Dawnn.Marie

Cruising for the first time June 2017. What exactly is a formal night and is it necessary to attend?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I will be going on my first cruise in a couple of weeks. I researched a ton of very useful information via this website. I booked with an online agent and they have been phenomenal! I have absolutely no complaints. No matter which way you go, my only advice would be to make sure your flights line up with your cruise dates, I had a very difficult time lining up my flights with my cruise. However, by watching the different airlines I was able to get airfare at a pretty reasonable price.

Best Wishes in whichever way you decide to go.

To answer the question of hers that has so far gone mostly ignored: yes, you can bring your own blow dryer and curling irons. Women's hair care are pretty much the only electric appliances not confiscated if found in your luggage--the cruise lines know who not to mess with. But be warned that there is no plug in the bathroom, and the one plug in the cabin may not be in the most convenient place--and it will likely not supply enough power to achieve maximum heat.

 

And back to the pills: no there is no issue carrying a weekly pill organizer on or off the ship. Your only concern is that you are flying into Florida. Due to the strict "anti pill mill" laws you will be in hot water if stopped by a local LEO and one of the pills has inadvertently come loose. You should definitely bring copies of the scrip if you have any narcotics or any of the popular "behavioral stimulants" given to teens and young adults. (I don't mean this to be another unfounded assumption about your daughter as above). In fact it is always a good idea to have your pharmacy print out your full list of meds to take along when travelling.

 

I will also repeat that you should inquire at the tour desk if there are "companion" tickets available for the zip line excursion. There may also be a different excursion to the same location that does not include the zip line, but may leave at a different time on a different transport. You can always research the port as to visiting the zip line provider independently; they may have different admission prices based on level of activity chosen.

Thank you so much for your response. Truly valuable information. Someone else also suggested having the pharmacy print a list of the medications which are mainly asthma meds and seizure meds. No narcotics or stimulants. As well as researching the port. Thanks again :)

As a mother, I think she has a reasonable concern. She wants to be sensitive to her daughter's position in not wanting to zip-line, but she is concerned about her daughter's safety if she ventures out on her own. Geesh, give a mom a break.

 

OP, you might look into other excursions. I think that there are some that offer ziplining as an "add-on", which would mean that your daughter is still with the group while you go off for the adventure portion of the excursion. Check out the ports-of-call section for advice here.

Thank you! I do have a reasonable concern as my "adult" daughter has a seizure disorder. My concern is her safety. I'll look into the ports of call like you suggested. I appreciate your response.

For the medication, I would suggest anywhere with security anymore to bring at least documentation for the medications just in case. Good example, took my son to a concert 2 weeks ago. Knew we would be later than his medication time, so I took it with us. Almost had to throw it out before they let us into the concert. I did put it all together (4 pills, 2 different types) in a very small medication bottle with my name on it happily. They accepted my ID for it and he got to take it at the right time.

 

If you do not want to take the original bottles with you, or smaller labeled bottles, I have a suggestion for you instead. Ask your pharmacy to just print out the labels themselves for you, but not to put them on a bottle. The pharmacy I work at could have this done for you in less than 5 mins depending on how many pills you have. These would lay flat for easy carrying and have the medication name, description of the pill, and dosage on them. Sure, security might want to check all of your pills and touch them, but that is something you have to decide if you are comfortable with. If you want to keep them in a 7-day box, this would probably be the safest method of making sure nothing goes wrong. Also if there IS an issue even with that, it is a lot better to take a cab to the nearest pharmacy and ask if you can have X number of empty bottles. We give them out all of the time with no charge though YMMV!

Thank you, that sounds like a great idea!

Do you follow your "adult" daughter around all the time when you are home or when you are on the ship during sea days. Unless she has issues that you have not told us about, she can hardly get into trouble when she is on the ship unless she wants to get into trouble and there are plenty of trouble free tours she can take w/o you in Belize.

