What I’d do differently...

[Dolewhipt]

Just finished my first cruise (Dream) and it was amazing. If it helps a fellow lurker, here’s what I’d do differently on our next cruise:

1. I’ve been told that one doesn’t even feel the ocean on big ships. This is not true. You feel it. I’m not prone to motion sickness but I was sick on the first and last night. Not puking or bedridden, but definitely had to leave dining room for air. Get that ear patch thing. I don’t think the wristbands did anything.

2. The food was better than expected. But for the love of tastebuds, don’t order the noodle dish on Pirate night. Gross flavorless ramen with sad little tofu squares. The mushroom ravioli was also terrible. The tastiest thing we ate was an ahi appetizer—absolutely delicious. Steak was good, jerk chicken was good. All desserts very good. Room service BLT was really surprisingly good for such a basic sort of thing. Dole Whip with Rum is not as delicious as those they sell at Disneyland hotel in CA (not sure why, as I thought it was some sort of pre-fab mix?) but still yummy.

3. I wish we’d played the Detective Agency on the first day. My son (9) had no interest, but my daughter (7) and I played it on the day at sea and saw areas of the ship we’d somehow missed to that point. It’s very well-done and worth a quick play through.

4. I’d skip the Halloween costumes next time. Extra packing and the Halloween party (though nicely done) didn’t really do it for my family. Pirate night, however, was really fun.

5. I’d book a longer cruise next time. I was worried I’d be bored on a cruise, so we did 4 days. At least one more day would have been nice. Next time, I want 2 days at Castaway Cay—so clean, so fun!

 

[starvenger]

1. Truth. I’ve felt ships rolling even on RCI’s Oasis class. But with that said, it feels like ships have much less movement than they used to.

3. First day can be problematic, as it can feel like everyone is wandering around the ship. But yeah, exploring as early as possible is never a bad thing.

4. If I ever do DCL again and it’s hallowe’en season I’m bringing my Lucha mask and that’s it.

5. I think you’ve caught the cruising bug. Congratulations and I’m sorry.

 

[mevelandry]

1. My first night on a DCL cruise was ruined by motion sickness. Since then , I've always brought ginger pills and motion sickness meds.

4. In my upcoming (non-DCL) cruise, there will be a Halloween night & DH and I have found the perfect halloween costumes: we are bringing pajamas and slippers and we are (publicly) going to spend the whole evening in our pajamas!

5. Yeah. I recently came to that conclusion too. I have a 3 nights planned for 2019 with a stay in Universal. And here I am worrying that the 3 nights is going to be too short! (That being said, I am the type of people who gets into "vacation mode" extremely fast so a 3 nights is much better than no cruise at all!)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Just finished my first cruise (Dream) and it was amazing. If it helps a fellow lurker, here’s what I’d do differently on our next cruise:

1. I’ve been told that one doesn’t even feel the ocean on big ships. This is not true. You feel it. I’m not prone to motion sickness but I was sick on the first and last night. Not puking or bedridden, but definitely had to leave dining room for air. Get that ear patch thing. I don’t think the wristbands did anything.

2. The food was better than expected. But for the love of tastebuds, don’t order the noodle dish on Pirate night. Gross flavorless ramen with sad little tofu squares. The mushroom ravioli was also terrible. The tastiest thing we ate was an ahi appetizer—absolutely delicious. Steak was good, jerk chicken was good. All desserts very good. Room service BLT was really surprisingly good for such a basic sort of thing. Dole Whip with Rum is not as delicious as those they sell at Disneyland hotel in CA (not sure why, as I thought it was some sort of pre-fab mix?) but still yummy.

3. I wish we’d played the Detective Agency on the first day. My son (9) had no interest, but my daughter (7) and I played it on the day at sea and saw areas of the ship we’d somehow missed to that point. It’s very well-done and worth a quick play through.

4. I’d skip the Halloween costumes next time. Extra packing and the Halloween party (though nicely done) didn’t really do it for my family. Pirate night, however, was really fun.

