First Timer!

[Jaclyn123]

I know this has probably been asked a million times, but a groupf of myself and seven friend (23-25 yo's) are taking the Ecstacy in May. Can anyone give me some tips of things to know before you go? Anything you wish you would have know before going??

 

It is my birthday during this cruise so I want it to be as fun as possible and go smoothly!

[tarps14]

General questions such as this can be difficult to get responses to. Why not try the search feature to see if you can find the info you're looking for and then if you want to know specifics all these lovely people will be more than willing to help.:)

[blessedwith12]

Before my first cruise, I spent a lot of time on here and it helped so much. Just keep reading, and reading....Go to the Ports boards and check out the ports you are headed to. This will help you plan what type of excursion to do. Prior to being on these boards, I would have been too nervous to book an independent tour. After reading all the posts, we were able to confidently book 2 independent excursions and felt like we knew exactly what to expect. Look for one of the great threads about tips you wish you had known or best tips used. There's a great one of those threads going that will give you great hints about items to pack. Go to the Reviews boards and check out reviews of your ship. Most will give you info about embarkation, dining, activities, etc. Go to Carnival's website and check out the layout of your ship. Look at the thread about Carnival's best kept secrets or some such title. If you use the search engine, you can find answers to many frequently asked questions. And don't be afraid to ask the "dumb" question. All of us have been first time cruisers at some point and most are very glad to help a newbie out. One great tip: you can order as many appetizers, main courses, or desserts as you want in the dining room. This isn't strange or unusual - many of us do. And don't miss the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake - Carnival's signature dessert!

[cruzNtoo]

I love talking about our cruises and you are going to have a blast!!!!! Just some tips I can think of now is Take Dramamine even if you don't get sea sick...better safe than sorry. My brother in law spent 2 days in bed! Read the carnival capers everynight so that you can decide the night before what everyone is doing...the days fly and there is so much to do you miss a lot if you don't check out the schedules. No before you even get there that it is somewhat impossible to all stay together w/ a big group...there are so many different things to do and see and not everyone wants to do the same things... so we always would just meet at the pool at a certain time or lunch somewhere or on the piers for the excursions. My sister and i are addicted to cruises and march 5th will be our sixth one. This one is another family cruise and i know about group cruising....carnival connections is pretty cool too...you can send special gifts to your friends rooms to suprise them when they first get there. I always send a bottle of champange to my sister and brother in laws room. Balconies are the best rooms....but remember once you get one you will always have to have one..LOL Back of the ship has balconies that will extend across two rooms...I know that the Valor for sure has them that way...we had 4 of them last time. If you don't have any kids going on the trip the late dinner is the best time to eat...especially if your doing the dining room. You won't have to leave the pool early or take all early excurions so that you can go back to the room to get ready. Plus if you have a noon-2pm lunch your not even hungry by 5, so def. do the 8pm dinner. The capt. dinner is awesome and depending on how long the trip is you may have two formal nights. If you like formal pics w/ friends and fam get out there and get some good shots...i know i would not get my hubby to dress up for pics at home so thats how we got all of our formal pics done. They are pricey but they have deals thru out the week and you can take as many as you want and don't have to buy a thing. Have fun and i will look for your questions on threads. What ship are you on?

[DreadPirateRobert]

Welcome to cruising. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Random thoughts in no particular order:

 

* Don't over pack. Take about half of what you first think you'll need.

* Don't try to do everything on the ship the first day. You'll wear yourself out. Look at your Carnival Capers every morning to see what's going on that day. Nothing's worse than hearing later that you missed something you really wanted to do or see.

* Find a spot where you can relax and enjoy the view of the sea. You are on a ship afterall. On the Ecstacy there are outside seating areas behind the pizza station. We found them to be often less crowded and you get a great view of the ship's wake stretching out to the horizon.

* Tip generously: If you can afford a cruise you have far more money than most of the crew. They work hard for very little.

* The Art Auction is terribly overpriced, don't waste your time or money.

* Be flexible and go with the flow. Not every second of every day will be perfect. You are on a ship with many other people.

 

As others have said, use the search feature to find specific things.

 

Have fun!

[kyrisong1]

Whoever is sailing with you , you can start taking Ginger tablets a week before your cruise and keep taking them through the cruise, that will help keep anyone from getting seasick, then you don't have to take anything that will make you sleepy.

Port of call boards helped us SO much. Go with the excursions that have alot of positive reviews, it really takes the guesswork out of it. I was so afraid to book a excursion with a private company, but you sure get good, solid info here to make it enjoyable.

Go to the ROLL CALL boards and find your ship and your date, it's a blast to connect with people here, and have some "friends" on board. We've made some lifetime friends from that, and have a group that loves to cruise together when we can.

Hope you have a great time!!!

Carole

[Squidly]

Just go with open mind and go with the flow and let the experience envelope you. You will be hooked and have more fun than you can shake a stick at.:D

[MaryL_Trvls]

OK I am also in my early-mid twenties so i can relate .

 

1. Take BONINE!Another anti-motion sickness pill , its like Dramamine but its doesn't make you as sleepy even if you drink. Whatever you take i recommend taking it the night before you cruise, and at night when you going to sleep I read that some where here and it worked. You get sleepy at night and by the time you wake up your alert and feel fine.After a while i didn't have to take it any more but that depends on you.

 

2.Bring you own wine. I my case we brought our own champagne( I am not a bring wine drinker)

 

3.Don't over pack! You wont wear that many shoes, i brought 6 pair for a 5 day cruise and didn't use them all. in informal days i still wore a dress because they are easy to pack. Any cocktail dress will do, and a good pair of jeans with a sassy top is also a good option for informal days.

 

4. Get appropriate shoes, the ships are pretty big so high heals must be comfortable to get you around form dinner, to shows or dancing.

 

5. GO to the captain welcome party! free drinks and hor d'oeuvres, but most importantly you get to see a lot of people from the ship all at once.

 

6. Not all shoes are for the older audiences, my boyfriend and I enjoyed the comedy show.

 

7. ONe thing i really learned is look at the caper and see what they offer, but relax ! Don't over schedule learn to enjoy doing absolutely nothing!!!

 

Hope it helps!

 

Happy Trvls!

[tkportersat]

-bring a power strip, only one plug in the room

-no hairdryers, bring one

-free nausea pills at the pursers desk

-ez cruise parking, great place to park. Sign up online....saves you $$$

-room service is free, tip delivery person

-bring a water bottle to spray on any wrinkled clothing

-body wash and shampoo in dispensers in your shower

-research port of call threads to find out what to do in the ports you are visiting and go to the Ecstasy review portion for more tips.

 

If you have any specific questions let me know, I've been on the Ecstasy 4 times :)

 

I know this has probably been asked a million times, but a groupf of myself and seven friend (23-25 yo's) are taking the Ecstacy in May. Can anyone give me some tips of things to know before you go? Anything you wish you would have know before going??

 

It is my birthday during this cruise so I want it to be as fun as possible and go smoothly!