1st Cruise, So Little Time.......

[FMCowboy]

This will be me and my families first ever cruise. I am sailing with my wife and 5yr old daughter and my In-Laws. We are sailing on the SOS on 11/16 for 3 nights. There looks like there is soooo much to do, but we can't do it all in the short time we have. What can some of you cruise guru's suggest that are "must do's" during our cruise?

 

Any suggestions on the following would be great:

 

1) Must do on the ship (either for couples only, family, or just the kid)

 

2) Must eat food or menu items/items (restaurant item, buffet item, etc)

 

3) Must do on Coco Cay

 

4) Must do is Nassau

 

 

I will say that we do not have any excursions booked, so inexpensive suggestions on the MUST SEE or DO in Nassua or Coco Cay would be great. We wanted to spend some time ashore, and then some time during port on the ship.

 

I am prone to seas sickness so I wanted to start out on a short cruise before going on a 5 or 7 night cruise. But we also want to get the "cruise experience" in our short time, so we salivate for the next cruise. :D

 

My Mother In-Law will have a wheel chair for mobility (bad knees), so where on Coco Cay and Nassua would be easy to wheel her around or take in some sites.

 

Anyway, thanks for the help and the insight. I am new to "boards", but this one is great. Lots of great folks communicating and sharing experiences. Thanks much!

 

FM

[amybear912]

Enjoy SOS! While she is an older ship, it is a great cruise to start out on... took DH for his first for the same reasons... he thought he would hate cruising so a short one was in order there...

 

Coco Cay is the private island and is essentially a beach day... lots of water activities (jet skis, snorkeling, etc.)... my advice... plop yourselves down somewhere and just let the day come as it may... the island is small enough to manuever and there is plenty to do if you want... or do nothing at all... They serve a nice buffet lunch, there is usually a live band playing "island" music... there are vendors for trinkets... All you need is your seapass (for drinks) maybe a little cash if you plan to shop the vendors...

 

In Nassau, we booked the Breezes all-inclusive beach day which allowed us to use their facilities all day (pools, beachfront, buffet lunch, unlimited drinks)... you could also head over to Atlantis but that can be pricey... the straw market is just steps off the pier where you dock... again, LOTS Of vendors and stuff to buy... be wary of heading down alleyways that seem empty... we also took a horse drawn carriage tour of the city... took about 30 minutes... plenty of those to drive you around and you can barter for the price...

 

Onboard... go with the moment and check your Cruise Compass daily for the activities that interest you... it will list all the shows... this is delivered the night before to your cabin so you have time to plan what you want to do...

 

For a 3 nighter I wouldn't try to cram in too many activities... nor should you feel the need to see it all... that's what a 3 nighter is good for... to introduce you to cruising, give you the taste so that you're ready to come home and book your 7 nighter... which is what happened to DH... came home and immediately said he was ready for a 7 nighter... now the 7 nighters are barely enough time for him :)

[FMCowboy]

Thanks for the tips. Is there a site somewhere where you can see which reports on Nassau offer "day passes" for cruisers and the rates? To see who has the best deal.

 

FM

[megr1125]

you should plan a time to meet with the loyalty ambassador/future cruise consultant....you WILL love it, you WILL want to go again and you may as well at least book a NextCruise future booking...!!:D

 

Cruising is very addictive.......

 

have a great time......don't try to do everything....that way you have a good reason to take another cruise.....

[joand452]

If you're worried about being seasick, take a Bonine (OTC, or the generic, which is less expensive) the night before you get on the ship. People say you can't get seasick on a large ship, but I did within 30 minutes of the Mariner setting sail. I won't cruise without it. My doctor recommended it, even with all my conditions and meds that I take.

 

The Atlantis resort in Nassau has a great aquarium and is a good way to spend a few hours. You can go there on your own (water taxi) and purchase your own passes.

 

Haven't been to Coco Cay, but would spend it as a beach day. ;)

 

Have a great time. You'll be back!

[amybear912]

Thanks for the tips. Is there a site somewhere where you can see which reports on Nassau offer "day passes" for cruisers and the rates? To see who has the best deal.

 

FM

 

There are additional forums here for each port of call... start with the Nassau forum... there is someone there (scubagirl, I believe, is her name) that is really knowledgeable about Nassau and usually answers specific questions really quickly...

 

Also, there is a search function here for each forum... it will bring up threads with information you are interested in... just type in something like: day passes in nassau ... it should bring up threads with this information..

 

There are several hotels that have this available and it is usually more cost-effective than Atlantis... in fact, I think I've read here somewhere that they don't offer such a thing...

 

I always check out the port of call forums... tons of good information from those who have been there and done that... always good people willing to answer any questions you may have...

 

BTW... I highly recommend boarding as early as possible... I know your docs will say you can't board until 2pm but we veterans know you can get on as early as 11 or 11:30... that is a great time to board and explore the ship... have some lunch in the Windjammer and just relax by the pool until sailaway.

[FMCowboy]

Any food on ship recommendations or don't miss shows?

 

Are the pools going to be packed where it won't be worth swimming in?

[amybear912]

Any food on ship recommendations or don't miss shows?

 

Are the pools going to be packed where it won't be worth swimming in?

 

 

Not necessarily... do you have a day at sea (can't remember your itinerary, you may not)... Days at Sea - the pool deck is usually PACKED!!!! Port days - probably not many people at the pool.

[cb at sea]

Since this is your 1st cruise, you should try and see all of the shows--none conflict with dinner, so you should be good to go on that! As far as food goes, order as much as you want--try everything that interests you. They will bring it--no questions asked!