5. I’d book a longer cruise next time. I was worried I’d be bored on a cruise, so we did 4 days. At least one more day would have been nice. Next time, I want 2 days at Castaway Cay—so clean, so fun!

1. I'd be cautious about doing a blanket recommendation for the patch. It's pretty powerful and does have side effects. Typically the first & last nights of a cruise are the worst (when the ship is crossing the current). Many people (including my husband, who previously used the patch) feel the sea bands do work.

5. Yeah, in my books, longer is always better.

 

[lklgoodman]

I love your pj's for Halloween, Mevelandry!!

 

[Shanti]

Just finished my first cruise (Dream) and it was amazing. If it helps a fellow lurker, here’s what I’d do differently on our next cruise:

1. I’ve been told that one doesn’t even feel the ocean on big ships. This is not true. You feel it. I’m not prone to motion sickness but I was sick on the first and last night. Not puking or bedridden, but definitely had to leave dining room for air. Get that ear patch thing. I don’t think the wristbands did anything.

2. The food was better than expected. But for the love of tastebuds, don’t order the noodle dish on Pirate night. Gross flavorless ramen with sad little tofu squares. The mushroom ravioli was also terrible. The tastiest thing we ate was an ahi appetizer—absolutely delicious. Steak was good, jerk chicken was good. All desserts very good. Room service BLT was really surprisingly good for such a basic sort of thing. Dole Whip with Rum is not as delicious as those they sell at Disneyland hotel in CA (not sure why, as I thought it was some sort of pre-fab mix?) but still yummy.

3. I wish we’d played the Detective Agency on the first day. My son (9) had no interest, but my daughter (7) and I played it on the day at sea and saw areas of the ship we’d somehow missed to that point. It’s very well-done and worth a quick play through.

4. I’d skip the Halloween costumes next time. Extra packing and the Halloween party (though nicely done) didn’t really do it for my family. Pirate night, however, was really fun.

5. I’d book a longer cruise next time. I was worried I’d be bored on a cruise, so we did 4 days. At least one more day would have been nice. Next time, I want 2 days at Castaway Cay—so clean, so fun!

Agree with you about Castaway Cay. It's the best! Pretty, clean, laid-back, lots to do...

 

[Dolewhipt]

1. I'd be cautious about doing a blanket recommendation for the patch. It's pretty powerful and does have side effects. Typically the first & last nights of a cruise are the worst (when the ship is crossing the current). Many people (including my husband, who previously used the patch) feel the sea bands do work.

5. Yeah, in my books, longer is always better.

Yeah, I haven’t actually tried the patch, so I shouldn’t recommend, lol.

And yes I’ve caught the cruising bug (not norovirus, the happy cruising bug!) I bought the romance package with the robes and I’m glad I have a nice souvenir of our fun trip

 

[mevelandry]

I love your pj's for Halloween, Mevelandry!!

Thank you. I went for the funniest pajama I have found: pants are grey with pink flamingos & a pink top. I'm going to be soooo comfortable for Halloween!

 

[xiphoid76]

Just finished my first cruise (Dream) and it was amazing. If it helps a fellow lurker, here’s what I’d do differently on our next cruise:

1. I’ve been told that one doesn’t even feel the ocean on big ships. This is not true. You feel it. I’m not prone to motion sickness but I was sick on the first and last night. Not puking or bedridden, but definitely had to leave dining room for air. Get that ear patch thing. I don’t think the wristbands did anything.

Very true - I like the patch, my husband uses non-drowsy dramamine as needed. Many times the seas are nice, but you can still get motion sick!

2. The food was better than expected. But for the love of tastebuds, don’t order the noodle dish on Pirate night. Gross flavorless ramen with sad little tofu squares. The mushroom ravioli was also terrible. The tastiest thing we ate was an ahi appetizer—absolutely delicious. Steak was good, jerk chicken was good. All desserts very good. Room service BLT was really surprisingly good for such a basic sort of thing. Dole Whip with Rum is not as delicious as those they sell at Disneyland hotel in CA (not sure why, as I thought it was some sort of pre-fab mix?) but still yummy.

I think the food is very good as well - although its funny - that noodle dish on pirate night with the tofu is one of my favorite dishes :0 Room service is a must for us - a Mickey ice cream bar is always a nice treat

 

[WanderlustNZ]

5. I’d book a longer cruise next time.

Be warned. Before you know it, even 5 days won’t be enough and you won’t book anything less than 7.

My theory/experience is that true cruise ship relaxation doesn’t hit until about day 3 or 4. It’s that moment where you’ve familiarised yourself with the day to day running of the ship and port protocol and your mind and body start to completely wind down.

The rude awakening then happens on the last full day when you get the note about disembarkation and packing up your bags to place outside your cabin, and suddenly you’re acutely aware that the end is near.
The longer the stretch between day 3 and this day the better.

My next cruise is 2 weeks long and there is a real fear that I will no longer be satisfied by my usual 7 days. That and the fear of just how much weight I’m going to put on.

 

[lklgoodman]

As a HUGE football fan(both NFL and college) I now make sure I don't book a cruise in early Jan. My dh was a little bit miffed when I wanted to watch games instead of doing stuff on the ship.

I never had trouble with seasickness on our first 2 cruises, however on our last 2 I got sick twice on each. I used bonine, seabands, motioneaze, and ginger candy. None helped, so I'm hoping to try the patch for our next cruise. I was diagnosed with glaucoma, so not sure if I'll be able to use the patch though.

 

[cruiser21]

Non cruisers always ask me if you feel the motion of the big boats. My answer is it depends on the seas. I’ve been in 20 foot swells. There’s no way your not going to feel that. It always seems like such a silly question to me because the ocean swells vary on every cruise.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

1. I highly recommend the acupuncture pressure points patches!!!

2. My husband loves the food. I am okay with it. But we both love to eat so our motto (and we have the shirt to prove it) is cruise, eat, cruise more.

6. (which was not included in the first 5 of the original post) -- always pack less than you think that you need.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

1. My first night on a DCL cruise was ruined by motion sickness. Since then , I've always brought ginger pills and motion sickness meds.

It took me 2 or 3 cruises to realize I needed something for motion sickness. The worst was the 1st and last night, because the ship is moving faster. So, the 2nd cruise we took, years ago, I was so very sick by dinner time. I considered not going to dinner, but sucked it up and at least I could be there with the family while they ate, even if I couldn't. Well, we had an assistant server who was miserable! The server was so nice and understood I was sick and didn't want to order any food. The assistant server was trying to suck up to us, and I don't think she understood my situation. She asked what I wanted to drink and told her nothing for me, I wasn't feeling well. She instisted she bring me something. After more than a few refusals, I ordered a diet coke to shut her up. I then did not drink it. I didn't want it to begin with. She flipped out! She was so mad that I didn't drink it. Huffing and puffing, "why did you have me get you a drink if you not even drink?" She was Russian I believe, so she may not have understood why I was refusing in the 1st place. My DH, who is extremely laid back, let her have it. It upset me so much, I left and we have never done this before, but we reported her to the head server. We had a different assistant server the rest of the cruise.

I have since made sure I get the transderm patch from my Dr every time we cruise. It makes a HUGE difference. Not only can I go to dinner on the 1st night, I can EAT!!! Side effects were blurred vision,(bad, could not read a thing!) but that doesn't matter anymore since I now need reading glasses. And feeling a little tipsy the 1st 24 hours or so. The way I explained it to my husband, it's like I'm drunk (I don't drink)and need to concentrate on walking in a straight line.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

1. I'd be cautious about doing a blanket recommendation for the patch. It's pretty powerful and does have side effects. Typically the first & last nights of a cruise are the worst (when the ship is crossing the current). Many people (including my husband, who previously used the patch) feel the sea bands do work.

