Going on my first cruise and I know NOTHING help!!!

[lilmissdisney216]

So I figured I would come to the DIS to find out some information. Here's the skinny:

So my awesome boyfriend has invited me to go with him on his annual family cruise and I have NEVER been on a cruise before. Its a 7 day excursion that visits 3 islands on the royal carribean line. To my DIS'ers here that have been on cruises what can you guys tell me about them (as far as what to pack, what you do on board, food, activities, getting to the ship, etc)? If you can reccommend some blogs or even websites that would be great! Thank you guys so much!!

Meredith

 

[msjprincess]

check out www.cruisecritic.com

 

[wdwmom2]

Cruising is AWESOME!!!

We could probably help you more if we knew what ship and itinerary you are doing.

Also, check out cruisecritic.com They have forums, go to the Royal Caribbean one. Those people there are very cruise savvy!!!!

ETA: I am doing my third Royal cruise this coming April. I have had great experiences so far.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Cruising is amazing! I'm sailing on Royal Caribbean and the Oasis of the Seas in just 10 days!

Definitely check out Cruise Critic. What ship are you going on and what islands?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have never cruised before either but wanted to wish you good luck. Sounds like fun!

Sometimes I read cruise critic and dream. One of these days.

 

[wdwmom2]

Cruising is amazing! I'm sailing on Royal Caribbean and the Oasis of the Seas in just 10 days!

Definitely check out Cruise Critic. What ship are you going on and what islands?

You will love it!!!

Cruised on the Allure last year. BEST.CRUISE.EVER

 

[usnuzuloose]

Love cruising. Cruise Critic is a great site. When are you going? So much food on a cruise. Yummy!

 

[erincon23]

There are always lots of activities on a cruise ship. Dancing, music in lounges, bingo, organized games (trivial pursuit,etc), evening shows, swimming, fitness center. Some have special activities -- rock climbing wall, "surfing," ice skating, etc. Pack accordingly.

Ask if you'll be going on any excursions -- off-boat exploration trips. Some examples are tours, swimming with dolphins, shopping, maybe 4-wheeling, climbing, etc. If you look on the ship's company website, you'll find a list of the excursions available for your ship, and it'll give details (length, walking difficulty,etc). If they stop at the private island, make sure you have a take-with bag for your personal items. There will be food, music, beach, and probably lots of other activities there. You'll be able to rent a snorkel if you want to do that. Bring LOTS of sunscreen.

Dining -- depends on the ship. Some do the same dining room every night, with the same server -- which can be fun.Others, likeDisney, rotate you through different dining rooms with different themes. And still others let you choose every night, more like having several available restaurants. Most usually have at least one "formal" night. Formal is in the eye of the beholder -- I don't wear skirts, ever, so I brought a nicer dress pant and top, hubby brought a dress shirt and tie but no jacket. My parents bring long dress and tux. All food is generally included in your package, but you can get room service, midnight buffet, snacks all day. You may pay extra for soda, and will definitely pay for alcohol.

Bring a multi-plug outlet. There are never enough outlets to charge everything. Find some way to keep your personal items contained -- bathrooms are small. Don't overpack -- try to make some things do for a couple of uses. Again, cabins are small.

Royal Caribbean is a great cruise line -- we've enjoyed their shows and food more than any other line we've been on (sorry, including Disney). You'll need a passport. Don't ever mention that your stomach is bothering you, or you'll be denied boarding if they hear. Make sure you've done all the required pre-boarding paperwork -- much of it you'll be able to do online, but have your printouts, ID and passport in your carry on, NOT in your baggage.

Bring some Bonine or Dramamine -- I've never needed it, but other people have trouble with seasickness. You can get it on the ship, but by then it might be too late.

Have a great time!

 

[lovin'fl]

I love to cruise too. A few tips:
1- I use seabands and ginger pills for seasickness (though I haven't needed to use them too much on my last couple cruises).
2-You will need to pay for booze and sodas but will get certain drinks for free (on Carnival it's iced tea and a tropical juice and coffee, hot chocolate, tea).
3- Put your ID and birth cert (or passport) in whatever bag/purse that you carry on the ship (don't put it in the bags you give to the porter. Oh, and we tip the poter $1 per bag we drop off).
4-You get free room service but should tip the person who delivers the food a couple bucks. You can order more than 1 app, main or dessert in the MDR...order as much as you want. The MDR is open for lunch and breakfast while the ship is at sea...I didn't know that my 1st cruise (and that is for Disney and Carnival cruises...not sure about Royal, but I think so).
5-You can take sticky notes to leave notes on cabin doors to other folks you are cruising with (like to tell them where you are or when you'll be where kind of things).
6- Take a highlighter to highlight the things in the program (not sure what they call it on Royal) that you want to do...there will be a program put on your bed each night for the next day and it will detail all the things going on and when things open and close.
7- If you are in an inside cabin they are dark...may want to take a flashlight. Carnival does not have clocks in the cabins, so you could bring a small battery alarm clock. Some ships have hair dryers in the cabins and some do not...you may want to look into that (I go to vacations to go dot com...no spaces for great deck plans and ship details...will tell you about hair dryers).

