What tips would YOU give to a first-time cruiser?

[ndavis7515]

no weight limits - it just has to fit in your cabin:D .

 

I have read some cruise lines have a 200 lb. weight limit. I don't know where I heard this or what cruise line though.

[Jimmers]

Any suggestions or ideas about 2-way radios and their use would be appreciated. Who has used them, who has taken them on the trip and not used them, why and why not? How well do they work in port cities? What coverage radius should I be looking for? How long does the battery stay charged? Thanks for your input-- Sally

 

We took our "kids" on our last cruise and decided to get some walkie talkies to keep in touch. Bought what we believed was a quality motorola set. Unfortunately they didn't work as planned. Very spotty reception. Worst part was other people with radios who wanted to play games with us by answering our calls to each other. Needless to say the radios went back to Costcos when we returned and I doubt I'll try the radio thing again. It's a shame because it is frustrating sometimes when you can't find someone. On the other hand there are times when YOU don't want to be found.lol.

 

Jimmers

[Ryffian]

Along the same lines as the "buy frozen meals before you leave because you won't want to cook when you get home" post ... when you park your car for the week, be sure ALL of the lights (headlights, map lights, dome light, etc.) are off. It's bad enough for your cruise to be over, it's worse to get to the parking garage and find your vehicle with a dead battery!

[Butch Vee]

I have read some cruise lines have a 200 lb. weight limit. I don't know where I heard this or what cruise line though.

 

 

 

That weight limit is for the amount of food you can eat in 7 days .....

 

Butch

[helpthejuggler]

Tips

 

1/ Read the brochure thoroughly.

 

2/Check the web-site for your cruise line.

 

3/ Pre-register online to save time at embarkation/check-in

 

4 /The excursions will be on the web-sites to allow you to plan your port tours. Pre-booking your excursions online saves time on ship and avoids dissapointment.

 

5/Better to make a reservation early and cancel/substitute another when you are on the ship than miss out on something you wanted to see.

 

6/ Check your ship account well before the last cruise day. The reception desks will be busy if you have any questions about the charges on the last day.

 

7/ Check for a ship orientation tour on the first day.

 

8/ Listen.....asking a question that has just answered is sure to make you feel really dumb.

 

9/ Volunteer/join in...what's the worst that can happen?

 

10/ Don't be shy, speak to other passengers as you will be seeing them many times during your cruise.

[MindyLee]

Hello,

 

Make sure that you seek out the special places on the ship, and from these special vantage points, watch sunrises and the sunsets, and take long looks at the beauty of the sea, and the stars and moon at night.

 

The aesthetics of a voyage by sea are often lost, as passengers focus on the food or service or lack thereof, or the entertainment, or bartenders shaking martinis. Remember how Jack Dawson in "Titantic" was always encouraging Rose to look at the sea...and stand in the wind as the ship goes through the water.

 

Keep romance in your heart, kindness toward the cruise staff and your fellow passengers, and an open mind to new people, places and ideas.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

 

So well said!

[MindyLee]

There was this teenager/young adult who brought his boom box and was playing it out by the pool. He had it rather loud and some of us had a hard time hearing the band. This 30 year old guy walks over to him and very nicely asks him to turn it down or get some headphones so the rest of us don't have to listen to it. He turned it down but 5 minutes or so later he had it loud again. The same 30 year old goes back over and repeats his message, the young lad kind of looks at him funny and tells him where he can go - the gentleman grabs the boombox and throws it overboard in one swift motion.... You should of heard the applause !!!!

 

Never did see that kid at the pool again........

 

Butch

 

That's fantastic!!!

[bobnsons]

We have tons of questions, but thanks to above many have been answered.

 

Here are some: (I will subscribe to this thread so I can be aware of new postings) I will be on Carnival Elation from San Diego.

 

1. If you get the late 8pm dining seating, do you miss any of the shows? How long does dinner normally last?

 

2. Can you use cell phones for Mexico if going down the coast? I have heard you can change the SIM or rent one with per minute charges. (I do not want to use much, but just in case). Or is it better to use ship phone?

 

3. How much earlier from departure time do they allow you to board; ie. if depart at 4pm, when do they allow boarding?

 

4. How do they determine sequence for debarkation? I know depends on ship, but how long does the process last (last pax off 3 hr. later?). I am thinking of waiting on board until line is gone if not one of first called.

 

Do they determine debarkation order by departure flight time for those traveling by air? If so, can one put down a flight leaving 4 hr. after estim. arrival time?

 

Thanks for any answers.

 

Can't speak for Elation but we just finished our first on the Conquest. Being Carnival it should be about the same, I hope.

 

1. There are usually 2 shows, one for the late diners and one for the early diners. Our dinners lasted about 1 1/2 hours. For what it's worth next time we plan not to go to them. Don't get me wrong the food is good but if you like a rare steak and they have to cook steak for 3,000 well I'll keep the shorts and t-shirt on and go to the buffet.

 

2. Leave the cell phone home! It's a vacation. I took mine and some of the best times I had was to turn it on and it looked like the Corona ad....NO SERVICE.

 

3. We arrived at 10:30 and there were a lot of people in front of us.

 

4. If you have an "early flight" to catch they want those to debark first. Then comes the people that carry their own luggage off the ship then those who have their bags carried off the ship first. We carried our bags and went in the middle of the second part. Kinda had me puzzled, after one week we waited in a line and there was not buffet at the end of it.

 

5. It was a birthday cruise for my DW and I carried along a bottle of Dom. No problem, they even served it at dinner and did not charge the $14 uncorking fee.

 

Like the song goes, don't worry be happy :D :D

[kevmoley]

I will make one small suggestion. Bring a highlighter. I find they come in handy when you go through the next day's newsletter the night before. Highlight all the things you want to do the next day. There is so much on these letters that it makes it hard to remeber which items you wanted to do in the first place.:D

[GRBlizz]

We just returned from our first cruise and the three ideas we got from here that were most useful were:

 

Power strip for PC, cellphone charger, etc.

Night light - even if you have a window, it's DARK out there!

Cheap plastic hangers - There weren't any in our closet, so I was happy to have these to hang up our clothes.

[Seyonce]

Hi There - Im new to this site and was looking for a few answers to my questions. I have a cruise booked on RCC in Dec leaving out of FortLauderdale to the Bahamas. Im coming from Maryland and trying to findout whens the best time to fly out to your cruise during the december months? is it best to fly out the morning of or a day before? my husband and I were trying to save some money an dnot book a hotel for one night for the cruise but to avoid any major possible storms in the NorthEast I just wanted to be safe. If anyone has some tips on this I would appreciate it. I want to book flights but not sure if I should book a day in advance or the morning of my cruise :-(. Help if you can - thanks so much ...Newbie

 

If I posted on the wrong place, please point me to the best section - thanks S

[PattyG12]

Hey Seyonce ... I'm coming from Virginia so I have the same problem. Since you haven't gotten the flight yet, try to go the day before. We're leaving the morning of the cruise (11/26) and I'm a nervous wreck that the flight will be delayed. Don't do what I'm doing. I think the hotels down there are cheaper.

[gianna01]

I would suggest you fly out the day before to be on the safe side. I've read on these boards that people have never received their luggage because of the airports or got them a day or two late. When they didnt receive it at all they said there were really no clothes on the ship to buy so if you dont get your luggage then you can shop before you set sail. Also if the plane is delayed or canceled altogether or the weather is horrible ect ect I think it is worth to get a hotel then worry about all that stuff. Vacation is supposed to be stress free!!

[Seyonce]

Thank you soo much for the feedback - I thought I was just too paranoid but you guys made some excellent points about traveling the day before with the luggage hassle etc.

 

Thanks for the input - Much appreciated!

 

Seyonce

[RdRunner]

My advice for a 1st time cruiser would be don't over pack as mentioned by several others but to go with that leave yourself enough room in a large suitcase to pack an empty, collapsible gym bag type of bag. The one's that are about 22"in long and are round in shape - a diameter of about 18"in or so but are soft-sided all the way around. Usually come with handles and a shoulder strap. Anyway, that bag will serve as a great place to pack souvenirs in and can be taken as a carry-on onto the plane (or as checked luggage because most flights will allow you to check 2 or 3 bags). With bringing the extra bag, you will have room to pack the dirty laundry that's in plastic bags back into the suitcase and will have room to spare for items bought along the way.

 

Also, if you plan on doing any snorkeling buy your own equipment before you leave - especially the snorkel itself. Yes, they can be rented but who wants to rent a snorkel that goes inside your mouth??

