New to Cruisecritic!

[Hawkeye75]

I stumbled on this jewel of a site. I was really happy with all the good tips I was able to get while planning my cruise which will also be my Honeymoon! :D

 

Me and my wife (or at least will be by the time we leave) will be going on our first cruise this November aboard the Mariner of the Seas.

 

If anybody has any tips, or any comments about that boat I'd love to hear about them.

 

Thanks

[SandyToes1978]

Congratulations and welcome to the boards! My advice: read read read! These boards are addictive!:D

[jillybabes]

Welcome Hawkeye to cruise critic and congrats on your wedding to be...

The Mariner was our first RCI cruise and we loved it so much that we sailed her again within the first year doing the same itinerary which was Eastern:D .

The Cafe Promenade is a nice place to hang out and people watch while having a sandwich, pastry or pizza...The entertainment is very good and the Ice Show is not to be missed...Go to the Love & Mariage show and do not miss Quest. Can not tell you about Quest, but trust me you will enjoy;) . Have a wonderful time and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. Are you doing Eastern or Western???

[Rala]

I'll add my congrats and welcome! Also, do not call your vessel a BOAT: it is a SHIP!! Some folks here will "reprimand " you for incorrect terminology!! LOL

 

I agree with Sandytoes...just keep reading and asking questions. I also "stumbled " on this site about 5 years ago. The amount of knowledge I have learned about cruising is huge. There is hardly a day goes by that I don't check in and check it out!

 

Have a wonderful honeymoon cruise!

[Hawkeye75]

Phew...I'm happy the first comment wasn't a bad one! It was my job to plan the cruise and I'm usually pretty good for researching and such. However like I said the whole cruise experience new and I couldn't believe how overwhelming the choices and considerations were. So I dove head first and hoped for the best. I wanted our first cruise to be a good experience...I have a funny feeling these things get addictive (cruises themselves I mean).

 

Anyway we will be heading to an Eastern Carribean cruise...making stops in St. Thomas, St. Martens and some place called coco cay or something like that. Not sure because I couldn't find it in the Atlas! :confused:

[Rala]

Hawkeye, Coco Cay is a small island (in the Bahamas) owned by Royal Caribbean, a private island. It is a wonderful beach day. You can rent jet skis and other water "stuff" There are lounge chairs and hammocks and long stretches of beach to walk. Also, they provide a barbecue lunch. There are a couple of bars on the island. I have only been there once, but from what I have read here, there are also some secluded,more romantic spots there as well. Since DH and I are coming up on our 40th year together, I didn't look for those..maybe next time!!! I think you and your new bride will love it..a real tropical Caribbean experience!!

[Hawkeye75]

Hawkeye, Coco Cay is a small island (in the Bahamas) owned by Royal Caribbean, a private island. It is a wonderful beach day. You can rent jet skis and other water "stuff" There are lounge chairs and hammocks and long stretches of beach to walk. Also, they provide a barbecue lunch. There are a couple of bars on the island. I have only been there once, but from what I have read here, there are also some secluded,more romantic spots there as well. Since DH and I are coming up on our 40th year together, I didn't look for those..maybe next time!!! I think you and your new bride will love it..a real tropical Caribbean experience!!

 

LOL...thanks, that would explain my difficulties in locating the island.

[wolfganghowell]

Hawkeye - congrats. Our first cruise was our honeymoon and we are not addicted. Be sure and let the cruise line know it is your honeymoon. They may provide you a bottle of bubbly and give you a few extra little invitations. St Thomas is a beautiful port. Because it was our honeymoon we did the helicopter tour which was a once in a lifetime experience. I even have flying issues but loved it. Have a wonderful time.

[Stacylee]

Hope you aren't going on the Nov 5th sailing....

Oh, the cruise will be a blast... but 2/3 of the ship will be bikers and also a medical conference. It is going to be a 'different' cruise experience on that sailing :D .

[jules815]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and congrats on your upcoming wedding!

 

I stumbled upon this board not long ago, too, and it's been very helpful in planning for my family's first cruise, which will be on Mariner of the Seas. We're also doing the eastern itinerary.

 

I plan on posting a review with pictures so you'll have to keep checking. Also, I'll be traveling with my laptop, so if I have any extra time, I might post a "live from" review every now and then.

[SheltieLady]

Welcome to the cruisecritic you will learn so much from this board, I have since I been on.

