Wife and I are going on our first cruise next month and just looking for a few tips. We had talked about trying one for years and finally found a good deal a few months back, so we booked it. Price wise it is much less than going to our favorite beach for a week, even with tips and excursions factored in. Looking for ideas on what to do and what not to do, for that matter. It is a 7 day cruise visiting Nassau, Grand Turk, and the Dominican Republic. We do like to drink some liquor every now and then but the drink packages are ridiculous. Looks like a lot of people try and smuggle their liquor on board. Not real sure I want to go that route but I'm open to suggestions. Any suggestions on tips for getting any type of room upgrade at the last minute?
Help with First Cruise
- Thread starter klt1986
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I have smuggled some hooch on board.
Never use your debit card its tied right to your bank account. Always use credit or cash. We generally call the credit card company and let them know we will be out of the country and where, so our card does not get frozen due to fraud protection.
When off the boat we never wear flashy jewelry, watches etc. I dress kind of plain. No use making yourself the target of theft. I carry a fake wallet in my usually wallet location, it has dinko cards and a $20, if accosted i hand that over.
Leave one of your credit cards in the ships safe in case you lose one Leave her expensive wedding band at home in the safe and wear a cheap CZ for trips. Same for your ring, cheap stainless off ebay.
Never get drunk off the boat unless you are with a few people who aren't otherwise you could get pick pocketed/robbed, same as in any city.
Cruises are pretty safe, just be aware of your surroundings. I've never had a problem. But i observe the above rules. They apply to almost any trip including major cities.
P.S. I set my phone to airplane mode, unless using it. You don't want any apps costing you some whacky per minute roaming charges.
Never use your debit card its tied right to your bank account. Always use credit or cash. We generally call the credit card company and let them know we will be out of the country and where, so our card does not get frozen due to fraud protection.
When off the boat we never wear flashy jewelry, watches etc. I dress kind of plain. No use making yourself the target of theft. I carry a fake wallet in my usually wallet location, it has dinko cards and a $20, if accosted i hand that over.
Leave one of your credit cards in the ships safe in case you lose one Leave her expensive wedding band at home in the safe and wear a cheap CZ for trips. Same for your ring, cheap stainless off ebay.
Never get drunk off the boat unless you are with a few people who aren't otherwise you could get pick pocketed/robbed, same as in any city.
Cruises are pretty safe, just be aware of your surroundings. I've never had a problem. But i observe the above rules. They apply to almost any trip including major cities.
P.S. I set my phone to airplane mode, unless using it. You don't want any apps costing you some whacky per minute roaming charges.
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gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
My first (civilian) cruise was during our honeymoon a while back. I would have preferred to stay in one city or even travel through a few, but we were convinced by friends to try a cruise. We're not big drinkers, but we like to enjoy a cocktail or two every evening while we're on vacation.
As it turned out, we were disappointed in most regards. The food was just OK, the coffee was terrible (unless you paid more for Starbucks, and this is coming from someone who has been able to drink Great Value grounds from his office coffee mess), and the excursions were all rushed and boring. This was a med cruise, too. To top things off, I ended up getting deathly sick a couple of days before we were to fly home.
More than we nicknamed our ship the Grand Sewer of The Seas, and for good reason...
We're still debating trying a more-local cruise like you mention, but it's very unlikely. I'd honestly rather spend money renting a cabin somewhere away from people and spending the saved money on the best coffee for the morning, delicious craft beers for the evening and whatever we want for each meal.
As it turned out, we were disappointed in most regards. The food was just OK, the coffee was terrible (unless you paid more for Starbucks, and this is coming from someone who has been able to drink Great Value grounds from his office coffee mess), and the excursions were all rushed and boring. This was a med cruise, too. To top things off, I ended up getting deathly sick a couple of days before we were to fly home.
More than we nicknamed our ship the Grand Sewer of The Seas, and for good reason...
We're still debating trying a more-local cruise like you mention, but it's very unlikely. I'd honestly rather spend money renting a cabin somewhere away from people and spending the saved money on the best coffee for the morning, delicious craft beers for the evening and whatever we want for each meal.
PM with some details and I might be able to make some helpful suggestions, although asking before you booked would have been of more help to you.
Like, what ship and what line?
Wife and I have done a couple of dozen cruises on various lines and we find them the ideal winter vacation.
