Tips/Suggestions for 1st Timer

[Kirby]

We considering booking an Alaskan cruise for our 35th anniversary August 2016. We've never been on a cruise before. Do you have any tips or suggestions for us?

I was looking at the "what to bring" section on the RC site and it said to bring two sets of informal attire and one set formal attire for dinner. Is that mandatory?

As far as getting to the port, what do you suggest?

 

[bumbershoot]

Royal doesn't require formal night clothing, but it sure is pretty to see everyone dressed up. We've found that clothing that fits well is essential for feeling good while dressed up.

Getting to the port depends on where you'll be beforehand. If you're staying in downtown Vancouver (or Seattle, not sure where royal is sailing from next summer) it should all be pretty easy.

gosh I don't even know where to start for someone's first cruise. Read read read! Read the message boards and articles (remembering that some of them are older and out of date, just like wdwinfo articles) on www.cruisecritic.com.

 

[ronandannette]

Royal doesn't require formal night clothing, but it sure is pretty to see everyone dressed up. We've found that clothing that fits well is essential for feeling good while dressed up.

Getting to the port depends on where you'll be beforehand. If you're staying in downtown Vancouver (or Seattle, not sure where royal is sailing from next summer) it should all be pretty easy.

gosh I don't even know where to start for someone's first cruise. Read read read! Read the message boards and articles (remembering that some of them are older and out of date, just like wdwinfo articles) on www.cruisecritic.com.

This is a really great point. Many things in the cruise industry have changed a lot over the past few years and are now constantly in a state of flux. Things like what dining options a ship has, what things are included in the price and what are extra, different services, activities or types of entertainment that used to be available and now are not, the specific conditions/situation in any given port - too many things to even be able to start making a list. Any trip report you read, even one from this current season may not accurately reflect what you'll experience next year, so don't build an expectation around very specific details. As a first time cruiser, I'd actually almost encourage you NOT to over-research or over-plan. Get the general gist and then prepare to be delighted; it's much better than having a distinct vision of how things "should" be and then becoming disappointed by any deviations.

With RCCL, it's also super-important to realize that the ships themselves vary wildly in what they are like and what they offer on board in terms of facilities, activities, entertainment, etc. The mega-ships of the Freedom, Oasis and Quantum class that are so massively hyped on the website are NOTHING like the Radiance and Vision class ships that you will find in Alaska.

We're going to Alaska on the Radiance of the Seas ourselves in about a month. We expect to thoroughly enjoy our vacation but are not wildly excited about either the destination or ship - it's basically just a get-away that fit our budget and time constraints. (We've taken many cruise vacations and certain aspects have become sort of mundane, although pleasant enough. We surely did LOVE our first four or five, though .)

Regarding your question about transportation, I always think first-timers are best off using the easy approach of taking the cruiseline transfers. You can purchase in advance on the website and they will meet you at the airport when you arrive. (If you're staying over the night before, this obviously doesn't apply). The same thing also goes for excursions in port, and for Alaska, I've researched doing things independently and have found there will NOT be huge cost savings. Booking all this through the ship gives you a sort of controlled, stress-free experience that some "newbies" really appreciate. Good Luck with your planning (and congratulations on your milestone Anniversary!).

 

[Laz]

For your very first cruise, you may want to consider using a TA that is experienced in cruising (no, I am not a TA). They can answer many of those first time questions and suggest options that long time cruisers take for granted. Also, When you book, the RCCL website has a time line that make suggestions on what to do when before the cruise.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

You ay also want to take a look at the New Cruisers/First Time cruisers forum on Cruise Critic.

 

[ksjayhawks]

Once you book your cruise, join the roll call for that cruise on cruise critics. Don't be afraid to ask questions on the boards over there, you will get lots of good answers. Find sample cruise newsletters to look at.

Tips--put out all the clothes you think you will need and then remove half; coordinate your clothes so you'll need less; take shoes that go with multiple outfits; pack two swimsuits; take a power bar; highlighters for marking on the newsletters; an envelope to hold receipts and such; a nightlight for the bathroom; backpack for excursions; dollar bills for room service tips; waterproof dry box to hold key cards, money, etc at pool; over the door hanger (some people swear by these); water bottles; small first aid kit with the basics; seasickness medication if you need it; sunscreen; we take sticky notes for writing notes to each other or to the room attendant. This is what I can think of right now.

Also--choose your excursions and book them; book specialty restaurants if you wish to eat in them; make a rough plan of how your day will look (excursions, shows, meal times, activities, etc), but leave room for what comes up/looks like fun that day. Take lots of pictures. Put your phones away and relax and enjoy!

To get to port--taxi or shuttle. You can also arrive midmorning so you can board sooner and enjoy lunch onboard. Pack a swimsuit in your carryon if you want to swim/sit by pool and a change of clothes and some toiletries as your luggage may take a few hours to get to your room the first day.

 

[xlxo]

We considering booking an Alaskan cruise for our 35th anniversary August 2016. We've never been on a cruise before. Do you have any tips or suggestions for us?

As far as getting to the port, what do you suggest?

Hmm... some thoughts...

