My wife and i just booked our first cruise. New England and Canada.
Any advice from seasoned cruisers?
2006-09-09 14:04:11 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Cruise Travel
Don't gorge yourself when you first board the ship. Makes for a miserable first night. Trust me.
Enjoy yourself. It is the only way to vacation. They are habit forming.
2006-09-12 14:10:15 · answer #1 · answered by Southern Apostolic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cruising is definately a great way to travel.
Here is what I'd recommend:
1. Take the early dinner sitting. That way, if you've had a long day and just want to go to sleep, you can just skip the show and go to bed.
2. If you're travelling on a ship with a foreign registry, calling cards make nice tips as most of the crews are from foreign countries.
3. If you get sea sick, try to get a room toward the center of the ship, and at one of the lower levels.
4. Take some ginger capsules. They work great for motion sickness without the drowsiness of Dramamine.
5. Don't feel like you need to do a shore excursion at every port.
6. Research what there is to do at each port prior to leaving. I found that the cruise staff isn't much help. They seem to recommend "preferred" shops that I am sure the cruise lines own or gie a kickback to the cruise lines.
7. If your cruiselines doesn't include tips automatically, bring some smaller bills ($5's, $10's, and $20's). I don't know if all cruise lines do this, but Holland America closed down all restaurants except the main dining room on the last night to make sure you tip.
8. Buy one of the romance packages that most cruise ships offer. They are expensive, but they usually are nice. Just something special for your wife.
Other than that, just relax and have fun. The best website I found for preparing is http://www.cruisecritic.com There are message boards on there that you can post questions on.
May you have smooth sailing and calm waters on your voyage!!
2006-09-09 14:24:41 · answer #2 · answered by Slider728 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
GetLate Dining if you can because it gives you time to get ready and it helps you stay awake for the late shows which are great. Excursions on the boat are over priced do your own but make sure you are back before the boat leaves or they will take off with out you. When we were in Aruba two couples got drunk and missed the boat so don't let that happen. Tip your room steward extra at the begining of the cruise and you will get extra good service.Most of all have fun and relax and have a great cruise. I am going on a cruise to Hawaii on Sept 20. I can't wait!!
2006-09-10 15:41:59 · answer #3 · answered by Mandy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, book the late seating dinner! This will give you more time to be in ports and more time to get ready for dinners.Formal nights are never really all that formal but look as nice as possible. Get your activities planned as soon as possible. Shore activities book up really fast. Also, bring an alarm clock. Order as much food as you want at meal times. It's a great way to try everything and new things you've never had before. If you like wine with dinner, most cruise lines offer a bottle package, go for it! It saves you money. But don't but the soft drink package, it's a waste of money and the sodium in soda will bloat you. They offer juices at breakfast and coffee and tea are available all day and sometimes lemonade or punch. Do all midnight buffets and check out the nightly entertainment. If you plan on working out, be careful because remember, you're not on solid ground. Socialize a lot, it's a great way to network and make new friendships. Have fun and good luck!
2006-09-09 14:17:23 · answer #4 · answered by liquid_candy_too 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I just took my first cruise in June! You will love it. Book any type of massage treatments right away after you get on the boat. Also, be ready for staff to be there with a camera in your face during the dinners the first few nights. Do not feel obligated to do the sit down dinner thing in the assigned dining room each night, definitly explore some of the other restaurants the boat has to offer! With that being said, the Captains dinner is one not too miss! Everyone dresses up in their finest for dinner, its quite fun. Get to know the people at your table - its nice to talk and get to know others!
Bring a highlighter for the daily newsletter to plan your time out. Take advantage of the shows and some sales that go on in the shops!
2006-09-13 00:52:11 · answer #5 · answered by Irish Girl in Cali 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not believe the girl about most people are raped, or dead. That is not true. There are anywhere from 800 - 3500 people on one ship and there is a ship leaving an average every 3 -days in the world. If most of the people are raped and dead we would be out of business. Cruise travel is as safe as you make it. Keep your room locked, don't get extremely drunk and go to the edge of your balcony. Don't hook up with a stranger and take them back to your room or go to theirs. Common knowlegde people!
