CruiseLuvver

I can honestly say I've never seen this sort of (quite appalling) behaviour described above, except from children (and believe me, they didn't do it again after I gave them The Look') - it might be because we usually cruise on UK ships though, and the English (in particular) do have a reputation to maintain about queuing!

Should be able to pick them up in supermarkets as well - sold as food bags (not the flimsy ones - it's usually easy to tell by the box).

Good to know! I'll be shopping in St. Maarten on 12/23/11! :) :D

Also, if you're into buying booze or cigs, they're cheaper further away from the water taxi pier.

Ships are different. Some of the older ones have these "magnetic strip" safe openings. The newer ones (Carnival Dream and magic) have a number pad. You put in ANY 4 or 5 digit code you want and it locks. To unlock it you just need to put in the same code.

Interesting. All the ones I've seen have had either the number pad, or that plus the cruise card (which had the magnetic strip). Didn't realise some needed a different card - thanks!

I'd recommend getting one with a fabric lining around the bottom of the brim; the one I had didn't have this, and didn't provide as much shade as I would have liked.

My OH bought one of these on one of the islands (St Lucia, I think), and it's just the thing - the ventilation of the straw keeps his head cooler than with a Panama, but the fabric lining provides complete shade.

*The in-room safe is FREE to use, but you need a card with personal info on a magnetic strip. You DO NOT need to use a credit card and I don't. I use a grocery store reward card.

This is an interesting point, which I haven't come across before. Which line does this?

Great info. As for the clothes how many different day outfits would you need for a 7 night cruise? My sister has picked out an outfit for everyday...plus evening wear=2 formals and 5 fancy casual! Is that to many?

If I was on a 14 day cruise, I'd take enough for 8 days and wash halfway through because it's such a faff taking more than easily caried, but on a 7-day, I'd say the week's worth and give yourself a week off washing - you should still get them into a suitcase + travel bag.

One of the things that I don't recall seeing is sunglasses. For those of us who do not wear glasses it is pretty much a given to bring a pair. But on a cruise last year to the Caribbean, my DH (who wears prescript glasses) really needed a pair of sunglasses for the ocean.

I have to wear prescription sunglasses, and I always bring at least 3 pairs of glasses with me plus loads of contact lenses, as I can barely see beyond the end of my nose without them. For anyone with poor sight, plain sunglasses probably won't be useful, but an alternative (also available in the dollar store/pound shop) are clip-ons, which just clip onto the prescription glasses. They're not the prettiest things in the world, but they do the job. It's even possible to get prescription glasses with a posher version of these, which attach with small magnets and look much more attractive.

If you had to list your top 5 points/tips that you wish you had known before you went on your first cruise what would they be? Examples, like binder clip for the shower curtain or that the first drink is NOT free, etc.

Can't keep it down to 5, but FWIW:

1. Buy your travel insurance before you even think of booking. We lost all our money on our second cruise because my husband had an accident and the insurance was bought after the cruise was booked - we now consider it well worth the (small) extra charge to have annual insurance in place.

2. Don't set your sights too high. Our first cruise was a budget one, and we reckoned that if the accommodation, food and entertainment were the standard of a good-quality inn, we'd be happy - they were all soooo much better!

3. Stay away from the moaners - some people are never happy, and they'll spoil your cruise too if you let them.

4. Don't book too many excursions - if you really want to do one in the first couple of days, book that, but once you're on board, just ask the other passengers - they'll give you lots of help.

5. Don't overpack - no more than 2 outfits for 60% of the cruise. Wash them in the laundry halfway through (but as someone else said, check there is one on board!). Make sure you bring at least one 'proper' pair of comfortable closed shoes for sightseeing - I slipped into a broken grid in one port and my shoe was ripped almost through; if I'd been wearing sandals, that would have been my foot.

6. Pack a full change of clothes including swimwear in your carryon, and if the weather will be substantially different, change on the plane. A friend's luggage went missing for 3 days, and he had to wear his UK clothes for over a day in the Caribbean before the carriers would agree to pay for replacements! Also include suncream, any prescription meds (with a letter from your doctor if going outside your country), toothbrush and toothpaste.

7. Check out *all* the dining options – some ships have more than one restaurant of the same level, and for some reason, one is often far more popular, and thus more crowded than the other!

My list of essential items - seems like a lot, but most are small and/or light. I keep almost all these in a special ‘cruise box’ so there’s no last-minute searching – to given an idea, the box is about half the size of a cabin bag (although obviously, most are packed in the hold bag).

• Power strip with a lead (some ships - P&O for instance - don't have room between the table and the socket for one of those 4-in-1 strips that have the sockets directly below the plug), and multi-adaptors.

• E-reader, which doubles as an MP3 player, plus headphones (for those who prefer real books, check if there's a library on board - if there is, take enough books for the journey out, use the library on board, and then swap with someone else for the journey back).

• USB adaptor that plugs into a socket for charging electronic items, like said e-reader.

• Battery charger and lots of spare batteries.

• Kettle and teabags (sorry, what a stereotype! ).

• Credit card that doesn't charge any fees for currency conversion (and I contact CC company and mobile phone company before travel), and Travelex currency card loaded with appropriate currency (less fuss than travellers’ cheques and safer than cash).

• Currency calculator (and electronic phrasebook if appropriate).

• Travel pillow, eye mask, earplugs and wrap (to use as blanket) for the plane.

• Light rainproof cape.

• Collapsible rucksack – excellent for the beach.

• Clothes line with pegs.

• Laundry tablets (they're less messy than powder or liquids) - on our first cruise, the shop ran out of washing powder! Those Purex strips sound rather good, though. Or if there isn’t a laundry on board, a tube of handwash liquid.

• Drawstring laundry bags (from a US dollar shop) – so much longer-lasting than plastic bin bags and take up less room than even a collapsible hamper. On the outward journey, I use them to protect my evening dresses.

• Suncream (including high-factor lip block) and insect repellent, esp. if visiting islands - usually v. expensive both on board and ashore.

• Roll-up panama hat and baseball cap – take up far less room than straw hats.

• Highlighter pen for marking up the things that take our fancy on the ship's newspaper.

• Alarm clock (esp in the Caribbean - unless you really love the idea of being woken up at 3am every time you get within texting distance of another island, don't use your phone as your clock!).

• Alcohol hand cleanser, wipes, and disposable loo covers, and in case the worst happens, Imodium and rehydration tablets, plus first aid kit including band-aids and ‘instant dressing’ for blisters, and travel-sickness pills.

• Mending kit.

• Large zipped pouches plus some Ziploc bags for holding all these bits.

• Hanging cosmetic bag – better than the over-door shoe bags, as all the individual compartments have zips, so I don’t need other bags for cosmetics, hair accessories, etc.

• Waterproof neck pouch to hold valuables when swimming ashore; Ziploc bags usually aren’t good enough).

• Dictaphone (same reason as in post #118.

• Luggage scale with hook.

• Duct tape.

And my 'don't bother with' list:

• Towels - they're all provided, including beach towels.

• Toiletries – all the ones I’ve had were very good quality.

• Hairdryer – if there isn’t one in the cabin, ask the attendant.

J

Just amazing how all the "local" crafts are same throughout the islands. Did find some better local crafts on the FRENCH side of St Maarten.

How true. One thing we really, really wished we'd bought in the Caribbean was a T-shirt saying 'Different island, same s**t!' (slightly unfair because the souvenirs generally are nice, but we agreed with the sentiment!) Definitely agree with buying souvenirs in St Maarten if that's on your trip - much wider choice and cheaper prices than most of the others.