Going on a Cribbean cruise in February. Any ideas on what to wear and things to do?

Question

Going on a Cribbean cruise in February. Any ideas on what to wear and things to do?

Answer 1

I have been on about 20 cruises and here's what I recommend/suggest:

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, your camera, and other personal toiletries. Your cabin will have soap and shampoo (no-name stuff) so you don't have to take your favorite you unless you want to. The ship will also provided fresh towels twice a day and also towels for the pool and beach. They provide a hair dryer but no mouth wash, tooth paste, etc.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

When you pack plan to use your evening clothes at least twice. I usually take one pair of dark slacks and 3 or 4 shirts to go with them. Remember that you will likely spend most of most days in swim wear and/or shorts so take a couple swim suits and 2 or 3 pairs of shorts and "T" shirts. If you plan to use the gym every day, or walk/run on the track you may need more shorts. Be sure to take good walking shoes, beach shoes, and dressy shoes for the evenings. Carnival is the only cruise line that has a laundry mat on ships; the others provide laundry service that is about $1.00 per item. So you can get clothes cleaned if you pack too light, or if you are on Carnival do laundry.

Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women. Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up. (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage. Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and and your clothes that you sleep in.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. There will be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late.

You did not say what ship or cruise line but here's what most ships generally have for you to do.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. There will be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late.  All ships, except Disney, have a casino with slots and table games. Ships have movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room.

There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.

Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.

There are always pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course. The newer Royal Caribbean ships have a rock climbing wall, ice skating, roller blading track, mini-golf,  and the newest one has a pool for water surfing.

There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf.  Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent).  There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music.  Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave.  On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .      

There will be plenty to do!!!!

Answer 2

GREAT ANSWER FROM TINKERTOY!!! CAN'T ADD ANYTHING TO IT... I ALSO AM GOING TO THE CRIBBEAN IN FEB. THE THIRD TO THE TENTH ON CARNIVAL,IS THAT YOUR SHIP ALSO? IF SO MAYBE WE WILL SEE YOU ON BOARD... EITHER WAY HAVE FUN, AND IN MY OPINION SHORE TRIPS ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY, MAKE YOUR OWN TRIP PLANS AND WALK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, YOU WILL FIND THINGS ON YOUR OWN THAT A GUIDED TOUR WOULD NOT SHOW YOU, PLUS YOU WILL KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF FROM ALL THE GOOD FOOD YOU WILL EAT... ENJOY AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!

Answer 3

I agree - tinkertoy has a great answer.

If you want to check out more info in detail, you could go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards", then go to the board that interests you.  You might especially like "Ports of Call", the board for your cruise line, "First Time Cruisers" [if you are a "newbie"] and the Roll Call for your particular sailing [I think that's a "members only" board, but it costs nothing to "join".]

You'll have no problem finding things to do - the problem will be fitting it all in [don't forget to just relax!!].

Have a great time!