Need advice on a cruise, never been, kinda scared, HELP!?

Question

Thinking about going on a cruise to Mexico. Things like best place to stay on a cruise ship, best cruise liner, sickness, best places to go and what to wear.

Answer 1

Don't listen to people who say don't sail carnival, there is nothing wrong with carnival. Carnival, Princess and Holland American I know go down to Mexico. Carnival and Princess leave from LA, Holand American from San Diego.

Motion sickness is common on cruises, depending on the season you plan to go in. If you think you may get sick, be prepared and bring some sort of motion sickness medicine.

On the Cruise for dinner you can not wear shorts and tank tops, for men no jeans. There are two fancy dinners where suits and nice clothing is required. Besides dinner you are free to wear what you like. Going to Mexico will be warm so summer clothes.

Here's a few examples of cruises that go to Mexico:

•Carnival Pride, from long beach. Ports of call are puerto vallarta, mazatlan and cabo san lucas. Its a 7 night crusie returning to Long beach.

•Holland American, from San Diego, CA.

Ports of call are cabo san lucas, mazatlan and puerto vallarta.

7 night crusie returning to san diego.

•Diamond Princess, from LA. I'm not sure of the exact ports of call but they are easy to find.

I hope that gave you a few ideas! A few websites to look at are

www.cruise-connections.com or

www.vacationstogo.com (they have really good deals on this one)

Enjoy your cruising!

Answer 2

You're going to have a lot of fun. In terms of where to stay a lot of travel agents will tell you you ought to be higher up on a ship. This, however, is incorrect. You want to be as low on the ship as possible, and as close to the center (midship) of the vessel as you can. This will minimize the rocking motion you feel. Travel agents try to get you to book higher rooms simply because they usually are a higher category, and thus cost more. Definitely go for an outside stateroom if motion sickness troubles you. Sometimes being able to see the boat move (as opposed to feeling it as you would inside) helps stabilize the motion mentally. Ideally, get a room with a balcony. It's amazing what fresh air can do for motion sickness, though it's not necessary if you book a room close to the midship elevators or stairs (for easy access to promenade and lifeboat decks where you can get just as much air...last i checked, air was still free lol).

Best cruise liners in that region probably belong to Royal Caribbean's newer ships. Go for the Voyager, Brilliance or Freedom class vessels. If Celebrity Cruises is offering sailings, definitely book with them on either the Millennium, Infinity, Constellation or Century. Major caveat: if you're traveling with kids, stick with Royal Caribbean. Princess is a good medium between the two, but steer clear of their smaller ships. Opt for the Diamond/Grand classes or the Coral Class vessels.

Avoid Carnival if you can, though if you do have to take them go for one of their newer ships (Conquest, Destiny, Valor or Spirit Classes).

What to wear? Well, that depends on what time of year you go. Generally, shorts, t shirts, and other light spring/summer/early fall clothing are appropriate. Bring at least one formal dress, and one semicasual dress for their respective dining days, unless you go for a "freestyle" cruising experience with NCL in which you only need it should you choose. Do bring at least one sweatshirt/sweater/very light jacket for those cold nights at sea or some overly-airconditioned part of the ship. Sunscreen is a must, and a sun hat & sunglasses are advisable.

Have fun!

Answer 3

no long answer ..one word GO!!! see a travel agent for your first cruise they can answer all your questions and fears ...they will help you find something right for you

Answer 4

Cruises are tons and tons of fun. Heres my list.

1. Mexican Rivera are awesome cruises, and I would recommend Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival (for a younger crowd), and NCL. Carnival is cheaper, but a party ship.

2. I would highly recommend an oceanview stateroom, as they are not luxiously big but not super small you have a window and the bathrooms are really really small. Insides are cheaper, but oceanviews are better for jsut looking out of a window in the morning.

3. To prevent sea sickness get a cabin lower on the ship, closer to the water, like the lower oceanview stateroom categories, or inside, depending on what you want, and price range, and dramamine works wonders on sea sickness.

