First time cruiser seeks information?

Question

i am a first time cruiser, booked a mexico/belize cruise over christmas, looking for information about the whole experiance..

please share experiances =)

Answer 1

Congrats on your first cruise!  

You should check out the Introduction to Cruises, which covers the basics like what its "really like" onboard, what costs are included, and age restrictions:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/in...

You might also like the Know Before You Go guide, which covers stuff like packing, shore excursions, etc:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

You can also look at other people's Cruise Journals:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals

I don't think there's one yet on a Belize cruise -- but please consider making one yourself!  I'm sure people would love to hear about your experiences when you get back!

Answer 2

You have received some really good responses already. So I will just send you some tips.  If your going with a crowd, bring 2 way radios they help you keep in touch on board. Bring yellow highlighter for the things to do list that will be delivered each day.  If your not flying and luggage is not an issue bring extra hangers and pack clothes already on hangers it saves time when you get settled in.  sm. clock for the bathroom it helps keep you on schedule when trying to get to dinner and other functions.  You will have such a good time! Oh and try and do things you don't normally do you will be surprised... like shows and art auctions.  Both I didn't think I would like but I did.

Answer 3

First off, check out cruisecritic.com  I have been to Coz 4x and Belize 2x.  Cozumel has alot to offer.  Yout don't need to overpay for a ship sponsored excursion in Cozumel.  Everyone speaks English and it is set up for tourist.  You can just get off the ship and jump into a cab and hit one of the private beach clubs for very cheap.  You can also dive, snorkle, parasail, almost any type of water / beach activity you can think of.  Also, the food / drinking water in Coz is safe.  Weather should be good but even on the Yucatan, they occasionally get cold fronts so you may want to bring a little bit of clothing for 60 degree weather.Belize is somewhat of a 3rd world country.  You probably will want to take an ship sponsored excursion.  The Lamanai ruins are fantastic if you can do that tour. Belize is a very beautiful place but there really isn't anything you can do right near the port.  Belize city itself isn't exactly the safest place in the world.  Bring more money than you origionally planned on.  Cruise lines are not all inclusive.  It's easy to rack up your sign and sail account without realizing it.  Don't get caught up in all the hype on the ship.  Every day you will be bombarded with annoucements about the one day sales in the gift shops.  They have sales every day.  Although the prices are good,  they aren't great.  Cozumel will have alot of shopping also.  You can barter with the sales people, so offer 50% of the list price and work from there. If you find out that you are stuck eating with people you don't like or a bad waiter,  don't hesitate to see the Maitre'd and move to a new table.  It's a vactaion, no need to deal with unpleasant people.  Keep in mind that not everything will go perfect.  When dealing with 3k people, weather etc, small problems from time to time are expected.  The staff will do what they can do to make the cruise an enjoyable experience but sometimes  stuff happens. Also, don't try to do every single activity that they have or else you will stress yourself out running from event to event. Be flexable and keep an  open mind and you should have a great time.

Answer 4

I have been on 8 cruises and I can tell you that your going to love it, During the Christmas time they decorate the ships real nice and on Christmas day, Santa comes aboard and gives out a little gift to each kid. This was on Princess cruises. You will have really nice weather in Mexico that time of the year, but no white Christmas. The first cruise is so exciting, and wait till you see your ship. It is so big that you need to carry a ship map with you. Don't worry, you will get one in your cabin. You will eat like a queen, have wonderful entertainment, and see really cool ports of call. Each day you will get a newsletter in your cabin telling what activities the ship will have. Then you can plan your day. It might be pool games, watching a movie, a demonstration of some kind, a spa treatment if you wish, or exercises, or perhaps just lie by the pool and work on your tan. If your cruise is a week, the time will fly as they are never long enough. But you will have wonderful memories to bring home.

Answer 5

You will love it, although the experience at first can be very overwhelming.  When we went on our first cruise, and we got on the boat, we didn't know what to do first. There are lots of places to eat, pools, rock climbing, lounges, and sometimes even ice skating.  Who wouldn't be overwhelmed?  Just relax and enjoy yourself because time flies by.  Mexico is gorgeous- the water is beautiful- just be careful about the whole water thing. There are also many really cool shops there.  We went to Cozumel which was gorgeous!

Have fun and take lots of pictures!

Answer 6

Whats an experiance?

I have had a cruise experience before, but cant say Iv'e had an experiance.