 

Christine

[Yamsi]

One tip that we received a few years ago from a well-traveled couple was the "tip ahead" plan. Instead of presenting our tips to the waitstaff and room attendant on the last night, we gave it to them on the first day "in anticipation of what we know will be great service". It really has made a difference on each of our cruises. My wife and I were always the first to place our dinner order, the first to receive the food, and there was a little extra attention paid to our needs.

 

The same for our stateroom: the attendants always do a great job, but we found that a little extra atttention was given.

 

Enjoy your cruise! But, I'm warning you...you will be hooked. A few years ago, my wife and I took our first cruise (we also went to Coco Cay that trip)...and we were completely smitten. Each year, within a few days of returning from our cruise we start planning the next years agenda.

 

Oh, and a hint about Coco Cay. Everyone seems to congregate on the beach near the public buildings. Keep on going down the beach...there's plenty of it and less people. (It's very shallow water near the beach; there's a reef a good deal away where the deeper water is).

[second honeymoon]

We are also doing this cruise for the first time but not until Feb. 07, let me know how you like it.

 

We are doing the Western how about you??

[Chuck & Q Express]

Hawkeye75...Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. I too am new too the boards. Just joined this month. And someone said earlier, it has become addictive. I have learned and laughed a lot.

 

Have a great Honeymoon Cruise!

[Sue L]

Welcome to the boards and congrats on the honeymoon!

 

 

You will get hooked to cruising and to the boards. We will be going on our 10th cruise in March, which is a small number compared to many on here, but we are as excited about this next one as we were the first.

 

Sue

 

PS the best marriage advice I was given and I will pass it on...never go to bed angry!!!! We will be celebrating 22 years!!!

[SandyToes1978]

I noticed you were on the Majesty in Sept 03... Wonder if we were on the same sailing 9/8?? Just curious.

[grangermom]

These boards are invaluable. I discovered them before our cruise, which was at the beginning of April. Even though I've been back for weeks, I can't seem to kick the cruisecritic habit ;) I learned so much before our cruise, and it made a world of difference. It was my 6th cruise, and I still learned alot from here.

 

Here's my tip: If you haven't already done it, check the boards for your specific ports of call. That was what I found to be the most helpful in planning our trip. Make sure you write down the info and take it with you on your cruise.

 

Congrats on your wedding and have a wonderful cruise! (P.S. You definitely picked the right cruise line)

[cruisinmon]

Welsome hawkeye! Just joined the boards myself, AFTER 3 cruises. Not a day goes by when I dont check them tho. Love to cruise and love to hear about cruising.

 

-Rich

[Hawkeye75]

Holy Smoke these boards are active! Well thanks to everybody for the warm welcome! I'll certainly post any questions as I think of them...I'll sure they'll get more numerous as the they gets closer! I'll have to get one of those counters everybody has! ;)

 

Great! Like I need a new addiction! :)

[WECoyote]

Holy Smoke these boards are active! Well thanks to everybody for the warm welcome! I'll certainly post any questions as I think of them...I'll sure they'll get more numerous as the they gets closer! I'll have to get one of those counters everybody has! ;)

 

Great! Like I need a new addiction! :)

 

The majority of us will probably agree...cuises are addictive. There will be great and some not so great times but overall I don't think you can get more "bang for your buck!"

 

Being your first cruise I would suggest you look at the top of the page and check out Contribute to the Royal Caribbean Cruising FAQ - By Members FOR Members! This is an excellent source for suggestions to prepare you for your first cruise...you should also get a chuckle out of a few of the posts :p!

 

Be prepared for having a small room...but most of us don't spend a lot of time in our rooms...just too much to do, especially on the larger ships. Wellll...let me rephrase that....being newly weds (CONGRATULATIONS!!) you probably won't notice the room size too much, but it is cozy! (Watch out for the shower curtain...it likes to "play up close and personal:D hehe".

[Yamsi]

SandyToes -

 

Yes, it appears that we were both on the Majesty that September voyage. It was the first cruise for both of us, and we were instantly hooked. I had wanted to cruise all of my life, but never did prior to that.

Just a few months prior to that, my wife and I were sitting in a parking lot in Omaha, during a miserable rainy day, I was kind of torqued. We were visiting her family (which we do every year), and I was stewing about all the money we spend each year to visit other people...and never spend it on "us". So, that's when I said "We're going on a cruise!". And we have every year since...

 

If I recall, there was quite a bit of wave action around Coco Cay and we almost were not going to be allowed onshore.

[Enchantment 04]

What date does your cruise leave?