4. If your going to Mexico, t shirts and shorts, tank tops, the usual, tennis shoes, flip flops, swimwear, a 7 day cruise you would need 2 formal outfits like dresses or something nice, 2 semi formal like a nice top and skirt or slacks, and 3 casual like nice shirt and khakis or polo and khakis, or jeans.

5. Make a list of everything you want to take, and make sure you pack everything your going to need, medication etc. Sunscreen is a must.  Also dont forget Cameras, extra memory cards, film, batteries, etc.

6. I would recommend going to Mexico in the fall/spring or winter months as its goign to be really warm there and can get better deals because alot of people want to go where its warm. If you ahve any more questions feel free to ask. Bon Voyage.

Answer 5

It is lots of fun.  I reccomend splurging on the extra money to have an exterior room with a balcony (if it is available).  Budget to spend some extra money on shore excursions, tips, & alchohol (like any vacation).  And be prepared to gain 5 pounds on all that yummy food!!

Answer 6

1. Don't be scared.

2. Don't sail on carnival cruises (I personally like Royal Caribbean, Freedom or Voyager class)

3. Don't worry about the norovirus, but don't eat sushi on the ship, either (my cousin got food poisoning from it.)

4. We always get an inside cabin. It's the best value, but if you can afford it, I would recommend getting a balcony.

5. If you get sea sick easily, request a cabin on a low deck in the middle of the ship.

6. Anywhere you go, you will love. Take advantage of the excursions; they make the cruise.

7. Bring a bathing suit, sun screen, 2 nights of formal wear (if it's a 7 night or longer cruise, 1 if it's shorter)

8. Most cruise ships are casual during the day, but you do need to dress nicely for dinner. Your travel agent should give you all of that information, if not, ask for it or you can find it on the web site of the cruiseline that you choose.

9. Most cruises are all inclusive except for drinks and gratuities.

Answer 7

Check out some of the great cruise websites out there such as cruisecritic.com.  Everything you ever wanted to know about cruising is there.  I like Royal Caribbean the best.  You get a great cruise at a good price.

Answer 8

What cruise line you want to take depends on your age and what you want your experience to be like while on the ship. Carnival has a young crowd, but if you go during the summer when school is on break, then beware the the ship will be jam packed with kids under 18, under 14 is an even better guesstimate.

If you're worried about sea-sickness, then I would recommend a cabin on a lower deck because those levels feel the least movement. Take Dramamine also if you feel sick. On my first cruise I felt slightly ill the first day, but by the second day I was fine. I would highly recomment getting an outside cabin, even though you aren't in your room that much, at least having a window to look out of is nice. Inside cabins would make me crazy I think.

The Mexican Riviera is a nice cruise, good warm weather, beautiful sights, and it's generally a party cruise anyways. Everyone on it is looking to have a good time. You'll have a lot of fun on it. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, bathing suits, and a couple nice dresses for the formal nights on the boat. Don't forget your sunblock!

Have fun and don't worry, you'll have a blast!!

Answer 9

As a travel agent, I think Monica T. had the best answer so far, but please allow me to make a few corrections.

1. Don't be scared.

2. Don't sail on carnival cruises - Carnival and Royal Caribbean are fairly close on price, but RC is a better quality line, better trained staff, and nicer, better maintained ships.  Celebrity is a sister company of RC and a bit more upscale, as is Holland-America, Princess, and Oceania. Look at all their websites and find which you'd prefer. Most people only know the cruise lines they see advertised on TV, or newspaper,  but there are a lot more than Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL etc.  I can think of at least 15 cruise lines that sail to the east or the west coast of Mexico - my preference is the east.

3. Don't worry about the norovirus. I agree.  The norovirus has been around for a long time and  is basically the stomach flu.  It actually happens more often on land than on cruise ships, but once someone complained to someone in the media about this, it became a big story. The norovirus is most often brought on boatd a passenger who was sick when they got on board. (If you've planned a cruise for a year and got sick just before you left, would you cancel?)

The ship tries to maintain as healthy environment as possible, especially with food, but if someone gets careless and leaves something out in the sun (when serving on deck) then be a bit leary of eating it.

