What was your BEST first timer lesson

[kimegge]

Take the duc-tape or something to mark or suitcases, or at least tape your suitcases before you go with your initials or something so you can spot your suitcases when departing. Do not take half of what they tell you to, except a first aid kit. I did take the highlighter to highlight what I wanted to do at sea, this helped me plan my day if there was something I really wanted to do. Especially the things, like towel and napkin folding, since I have never done it before. RELAX, RELAX and RELAX!!!!!!! OH YEAH, if you don't want your ID to look like crap remember to look nice when boarding, this is when your ID pic is taken, wish I would of known before hand......lol I wish I would of taken more clothes....lol, I hate wearing things twice, but probably will pack the same way next time.....took too many shoes though. Do like they said below, you only need 3 pair....a pair of tennis shoes, dress shoes and sandals....thats all you need. And follow the rest of the info below. Oh I also took the plug-in air freshner it helped with the musty smell of the room. It's not that bad and some people can't even smell it, but I have a sensitive nose.....lol

 

Kim

[Hambagahle]

My best tip for first time (and every time!) cruisers, and all other travellers...pack as much as possible in zip lock plastic bags. This not only keeps underwear, tops, etc etc apart, but you can use them in your carry on to pur camera usb cables and chargers etc etc. En route to Alaska for an RSSC Mariner cruise two years ago the woman at airport security looked into my carry on and said "wow! no need to take every out - I can see it all!¨". It is possible to buy these bags in Europe with valves on them so that the air goes out (for sweaters etc) and things take up less space...I don't know if this is available in the US. Happy crusing!

[rixtur]

Cruising is a great vacation. Much of the stress you would normally encounter on vacation, (i.e. where to eat today, how do I get there, what should we do tonight), is taken care of for you. Don't sweat the small stuff or let some little thing spoil your whole day. Your going to meet some really nice people during your trip so take the time to meet them. Make sure you participate in your Roll Call on this web site. You'll learn a lot and you'll get to know people that will be cruising with you before you even go.

Go out on deck before you go to bed on the first night, take a couple of deep breathes, and think of how relaxing your next days are going to be! You'll feel all the stress leave your body and you'll have the right mind set to have a fantastic vacation.

Have a great time. :D You have a great treat in store. Half of the fun is doing some research on your ports of call.

 

Cheers ~

[rhino73]

Well, I'm now an old cruise hand...we made our first Cruise as a TransLant las month. I will reiterate a few of the comments I found most helpful

1. Read as much as you can about the Ship/layout/festivities. Cruise Critic has lots of links. The best for us was a Cruise Thread for our cruise. We talked for months before we ever met and boarded...and arranged a face to face right after the muster drill as we departed...CC had a party for us onboard the first day, so we had instant friends. I asked lots of questions before we ever departed

2. We still packed too much...we used the laundry services and we ended wearing the same things over and over. If you don't own a Tux and want to dress, rent the ones to be delivered and picked up on the ship...

3. Plan your days the evening before...and don't worry you can catch things the second time around

4. Take advantage of whatever ammenities your room has....we had a butler and he was terrific for breakfast int he room..or order room service...

5. We loved the formal dining room and our tablemates and nearby tables...dinner was a great social event...there is so much food all over..I think we needed extra large doors to get out of our cabins...

6. If you don't see it ask...the staff is there to make you happy and they will bring anything you ask within reason..if it isn't on the menu...ask

7. Brings your own meds...sicksick stuff, tummy stuff, sunscreen..otherwise..when you need it, you can't find it

8. Someone told me to bring a big thermal mug, I didn't but bought one (the last) the first day out...I filled it with coffe or iced tea/lemonade...the little plastic glasses dont hack it

9. Enjoy the passengers, tyr something, if you don't like it move on...

10. Have fun and see ya on your next cruise

Pete

[jerick]

Something will happen that causes you to change a plan or come up with an alternative. Don't sweat the small stuff. Be flexible! :cool:

[beaming90]

Other people will disagree, but if you do not want to spend money on the art auction, try to sit somewhere in the back where it is easy to get out. We went and ended up sitting in the middle of a row and felt stuck the whole time. We didn't buy anything and missed the sailaway from Freeport. It was an interesting experience, and kinda fun, BUT...Not worth sitting through if you are not interested in buying art. And relax and enjoy yourselves!! :p

[Terpnut]

Things I wish I had known:

- You can usually board earlier than the scheduled time.

- Cabin and bathroom space is tight so bring things that hang and organize, and pack less than more.

- You can order just about anything via room service for free (just have tip money!).

- During meals, you can order more than one of anything if you so choose.

- Kid's programs are outstanding and cover a good part of the day!

- Debarkation is usually a very early cattle call and not very much fun.

[inncntman]

Two things that I would mention:

 

- Don't take any excursion where you are on a bus ride for over an hour. It's rarely worth it, and the anxiety/stress of the bus making it back to the ship on time can be tremendous (jammed roads are common, and the buses will be stopped for long periods).

 

- Wear sunscreen on your first excursion!!!!!! I saw too many people come back absolutely scorched on their first day. and they spent the rest of the cruise in severe pain. Plus, their onboard cruise photos looked ridiculous, as their faces were bright beet red.

[SuzMate]

My tips include:

• Never take the elevator - then you won't have to worry about all you are eating :)
  
• Unless you are ten don't get your hair braided - it just looks silly.
  
• If you can get a veranda - it's so worth it.

[sportsterjohn]

A few tips.