Good advice. Patch made me SICK SICK SICK. Throwing up sick. Completely out of it sick. Disorientated for hours.

5. Yeah, in my books, longer is always better.

 

[cruiser21]

I was seated with a family on the Fantasy that all had patches on. It was their first cruise. The seas were dead calm all 7 days and they were sick off and on the whole cruise. Now hearing from some of you I'm thinking it was the patch. My mother in law used the patch on a cruise and was fine on the cruise, but got super sick when she got home and took it off. She now uses meclizine and is fine. I generally don't need anything unless the seas are really, really rough. The regular drowsy form of Dramamine is the only thing that works for me.

 

[starvenger]

Yeah, I haven’t actually tried the patch, so I shouldn’t recommend, lol.

And yes I’ve caught the cruising bug (not norovirus, the happy cruising bug!) I bought the romance package with the robes and I’m glad I have a nice souvenir of our fun trip

 

[cyclenut]

I usually describe the feeling of cruising to people who have not been on by telling them they won't feel the ship move "that much". You definitely know you are on a ship on the water, but it is nothing like you may have experienced on a small boat. It's typically more of a gentle rocking, unless there are rough seas. Then all bets are off. I feel as though describing it like this provides context for them to refer back to. I am fortunate in that I have never had a problem with motion sickness, but my wife does. She usually takes Dramamine the day before and the first day but doesn't typically need it again, once she gets her "sea legs".

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise. Agree that 4 days is the minimum but longer is better. I actually think 7 day is ideal.

 

[mevelandry]

It took me 2 or 3 cruises to realize I needed something for motion sickness. The worst was the 1st and last night, because the ship is moving faster. So, the 2nd cruise we took, years ago, I was so very sick by dinner time. I considered not going to dinner, but sucked it up and at least I could be there with the family while they ate, even if I couldn't. Well, we had an assistant server who was miserable! The server was so nice and understood I was sick and didn't want to order any food. The assistant server was trying to suck up to us, and I don't think she understood my situation. She asked what I wanted to drink and told her nothing for me, I wasn't feeling well. She instisted she bring me something. After more than a few refusals, I ordered a diet coke to shut her up. I then did not drink it. I didn't want it to begin with. She flipped out! She was so mad that I didn't drink it. Huffing and puffing, "why did you have me get you a drink if you not even drink?" She was Russian I believe, so she may not have understood why I was refusing in the 1st place. My DH, who is extremely laid back, let her have it. It upset me so much, I left and we have never done this before, but we reported her to the head server. We had a different assistant server the rest of the cruise.

I have since made sure I get the transderm patch from my Dr every time we cruise. It makes a HUGE difference. Not only can I go to dinner on the 1st night, I can EAT!!! Side effects were blurred vision,(bad, could not read a thing!) but that doesn't matter anymore since I now need reading glasses. And feeling a little tipsy the 1st 24 hours or so. The way I explained it to my husband, it's like I'm drunk (I don't drink)and need to concentrate on walking in a straight line.

Yeah, our server was really rude the night I was not feeling well. It was completely the opposite of the "amazing service" I kept hearing about. The rest of our 3 nights cruise, we dined at Palo and Remy...

I'm a big fan of my ginger tablets. They work very well for me and I keep the dimenhydrate for rough seas.

 

[dclpluto]

Yes for your first cruise or any cruise a 4 night cruise is way too short. On my first cruise it was a short 7 night cruise. On my second it was a 14 night cruise. On my third it was a 15 night. On my fourth it was a 12 not dcl. After that I thought 7 would be enough. I was wrong. So my sixth was a 10 night. My seventh and eight was a 4 night than 2 nights at wdw than a 7 night. They were two short cruises but didn’t feel that way because they were close together. My 9th and 10 was a 13 night b2b. After that I was ok to go back to 7 night cruises had a couple more over 10 nights since than but most have been 7. One was a very short one just so I can say I been on the dream.