things ruin their vacation.

 

Second, I'd suggest just reading lots of threads on this and the Nassau/Bahamas forums. I think there is also a "First Time Cruiser" forum, and general cruise questions.

 

Look for comments about your ship and itinerary and go to the Reviews section to see what other people experienced on your ship. Take the negative comments with a grain of salt, because the overwhelming majority of people have a tremendous time.

 

Have fun!

 

Jeff

[Host Karen]

Corley, welcome to the Cruise Critic and congratulations on your upcoming cruise. You must be very excited.

 

You're certain to find and receive lots of great advice on these boards. I do need to make a suggestion: always include the name of the ship on which you are sailing. SOS could stand for Serenade, Splendor or Sovereign of the Seas. If posters aren't familiar with the itineraries, they won't automatically understand which ship you're referring to.

 

Have a great cruise!

[cmich068]

Do what you want from the compass, but don't try to overload. Activities will overlap.

 

If you want to sit by the pool, do it.

 

Do whatever you want, whenever.

 

If you miss an activity, don't worry. You can always book another cruise, speaking of which, you can get a Shipboard credit if you book another one while you are on SOS.

[MichelleMB]

Hi Corley! I'm a newbie too! The people on here are just wonderful and know almost everything. Are you doing the 4 night or the three night? Have Fun.:D

 

Michelle

[Andros]

I have a homepage(link in signature below) that has a lot of information on how to plan for any trip in the Thinking about taking a cruise? link there.

 

We went to Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island on my first cruise. Did the "Dig" underwater aquarium tour. It was about 38 bucks if I remember right. The ferry/charter boat to the island was about 3 bucks each way. The price of the dig also included free access to the grounds and beach at Atlantis. I really enjoyed it there and had a great time. Hope you have many great adventures and let us know how it was for you when you return! Andros/Tony

[EggDropErin]

I just wanted to drop a "welcome" as well. You are going to LOVE your cruise! :D

[dave&micki]

welcome--- You will love it -- We just came back from our second time on the Sovereign two weeks ago and ya know what the best part is !!!wanting for nothing--- just relax--chill and you will forget about the rest of the world!!!enjoy COCO CAY----

[cb at sea]

If you want to do the spa, book times soon after boarding, so you have more choice. As far as Nassau goes, it's not one of my favorites--I consider it a day to stay onboard and use the pool, without a zillion others around. I pay for the cruiseship--not the ports. Once you've seen an island, well..... Whatever you do, you'll have a blast!

[pcur]

Look for spa specials in the Compass (the daily newsletter delivered to your cabin). They frequently have specials, 2-fers, 3-fers, etc.