Room service coffee is usually better than coffee in the dining room, also ordering coffee in the morning is a good wake up call. Don't go into panic mode about making sure your excursions go smoothly. 99% of these guys live / die on their reputations and have it down to a science.

[lbellefl]

Fellow posters aren't kidding when they say to pack only half of what you originally planned on bringing.

 

Book at least one shore excursion - more if at all possible.

[ehough]

Just got back this week from our first cruise- I'd say we learned two major things. One, don't try to do too much! I know it's hard when planning what to do in each port, but really, all-day excursions every day will get taxing. You'll want that time to just RELAX. If anything, do one or two long excursions and then stick with short ones (or none at all) that will allow you time to explore the town on your own.

 

Secondly, though everyone says "Pack your suitcase and then take out half", no one ever explains WHY. We figured this out! We tended to wear jeans and comfy clothing during the day and then changed into nicer clothes at night. Therefore, what we wore during the day only got worn for a few hours, and could easily have been worn again. We wish we had thought of this ahead of time instead of bringing two outfits for each day!

[joemedic]

I got my advice from my 14 year old daughter...

Try something new and different.

Order escargot and "fried bait".

 

Take a risk. Meet new people.

Enjoy the excitement of being in a new environment.

Dance.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Our first cruise was a seven day on Mariner of the Seas in 2004. Our biggest lesson and a very painful one was that we over did it the very first day and kept right on over doing it the second day. By the third day we were both in so much pain we could hardly move.

 

I remember sitting on the bed and crying I was so exhausted. I would advise anyone to take it easy the first couple days until you get your "sea legs" and have some idea of how much you can handle. That ship is so big. There is so much to do. You can't do it all.

 

We tried to do every activity, basketball, golf, table tennis, shows, tours, worked out in the gym, climbed stairs instead of using the elevator . I was among the first on the jogging deck every morning, but we were also up on the top deck after the shows to see the stars and moon. The sleep deficit built up like mad.

 

What I learned is don't cruise to exhaustion. Take it easy. Pace yourself. Live to cruise another day. We were sixty years old on that first cruise, but acting like eighteen. We both got so tired we dragged through the rest of the cruise. What a waste of a wonderful cruise!!!

[peartree]

**Everyone is right. Pack simply and take half what you need

**3 pair shoes...walking ashore, dinner and around pool/ship

**You get exercise by getting lost and walking length of ship many times

**AVOID BINGO!!! It sucks money like a sponge:eek:

**Use the Internet at port stops, not on ship

**Many ports have Walmart nearby. Shop there.

**Buy sodas ashore and bring aboard. (see above) Ice is always available

**Shipboard cups are small, bring an insulated mug for hot/cold drinks

**If you have elec appliances, bring 3 way extension cord.

**Shipboard hair dryer works well, leave your's home

**Don't try everything first day, RELAX

**The fee for fancy resataurant is half on sail away night.

**All food is good, fancy restaurant of little value except above

**Don't use Cell phones outside US..very expensive

**Appetizer, soup, salad and bread make great lunch/dinner;)

[royal girl]

Don't pack 12 pairs of shoes. ;)

[cntrydncr1]

Wow, I have learned so much since the first cruise but if I think back to what I learned on my second, the Hawaiian cruise, I would say....If possible, rent cars instead of doing costly excursions. We do this as much as we can now and we take the time to do what we want and go where we want, for lots less money.

[waterbabe40]

Learn about and book the excursions you want as soon as you can decide. We have booked privately without any difficulty, mostly using places recommended by message boards. If you book through the cruise line, booking early saves you from standing in long lines at the excursion desk and you will be sure to get the excursions you want.

[I&MsMom]

In my case, it was that PCD (post cruise depression) is real and pretty much inevitable, given what a great time we had. :( And, it took me way too long to realize the only cure was booking another cruise! :)

 

I've since heard of those who book another cruise before they take their next cruise - sort of works as a vaccine against PCD. I'm thinking that sounds like a plan! :D But, since I'm happily planning our next cruise for the eastern Med. next April, I've got a few months to book the one after that! ;)

[musicmansmom]

another vote for OVER PACKING here. i cant believe all the clothes i took that i never took out of the suitcase. since then i travel under half as much as i packed then and have less bags.

 

oh, and worried so much about formal night. it was wonderful but not as uptight as i thought it would be. it was the same wonderful service and food but with fancier clothes on.

[Jolimont]

Best lesson I learned was don't take so many outfits. You don't need a new "dress up" outfit for every night, two or three dinner dress items are enough for one week.

 

And of course, second lesson was, cruise as often as you can!

[intentionaltourist]

Everyone will probably say that you should not over pack, but no one knows what not to over pack.

All of my friends say that the most valuable thing that they can use is duct tape, no joke!

Just have fun!

[Mark_AR]

My tip is:

 

Don't buy a Soda/Pop/Juice voucher. (~$40 CCL-Conquest)

 

9 out of 10 times you will never drink enough to cover the cost of this card.

 

There is enough complimentary liquid refreshments to satisfy most anyone.

 

They prey on the ignorance of passengers.

 

As others stated... Pack light, sunscreen, small bills, only take little money and no CC/ID's that you can't live without on excursions or ashore. You never know when they might get lost/stolen. Single use/Prepaid credit cards might be a good idea.

[Porchbeers]

Your cabin and bathrrom is so small...pack some air freshner. Trust me, you'll be happy.

[syndyj]

Don't fly home the same day of the cruise :rolleyes: