HELP-cruise newbie - looking for answers not found in basic FAQ's

[Deemuch]

Hello.

 

We are family of 4, with kids ages 8 & 11 yrs. We are going to Western Caribbean Cruise this January on the NCL Dawn for 11 nights.

 

I have been reading the Cruise Critic & doing research on the internet to make decisions regarding excursions etc. Then I realized while I may have that part of the cruise all figured out....I don't even know the basic's of cruising...simple things for the expereinced cruiser...but for me, I haven't a clue...so anyone who can give a little bit of insight:confused: :confused:

 

DEPARTURE ???

 

When the cruisheship leaves the port ( we're leaving from new york in January ), is there something special the ship does or that people do?? I remember seeing things on TV like people waving at the top, streamers flying around etc...does that really happen or those just like only special occassions cruises etc?

 

If one wants to go out & see the departure...in my case we are leaving from new York & I had read somewhere that you can see the Statue of Liberty as you leave - when does one prepare to go outside?? ( as I imagine it will be cold in January ), do you have to do it early so you can get a good spot? I would like to take pics. Any suggestions?? and how do you know what side to go on? is the top the best or just outside your ship's level?

 

Muster Drills???

 

I have read there are muster drills?? Do all ships do this? I thought I read somewhere some ships have video's in room to watch instead of actually participating in these drills? Is this so...and if you have to do a muster drill, when does it usually happen, before departing, and how long does it take? just trying to get a handle on what exactly we need to do once onboard ship. I'm already overwhelmed with wanting to check out the cabin & put our luggage inside...want to secure spot for departure outside & watch us set sail, and do all the other things you are supposed to do, like figure out dinner plans, get your passes?? ( not familair with this set & sail pass I have been reading ). I have got a note to buy a lanyard to put it on, but what exactly is this pass for? and do we all 4 need one? Is it also used as a room key??? HELP!!!

 

Electricity???

 

Do you need a converter for the voltage outlets in the room? ( NCL Dawn ship ). Also..I've been reading about nightlights....Am I to understand that there is only 1 light switch controlling the whole room/bathroom?? So if anyone turns light on to go to the bathroom, it turns on the whole cabin light??

 

 

Gratutites???

 

NCL dawn ship is charging us upfront all gratutities. $10 pp & $5 per child a day. So we are paying over $300 for this in advance...do we need to tip additionally? Like what would room service standard tipping per day be, and does that fee we are already paying upfront cover all that?

 

If you use the specialitites restuarant & pay the cover fees', what is expected for tips if any, per person?

 

 

 

Drinking Water???

 

Can you drink the water in the cabin rooms? or do you buy bottled water, or does it come free? We will be drinking mostly water, as I dont drink alcoholic beverages much, and the kids dont drink pop. So between milk & juices, do you have to pay for those each time? and what about storing some in the room refridegretor, do we have to buy our own from a store onboard? and if so, are we looking at it being SUPER expensive?? I need to be able to figure out what extra costs I have, as we know most food is covered, but by sounds of it, drinks are not??

 

 

Hangers???

 

I have read lots of posts that say bring extra hangers....typically how many hangers would a cabin have?, so I can see if I would need extra & how many...

 

 

Currency from visiting ports???

 

I would like to collect local currency in coins & smaller bills. Is the ship able to offer this, or do i have to get this on my own in the individual ports? Some places we have excurisons planned & i may not have time to exchange money, so i would like to know in advance so I don't miss out.

 

 

Cabin Size???

 

Our cabin is small , only 159sq feet. ( no balcony, just window ) I am trying to envision how much room we actually have to store away our luggage & our stuff. where do the luggages go, in a closet, on the floor , under the beds?? i don't want to be trippping over luggsge everyday, so I am trying to get a handle on how much space there is aside from the beds...it doesnt seem like there is much at all? Is there even a counter in the bathroom usually??

 

 

Ship time VS Local port time???

 

how do you know whether your ship's time is the same as the local countries time? I am booking excursions on my own & I want to make sure I give the proper arrival time...I just am not sure what that is.

 

 

 

ANYONE that can give any insight to any of the above questions...it would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Thanks so much in advance!

[Spikesgirl]

I'll do my best to answer some of them. We've only sailed on Princess, Carnival and Victoria, so my answers may not apply to NCL, but here goes.

 

Departures - yes, some ships still do the sail away parties, but you are more likely to find them happening in warm weather than cool. Don't expect to see piers of people wishing you well - too many cruises now for people to get too excited. It used to be that only a precious few could afford cruises, now just about anyone can. This is a question that could probably be answered by your roll call on the Roll Call Board.

 

Muster Drills - every ship is required to have one and you must attend. Some people like to brag how they bailed out of their's, but this is for your safety incase of an emergency. Do take the time to watch, participate and know what to do if the worst should happen. No one expects the Spainish Inquistition..sorry, a Monty Python moment.

 

Electricity - you will find (usually) the standard sockets (110) in the rooms. Some ships also have the British standard as well, but I think nearly every ship now has US standard in their cabins. I can't really answer about the light situation, but you could always go to Wally Mart and get a cheap one to plug in on the ship. That would keep the cabin lights off at night.

 

Gratutidties - much of your tipping will be taken care of by the auto tipping, but you might find that you'd like to give you steward or your waiter(ess) a little extra for exceptional service. You can do that. You don't have to tip extra unless you want to. That's entirely up to you.

 

Okay, this one might be different, but we've found the tap water to be very good on the Princess and Carnival ships (you couldn't drink it about the Victoria Star). Most ships have desalinzation)Hmm, I'm winging that word) plants on board and 'make' their own drinking water. In most cases, it will be be better than anything you can find on land.

 

Hangers - if you need more hangers, ask your cabin steward - (s)he will bring you as many you need.

 

Most ships will exchange money on board for you, but it will be paper. In some cases, they will not buy exchanged money back, so only do the amount you think you will need. We always take plenty of ones and fives (Usually about $100 of each) for tips and exchanging small amounts. Most ships won't exchange less than a $20 though.

 

You don't have to worry about your luggage - jsut unpack and your steward will take care of your bags. sometimes they go under your bed, but if not, they will be taken somewhere to be stored and returned to you for your final packing.

 

sips time vs port time - okay, whatever the ship says, that's the time it is. Ship time is when it will sail, so that's the time you want to focus upon. Most ships will keep you apprised of what time it is and your newsletter will also mention it several times. If you are on ship excursions, then you don't have to worry. They will get you back to your ship on time. if you are going off on your own, check with ship officials and just ask. There is not one question that hasn't been asked of them and they won't make fun of you.

 

Hope this helps a little. If you have any mroe questions, you can always e mail me at ckirby@deltacollege.edu and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

Happy sails,

 

Charlie

[suezyq50]

I have not done NCL, but most would apply. Just a few additional comments.

 

Departure: Enviromental protection laws also prevent streamers, etc. to be used. In Miami people would wave as the departure ran along the departure course. That is the only place I have seen that happen.

 

Muster Drill:It happens before you depart. You will have time to get a departure spot on the upper deck or where ever you select. We like the upp deck due to hearing the music, have a drink and watch the sites. If you board early, most can board around 11, your luggage will probaly not be at your cabin. The Set sail pass is your key. Each will have one as it is a cashless system.

 

Electricity: I would think there is a seperate switch for bathroom light. It just makes more sense. We have never taken convertors.

[Cptnkirky]

Everyone has done a great job at answering your questions so far, but I will try with a little part...we went out of NY in 2000. You can go to the top deck and get some great pics. You will see the whole port and are pretty close to the statue of liberty. I cannot remember what side it was on, but you could not miss it. (we actually got some great pics of the twin towers) Have a great sail!

[Deemuch]

Thanks for everyone's responses!! They answered alot of my questions...

 

Not hard to tell I'm a newbie for sure :D

 

That's the great thing about these forums, you can learn alot of stuff!!! You just gotta love the internet. I remembered before the internet going to the library to get books & do research that way...and now you can not only get answers within hours of posting, but advice & experience from people who have travelled to where you want to go....not quite the same as getting info from a book!!

 

Just wonderful! thanks again. If anyone has more to add to any questions originally posted...love to hear it!

 

Thanks:)

[Sally Forth]

People have answered your questions quite well. I will pass on a tip for leaving from NYC. After you've had your fill of photos and such, go jump in the hot tubs with the kids. Nobody else will be in there, and even if you have to go there with parkas on, it's a great way to start your journey.

 

Viv

[LDR]

All four of you will be issued a card that you use on board to purchase

things, the ships don't use a cash system. It also serves as your room key on most ships. The lanyards are especially good for the kids so they don't lose their cards.

Definitely take a nightlight, and another thing I found useful is an outlet

strip. We used it to recharge the iPods,the Gameboy and for the

curling irons!

Have a wonderful time! I am cruising in January too and can't wait!

[alliecatn1]

Hello.

 

 

Electricity???

 

Do you need a converter for the voltage outlets in the room? ( NCL Dawn ship ). Also..I've been reading about nightlights....Am I to understand that there is only 1 light switch controlling the whole room/bathroom?? So if anyone turns light on to go to the bathroom, it turns on the whole cabin light??

 

 

The thing I am so glad that I started taking was a clock. I have one from Brookstone that is battery operated and has a nightlight and alarm. The most annoying thing is waking up and not knowing what time it is, then having to turn on the tv to check the time (in my case, with my contacts out, I have to get out of bed and climb up right next to the tv to see the time... talk about being awake at that point!). Having it right next to my bed is a life (and sleep!) saver!

 

LDR also brought up a great point, a power strip is always a great asset! Enjoy your trip, you'll love it!

[Sailorgirlseattle]

I just wanna say, "relax" :) The staff onboard is really great in sending out announcements, newsletters, whatever about the drill for hte day (time changes, dress code for dinner that night, movies that are showing ... all sorts of stuff). They make announcements for muster and help you find where you need to be. On my two most recent cruises they did this just as we were leaving port. Feel free to ask someone about it when you board, so you'll know what to expect timewise, and also bring up your wish to watch the SOL as you sail by. They'll be happy to help you with any questions.

[Seago2]

The only drinks you will ever pay for are alcohol, soda and high end coffee drinks like cappucino and lattes. Therefore, the kids can drink all the milk, chocolate milk, juice and hot cocoa they want for free. There are dispensers for these drinks in the buffet restaurants and several other places on the ship. You can also get all you want via room service for free.

 

In the specialty restaurants, tip as you would in a comparable restaurant on shore. If you are paying two $20 cover charges, don't tip 15% of 40 bucks, tip 15% of what the dinner would cost in the real world. At Cagney's (on the Spirit, I forget the Dawn steak restaurant), the meal would easily have been 100 bucks on land- so we tipped $20 for the $40 tab. Of course, we were completely wasted and in love at that second, so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

I believe in tipping well on board for a whole list of reasons, some having to do with karma issues, some having to do with the fact that if you tip your cabin steward a few bucks each day you will find that your cabin is spotless, your towel animals intricate, etc etc etc. The bartender and poolside waiters will be extremely attentive as well.

 

Here is the best advice I have ever read on these boards, and I have repeated it so many times I think it should be part of my signature:

 

Take 100 $1 dollar bills with you. Use them for tipping purposes (valet, cabbies, porters, room service guys, waiters, bartenders, cabbies in port). Use them to buy water and small items in port so you don't have to watch the vendors make creative change for you. AND, use them to bargain for items in port. Much easier to get a seller in a straw market to take 6 bucks for a ten dollar item if you aren't standing there holding a $20.

 

Your room key/charge card can only be used to charge things by you and your spouse. The kids' cards will be room keys only (double check on this when you get the cards, which is on shore before you embark- just tell them you want the kids' to be keys only). Definitely bring lanyards.

 

I know it seems overhwhelming to think of the muster drill happening right at the always chaotic embarkation time. It doesn't. You will be well out of NY harbor when it happens. And when it does, time stands still. Every passenger will be out on deck (supposed to be, anyway). So you don't have a choice and wouldn't be doing anything else anyway. True, there is a lot to do in terms of checking things out and getting the cabin squared away, but face the fact that you will have nothing else to do for a week so why rush around unpacking and stressing? Just send the kids out to explore the ship and they will tell you where everything is for the next week.

 

I took four of my kids (7, 11, 13, 15) on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise (Carnival) last summer ('05). It was a blast- I was the only adult, btw. Just give them the freedom to check things out and be on their own. This is assuming that you have good kids who aren't going to disrupt the other passengers. It is very safe on a ship- very safe. No need to worry at all.

 

The ship will have both currency and stamps for each port- but they all take dollars, at least near the ship (where are you going, exactly?).

 

True, cabins are small. Suitcases go under the bed or in the closet. Bring soft sided duffels for the kids and you can store them inside each other. You'll have enough room- if I did, you will.

 

It's very easy to control your costs. The arcade will eat up your life savings- best to skip it. My kids went through their quarters in an hour. The end. The rest- gambling, bingo, drinking- you can choose to do it or not. Like, I said, everything the kids eat and drink, 24 hours a day, is free (except soda). You'll find yourself going back on board to eat when in port- air conditioned and free? YES. This may be different for you if you have to tender more than I did- Hurricane... Rita? One of the hurricanes really banged up Cozumel and you now have to tender- definitely not worth going back to the ship just to eat.

[Lv2Camp&Cruise]

The one thing I will add in something I will never travel without again on a cruise. Buy an over the door shoe holder with clear pouches. Place it on the back of the bathroom door in your cabin with several pouches assigned to each child written in sharpie. Show the kids their pouches on day one and they can use them throughout the week to keep all of their belongings. This saved us in June when we brought the kids along. It kept the rest of the cabin clutter free and kept me from constantly looking for lost items and nagging the kids. They showed more responsibility for their sign and sail cards, disposable cameras, arcade coins, candy etc just because they had an assigned place for them. We alotted each child $50 each on their sign and sail card and helped them monitor it nightly. We also bought soda cards for them and gave them alot of "controlled" freedom. They did not abuse it and we all had a great time!

[Deemuch]

The only drinks you will ever pay for are alcohol, soda and high end coffee drinks like cappucino and lattes. Therefore, the kids can drink all the milk, chocolate milk, juice and hot cocoa they want for free. There are dispensers for these drinks in the buffet restaurants and several other places on the ship. You can also get all you want via room service for free.

 

In the specialty restaurants, tip as you would in a comparable restaurant on shore. If you are paying two $20 cover charges, don't tip 15% of 40 bucks, tip 15% of what the dinner would cost in the real world. At Cagney's (on the Spirit, I forget the Dawn steak restaurant), the meal would easily have been 100 bucks on land- so we tipped $20 for the $40 tab. Of course, we were completely wasted and in love at that second, so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

I believe in tipping well on board for a whole list of reasons, some having to do with karma issues, some having to do with the fact that if you tip your cabin steward a few bucks each day you will find that your cabin is spotless, your towel animals intricate, etc etc etc. The bartender and poolside waiters will be extremely attentive as well.

 

Here is the best advice I have ever read on these boards, and I have repeated it so many times I think it should be part of my signature:

 

Take 100 $1 dollar bills with you. Use them for tipping purposes (valet, cabbies, porters, room service guys, waiters, bartenders, cabbies in port). Use them to buy water and small items in port so you don't have to watch the vendors make creative change for you. AND, use them to bargain for items in port. Much easier to get a seller in a straw market to take 6 bucks for a ten dollar item if you aren't standing there holding a $20.

 

Your room key/charge card can only be used to charge things by you and your spouse. The kids' cards will be room keys only (double check on this when you get the cards, which is on shore before you embark- just tell them you want the kids' to be keys only). Definitely bring lanyards.

 

I know it seems overhwhelming to think of the muster drill happening right at the always chaotic embarkation time. It doesn't. You will be well out of NY harbor when it happens. And when it does, time stands still. Every passenger will be out on deck (supposed to be, anyway). So you don't have a choice and wouldn't be doing anything else anyway. True, there is a lot to do in terms of checking things out and getting the cabin squared away, but face the fact that you will have nothing else to do for a week so why rush around unpacking and stressing? Just send the kids out to explore the ship and they will tell you where everything is for the next week.

 

I took four of my kids (7, 11, 13, 15) on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise (Carnival) last summer ('05). It was a blast- I was the only adult, btw. Just give them the freedom to check things out and be on their own. This is assuming that you have good kids who aren't going to disrupt the other passengers. It is very safe on a ship- very safe. No need to worry at all.

 

The ship will have both currency and stamps for each port- but they all take dollars, at least near the ship (where are you going, exactly?).

 

True, cabins are small. Suitcases go under the bed or in the closet. Bring soft sided duffels for the kids and you can store them inside each other. You'll have enough room- if I did, you will.

 

It's very easy to control your costs. The arcade will eat up your life savings- best to skip it. My kids went through their quarters in an hour. The end. The rest- gambling, bingo, drinking- you can choose to do it or not. Like, I said, everything the kids eat and drink, 24 hours a day, is free (except soda). You'll find yourself going back on board to eat when in port- air conditioned and free? YES. This may be different for you if you have to tender more than I did- Hurricane... Rita? One of the hurricanes really banged up Cozumel and you now have to tender- definitely not worth going back to the ship just to eat.

 

 

Thanks for all your info & help. I posted back in November & then got so busy never had time to come back on. Now with my cruise just 2 weeks away...I came back on to refresh myself & read some more postings. I saw your reply that you left....thanks :)

 

I have a question, you stated you let your kids walk around alone on the ship without an adult? Do alot of people do this? I personally am apprehensive of this, with 2 girls age 8 & 11, I don't even let them go walking alone in an hotel never mind a huge huge ship. I'd be worried that they could get in trouble, some one could grab them, god knows what, I don't know. I know they will want to, but I wouldn't be able to rest at ease while they were gone. Is this common practise to let kids run around the ship unsupervised....?? I thought kids would spend time supervised at the kids club? otherwise what is there for them to do on the ship if they arent involved in the club?

 

Thanks again for your help...appreciate it.

Deemuch

[Monterey Girl]

I imagine I will get a lot of flack for this BUT do yourself and all the other passengers who aren't traveling with kids a favor and keep your kids with YOU !! I agree with you when you say you would be worried about your little girls. If adults can be hurt or worse, why wouldn't it happen to kids ?? Second, it seems EVERYONE thinks they have well behaved kids. So who belongs to the smart mouth kids in the adults only hot tubs? The kid zooming up and down with the elevators so no one stands a chance of getting on ? The kids jumping on chairs and benches in the lounges ? I could go on but you get the idea. Don't assume your kid is safer on a cruise ship than they would be at your local mall and PLEASE don't let run all over the ship unattended !! MG

[Seago2]

They'll be fine. I am not referring to cruising around, looking for something to do. That's best left to the teenagers- good ones, not the ones that might be looking for alcohol, etc. I'm referring to:

 

Going back to the cabin to get something. Time gone: 4-6 minutes.

 

Going to the buffet from the pool to get lemonade. Time gone: 2 minutes.

 

Going from one place to another to tell grandma that everyone is ready: 5 minutes.

 

Going to check out the formal pictures while we went back to the cabin to change: total time apart... 5-10 minutes???

 

Remember, this was the 8 year old with the 12 year old, or the 13 or 15 year old, or the 12 year old on his own after three or more days of cruising.

 

That's the kind of thing I mean. Flame me all you want- I did it, and so did other CC'ers with kids that I had met on here. I brought 4 of my kids, so it was highly unlikely that my 8 year old would have been alone, but he did go back to get his Nintendo DS charger from the pool to the cabin- along with his CC friend- that I definitely do remember. The 12 year old went all over.

 

People on here tend to post negative things about kids- it's the way it goes. Obviously there is a difference between "good" kids, i.e; kids that are polite and calm and not looking for trouble, and "bad" kids, i.e; those that are looking for drinks, hook ups with other teenagers, or who run through the halls with no regard for other people. You probably know which kind your kids are. I have seen a few instances of "bad" behavior, but very few. If you listen to people on here you will be convinced that entire pool days and formal dinners and even whole cruises are completely ruined by children (or they might say "parents"), or that there are dangers to your kids lurking everywhere. By the third day you will be relaxed enough and your kids will know the layout of the ship very well, and you may let them have the freedoms I described above. But it is your call!

[Deemuch]

People on here tend to post negative things about kids- it's the way it goes. Obviously there is a difference between "good" kids, i.e; kids that are polite and calm and not looking for trouble, and "bad" kids, i.e; those that are looking for drinks, hook ups with other teenagers, or who run through the halls with no regard for other people. You probably know which kind your kids are.

 

Well, I can understand both sides. I myself cannot stand it when I see wild kids running around unsupervised. I always wonder where the "parents" are. I am a parent, and I have 2 very well behaved girls. I would only be concerned for not letting them go around by themselves as a safety concern. You are right, nmost people know what kind of kids they have...however, the downside is that some parents know & don't care. These are the same parents who don't have much control over their kids when they have them, so these are the same kids that "go crazy" when they are not around. And on the flip side, I would like them to be able to go to get a drink without me getting up with them each & every time.

 

I am not opposed to a few minutes here & there, to get an icecream or go to the washroom, things like that. My oldest will soon be 12 & the youngest 8, so they would have to go together, and I am bringing their walkie talkies, should I 'decide" I feel comfortable enough to let them have a few minutes of freedom. I wouldnt let them go anymore than the level we are on, from pool to drink or whatever. I know that I am personally not comfortable in letting them 'roam" the ship. Like I said before, they don't do it at our local mall, or any hotel we stay at, so I think a ship with a few thousand people on it no different. I think what you did was ok too...

 

I think most people in general don't like wild kids. I know I don't. I expect kids to behave properly, and respectively, like I teach my girls. Having fun is one thing ( I'm like a big kid myself ), but when you have unsupervised kids, getting mouthy, and loud, and destructive or such, I think this is what bothers most. Of course no one should assume that all kids unsupervised would behave as such, there are some "good" kids out there. For me, my kids will either be with us, as a family, doing whatever we are doing OR they can chose to spend some time at the kids club. I may or may not let them have a few minutes of freedom, but they definetly won't be roaming the ship...and not becuase they would cause nuisance but more for my sanity. I do not want to waste the time I am supoosed to be relaxing, worrying about if they are Ok, and where they are :D Thats just me, being the overprotective mom .

[WKM]

Walkies are good for families to keep in touch on the big ships.

 

Take the Slack Hangers that you get from the cleaners so you can hang your slacks and tops together.

 

Night light for late night trips to restroom.

 

Luggage put smaller bags in the bigger bags and lift up bed to but under for storage.

 

Most of the bathrooms have shelves to put your toothbrush, etc. Not much room for anything else. Usually 2 hooks on the door.

 

Take a clear plastic shoe holder. Comes in handy to put night clothes, makeup, shoes,etc in. Might take 2 one for the closet and one for the Bathroom.

 

Have fun, relax. Just exploring the ship is an experience you won't forget.

[Seago2]

Re: wild kids... I was a good kid, but when I got together with my cousins??? Let's just say I have a lifetime of insane memories. I think when you get the big families on board, people don't want to correct other people's kids, there are in law issues going on, people are trying to reconnect and have a good time, and the kids are on CRACK just being together. Then you get the mob mentality. I have one cousin who would have easily walked between balconies to make us girls laugh... the good old days (early 70's).