• Vancouver is a bonus port.... budget extra days pre and post cruise. Often people make the mistake not realizing Vancouver is bigger than all the Alaskan ports combined. Do you like Asian foods? Lots of Asian restaurants to sample... it's like a free ticket to the Orient.
• Pan Pacific is the most popular hotel choice.... but you can save significant money for extra days in Vancouver by choosing hotels a few blocks away
• download the Navigator app before getting on the boat. This is your day planner and likely a communicator with others on the ship
• do the kids like character pictures? get them trained thinking on which character pictures to take... or go for them all to build their collection. Don't forget the bonus picture when waiting at the terminal to board.
• which August 2016 sailing are you on? We can identify some season opportunities...
• some like to show up for a late embarkation to avoid the terminal congestion.... I like to be early to ensure a chance at the lunch trough that I paid for. Being on board early allows you to sign up for ticketed events before they sell out.
• have you considered your dining time? Most prefer the early dining as it's closer to their regular feeding time. I prefer the late dining that is more relaxed and I don't get food stains on my clothes. Late dining also means late breakfast so you can relax in the restaurant while your debarkation time comes up
• flying to Vancouver is the simpliest, flying to Seattle will offer savings, but you need to budget for the extra $50 shuttle to get to Vancouver. For some... you can fly into Vancouver and depart from Seattle to maximize your experience. Some make a pitstop in Victoria before going to Seattle. You can even Orca whale watch your way to Seattle.
• start thinking about your port excursions.... marine and flight tours are the first to sellout.

 

[xlxo]

take a power bar

Hope you are not referring to the electrical version... they are a no-no on DCL.

 

[Kirby]

Thank you for your tips/suggestions! I'll definitely take a look at Cruise Critic.

 

[SA mom]

We just returned from our first cruise so I know what you're going through. We cruised with my in-laws who probably cruise 3 times a year. A few things people told us to take: a battery powered clock, lanyards to hold your Seapass (the key card), cocktail attire (instead of formal). There were other things, but we were cruising the Caribbean so we needed swim stuff.

What I wished we had taken: a battery powered clock (instead of plug in) and plastic baggies (to take snacks on excursions). I also wished we had booked an excursion with the cruise line in Grand Cayman because it is a tender port (have to get on small boat to get to pier) and it took forever to get ashore if you didn't have something booked.

Cruise Critic is awesome and everyone is so helpful.

 

[SA mom]

Another thing that I never read anywhere but wished I had done: bring something nice but elastic to wear that last formal nice. My skirt got a little tight!

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Another thing that I never read anywhere but wished I had done: bring something nice but elastic to wear that last formal nice. My skirt got a little tight!

Learned this the hard way on our first cruise: Extended exposure to sea air on cruise ships shrinks clothes (about six pounds worth)

 

[Kirby]

We just returned from our first cruise so I know what you're going through. We cruised with my in-laws who probably cruise 3 times a year. A few things people told us to take: a battery powered clock, lanyards to hold your Seapass (the key card), cocktail attire (instead of formal). There were other things, but we were cruising the Caribbean so we needed swim stuff.

What I wished we had taken: a battery powered clock (instead of plug in) and plastic baggies (to take snacks on excursions). I also wished we had booked an excursion with the cruise line in Grand Cayman because it is a tender port (have to get on small boat to get to pier) and it took forever to get ashore if you didn't have something booked.

Cruise Critic is awesome and everyone is so helpful.

I would never have thought of a clock. I was wondering if I should take a purse or not. I'm guessing the lanyard would hold anything that we would need? We don't have anything fancier than church clothes.

Another thing that I never read anywhere but wished I had done: bring something nice but elastic to wear that last formal nice. My skirt got a little tight!

Learned this the hard way on our first cruise: Extended exposure to sea air on cruise ships shrinks clothes (about six pounds worth)

I'll definitely take something I can "expand" in.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

I would never have thought of a clock. I was wondering if I should take a purse or not. I'm guessing the lanyard would hold anything that we would need? We don't have anything fancier than church clothes.




I'll definitely take something I can "expand" in.

Church clothes would be fine for dinner on the formal nights (and pictures). As for a purse, once you're on board, everything is "cashless", so all you need is your sea pass card (room key). If you are doing excursions and normally carry a purse, a small purse would be good. DW never carries a purse, so when we do excursions she just puts her sea pass card, drivers license, credit card and a bit of cash in her pocket, and she's good to go. One suggestion that I've never seen on these boards that we always do whenever we get off the ship is to leave all of the jewelry in the room safe.

 

[Kirby]

Church clothes would be fine for dinner on the formal nights (and pictures). As for a purse, once you're on board, everything is "cashless", so all you need is your sea pass card (room key). If you are doing excursions and normally carry a purse, a small purse would be good. DW never carries a purse, so when we do excursions she just puts her sea pass card, drivers license, credit card and a bit of cash in her pocket, and she's good to go. One suggestion that I've never seen on these boards that we always do whenever we get off the ship is to leave all of the jewelry in the room safe.

Good to know about the clothes! I'm a put it all in my pockets type of gal but also have a very small crossbody purse that would work too. And the fact about jewelry, never would have thought of that.