Like, what ship and what line?
Wife and I have done a couple of dozen cruises on various lines and we find them the ideal winter vacation.
Get a room with a balcony, can't imagine sailing without one. Take a travel mug with you. Much easier to walk around with the mug than the little cups at the coffee machine.
Get back to the ship before it leaves port. That's all I got.
Get back to the ship before it leaves port. That's all I got.
Originally Posted by Reggaemon
Get a room with a balcony,
can't imagine sailing without one. Take a travel mug with you. Much easier to walk around with the mug than the little cups at the coffee machine.
Get back to the ship before it leaves port. That's all I got.
THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Get a room with a balcony,
can't imagine sailing without one. Take a travel mug with you. Much easier to walk around with the mug than the little cups at the coffee machine.
Get back to the ship before it leaves port. That's all I got.
THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tell the crew to check the oil levels.
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Tell the crew to check the oil levels.
Or ask them if they will let you?
Tell the crew to check the oil levels.
Or ask them if they will let you?
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
It seems I read about patrons getting sick all the time on these cruises. Hope you-guys remain healthy throughout your vacation.
www.cruisecritic.com has a lot of good tips to make your cruise better.
Mrs. Jimmy and I went on our first cruise last spring, a Carnival 3 day cruise to Nassau and back to Canaveral. Don't try sneaking booze or anything else on the ship. If and when you get caught, it will not be pleasant. Get a balcony room amidships or towards the aft end of the ship. The balcony is really great to sit and relax and a room further away from the bow of the ship will be more comfortable at sea. The walls on the cabin are made of steel, a lot of people buy magnetic hooks to hang things on the wall such as clothes or towels, backpacks, etc. The hooks will come in handy. Sea-Band works for some folks to ward off nausea. It did not do much for me.
The best advice I could give is to go on a better quality cruise line with a better reputation/online reviews. The one we went on was a 3 day cruise, we found out once we were on board it was really a "booze cruise" with a bunch of punks and college kids getting plastered 24/7 and making a lot of noise. The ship had smoking areas that somehow the smoke got into the ventilation system and smelled disgusting. When we got home we had to wash every stitch of clothes we took on the cruise, including our shoes to get the stench out of everything. We had to hose our suitcases and other stuff down with Lysol and air them out on our patio for nearly a week to get the nasty smoke smell out. The cleaning solution the crew used on board had a nasty sick-sweet smell to it. The ship we were on just plain stunk. I will never forget that nauseating smell.
Watch yourself if you go ashore. Keep your head on a swivel and be alert. Plenty of tourists get robbed or worse. The ship we were on had pretty good food, especially in the main dining rooms. The pools and hot tubs were nice when they were not overrun with teenagers and power drinkers, the view on the ocean at sunset and at night was great and it was cool to see other ships out at sea at night with their lights on. It was great to sit on the balcony at night with my wife and just watch the waves and see other ships out at sea.
Mrs. Jimmy and I went on our first cruise last spring, a Carnival 3 day cruise to Nassau and back to Canaveral. Don't try sneaking booze or anything else on the ship. If and when you get caught, it will not be pleasant. Get a balcony room amidships or towards the aft end of the ship. The balcony is really great to sit and relax and a room further away from the bow of the ship will be more comfortable at sea. The walls on the cabin are made of steel, a lot of people buy magnetic hooks to hang things on the wall such as clothes or towels, backpacks, etc. The hooks will come in handy. Sea-Band works for some folks to ward off nausea. It did not do much for me.
The best advice I could give is to go on a better quality cruise line with a better reputation/online reviews. The one we went on was a 3 day cruise, we found out once we were on board it was really a "booze cruise" with a bunch of punks and college kids getting plastered 24/7 and making a lot of noise. The ship had smoking areas that somehow the smoke got into the ventilation system and smelled disgusting. When we got home we had to wash every stitch of clothes we took on the cruise, including our shoes to get the stench out of everything. We had to hose our suitcases and other stuff down with Lysol and air them out on our patio for nearly a week to get the nasty smoke smell out. The cleaning solution the crew used on board had a nasty sick-sweet smell to it. The ship we were on just plain stunk. I will never forget that nauseating smell.
