Things to ignore...a list for new cruisers!!

[Danno]

Feel free to add to this...over the years I have learned to completely ignore the following things on ANY cruise ship.

 

a) ANY recommended shopping. These "recommended" shops have paid a fee to the cruise lines and will join the "not recommended" list when they quit paying that fee.

 

b) The drinks in souvenier glasses...they're not even very nice glasses.

 

c) The bottled water...it has been said by those who know, the tap water on the ship is probably purer than ANY bottled water due to the steam desalination.

 

d) Ignore anyone who wants to tell you how little they paid for the cruise. More often not they are lying...even if they are not, why would you want to know. You can't change anything by then and all it causes you is aggrevation and dampens your mood. I don't care what you paid and it's none of your business what I paid :-).

 

...I'm sure there are a few more.

[teedee]

Danno - I like the souvineer glasses (she says whining) I think they are pretty. I always get one on every cruise. However I do agree they are not a good deal, I just like how they look.

 

 

Terri

[Danno]

Terri...then you should always buy them because they mean something special to you. I have 4 or 5 of them and I have no clue whaere they are today. I just fealt like I was on a cruise ship and I just HAD to buy them.

[starsjohn]

Ignore tracking every little expense, this is your vacation and its just money.

 

Do not count every calorie you eat, again this is a vacation and diets are not fun.

[Tatka]

You aren't completely right about "recommended" shops.

 

I hate to spend time shopping while on vacation anyway...

 

but if you use these shops and something goes wrong with diamonds or other things you've bought you can get help from X. I'm sure you would prefer this to flying all the way to for example St.Thomas!

[Tatka]

One thing new cruisers should definitely ignore is opinions about food/service!

 

I found this board before I went on my first X cruise.

 

I read terrible things about food/service slipping etc. I was worried.

I loved my cruise and specially food. If it's your first time you will most likely too.

[pilewski]

your right on the money tatka. we purchased earings from a shop not on the list in st. martin and it was a nightmare returning them. from now on, we'll stick to the ship's recommendations

[tuggers]

I ignore the shopping talks (I'm not about to sit and listen to a lecture on my specialty, shopping, when I could be poolside!), but I do pick up the guide on the gangway so I know which shops the cruise line will help me with. Not important for little things, but jewelry I would never buy any place else!

 

Ditto for excursions. I only take the cruise sponsored ones if there is a tight time frame as the ship will wait for a tour they sponsor or if it is something very special that would be hard to book or do oneself. Otherwise, I'm all about booking online, doing taxis with people you meet onboard, etc to save on those high priced tours. In Tortola, I walked out and got on a bus for $20, later found out others had paid 37 through ship.

 

I like to save so I can go more often, but I'm not a real penny pincher by any means. You'll find me in the Martini Bar and sucking up the wine with dinner.

But I will order the foo foo drink in a bar glass for 4.25 and not 7.95 with the 'free' :rolleyes: glass. Then I'll have 2!

LOL!

[janjay]

Tatka hit right on the button on the food/service comments. Don't listen, food preferences are so subjective. As is service. In fact many aspects of cruising are very individual.

 

Also, don't skip the shows because of bad reviews...they are still fun and you can judge for yourself.

[L11]

As for recommended shopping, guess it depends on what you are looking for. If you want peace of mind in the event of a problem with your purchase, those 'recommended' shops are the places to buy. On the other hand, if you want a bargain, chances are pretty slim that you will get one there.

 

To be honest, though, chances are that you will not get much of a bargain in any of the established cruise ports. They know you are on vacation and that your purse strings are likely to be a little looser than back home. They also know that people often leave their common sense at home. Sure, there may be bargains around, but most people d o not do the necessary research to find them.

 

You are better off purchasing items native to the area. For example in Mexico, I found some incredible pieces of Oaxacan folk art that were beautifully carved and painted for a very reasonable price compared to prices in the states. Of course, having said all of that, I succumbed to a Mexican fire opal in Acapulco and got roundly ripped off, but I bought it because I liked it and it is a pretty souvenir of a wonderful trip.

 

Just know what you are buying, don't expect a bargain and try to pack an ounce or 2 of your common sense.

