arendale1

I have been a member of TravelTalkOnline/British Virgin Islands for ten years. That's always how we have traveled. Had fabulous discussions from people all over the world. There were no criticisms on peoples' posts- their context or their format. It must have been a smaller group than this forum with less rules.

 

At any rate, I suppose there will always be nice, non judgmental people everywhere who just want to help. And people who just can't help but stand in judgement. Way of the world and it is what it is. I would imagine that every question ever asked on this forum has been answered previously at some point if people took the time to dig. I will go that route moving forward.

 

Interesting that you have to go through an administrator to both delete a text and delete a membership. I wonder why they make it so difficult.

 

Thank you again to those who answered my questions nicely and informatively It was helpful and an interesting experience.

I am also new to cruising and as we are off on our first cruise in 2 days, have also been asking lots of questions that to most on here may be obvious.

The thing is, if we all just search our queries, then surely there would be hardly any new posts on here? My other thought is that different people reply all the time, so varying advice and help will be given.

I am also a member of a very large UK based holiday forum, and mostly it is great, but as in the general population, there will always be some who are a little more abrupt ;) with their replies.

Saying that, I don't think anyone has been unkind on this thread, just trying to give their opinion on a better way to get answers.

Hope you have s fab first cruise - it's not nice feeling clueless, but it's also exciting experiencing something new.

Hi, only 2 days until our cruise, so busy sorting and packing atm.

A quick question - for small items of luggage, backpacks etc that we want to hold on to, is there anything that can't be put into these, that must be packed in the checked in cases? And vice versa?

Having never cruised, we are used to airports and the prohibition of liquids over 100ml etc, so would like to be prepared.

TIA :)

Brrrrrr. Interesting list, no desire for a slightly warmer itinerary

Haha! I do like a bit of sun and warmth (have done Egypt, Vegas, LA, Florida and the Med all in the summer months). But for cruising, I think the scenery and views on my to do list, just can't be beaten.

The Caribbean and Med cruises just don't interest any of my family tbh, as lovely as I'm sure they are. :)

Thank you all so much for all the info - I feel so much more prepared when knowing what to expect and how it all works.

Can I just ask, what time does breakfast start in the Windjammer and MDR? We are thinking it will be quieter if we go early, is this correct?

There are lots of places I still want to visit in the world, but only three cruises that are on my list:

Norwegian fjords

Alaska

Antarctica

I have never cruised before, but next week am off on Explorer to visit the fjords, so one down, two to go. :)

With only a week to go until our first ever cruise, I have a few queries.

Embarkation - we are driving to Southampton and have prebooked parking. After parking up, what is the procedure? When are our bags taken etc?

Muster drill - what does the involve? We have a teen with autism, and a 10 year old with sensory issues (loud noise being one issue), so would like to be as prepared as possible.

Dining - can we eat in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch, if so do we have to book? Do we sit at a specific table?

Drinks packages - we have soda packages for the kids, beer/wine for us, how does this work? Do we show our pass? Can we order drinks from our packages whilst in the dining room?

Port days - what is the procedure for getting off/on? Are the restaurants open whilst in port?

Activities/shows - how do these work? If we want to do any of them, do we have to book?

Disembarkation - is there a set time? What is the procedure?

TIA from a clueless poster. :)

How did you get my hair on your head???

Haha! As I've never been to Texas (unless flying over it counts), I have no idea how your hair got on my head. Did you bring it over? ;)

My hair is very fine, and not curly or straight. It's straight at the top, then waves/curls at the bottom - strange hair. It never stays really straight (unless I dont leave the house), it ends up wavy in parts. I couldn't leave it natural, it's a real mess!

I use GHDs at home, it takes no more than a couple of minutes each morning. As it's so fine, I use the slim straighteners. On holiday I take my cheapie pair, Philips ones I think. They're not as good, but do the job and if anything were to happen to them, I wouldn't be too bothered.

Thank you!

Wrinkled clothes I can live with, but not my hair without straighteners lol!

Hi, are hair straighteners allowed onboard?

Which items are prohibited? I read something about travel irons. :confused:

Correct.

 

If you register a credit card then it will automatically be charged the last morning.

 

If you do not register a credit card then you have a cash account. You do not need to (but you can) put any money down up front. They will let you charge up to $500 before asking you to pay it down.

