What you need you know before going on a cruise?

Question

I'm going on my first cruise this summer to the Bahamas in July. And I just wanted to know first hand tips from experienced cruise travelers.

Answer 1

join cruisecritic.com and you'll find LOTS of advice on cruising and maybe some folks that are taking the same ship as you..  we used it when we went on one and found so much advice that was good.

Answer 2

Be aware that all alcoholic beverages on board ship are not free!   You might be offered a welcome aboard cocktail.   Only take it if you are willing to pay for it.    This is something that a lot of first time cruisers don't realize.

Answer 3

I have been on about 20 cruises with 4 different cruise lines so I guess I am somewhat experienced ...... here's some things to help understand your cruise.

The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.  

   - You can save a couple dollars on drinks if you order them in a plain glass rather than the fancy souvenir ones that add about $2. to the cost of drinks.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.  

   - Instead of buying photos ask other passengers to take photos of you around the ship and at port stops.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.  

    - When you get to the Bahamas you can many times get tours much cheaper than on ship from tour operators who will be at/on the pier.

Always pack your passport and cruise documents in your carry on bag ONLY.  If you plan to get into the pools or hot tub as soon as you get on ship (they will be open), bring those clothes in your carry on bag; you other luggage may not get to your cabin until much later in the afternoon.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM, so take:

-swim wear (at least 2),

-shorts, tank tops and "T's"

-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,

-good walking shoes,

-your camera, and

-other personal toiletries including tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels, and a hair dryer. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), 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. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. You will likely be in shorts and/or swim wear most of every day so evening clothes don't usually get much wear.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two 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. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up. A gown or party dress for women and a suit or tux for men.   But you can really do whatever you want.

- 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.

- Pack using the vacuum clothing bags (about $20 for 3 at Target) so that you can get more in your bag AND so that if the TSA at the airport opens your bag they can see what's inside without rummaging through your things.

-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 your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand-wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom. The bathrooms do not have exhaust fans.

- Take a few zip lock bags of various sizes; they always come in handy.

- Take some one and five dollar bills for tipping and also they will come in handy when/if you go to the straw market in the Bahamas.

- Don't eat a big breakfast, or breakfast at all, the morning of your cruise because as soon as you get on ship lunch will be ready and they will be stuffing food in you the whole cruise.

Answer 4

Tips:  Buy a soda card if you will be drinking a lot of soda during the cruise.  It is so much cheaper to pay the $20 or so and then get unlimited non-alcoholic drinks for the whole cruise (including at meals in the dining room)

I find it is helpful to bring a canvas shoe holder to hang on the outside of the bathroom door in your cabin.  You know, the type that has a bunch of different pockets.  Then I find it is easier to keep the room organized, because you can keep your extra camera film or memory cards, MP3 player, extra batteries, sunscreen, playing cards, etc. in the slots and not lose anything.

I like to book myself and my husband into the second dining room sitting.  That way, you don't feel rushed to come back to the ship early when the ship is at a port.  

Put a limit on how many photos you buy from the cruise ship.  You'll find that photographers are always taking photos of you throughout the cruise.  I always agree to have my picture taken, but I try to limit myself to buying maybe two pictures throughout the cruise, because they charge about $20 per picture.  The formal night pictures are usually the best ones.

If you want to get a beach chair near the pool, you should get there early.

Most cruiselines allow you to bring a small amount of non-alcoholic beverages to consume in your room.  You might want to bring some bottled water (because the tap water in the rooms does not taste great) and some cans of soda.

Come prepared with something if you think you might get a little seasick.  There are patches that you can wear behind your ears that you can buy at the pharmacy that dispense medication gradually.  Some people wear wrist bands that work with pressure points to relieve sickness.  Of course, the guest services desk can also provide you with sea sickness pills if you get seasick.  I haven't found that I get seasick, but my husband usually needs to take something the first couple days.

If you are prone to sea sickness, you are best to get a room that is mid-ship and lower down.

Make sure to keep your money, passport, jewellery, etc. in the safe in your room.

I hope these tips help.  Have an awesome time!!