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Why am I going on a cruise?

TexasMel

By TexasMel,
in First Time Cruisers

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TexasMel

TexasMel

Posted
Posted

Our family's 1st cruise is booked for July and I am starting to panic...

 

I have never been out on the ocean, can't swim and scared of heights.

My fears are hurricanes, seasickness, etc.....

 

Please remind me of how much fun I will have.

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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The majority of people who go on a cruise the first time have various aprehensions about it from being scared of the ocean, to being concerned about the seas to wondering if they will be bored or not. It is amazing that towards the end of the cruise the newbies do not want to go home, wish the cruise would last a few days, and are already thinking of when they will cruise next.

 

The cruise ships are very safe and are relatively large. They are basically a floating hotel. Just focus on what a wonderful time you will have and enjoy it all.

 

Keith

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imnance

imnance

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I have never been out on the ocean, can't swim and scared of heights.

 

You sound like me! LOL Stop worrying about this stuff. Instead, you had better start worrying how you're going to pay for all the cruises you want to take when you get back from the first one!

 

Seriously, you'll have a great time.

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Happy ks

Happy ks

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I'm not fond of heights, but I don't panic about it. When we're on deck, I focus looking out to sea, rather than down at the ocean.

 

You don't have to be able to swim, it's your choice to go into the pools or the ocean on port days.

 

You will be so busy (sometimes doing nothing :) ), that you will wonder how the time flew by so quickly. Many people feel like you do the first time they cruise.

 

Relax, enjoy the experience....I'll bet you have PCD (post cruise depression) a few days after returning home, most of us do. The only cure is another cruise!

 

Come back and post to this thread when you get home, please :) !

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blindrid

blindrid

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I went on my first cruise knowing I was going to hate it - now it's once a year at the minimum.

 

Reading some of the posts here also helped me understand that a lot of the people that have "horrible" times are self inflicted. If I went with that attitude and fell in love with cruising, I'd give it a chance. What's not to like? restful week, do what you want, when you want, food, drink, sun, fun in port, gambling, dancing and spending time with people you enjoy.

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EggDropErin

EggDropErin

Posted
Posted
Our family's 1st cruise is booked for July and I am starting to panic...

 

I have never been out on the ocean, can't swim and scared of heights.

My fears are hurricanes, seasickness, etc.....

 

Please remind me of how much fun I will have.

 

 

I was almost in an identical situation when I went on the Carnival Inspiration. I had never seen the ocean, never flown on a plane, I'm afraid of heights, don't swim too great either. LOL

 

Here's what I found out, both on that cruise and since then...

 

I love to fly. I love to sit by the window and take pictures from the sky. The only thing that still bothers me a little is the takeoff.

 

The ocean is beautiful and calming (most of the time). I did get seasick on that first cruise and made the mistake of taking regular Dramamine. I slept a lot of that cruise away. Since then, I take Bonine just before bedtime and that has worked wonders for me. I have been in some fairly rough seas and have had no problems since discovering Bonine.

 

When swimming, I don't venture out too far. Since having pieces of sea urchin lodged in each foot while swimming at Labadee, I strongly recommend wearing some type of water shoes if you want to swim in the ocean, no matter where you are. There are rocks and other unpleasant things that are unavoidable. Never swim alone. Take a friend with you to help make you feel more comfortable and help keep you safe while in the water.

 

As for the hurricanes, I don't worry too much about them. After reading about people who have been onboard while the hurricanes are occurring, the captains of the ships do a tremendous job of steering the boat safely around these storms.

 

My fear of heights isn't as bad as some. I tend to stay away from edges and ledges, and I don't find that things bother me. I can sometimes gather up enough courage to go to an edge and look over, but most of the time, I don't even notice as long as I just keep moving along.

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HamOp

HamOp

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Being an non-swimmer on a ship is about the same as being non-skydiver on a 747. Won't matter much one way or the other.

 

Have a great trip. It will be the first of many if you are like most on this board!

 

HamOp

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Missilecop

Missilecop

Posted
Posted
Our family's 1st cruise is booked for July and I am starting to panic...

 

I have never been out on the ocean, can't swim and scared of heights.