 

Finally I recommend playing things by ear so to speak. Don't be in a rush to see and do everything. Just remember... Rome wasn't built in a day! Relax. Enjoy yourselves. And take some time to smell the salt air (in lieu of the roses)

 

Happy sailing! :)

[anjeleyes1]

My first cruise is coming up and I want to thank all of you for taking time to write these suggestions, and it is helping me what to pack and what not to. so thank you I'll think of you on 1/05/08 when I am sailing on the Glory with Carnvale. Now if I could just make it til then without exploding I'll be good.

 

[ravensrockdc]

My first cruise is coming up and I want to thank all of you for taking time to write these suggestions, and it is helping me what to pack and what not to. so thank you I'll think of you on 1/05/08 when I am sailing on the Glory with Carnvale. Now if I could just make it til then without exploding I'll be good.

 

 

I leave for my first cruise this weekend...it's been a LONG wait...it will go by fast..I also appreciate all the tips. I'm going to pack tonight, and will have the "pack light" carved in my brain when i do.

[cruise_lover]

From my point of view I have to say to remember "you ARE on vacation". If you call for room service and they tell you that they are very busy at that time and it will be another 30-45 minutes not to get upset. You can sit back, pickup a novel or magazine and relax while waiting for room service to come to you. You not at the office so you don't have to worry about going out to a restaurant, ordering the food, waiting for, eating it and then rushing back to your office all in one hour's time. You have all the time in the world so sit back, wait for room service and enjoying your meal one morsel at a time. Its a wonderful thing to know that you do not have to rush back to see how many calls are on your voice mail, how many faxes are waiting for you on your fax machine or how many sticky notes are stuck to your computer from your boss.

 

Sit back, relax and enjoy the good side of life.

[Dogwood Belle]

Always pack, a small Sharpie style marker (permanent ink) in your bags. They now come in miniature sizes about 3" long.

 

BEFORE your trip -- aside from having ALL of your luggage tagged with your current information.... Take the time to MARK your "common portables" as I like to call them. These are typical things everyone carries - think CAMERAS*, POCKET BINOCULARS, MP3 PLAYERS, CELL PHONES, PORTABLE WALKIE TALKIE DEVICES, ETC. And its not enough to just mark the carrying case, but the actual item itself. Your name (or initials) doesn't need to be big, just larger enough to read.

 

After all, with 3,000+ people on a ship -- there will be more than one person onboard the same style, make or model as yours!!!

 

Also place your business card (or a small piece of masking tape with your name) INSIDE your EYEGLASS CASE, and include your Stateroom number on the back. For the ladies, do the same for your SMALL PURSE/EVENING BAG and tuck it into the small pocket in the lining leaving it slightly visiable (almost all bags have these pockets in the lining).

 

** Don't forget also mark your DISPOSABLE CAMERAS too (write your name with a Sharpie on the outside case and not the strap).

Case in point... I recently lost my disposal underwater camera on Coco Cay and thought it was long gone, on its way out to sea. (btw- if using Kodak brand, the camera part tends to undo itself from the wrist/large rubberband strap while swimming - while the strap itself stays on your wrist just fine). Later that evening, going on the tiniest of chances, I decided to check the front desk and discovered a wonderful seminaitian had turned it in! I was very lucky that only one disposable camera was in the lost and found at the time. Otherwise there would have been no way to claim it as 100% mine (hence my recent epiphany for these suggestions).

 

Lastly, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check with the Front Desk (Lost & Found).... You just never know..... NOTE: Even if your name (initials, or stateroom) is well marked on an item, the crew won't necessary notify you if something has been turned in.

 

And if you forget to mark any of your stuff at home, you can always use the little Sharpie that you packed! Sharpies also come in handy for marking your onboard and shore purchases/bags.

 

:) Happy Sailing!!!

[darladelight]

wear really comfortable shoes. After four days walking around in "cute" shoes, my feet were so swollen i could only wear my sneakers.

[smiledocMA]

So you've been there, done that in the world of cruising ... and now it's time to give your expert advice to those just starting out!

 

What expert advice do you have for first-time cruisers?

 

Submit your most useful tip(s) below, and stay tuned for Cruise Critic's next First-Timer's article -- you may see your tip (and your screen name!) in the story!