Watch yourself if you go ashore. Keep your head on a swivel and be alert. Plenty of tourists get robbed or worse. The ship we were on had pretty good food, especially in the main dining rooms. The pools and hot tubs were nice when they were not overrun with teenagers and power drinkers, the view on the ocean at sunset and at night was great and it was cool to see other ships out at sea at night with their lights on. It was great to sit on the balcony at night with my wife and just watch the waves and see other ships out at sea.
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Tell the crew to check the oil levels.
Also tell them there are some good rebates on M1 right now.
Tell the crew to check the oil levels.
Also tell them there are some good rebates on M1 right now.
Originally Posted by Jimmy9190
www.cruisecritic.com has a lot of good tips to make your cruise better.
Mrs. Jimmy and I went on our first cruise last spring, a Carnival 3 day cruise to Nassau and back to Canaveral. Don't try sneaking booze or anything else on the ship. If and when you get caught, it will not be pleasant. Get a balcony room amidships or towards the aft end of the ship. The balcony is really great to sit and relax and a room further away from the bow of the ship will be more comfortable at sea. The walls on the cabin are made of steel, a lot of people buy magnetic hooks to hang things on the wall such as clothes or towels, backpacks, etc. The hooks will come in handy. Sea-Band works for some folks to ward off nausea. It did not do much for me.
The best advice I could give is to go on a better quality cruise line with a better reputation/online reviews. The one we went on was a 3 day cruise, we found out once we were on board it was really a "booze cruise" with a bunch of punks and college kids getting plastered 24/7 and making a lot of noise. The ship had smoking areas that somehow the smoke got into the ventilation system and smelled disgusting. When we got home we had to wash every stitch of clothes we took on the cruise, including our shoes to get the stench out of everything. We had to hose our suitcases and other stuff down with Lysol and air them out on our patio for nearly a week to get the nasty smoke smell out. The cleaning solution the crew used on board had a nasty sick-sweet smell to it. The ship we were on just plain stunk. I will never forget that nauseating smell.
Watch yourself if you go ashore. Keep your head on a swivel and be alert. Plenty of tourists get robbed or worse. The ship we were on had pretty good food, especially in the main dining rooms. The pools and hot tubs were nice when they were not overrun with teenagers and power drinkers, the view on the ocean at sunset and at night was great and it was cool to see other ships out at sea at night with their lights on. It was great to sit on the balcony at night with my wife and just watch the waves and see other ships out at sea.
I should have mentioned, i generally don't go during norovirus season. I don't go during spring break. And i never take short cruises. Taking the 7 day cruise weeds out a lot of the drunk college kids and the rednecks due to the price ( although i may resemble one at times but not on trips
).
www.cruisecritic.com has a lot of good tips to make your cruise better.
Mrs. Jimmy and I went on our first cruise last spring, a Carnival 3 day cruise to Nassau and back to Canaveral. Don't try sneaking booze or anything else on the ship. If and when you get caught, it will not be pleasant. Get a balcony room amidships or towards the aft end of the ship. The balcony is really great to sit and relax and a room further away from the bow of the ship will be more comfortable at sea. The walls on the cabin are made of steel, a lot of people buy magnetic hooks to hang things on the wall such as clothes or towels, backpacks, etc. The hooks will come in handy. Sea-Band works for some folks to ward off nausea. It did not do much for me.
The best advice I could give is to go on a better quality cruise line with a better reputation/online reviews. The one we went on was a 3 day cruise, we found out once we were on board it was really a "booze cruise" with a bunch of punks and college kids getting plastered 24/7 and making a lot of noise. The ship had smoking areas that somehow the smoke got into the ventilation system and smelled disgusting. When we got home we had to wash every stitch of clothes we took on the cruise, including our shoes to get the stench out of everything. We had to hose our suitcases and other stuff down with Lysol and air them out on our patio for nearly a week to get the nasty smoke smell out. The cleaning solution the crew used on board had a nasty sick-sweet smell to it. The ship we were on just plain stunk. I will never forget that nauseating smell.
Watch yourself if you go ashore. Keep your head on a swivel and be alert. Plenty of tourists get robbed or worse. The ship we were on had pretty good food, especially in the main dining rooms. The pools and hot tubs were nice when they were not overrun with teenagers and power drinkers, the view on the ocean at sunset and at night was great and it was cool to see other ships out at sea at night with their lights on. It was great to sit on the balcony at night with my wife and just watch the waves and see other ships out at sea.