4. We always get an inside cabin. It's the best value, but if you can afford it, I would recommend getting a balcony or at least an ocean view room with a large window.  

I agree with part of this. An inside cabin has no window, and no natural light.  It is dark in the room 24-hrs a day and you have no idea what time of day it is or what the weather is like outside.  The only way you'll know is to actually go on deck.  If you have a windowless room or closet, walk in, and close the door and that's what its always like in an inside cabin.

Some people will tell you that you don't spend a lot of time in your cabin so they only book inside cabins.  If I had an inside cabin I wouldn't spend a lot of time there either.  Balcony cabin is great, you can get sun out there, have any of your meals out there, great place for having a drink, and its nice to just sit there and watch the ocean roll by.

5. If you get sea sick easily, request a cabin on a low deck in the middle of the ship.

This isn't true anymore.  All ships now have stabilizers, thrusters, and pods that keep the ship's, movement to a minimum.  Its usually so smooth you don't even know the ship's moving.  It doesn't matter where your cabin is on board.  The mid-ship/lower cabin is just a myth, but because so many people still believe this, most cruise lines charge a premium for mid-ship cabins.

But weather and wind can't stop movement and you may get seasick (I've sailed on a lot of different lines all over the world and still sometimes get seasick). If you get queasy, the feeling might pass if you laydown in your cabin and close your eyes.  If you still feel ill after a 1/2 hour then call the ship's doctor and ask for a shot.  You'll fell better in no time - don't mess with Dramamine, Bonine, or those silly patches. The shots run $30-50 depending on what line you're on.  However, if you have travel insurance (and I recommend you never leave the country w/o it) you can claim the shots on your insurance.  Also, book your insurance with Travelex or Travel Guard.  The coverage and price are a lot better than what the cruise lines offer.

6. Anywhere you go, you will love it. Take advantage of the excursions; they make the cruise.   YES - I agree.

7. Bring a bathing suit, sun screen, 2 nights of formal wear (if it's a 7 night or longer cruise, 1 if it's shorter)

Bring 2 bathing suits because if its humid, your suit will not dry overnight.

8. Most cruise ships are casual during the day, but you do need to dress nicely for dinner. Your travel agent should give you all of that information, if not, ask for it or you can find it on the web site of the cruiseline that you choose.

9. Most cruises are all inclusive except for drinks and gratuities.  

You will also need to pay for shore excursions, spa/salon treatments, money for the casino, any meals or purchases while on shore, and any purchases you make in the stores on board or on shore. I tell my clients to budget whatever amount you spent for the base price of the cruise, and this will probably be how much you spend during the cruise. You may or may not spend this much, you may spend more, but its a good guideline.

Have fun and definitely find yourself a good travel agent to take care of all of your details and help you plan a memorable cruise.

Bon Voyage!

Answer 10

Ive been on 3 cruises this year and I love it. Have traveled on both Royal  and Carnival and found both just fine. Best part of cruising is it forces you to slow down on days at sea and lets you explore ports you might not want to spend a week at. Have fun and just enjoy it

Answer 11

I went in a cruise to Bahamas and to be honest I did not like it. You have to take a cruise to know if you like it or not. I am the type of person that likes to go everywhere, see sites, museums, walk around places. I found out that when you take a cruise the focus is totally on the cruise. You have the casinos, the spa, pool, gym, a disco club, and sometimes comedy shows at night to entertain. Our cruise line was carnival. Which was OK. Try to get a cabin on the middle of the ship. It does not shake to much. If you are on the corners you definitely will get sea sick. Regards clothes, I pack clothes like you normally wear on vacation, very relax and lay back. But there are nights that they make a dinner with the captain and you are supposed to wear gala. Also to dance on the disco, I worn clothes like to go out to a club. Outside of that is shorts, t-shirts, swim wear. Regular clothes.

What I did not like was when the cruise stop in any island was for one or two hours. You basically do not have the time to get to know anything. My personal opinion is that I do not like cruises, but you might like it. You have to try and know how you feel.

Answer 12

have fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!!!!

(didn't ever go on a cruise so i dun have any advise, but i give u my well wishes!! :)