Cruise Tips?

Question

Does anyone have any tips for first time cruisers?

Answer 1

The best advice I was ever given was to just have fun.

Cruising is wonderful, it isn't that much different than regular vacations, just be sure to bring everything along and you will have a great time. You are going to be eating a lot, so bring some baggy clothes ;-)

Just be sure to do your research before you go. Look up some reviews on your ship and ask any questions you may have. The best place to ask is either your travel agent or the cruise line so you know you get accurate info.

Try to book your shore excursions in advance so that you know you will be able to get what you want.

If you still have time and haven't done so already, get the travel insurance. It gives you a lot of peace of mind and it is a much wiser way to travel.

Be sure to read over all your documents and any information you were sent because you don't want to wait until it is too late. Be sure that you bring all the required documents along, there is nothing worse than getting to the port and not being allowed to board because you didn't bring the proper id. All of this type information will be in your documents.

Just be sure to bring the important things, your documents, i.d., medications, etc. are all very important. Things like clothes, cameras, etc. can all be purchased, but some things are very important to remember.

Other than that, just have fun and relax. If you worry too much before you go, you won't have as good of time once you get there. Once you board that plane or get in your car to get to the port, you need to leave all your worries and problems behind. The travel time is the perfect time to start relaxing and prepare yourself for an absolutely amazing vacation. Bring some nice music, maybe a book or magazine and get ready to vacation.

Have a great time!

Answer 2

I sail quite often on cruise ships, and have never had a problem with food upset at all from anything on the ships. (With very few exceptions, I don't eat on shore, where it is possible to have a very big problem sometimes! NEVER eat "street food", which has the most problems. If you are thirsty, buy a soft drink in a can. St. Bart's, the ABC islands, and St. Thomas are fine, though.) As for gaining weight, remember that you don't have to eat everything in sight, but don't worry about it. If you will wear a pedometer for the first couple of days on board, you will find that even without trying to walk a certain number of times around the deck that you will probably be walking between 3 and 5 miles every day!

Answer 3

Tech_Fanatic gave some great advice!

I would only add a few other tips - in addition to researching the cruise company/ship, I'd do a bit of research about each of the ports. For example, determine if the ship will moor pierside or drop anchor and skuttle passengers back and forth on small boats. This is important to know because the little boats take more time and you may want to get in line early to start your sightseeing. If the ship moors pierside, determine how close it is to the actual destination. For example, we visited Gdansk, Poland a few years ago and it was a 1/2 hour cab ride to town! With usually only a 6-10 hours in any port, you will need to plan your time carefully.

Finally, if you feel confident about traveling and making your own plans, I'd really re-think the ship's excursions. They charge a premium and don't give you the flexibility to do what you want to do. Depending upon the port (why research is important), you can just wing it. For example, with the aforementioned Gdansk, Poland, we got off the ship and hired a taxi driver for the whole day. It was like $50, but he took us everywhere we wanted to go, recommended good restaurants and shops and even sat down for a beer with us to explain regional history! The other option is to book your own excursion with a local travel company. They are usually cheaper than the cruise lines and offer more options. The internet is a wonderful resource for finding these companies. For example, we hired a private driver and English speaking tour guide in St. Petersburg, Russia and set our own schedule for LESS than the cruise would have charged to haul us around with 50 other people in a bus!

Good luck and have a fabulous time!!!!

Answer 4

Everyone had great suggestions... here are mine (some might be duplicated from the answers above):

1. Get a Visa Travel Money card. That way you have a card NOT connected to your bank account and if lost can be taken care of. DO NOT get a Amex Travelers Card. I hated every minute of attempting to use it. When I got back from our cruise I shredded them as they were useless.

2. Bring at least two swimsuits/swimtrunks. that way one could dry in the shower stall.

3. Dramamine, aleve, hand sanitizer, suntan lotion. Bring them! They are must haves on any trip IMO.

4. If you are at sea for a day or so, go buy the soda coupon. They are $6 or so a day and are for unlimited amounts of soda. Very good investment of our money!

5. When you choose your dining time, choose the latest time. I.e., if there is a 6:30pm and an 8:00 dinner seating, take the 8pm one. That way you don't have to feel rushed if you are off the ship and want to get back to eat dinner.

6. Food is included, so if you want to eat every entree each night go for it! You can try it and if you don't like it, that's ok!