I should have mentioned, i generally don't go during norovirus season. I don't go during spring break. And i never take short cruises. Taking the 7 day cruise weeds out a lot of the drunk college kids and the rednecks due to the price ( although i may resemble one at times but not on trips
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Just took our first cruise to Cozumel and Progreso Mexico on carnival.
5 day from Galveston, had a great time.
Drink package was too much money for us also. Book your cruise on priceline to get cash back, and onboard ship credit.
We ended up with $150 in credit onboard from priceline and $86 in bucks for doing the ebates clickthrough.
We purchased both shore excursions from shore excursioner website not carnival, and paid about 40 percent less than Carnival.
Food was good, we are booking again for the fall.
5 day from Galveston, had a great time.
Drink package was too much money for us also. Book your cruise on priceline to get cash back, and onboard ship credit.
We ended up with $150 in credit onboard from priceline and $86 in bucks for doing the ebates clickthrough.
We purchased both shore excursions from shore excursioner website not carnival, and paid about 40 percent less than Carnival.
Food was good, we are booking again for the fall.
Make sure you know the cost of everything before you agree to anything especially in Nassau. The hair braiders that yell "let us braid your hair pretty lady" at the port will estimate $40 or so to braid your wife's hair and it'll turn into $200 because there was so much hair after they're done. Ask me how I know.
Originally Posted by tvaughn0712
Make sure you know the cost of everything before you agree to anything especially in Nassau. The hair braiders that yell "let us braid your hair pretty lady" at the port will estimate $40 or so to braid your wife's hair and it'll turn into $200 because there was so much hair after they're done. Ask me how I know.
Scams in Nassau are huge.
However, My daughter (8 years old) and I rented a 150cc Chinese scooter (I was pretty impressed with it) for $50 for 6 hours -
probably some of the best money I ever spent. We explored the whole entire island, found a bunch of private beach spaces, and just had a blast.
Make sure you know the cost of everything before you agree to anything especially in Nassau. The hair braiders that yell "let us braid your hair pretty lady" at the port will estimate $40 or so to braid your wife's hair and it'll turn into $200 because there was so much hair after they're done. Ask me how I know.
Scams in Nassau are huge.
However, My daughter (8 years old) and I rented a 150cc Chinese scooter (I was pretty impressed with it) for $50 for 6 hours -
probably some of the best money I ever spent. We explored the whole entire island, found a bunch of private beach spaces, and just had a blast.
We like inside cabins cause we're seldom in the room. Low and in the middle of the ship. Avoid spring vacation with drunken kids. If you don't have kids avoid summer. Avoid drink packages. Norovirus will make news but many all inclusive are Noro hotspots but you'll never hear because who follows Dominican Republic news? Six Carnival, two Princess. Never a bad time.
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Originally Posted by JustinH
Just took our first cruise to Cozumel and Progreso Mexico on carnival.
5 day from Galveston, had a great time.
Drink package was too much money for us also. Book your cruise on priceline to get cash back, and onboard ship credit.
We ended up with $150 in credit onboard from priceline and $86 in bucks for doing the ebates clickthrough.
We purchased both shore excursions from shore excursioner website not carnival, and paid about 40 percent less than Carnival.
Food was good, we are booking again for the fall.
Tour to Merida is better than hanging out in Progresso. Very nice, working (not like Cozomel or Cancun) Mexican city. One of my favorite day trips.
Just took our first cruise to Cozumel and Progreso Mexico on carnival.
5 day from Galveston, had a great time.
Drink package was too much money for us also. Book your cruise on priceline to get cash back, and onboard ship credit.
We ended up with $150 in credit onboard from priceline and $86 in bucks for doing the ebates clickthrough.
We purchased both shore excursions from shore excursioner website not carnival, and paid about 40 percent less than Carnival.
Food was good, we are booking again for the fall.
Tour to Merida is better than hanging out in Progresso. Very nice, working (not like Cozomel or Cancun) Mexican city. One of my favorite day trips.
Thanks for the tips and suggestions thus far. We do have excursions planned for each stop that we purchased through Carnival. I know we could have saved some by booking these ourselves but the times and transportation to and from were guaranteed, plus we felt a little safer going this route. If we like it and decide to do another one, then we may venture out a little more next time.
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