Has Anyone Ever Been On A Cruise Before?

Question

I am going on my first Cruise in about 2 weeks and just wanted to know if anybody has a few tips they can lend that would be helpful. I am going on Carnival Pride.

Answer 1

I am going on a cruise in February, our first, and I have gathered the following advice from other websites and former cruisers:

* Take a travel glass with you because the cups they give you for iced tea and water on the ships are small.

* If you want stuff from the ship's gift shop, buy it on the last day b/c it'll be on sale.

* Be sure to stand on the deck to watch as the ship leaves the dock.  I guess that's cool to watch.  Then have an overnight bag with you with sunblock and bathing suit so you can swim while the bags are still not in your room.

* Set your watch for the ship's time because when you're off the ship on excursions, the local time might not be the same as the ship's time, and if you're not on an excursion through the ship, they will leave without you if you're not on board!

* When you get back to your home port, be sure you use the bathroom before you get off the ship, because you can't go until you've gone through customs.

* The rooms can be stuffy so take a small desk fan.

* There are sometimes too few outlets, so take an extension cord and a 3-way adapter to plug in things if you think you'll need it.

* If you'll be docking at a tender port, where you take a little boat to the dock instead of having your ship right at the dock, you might want to book an excursion through the ship because you'll get off the ship first, and it can be time-consuming to get all those people off the ship.

* Take a small nightlight if you have an inside cabin because it'll be dark in there at night.

* Pack some first-aid supplies and medications like Tylenol and Tums because a trip to the ship's infirmary will be EXPEN$IVE!

* Before you go, tell your credit card company you're going out of the country so they don't freeze your account when they see charges from out of the country.

That's all I have for now.  Have a good time!

Answer 2

They are so much fun.  So much to do.  The on-board casinos aren't all that great, don't expect to win money.  The food is the best.  When you go into a port never go wandering off on your own (if going to a foreign country), be safe and stay with a group.  Have a great time!

Answer 3

I HAVE BEEN ON 3 , MAKE SURE YOU GET 1ST SEATING IN THE DINNING ROOM OR YOUR EVENING WILL BE VERY LATE

Answer 4

Yes, I have been on two cruises before, both were to Bermuda. The food is always great so try to walk around the ship as much as possible and if they have stairs, use them in place of the elevators. And I would say not to waste in the on board gift shops because they don't have anything really worth buying compared to the stores where ever the cruise is going to. Things are cheaper on land.

Answer 5

went on the Pride last jan ..great ship.  book any shore excursions early.. they fill up fast once you set sail.. you can still go online to the Carnival web sight and check them out. rented a golf cart at the pier in Mazatlan for the day had a blast

Answer 6

Forgive me, but I've got to say this up front: Just stay away from the balcony railings. It's a dangerous place, obviously.

That out of the way, let me try to give you a few tips from my own experience of five cruises (hardly a veteran--met people on the 10th or 15th cruise).

--Don't try to take every excursion in sight. Even one a day can become exhausting. Take a day off and just go about one port or city on your own, exploring it for yourself.

--Ships will offer water for sale before disembarking for excursions. Unless you've taken some in a container from the ship's supply, buy a bottle or two. Some destinations don't have safe water.

--If you have open seating for dinner, try to meet as many people at your table as you can. You will see them again on board ship and off, and sometimes lifelong friendships can result from these casual meetings. If you are at a table assigned for the cruise, enoy your table mates. Believe it or not, someone on the ship's staff has attempted to match you with each other.

Have fun and enjoy your days at sea. They can be the best just to relax. My wife and I leave on our fourth (my sixth) cruise in a few days.

Answer 7

I have taken 4 cruises and they were all great. There is nothing special that you need to know because you will be well taken care of. If you don't like the location of your dining table or the others at that table, ask to be reassigned right away. Take advantage of everything the ship has to offer: casino, theater, dancing, etc. Explore the whole ship and see what they have to offer. Food is free and you can get room service whenever you want. You can also sign up for side trips at the various ports. They cost extra but many are worth it. Look into that.

Answer 8

they have 24 hours pizza and ice cream they also have  deli and Asian corner and they have a two story dining room  they las Vegas style  shows get there 30 minutes prior to show time so that you Can best seat sit in front row i was carnival glory its basically same its one story buffet you can eat lunch in the dining room at sea  days and you can eat breakfast there at port days

Answer 9

Unless you really like to put on the dog, avoid the formal night and hang out in the bar mixers, that is where the real people are.  Buy Draimine patches the non-drowsy type, you never know then the ship might lose  a stabilizer and cause a lot of heaving.  I had never been affected by motion sickness, but the ship's stablizer quit working for a few hours and by the time it was restored, I was feeling pretty queasy and did not have  a lot of fun for the first half day in port.

Answer 10

Cruises are expensive but they can be lots of fun.  It's easy to gain a lot of weight on a cruise as well, because there is almost always food available.  That's why many cruises have exercise programs so people can work off those extra calories.  There are also special dinners, movie nights, and variety shows on top of the ports of call.

Answer 11

I went May 9th-13th 2005.  Be at the port @ least 30 minutes before the ship leaves otherwise you'll be stuck there because the ships never go back and you'll spend hundreds of dollars getting home.  Get to the airport @ least 2 hours before your plane is set to leave.

Answer 12

I've been on nine cruises, six with Carnival.  Here's my advice:

1. Relax.  Don't feel you have to be first in line to get on the ship, get into the dining room, get off the ship

2. Every night, you'll get a Capers in your cabin.  It has the day's activities as well as important info such as if you need to change your watch and if you're going to be in a port, what you need to know.  

3.  When packing for your cruise, put sunscreen, an extra change of clothing for dinner (in other words, non jeans), your camera and anything else you may need for the first day in your carry-on.  Some luggage may not get delivered to your cabin by dinnertime.

4.  Don't feel that you need to book excursions for each port.  You can always wing it and just tour on your own if you have a good tour book, map.  Just make sure you return to the ship by the time stated on the Capers.

5. If it's a tender port, don't wait til the last minute to try to board the tender.  Much of the time, there will be a long line.  Get on the ship early and head for the deck with the pools as there will usually be a sailaway party going on.

6. For our last cruise I looked for roll calls on the various cruising boards so I would meet fellow passengers "online" first.  There will usually be meet and greets among these:

cruiselinefans.com, cruisecritic.com, cruise-addicts.com, cruisemates.com.

Answer 13

Nika, be prepared to have some rough water sometime during the cruise.  Take some Gravol or similar before boarding, and take them regularly - unless they make you tired.  They have a patch if they make you sleepy.

Eat in moderation.  Turn over a new leaf and eat a light lunch and dinner, and try one of each of the desserts. mmmmmmmm

Do some reseach about the islands you will be stopping @, so you know where to spend your hard earned $$ on the excursions.  Maybe you just want to hang @ the beach - hire/share a taxi and be sure to arrange ample time to be picked up again.  Tell people where you are going - always.