 

Linda

[Travelgirl23]

Even if you don't shop where the ship suggests in each port, at least go to the shopping talk and sit down in front. They throw samples out in the audience (at least Carnival does). I caught a string of black pearls on the Jubilee, and last Thanksgiving, DH got a bottle of vanilla, and DS got a bottle of liqueur on the Elation.

[Blazerboy]

Don't avoid shipboard acitivties JUST because a "cruise veteran" says so. O.k., after a dozen times you might get tired of the Cole Porter revue, but the first time, it was sorta fun, right? And activities like sing-a-long- Sound of Music can actually be fun, even if just to find the others on-board with a wicked and twisted sense of humor. ;)

 

The food thing is true: everyone will have an opinion about the food, good, bad, better, worse, indifferent. One guy on Infinity announced that they were dining in the specialty restaurant every night, because the food in the main dining room was so bad, while a couple at our table in the main dining room said that they didn't like their food in the specialty restaurant. It's really a matter of individual tastes- just enjoy it.

 

And the next time someone tells you they paid "X" number of dollars less than you for the same cruise, simply say, "Great, that means the next two rounds are on you!" :D

[Seabee]

Ignore them when they say you have to go to the LifeBoat drill...this is your vacation and you paid for it!

 

Ignore them when they say you have to get off the ship at the end of the cruise!

 

Ignore them when they say you should tip the crew; after all they are being paid better than they could get in their own country!

 

Ignore them when they say don't put your babies in the pool.

 

Ignore them when they say don't use flash bulbs in the theater!

 

Ignore them when they say "Be on time for dinner".

 

And above all, ignore this post!! :)

[DocJohnB]

You really don't want to ignore the advice you find on these boards, just take every bit of it with a grain of salt.

 

It is, after all, for the most part just opinions.

[FSHLOT]

Ignore..The ppl that say it's rough seas!!!

Ignore..The "professionals" at kareokee (save it for the talent show)

Ignore..The ppl that butt in front of you at the buffett line!!!(they are probaly starving to death:)..)

Ignore..The lounge chair hoggers!!(just take the chair anyway!!)

 

 

I'm sure i missed a few...:)

[nmtraveler]

Don't ignore the chance to buy the martini shakers at the martini bar. They are a bargain. (Don't ignore this suggestion!)

[lucyjohnz]

1. At Art Auctions, ignore the "retail price" of the item. They'll probably start bidding at 1/4 of that price. Also, if no one bids on an item that you really like, talk individually to the art auctioneer about a lower price - they'll give you the rock-bottom price they'll take.

2. Ignore the Celebrity policy on bringing Wine on-board - every cruise ship I've been on seems to not care about even if you bring several cases of wine on-board - they'll just charge a corkage fee in the dining room.

3. Ignore the "informal" nights where men are to wear jacket and sports shirt. From what I've seen, informal tends to be the same a casual nights.

4. Ignore the purser when cashing traveller's check or getting cash advances - go to the casino instead. But, do it the night before you go on-shore as they're closed on port days.

[Joe_Antonelli]

Ignore the cruise director - yes they are paid to be that hammy!

[Cruise Cat]

Ignore the photographer that is there everytime you turn around. You do not have to have your picture taken if you don't want to.

Ignore the long line going into dinner on the first formal night. It is actually a line for people to get their picture taken with the Captain. (may very ship to ship).

[tuggers]

I;m afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you about informal night, I don't see by your signature which X ships you've been on, but my experience has been that people really do treat informal as semi-formal with nice dresses and pants outfits and jackets for men.

 

Anyone else care to weigh in?

[TWOFERTWO]

Cruise Cat I can't ignor your traveling 'Quote', I love it! :D

 

tuggers Lets strart the flames! I agree with you! :)

[Hilary]

Come on Danno, I can't believe you missed the perfect opportunity to play with other passenger's heads!! When someone tells you how little they paid for the cruise, you're supposed to knock about $300-500 off whatever they say and brag you got it for that!! You can't believe the looks on their faces when they hear how they really got stroked on the price. ;-)

 

Hilary