7. Passport. get one. We did not NEED one on our cruise, but we got one anyway. I did not want the possibility of being stranded in another country without a passport.

8. Get the cheapest stateroom. You will most likely (if you are an active person) not be in the room all that much. If you have the funds for it, then go ahead and get a suite (especially if its for more than a 4 day cruise).

9. You can go on your own at each port of call, but if you don't get back to the ship before it sails you are out of luck. If you book a shore excursion with the cruise line, it is the ships responsibility to get you back there and they will wait for you (so I've heard).

10. When you pack your bags, you can have a carry on for the ship. Have a change of clothes, suntan lotion, etc in that carry on because your checked in luggage might not be at your stateroom for a bit.

11. get to the terminal early. I got there around noon for a 5pm sail time and it was busy but steady.

12. If someone wants to take your pic, let them. You are under NO obligation to buy ANY pictures they take of you. They have a photo place where you can find your pictures and if you don't want them you can stick them in the "photos don't want" box that they have.

I probably have more but that is all I can think of for now.

Check out http://www.tripadvisor.com and http://www.cruisereview.com to check out other people's experiences with cruising.

Start booking excursions as soon as possible as they can fill up fast.

Answer 5

1. Bring at least a case of bottled water. Water on the ship costs about $3 a bottle.
2. Bring a bottle of wine or champange in your carry on luggage 1 per adult. You cannot bring your own alcohol, but you are allowed one bottle of wine or champange per adult. Drinks on the ship cost about $6 bucks each, so it is worth it.
3. Ask at the bar if you keep the cup if you get a discount on your next drinks. On Carnival Cruises the first drink is $8 and you can get refills for about $4 each, major money saver if you plan to drink alot.
4. Attend the Captain's cocktail party, free drinks!
5. Pack a little bit heavy, you never know what the weather will be and since your stuff is in your room it is okay to overpack a bit. Better to have more than you need than have to spend money on stuff you forgot.
6. Make sure you get the travel insurance, the tiny amount it adds to your ticket price can be priceless in the event of illness, injury, lost luggage or being left in a port.
7. Try to get the late dinner if possible, it gives you more time to enjoy stuff during the day and the shows, etc are all repeated for late diners anyway.
8. Get to the ship as early as possible the first day, that way you get your luggage first and can dress for dinner.
9. When shopping in port, check into having your puchases delivered to the ship for you. Most port cities are used to cruise ships and they will have your purchases taken to the ship so you don't have to carry them around.
10. You can sometimes take the same shore excursions for less than 1/2 price if you don't book them through the cruise line. One word of warning, if you are late coming back to the ship and you don't book through the cruise line YOU WILL BE LEFT IN PORT! so if you are not sure you will be back in time, don't take the excurision.
11. HAVE FUN, RELAX, CHECK OUT THE SHIP, GO TO THE CLUB, ETCETCETC, it is great fun, very relaxing and don't be afraid to ask for anything you think you want, the crew is supposed to get you what you want, no questions asked.

For example, on the last cruise I was on, I wanted to sample some caviar, but I wanted more than 2-3 eggs like where being served on my mom's salmon entree. I asked the server for a sample and she brought me back a small cup of it, approxiamatley $100 worth of caviar! On the cruise, you are the one in charge, ask and you shall recieve! Just one other tip, room service is free except for drinks, but you should really tip the room service people at the time time of service, they are not included in the daily tip distrbution so help them out! I am sure you will love it!

Answer 6

Everyone answered your question great. I would say bring a smile. There is nothing to worry about. Dont worry about any disasters. One thing you might want to bring is some hand sanitizer, little bottles and some airborne. (medication you can buy at a drug store, helps with bacteria and motion sickness. has ginger in it) but have a great time.

Answer 7

yep, leave yourworries behind you, forget about your job, family , friends , bills etc. in other words ,forget everything and relax, enjoy the ship and its amenities, along with the new poeple you will meet.( most will be first timers also ) You paid good money for your cruise so get the most out of it and enjoy your trip. bon voyage !

Answer 8

take alot of money the drinks are extra besides the normal milk, juice, and water and tea cokes and sodas and alcohal cost alot like two dollors and in the sun you drink alot of them

Answer 9

Don't forget to bring a phone card...And the sun-block..