Have fun and be warned, it's addicting. We are going on cruise #8, Carnival Imagination, in August...Key West and Cozumel...can't wait!

 

[mmouse37]

Ohhh...I got excited there for a minute as I thought you wanted info on a Disney Cruise (my specialty) and was going to tell you to come over to the Disney Cruise Line board for great info.

Cruising in general is a wonderful vacation. I have sailed Disney Cruise Line 28 times, RCCL 2 x, Carnival 3 x and a few others. it is my preferred vacation method.

I would also suggest going to cruise critic to get more info and specific info on the ship you are going to be on.

Have fun!!

MJ

 

[Hillbeans]

I took my first cruise last month and purposely didn't "overplan" because I wanted to get a feel for what a cruise was all about.

My one surprise is that I didn't realize how EXHAUSTING a cruise can be, I barely sat still with all the activities and events - granted, I traveled with children but still....I was on the go from 7 am - 11 pm every day.

 

[Mortlives]

Packing - there is a formal night, so bring your glad rags. The gladder, the better. A wrap or sweater is good, indoor spaces on a ship tend to be refrigerated. Bathing suits!

Boarding - you will go through security/metal detector to get on the ship. You don't take your shoes off, though, and you can bring liquids. But, only 1 bottle of wine per person, and no other alcohol. Do not put your travel papers/passport in your checked bags, because you give the bags to a porter before you check in.

On board - you can't buy anything for cash in the stores/lounges. Everything is charged to your room on your room key. You can give tips in cash, though, so it is good to have some. There is also a casino. Beverages have a 15% gratuity added automatically, so be aware of that when deciding whether or not to tip extra.

 

[sissy_ib]

Do you have a passport? You don't need to have one but I always recommend it. I also recommend going to cruise critic. They have a lot of good info there. And ask your boyfriend questions. If it is an annual thing he will be able to help you out.

 

[mikehn]

Rum runner - just kidding, you'll have a blast.

 

[tzolkin]

Bring some Bonine or Dramamine -- I've never needed it, but other people have trouble with seasickness. You can get it on the ship, but by then it might be too late.

This is why we have yet to go on a cruise.

We would love to go and my MIL is dying to do a Disney Cruise with the kids, but our two younger kids and I have severe motion sickness.

I always read these threads and hear about everyone's wonderful cruise experiences. We are so tempted to bring some meds and just hope for the best, but it would be such a waste if half of us are absolutely miserable and sick the whole trip.

 

[furb & dez]

check out www.cruisecritic.com

This.

I've no personal experience with RC, but the people in my cruising group generally say it's okay.

They have said, however, that they have begun cutting food quality in the general dining rooms in order to push people into the restaurants that have upcharges. The humungous ships (Oasis of the Seas, et al.), in particular, purposely don't have enough space in their buffets (because they want you to go to the "specialty" restaurants with upcharges), and there have been many reports of people having to sit on the floor to eat, or wandering around for half and hour just to find a seat.

 

[Ilivetogo]

check out www.cruisecritic.com

THIS definitely!


I've been on 2 NCL cruises. (amazing!!!) There are people who have been on MANY cruises who say: lay everything you want to pack out on your bed. Now, take HALF of that and put it back. In other words, don't pack nearly as much as you think you'll need. You probably won't.

You will have a blast!!

I, too, would like to know which cruise - itinerary - you're going on!!

.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I cannot say enough good things about checking out cruise critic!

If you are allowed on your ship and you plan to bring your own wine also bring a corkscrew, some cruise lines charge upwards of $15 per bottle to uncork the wine for you

Don't bring a ton of stuff, space is very limited. Do bring a few over the counter drugs (tylenol, allergy meds, stomach meds, motion sickness, etc), you can get them on the ship but they are expensive.

DH ordered wine with dinner and our sommelier informed us that they will recork and hold the bottle for as long as it takes you to finish it (not sure if all ships do that but it ended up saving over buying wine by the glass). As for food, if you don't like what you are served they will bring you something else. Don't like the menu options? They will make you something else. Want a 4th serving of steak? they will bring it to you.

On cruise critic you will be able to find the recommended gratuities for your cruise, it seems like a lot but it is well worth it (at least it was on Celebrity, we got not so great service on DCL). We also tipped our server extra on the first night in addition to his end of cruise envelope, I am sure that helped with the amazing service we received If you are celebrating anything (birthday, honeymoon, new job) make sure you tell them.

Read the daily activity guide, there is a ton of stuff going on every day!

If you decide not to get off the ship on port days, or for the entire day, the spa usually offers really good deals on port days. I got an hour long hot stone massage for about $40, WAY less than the regular price. This usually isn't advertised so I suggest stopping in the spa on the first day of the cruise and asking if they have specials.

Have a great time, enjoy the food, and don't forget to come back and tell us all about it!

 

[ksjayhawks]

This.

I've no personal experience with RC, but the people in my cruising group generally say it's okay.

They have said, however, that they have begun cutting food quality in the general dining rooms in order to push people into the restaurants that have upcharges. The humungous ships (Oasis of the Seas, et al.), in particular, purposely don't have enough space in their buffets (because they want you to go to the "specialty" restaurants with upcharges), and there have been many reports of people having to sit on the floor to eat, or wandering around for half and hour just to find a seat.

We cruise on RC and have never had the experiences that you detail here. Yes, during busy times it can take awhile to find seating, but usually no more than 10 minutes. The specialty restaurants can only accommodate so many people nightly and from what i have seen, most of the time bookings go quickly so there are enough people that want to go to these restaurants that they don't have to push people. We have been on Allure and Oasis and actually have had more luck finding room to sit in their buffets than on the smaller ships.


OP--I would ask Bf more questions about the trip. What is the ship, what is the itinerary? Are any excursions being planned? If so, what are they? Is everyone expected to go on the same excursions? Do they do specialty dining or eat in the main dining room each night? Do they have a set time to eat or dine on the my-time plan? Do they prefer to eat at the buffet? What are the expectations of how much time is spent together?

Most importantly, What are you expected to pay for? You need to know this so that you can make a budget--cruise fare, excursions, tipping on ship and off, non-covered expenses on ship, souveniers, taxi fares, hotel rooms, flights, etc.

I would strongly recommend getting a passport as well.

You will not need nearly as much clothes as you think you do. A good rule of thumb is to put out everything that you think you will need and them remove half of it! There are many examples of packing lists online if you need help. If you are doing the formal night dining, you will need one or two nice outfits. For the other nights, other than the first, you can dress casually--nice pants/skirt and tops or sundresses/dresses. If you coordinate colors, you can mix and match and have lots of options. Wear comfy shoes. If you plan to spend most days around the pool, you will just need 2 or 3 pairs of shorts and tops for sea days and for quick errands around the ship. Take 2 swimsuits. I take excursion clothes--depends on what we do. Shoes--can get very heavy in suitcases. I take as few as possible--ones that I can wear with all my outfits are best. Sandals, swim shoes for the beaches, flip flops for pool, dress shoes for dining. I only take tennis shoes if needed for an excursion.

Take lots of 1's for tipping both on and off the ship. You will need to tip room service if they deliver to your room and may need some money to tip drivers/guides during your excursions. You can tip the workers on the boat through your room account or by giving cash.

I recommend going to cruisecritic.com and checking out the rccl boards. You can also join a trip thread for the week of your cruise and talk with others who are going when you do.

Drinks on the ship can add up quickly. Be sure to check your room account daily so you know where you are. You will need to give a credit card number to set this up.

We like to get our unpacking done before the lifeboat drill so that once that is over we are ready to enjoy the cruise. Keeping what you take to a minimum makes that easy and also makes it quicker to pack the last night of the cruise.

Have fun planning and enjoy your cruise!

 

[mdsoccermom]

I cannot say enough good things about checking out cruise critic!

If you are allowed on your ship and you plan to bring your own wine also bring a corkscrew, some cruise lines charge upwards of $15 per bottle to uncork the wine for you

Don't bring a ton of stuff, space is very limited. Do bring a few over the counter drugs (tylenol, allergy meds, stomach meds, motion sickness, etc), you can get them on the ship but they are expensive.

DH ordered wine with dinner and our sommelier informed us that they will recork and hold the bottle for as long as it takes you to finish it (not sure if all ships do that but it ended up saving over buying wine by the glass). As for food, if you don't like what you are served they will bring you something else. Don't like the menu options? They will make you something else. Want a 4th serving of steak? they will bring it to you.

On cruise critic you will be able to find the recommended gratuities for your cruise, it seems like a lot but it is well worth it (at least it was on Celebrity, we got not so great service on DCL). We also tipped our server extra on the first night in addition to his end of cruise envelope, I am sure that helped with the amazing service we received If you are celebrating anything (birthday, honeymoon, new job) make sure you tell them.

Read the daily activity guide, there is a ton of stuff going on every day!

If you decide not to get off the ship on port days, or for the entire day, the spa usually offers really good deals on port days. I got an hour long hot stone massage for about $40, WAY less than the regular price. This usually isn't advertised so I suggest stopping in the spa on the first day of the cruise and asking if they have specials.

Have a great time, enjoy the food, and don't forget to come back and tell us all about it!

Royal Caribbean now allows 2 bottles of wine per stateroom. The corkage fee is $25.00.