1. Have fun
2. Feel free to explore on your own, you don't need a tour in every city.
3. If you are going after Sep 1 bring a Jacket.
2006-09-09 16:36:02 · answer #6 · answered by missanglgrl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Foogill an liquid_girl offer you the best advice. The rest are amateur cruisers or haven't cruised before. I'm an agent and have done lots of cruises, so I hope you'll give me the benefit of the doubt and allow me to add to what these other two have told you.
I'm assuming you're cruising Princess, Holland-America, or Cunard. They generally do these cruises.
Research your ports if you have time, but if not, go with what you think you'll enjoy. If this is your first time in any of these cities, then I would recommend a 1/2 day (4-6 hrs) city tour to orient yourself. When you get back to the ship you can go out and explore on your own if you'd like or simply relax. Those remarking shore excursions are expensive are reflecting their budget & ideas, not yours. If you don't know a city, don't know what to do or where to go, and just get off the ship and wander around, what will you get of your stay there? I'll wager many of these people haven't cruised to this area, so they don't know this cruise is a lot different than cruising the Caribbean.
If your cruise doesn't offer open-seating dining, book late seating dinner if you want to maximize your time in port. You can then have a relaxing dinner and, if you're night owls, can still see the late performance of the shows on board, go dancing, to the casino, etc. You can always get something to eat on board, so you won't starve before dinner. You can even order a snack from room service to tide you over, if necessary. Book early seating if you're not a night owl and still want to go to the shows, and participate in other shipboard events
If you need to get up at a specific time, rather than use the alarm clock, call room service the night before and have breakfast delivered to your room when you want to get up - wake up call and breakfast! One of you can eat breakfast while the other gets ready.
Board the ship as early as is allowed and, once you get on board, find your cabin, then head to the tour desk to book your shore excurisions (if you haven't done it on line) and the salon/spa to book any appointments. You don't need to wait for your luggage to be delivered. Once that's done, you can have something to eat, explore the ship, unpack, etc. before the ship departs.
Schedule spa/salon appointment for the days at sea and for the best service, schedule appointments for earlier in the day. The spa/salon appointments fill up fast.
Ships' staff are very nice and service oriented. They work very hard. Check with the cruise line or your agent regarding the tipping policy on your cruise. Some of them will charge an amount per person per day to your room and you can then settle your room charges at the end of your cruise. Other lines will give you a guideline for tipping various staff members on board. If this is the case on your cruise, then find out what the guidelines are and put your tips in marked envelopes before you leave home. One less thing to worry about on your last night.
The steward will store your luggage after you unpack, if it doesn't fit under the bed. It'll be returned while you're at dinner the last night. You'll have to pack and have your luggage picked up before midnight (so it can be unloaded and put through customs when the ship docks). Remember to not pack the clothes you're planning to wear, your toiletries, and a pair of shoes.
Carry a lot of small bills because you'll be tipping porters, cab drivers, etc. Skip traveler's checks or carrying a lot of cash. Use your credit or debit card to make purchases (gives you a record and recourse in case you are dissatisfied with a purchase, or something is lost or damaged during your trip). Use an ATM card for currency. Store your valuables, extra cash, plane tickets, etc. in the room safe.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to email me at gsa_stlmo@yahoo.com and I'll be glad to discuss them with you - no obligations.
Have a great time.
2006-09-09 17:17:06 · answer #7 · answered by T 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've learned not to do the excursions while at the ports. They're a lot of money and not worth it. Walk around and go to the shops. Have fun! I love going on cruises!!
2006-09-09 14:07:36 · answer #8 · answered by Moriah 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't drink too much and get too close to the railing. Many people have disappeared from cruise ships because they got drunk, fell overboard and nobody saw it. You would hate to get suddenly sober from the ice cold water and watch the ship sail off.
2006-09-13 06:20:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just enjoy. The crews bend over backwards to help you have a special experiance. Try to exercise a bit, there's heaps of food.
2006-09-09 14:07:19 · answer #10 · answered by foogill 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