Thank you, I'd best get some dollars ordered, I think the conversion rate is good atm. :)

You don't need to register a credit card, whether you put cash up front or not.

So, if we choose cash we don't have to register a credit card at all? Whether we choose to leave cash up front or not?

I'm just trying to sort everything, as our cruise is in just over a week.

The ship operates on a cashless system -- they give each passenger a card. This card opens your cabin door. It also is used to purchase anything on the ship. These purchases are ultimately charged to whatever method you have set up to pay for your purchases -- ie. purchases deduct from any cash you may have already given them or it adds up to an amount they will charge your credit card at the end of the cruise.

Thank you - very helpful. So, if I put cash on the account up front, I don't need to register a credit card at all?

If you have a cash account, and you settle up on the last evening, you can no longer charge anything. That is one of the advantages of having a credit card account: no need to settle up and your charging ability does not get turned off.

Ok that's great - thank you for all your help. :)

No, you will get the final itemized bill early on the last morning.

 

However, when you go to Guest Services on the last night (or any other time for that matter), you can ask for a printout of your itemized bill.

I see, so what would happen if I settled the bill the last evening, then spent some more money? Another trip to guest services on the final morning?

Royal lets you charge up to $500 before they ask you to pay down the account. No upfront cash needed.

 

We have never seen any holds put on our credit card.

So if we spent $500 or less, then we'd just settle up at the end? This is actual cash isn't it, rather than a debit card? It's confusing as I keep reading that the ship operates a cashless system. :confused:

Thank you clarea, that sounds better than having to do it on the last morning.

Is the last evening when we'll get an itemised bill?

Thank you for the replies.

Barnet - I would want to put some cash on upfront on boarding, is there a minimum amount requested? Also, it is actual cash, not a debit card used?

If we do this and then need to use a credit card to settle any amounts outstanding, does the card have to ge registered up front? Would we go to guest services on the morning of disembarking, or the evening before?

We've never cruised before, so have no idea how it all works.

Hi, I've just completed online check in for my upcoming cruise, and filled out the credit card details for onboard spending.

However I would much rather have a cash account to be used for all of my family. How does this work - do we pay onboard as soon as we board? How much do I need to pay upfront? Can I pay some on to each account, so the kids have their own spends? Or do I put it all against my account and link everyone's seapass card to it?

If I do register a credit card, how much is used as a 'hold' amount?

Thanks in advance :)

We are sailing on Explorer on 23rd May, so not long now.

We are a family of 5 with a special needs teen (autism) and it is our first ever cruise. I will admit that the reviews have made me worry, although I know that people are more likely to post about the negatives, rather than when everything goes well.

I really hope this holiday is all we've been hoping for, our children are so excited, I just worry that we are going to be let down.

Once again, thank you for all your replies and taking the time to explain things. I have found your replies very helpful and feel a little less stressed about it. :)

Regarding tipping in the UK and Europe - as already mentioned it is not compulsory here. I have been to the US a couple of times so understand how tipping works there. Here in the UK tipping is totally optional, it is appreciated, but not expected. Personally, unless I have had a poor service or meal, then I like to leave a tip at a table service meal, usually around 10%. I do this in other European countries too. Some people don't tip at all, some less, some more - it's really your choice and servers aren't offended either way.

Thank you Barnaby - I will have a look at the roll call. :)

We always use either cash or a credit card in port. We have only need sailed the Caribbean and they've accepted USD. I don't know about the Fjords.

 

It'll be obvious if there's a charge for items on board. You will always sign a slip. Sea pass for everyone. I believe you can put a cap on the children's limit, but I don't know 100%. Someone else will for sure.

Dining room attire is a hot topic. Yes, we wear jeans and a nice top. We don't participate in formal night. No shorts. Just dress like you would at a nice restaurant back home.

Great thank you - hubby has to dress smart for work every day, so on holiday he likes to dress down a little.

You should also discuss the muster drill with the special needs department. It is the lifeboat safety drill that is conducted prior to sailing and is required for all to attend. Your family will need to go to your assigned muster station and it is very crowded and also very loud when they sound the emergency signal. They do offer a special muster if that is something your teen would need.

This is really good to know - thank you! My youngest son who's 10 has sensory issues, so this could also be an issue for him. I'm a little worried tbh, this situation sounds like it could be stressful for both my boys. :(