 

DON

Hi Don,

NO! I don't follow my "adult" daughter around "all the time" when we are home. My adult daughter lives 10 minutes from me. Being that she has epileptic seizures, and this is our very first cruise, not knowing the ins and out of cruising. I would feel a lot more comfortable. If she was near me, rather than somewhere else. Example me in Belize and her on the ship.I understand that there are doctors and medical staff on the ship however as a parent I would be worried. My daughter and I are very close and call or text each other several times a day.

:o

I would never put medication in your checked luggage. Bring what you need for the trip plus an extra day or two in your carry on. I do not bring the original containers but if any of the meds contain narcotics or stimulants then bringing the bottle or a copy of the prescription would be a wise idea.

Thank you for your response. No narcotics or stimulants. Mainly, asthma meds, and seizure meds.

Check with the excursion if she can pay a "ride along" price...perhaps they will allow her to go to the end of the zip line, and meet you after your ride...doesn't hurt to ask!

What a fabulous idea! Thank you so much. I'll have to look into that.

Why don't you want your daughter to stay on the ship? Do you mean you don't want her to be alone on the ship, or that you don't want her to HAVE TO stay on the ship. If she doesn't want to enjoy that time aboard, she can always book a different excursion if she doesn't want to see the port on her own.

Exactly! I don't want her to be alone on the ship. I mean, I know that there will more than likely be other people on the ship. I really want her to enjoy this experience and see Belize.

I don't know what cruise line you are planning on, but, on the few we've been on we usually put the week containers in the checked bags and only carry that days worth in the carry on. That might not be the best idea if they lose our luggage but have never had a problem so far (crossing fingers). As far as the the blow dryer/curling iron, I never tried bringing any cause DW doesn't use them. As for the zip line, try to talk her into it, lol, I loved it. I can understand the fear, but once you try it, it can become addictive like cruising :-D

Good idea about the medication, Thanks!

I don't know what cruise line you are planning on, but, on the few we've been on we usually put the week containers in the checked bags and only carry that days worth in the carry on. That might not be the best idea if they lose our luggage but have never had a problem so far (crossing fingers). As far as the the blow dryer/curling iron, I never tried bringing any cause DW doesn't use them. As for the zip line, try to talk her into it, lol, I loved it. I can understand the fear, but once you try it, it can become addictive like cruising :-D

Thank you, Bill,

I've tried to talk her into zip lining and she doesn't want to hear it. She not adventurous like her mom (me). Ha Ha!

On short cruises I always take my pills in one of those cases. Never had any issues.

 

Curling irons are fine and most (maybe all?) lines accept blow dryers although they provide one in the cabin.

 

Have you considered sending your daughter on a ship excursion that she is interested in while in Belize? She would have something to do (although being on the ship while most others are off can be really nice) and not be on her own.

 

Enjoy your first cruise!

Thank you for your input Scrapnana,

I haven't considered sending my daughter on a ship excursion by herself. She wants to watch me zip line. However, I'm not sure how that would work. Basically, I would be zip lining while she is on the ground. Maybe walking? I'm not sure how it all works.

Hi Everyone,

I have been following these boards for several weeks, and have received a lot of useful information. I am cruising for the first time with my adult daughter June 3rd and have not seen any post regarding medication or other question that I have.These may seem silly but I'd rather be prepared. So here goes.........

1. Does prescribed medication need to be in the original prescription containers or can they be in one of those weekly (Sat- Sun) containers? I plan on placing the medication in my carry-on luggage.

2. Can I bring my own blow dryer and curling iron?

3. I want to zip line in Belize, however, my daughter is terrified and absolutely refuses to go zip lining. I don't want her to stay on the ship or wandering around the port/ Belize by herself. What are her options?

Thank you in advance!

Hello Everyone,

This site has been incredible with so much information about cruising. As a "Newbie" who has never cruised before a lot of my questions have been answered by viewing the different boards. However, I haven't found much information on Carnivals Sail and Sign on board account.

My understanding is that every cruise ship passenger gets a card to use on board. If I sign up for the on board account and use a charge card like a Mastercard or Visa, when and how do I pay for what I have purchased on board? Any information is very much appreciated!