My fears are hurricanes, seasickness, etc.....

 

Please remind me of how much fun I will have.

 

I was in the same boat you are in on my first cruise. Once you get on the ship look around you will love it. My first cruise was a inside cabin, then a ocean view now I go for balcony's. Now I will be honest with you the only time my fear kicked in was my first time on a tender. I just kept telling my self to relax it is safe. Now going on cruise #4 and I am looking forward to it. Great food, nice ship and just relax and go with the flow.

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HereIam

HereIam

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Don't worry, you will have a great time. We had the same discussion with my MIL before her first cruise. We told her it was just like being at a hotel, and she didn't even have to go outside if she didn't want to. She was very nervous since the day before we boarded we were in Florida with TS Barry coming through. Once she got on the ship all the apprehension evaporated and she was ready to book the next one a few days after she got home. (We have booked a short 3 day Bahama for January).

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CANUCKY DUCKY

CANUCKY DUCKY

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My DH is worried about seasickness, I am deathly afraid of sharks and neither of us can really swim. BUT we are so excited about this trip and see it as a wonderful opportunity, we trust that all will be well. So many folks we know have had such thrilling cruising experiences that we fully expect to become cruise addicts too!

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NthernLgts Great Review Rare

NthernLgts

Posted
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Being an non-swimmer on a ship is about the same as being non-skydiver on a 747. Won't matter much one way or the other.

 

Have a great trip. It will be the first of many if you are like most on this board!

 

HamOp

 

LOL....I too never viewed my swimming skills as very much of an asset for cruising. If the ship sinks I doubt I will make it from Cayman to Cozumel anyway :eek:. The OP will quickly forget his hangups & have a great time.

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mother of twins

mother of twins

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i can relate, we just got back from our first trip last week....i had serious titanic issues...got on the ship had a drink or two went thru the muster drill and never thought about it again...

you will love it!!!

like others said take med for sea sickness if needed, i didn't get "sick" but did have dizzy head feeling from movement....not like i thought, but it sure will not keep me from going again..

you kids will love it...you feel no pressure to do anything...do as you please!

RELAX AND ENJOY!!!:)

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tomko2

tomko2

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I was the same way before our first cruise so we booked a balcony cabin thinking it would probably be our one and only cruise. I probably made myself more anxious by worrying -- the first night I felt a little off so took 1/2 gravol (similar to bonine). That was the last pill I needed!

There is so much to see and do on a cruise -- the ships are absolutely fabulous -- wonderful people and an amazingly enjoyable way to travel. Sleep and the next morning you are in another port -- seeing different islands -- exploring the ship -- having someone else do all the cooking and cleaning -- watching shows in the evenings -- letting your hair down and partipating in an onboard event -- lots of different food choices -- incredible scenery --- beautiful artwork and decor on the ships -- music.... and the list goes on. So much to enjoy -- have a wonderful time.

As you can see by my signature below --- that first cruise just got us started!

Have fun!

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celbercrz333

celbercrz333

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I don't like heights either. The ONLY time that came into play was on an outside set of steps that we took to go to the top. I just looked either in towards the ship or towards the top of the stairs. Being on the top level isn't so bad, just look in a distance, never look down. It really isn't that bad. As far as swimming goes, do you know how many ships sail every day without incident? You might want to learn how to swim for use of the pool. You would be twice as worried about hurricanes during September and October. We've done both of our cruises during those months. Result: First cruise in Oct. we hit a tropical storm. Not the best experience, but we did ok. Second cruise: never made it to Nassau, they had us float around the ocean for 3 days getting as close to Cuba as 35 miles. July should be fine. I am willing to bet you will make plans for another cruise once you try one. Half the time you forget you are even on a ship. Being in the casino, or at a show in the theatre, being on the inside hallways, you can sometimes forget where you are.

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  • 2 weeks later...
nothomeonacruise

nothomeonacruise

Posted
Posted
We are going to Alaska in July, NOT down south, because we'd been warned about Hurricane season.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies (keep 'em comin'!) CC is a fun and informative site. Luv it!

 

Waving at Canucky!! Hope you have a fun cruise! I just know you'll get down south sometime. ;)

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