 

Happy Cruising :)

 

 

We just came back from our first cruise. The best advice I could give a newbie is to read this thread over and over and print out what they think is important. The more prepared you are, the better. Spend lots of time reading about the ports and the ship. READ, READ, and READ more. The tips on this thread were invaluable to us.:) :) :)

[superman'swife]

We also just came back from our eastern caribbean cruise on the Freedom. Here are my tips:

-highliter is great, pens are too with a small notepad to leave notes

-Fabreeze to freshen up the room

-more than one swimsuit, it doesn't dry fast

-no nightlight, you can keep the reading light on in in the room

-blank cards to write a thank you letter to your staff members

-nice sundresses; your hubby will want to see you in cute summer things, not only shorts...

-a purse that's big enough to carry your tickets, passports and all your receipts without squishing them

-a small backpack to carry stuff when you go to ports of call, a hand bag gets heavy on one shoulder...

-a sweater because nights are cool and windy

-over the door organizer, about $10 keeps alot of stuff off the counter

-a downey sheet to put in the dirty laundry bag!

-a shawl for formal night

-hair clips if you have long hair so windy days aren't a problem!

-small maps of the cities you will visit...the ones they give are not the best. You can probably print them online

-take pictures of everything! it will be like a picture timeline and it's better to take too many than not enough!

-ladies, your man is going to look at all the bikinis! :eek: so let him know it's ok and that you love him and he will be a happy man!:D then, you look for the hot men and realize that there aren't many...laugh, be happy and grab a pina colada, have a seat in the hot tub and soak it all in!

 

Enjoy! oh, and arrive a day early and don't go to work at least 3 days after you return...you won't want to go back!

ps: check out my review for the Freedom of the Seas!

:D :D :D

[Cloud 9]

Before the "Sail Away Party", (or within 24hrs thereof, you will be expected to participate in a Muster Drill (assemble for lifeboats drill). Be sober & be prepared, it is inevitable. (see SOLAS)

Check the Cruise News for the time of the Muster Drill. Prior to, review the back of your cabin door for your Muster Station # and location. Jot it down. Look at your life jackets (which will be on the beds) and verify the same numbers. Make sure there are enough jackets for your party. If you have children, or your whistle &/or light don't work, request another or a smaller size from your cabin steward or the Purser's Office (front/informaton desk ).

Take the Daily Cruise News, a diagram of the ship, (usually found in the desk folder with free post cards), the post cards, and your muster station note, and your Sign & Sail Card (room key card),

and go explore the ship. Remember to find your Muster Station.

Then, an hour, or so, prior to the scheduled drill, return to your cabin, pick -up your life jacket (mind the strings) then liesurely, carry your life jacket to the a public lounge, nearest to your station and sit and relax, perhaps order a beverage (the bar service will close half hour prior to muster as will all ship services).

This is a good time to journal or write a post card. (Stamps for the next port will available for purchase at the front desk later.)

When the drill begins, with the blasts of the ships horn/signal, put on and secure your life jacket and calmly & quietly follow crew instructions as you proceed to your station. No smoking, no drinking, no eating and no joking around with men in the back and women & children in front.

(Muster Stations may be located in the lounge, where you will remain seated until the Safety/Security Officer or Staff Captain inspects you & your station.) (If you assemble in a lounge, please know where your lifeboat is actually located & where you would board.)

Learn how to correctly wear the jacket and how to secure it against your body with hand to oposite shoulder, while you hold your nose with the opposite

hand in the unlikely event that you have to step of the ship into the water.

Learn what to wear and what to bring with, during an actual emergency. (Warm clothing, medicine, ID & water.)

Being Prepared to Muster in advance will allow you & yours to use the elevator, (which is not available during a drill ) gather together, stress free, and avoid the mob & rush to the cabin, through the crowded halls, then to your station via packed stairwells.

Bon Voyage,

Cloud 9

[UlvaZell]

Bring a small backpack/daypack with you into port. Its great for carrying towels, swim trunks etc., as well as holding the shopping bargains picked up in port. Sooo much easier that carrying everything in your hands...

[karen&roy]

BANDAIDS You will be walking more than usual and they are hard to come by without having to go to the infirmary. Believe me I learned the hard way with new sandals...OUCH:eek: