I think I've found my First Cruise

Hello All,

I've been looking at cruises for a long time and think I've finally found my cruise.

Eastern Caribbean

7 night- Oasis of the Seas

ITINERARY

Port Canaveral (Florida), United States Nassau, Bahamas Charlotte Amalie, St. ThomasPhilipsburg, St. Maarten Port Canaveral (Florida), United States

This will be my first ever cruise, does anyone have any tips for this? IE who is best to book with, RCI or a travel agent, ideas for excursions, is it best to pre-pay tips?

TIA

I think you should consider a "brick and mortar" travel agent for your first cruise. There are many questions they can answer quickly. Some onboard suggestions; take smaller bills ($1, 5's) as locals don't have change in USD. and if you wish to tip, a dollar can go a long way onboard. Don't try to see & do everything on the ship as you will run out of time and energy, save it for your next cruise. As far as possible motion sickness. There are many remedies, I prefer to use ginger. Any method of taking it will be fine, as long as it isn't "fake" ginger. We carried capsules, some use Ginger Altoids or ginger-ale. Medications have to be taken ahead of time and can make you drowsy. Ginger can be taken even after symptoms arise. Crew will also tell you to eat green apples and saltines. This can work as well. As the Navy has quoted for years, "Fair Winds and Following Seas"

A TA that does cruise bookings can be a real asset. But one should avoid those that have no cruise booking experience or have set views on "appropriate" cruise lines.

You've picked a very popular itinerary on a good ship. You should have a great first cruise experience.

I've never actually booked a ship excursion in any of the three ports. When planing, remember that the arrival time is not usually the earliest time one can get off the ship. More importantly, the departure time is the time at which the ship actually leaves the pier. Passengers must be aboard well before then. Last aboard time is published in the daily Cruise Compass and is usually a half hour before departure.

St Thomas and St Maarten are well organized tourist operations. Taxis are plentiful and regulated. Both have downtown shopping that caters to cruise visitors. Visit the various ports of call areas of CC for more ideas.

Don't plan to do too much in the ports. Give yourself some time to relax and soak up the sun.

Probably best to use a TA, as they can answer all your questions and even rebate you back some of their commission.

Lots of threads on the pro/cons on tipping on these boards.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We prefer to use a TA -- get extra perks.

Talk to your doctor about what sea sickness medication you should take. He knows you better than we do -- like what, if any, medications you take daily.

You don't have to take $1 and $5 bills -- you can get change at the front office before you get off the ship in the ports.

That is a very well established cruise in terms of ports and will be a good sampler for a first cruise. For a first timer a brick and mortar travel agent can answer lots of questions and is not a bad choice. Also look to friends who have cruise experience, just like posting here they can give you tips of the trade.

Research your ports to see all there is to do in each place. DIY is very easy, if you know something about the places you'll visit! Figure out WHAT you want to do, then HOW to do it! Excursions are quite pricey and if you can do what you want via cab or bus, you'll save a bundle!

Then, realize this is simply a vacation. The ship is like your "resort" hotel, albeit, with smaller rooms! There really is no "right or wrong" way to cruise!

Hello All,

 

I've been looking at cruises for a long time and think I've finally found my cruise.

 

Eastern Caribbean

7 night- Oasis of the Seas

ITINERARY

Port Canaveral (Florida), United States Nassau, Bahamas Charlotte Amalie, St. ThomasPhilipsburg, St. Maarten Port Canaveral (Florida), United States

 

This will be my first ever cruise, does anyone have any tips for this? IE who is best to book with, RCI or a travel agent, ideas for excursions, is it best to pre-pay tips?

 

TIA

This looks like a great first cruise:cool: . We've only used a TA on our second cruise but they more specialize in auto vs. cruise. If you use one I recommend making sure they are very familiar with cruises and specifically your cruise line.

If you have friends that cruise seek their opinions and advice, but realize that your interests may be different than theirs.

We've been to Nassau twice and there are so many things to do. The ports of call boards gives lots of suggestions, plus maybe check TripAdvisor.

We've done Port Canaveral once and enjoyed NASA, but we like history and science so your interests may be different.

Remember to allow some down time and don't try to fill every minute. Allow for flexibility (sometimes weather can change plans).

I haven't used a TA and I'm new to cruising. I like to do things for myself and don't want to have to call a TA anytime I want to make a change to my booking. Really it comes down to personal preference.

Before cruising a new ship/cruise line, I do a TON of research. I watch youtube videos, read blog posts, and join corresponding FB groups (you just have to search and you'll find them for RCL, the Oasis, and your specific sailing) where I can ask questions, and see what others are asking to get answers to questions I didn't know I had. I'd advise you do the same even if you do book through a TA!

You may get extra perks but I've also seen people say they don't get anything extra with a TA. It depends on if they have a group booking set up that they can put you in to get those extra perks.

I have booked all our cruises thru a TA as I have always found the best perks.

Allure (Oasis's sister ship) is our FAVORITE ship & cruise. It is huge, but we only felt crowded at muster (day 1 mandatory safety drill). There are SO SO many places to be & things to do (or you can do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!)

Keep reading these boards--I learned almost all I needed to know from them!

 

Before cruising a new ship/cruise line, I do a TON of research.

This is good advice. The Oasis is one phenomenal ship.

I suggest also to spend a lot of time researching the ship, specifically the deck plans.

In 7 days, you probably will not be able to do everything, so, check out what interests you in a ship, and get to know where everything is.

BTW, you need to make reservations in advance to some of the shows, so do that when it opens up.

The ONLY reason to use a travel agent is if they are offering perks that RCCL is not offering such as free gratuities or free drinks. Otherwise, there is no point in using a travel agent at all. Right now RCCL is offering 50% off second person and up to $100 credited to your onboard account for buying stuff like drinks or excursions or specialty dining. I looked at an online travel agency and they are offering free gratuities for certain categories and onboard credit. Figure out which offer is best for your specific cruise and make your booking based on that. RCCL's gratuities are $14.50 per guest per day. I would think the 50% off second person and $100 credit is the better deal if it is just the two of you, but it all depends on category of cabin and how many people you are sailing with. BTW, ALWAYS prepay tips - it's just so much more convenient to do that. Take some dollar bills to pass out if you want to tip someone who has provided unusually great service. The other thing you need to know about Oasis is that you will need to get on RCCL's website with your booking number and make reservations for specialty dining and shows well in advance of your cruise. Oasis is a fabulous ship and RCCL really has managed to make the ship The Destination with Oasis and similar class ships. We loved Oasis, but there is so much to do onboard you cannot do it all in a week! When we got off that ship in her maiden year, my husband and I looked at each other and said "Let's do that again!" And we have! Enjoy your cruise!

If you belong to a warehouse club (e.g., Costco, BJ's, etc) you might see what they offer. I booked that way for my first cruise (solo) which will be this Dec. (Miami --> Bahamas on RCI). It didn't really make a difference in price or extras for me, but I got a free gift card to the club out of it and I got advice from the travel agent on which room to pick since I found decoding the room locations confusing. I opted to pre-pay tips so that it would be done and it allowed me to sign up for the MyTime Dining. Before booking I asked my co-workers for advice since they're all experienced cruisers also.

I love the Oasis, enjoy youself :)

We always prepay tips, it just makes it easy for us on board. I know it's the same either way but I have a better vacation when my bill at the end of the week is all "fun money".I do take some dollar bills for room service and other small tips but thats about it. You'll have such a good time on that ship, it's amazing!

I love the Oasis, enjoy youself :)

 

We always prepay tips, it just makes it easy for us on board. I know it's the same either way but I have a better vacation when my bill at the end of the week is all "fun money".I do take some dollar bills for room service and other small tips but thats about it. You'll have such a good time on that ship, it's amazing!

Can you tell me more about Oasis? My friends have been talking about it and I am very interested in it now. Also how does prepay tips work? I thought you tip someone every time he does something for you.

You can tip if you want, but cruise lines actually have automatic gratuities set up so that you don't have to: you can either prepay them, or let them charge them to your room to be paid at the end. Which ever way you go, you are not expected to tip additionally, but a lot of people still tip a little in addition to the automatic gratuities because we know the crew makes such a low salary.

I went over all about tipping in detail in my blog post if you're interested/confused: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2018/06/cruise-automatic-gratuities.html

Hello All,

 

I've been looking at cruises for a long time and think I've finally found my cruise.

 

Eastern Caribbean

7 night- Oasis of the Seas

ITINERARY

Port Canaveral (Florida), United States Nassau, Bahamas Charlotte Amalie, St. ThomasPhilipsburg, St. Maarten Port Canaveral (Florida), United States

 

This will be my first ever cruise, does anyone have any tips for this? IE who is best to book with, RCI or a travel agent, ideas for excursions, is it best to pre-pay tips?

 

TIA

Oasis is a WONDERFUL ship! I did a back to back (two weeks in a row) last fall with my boyfriend, and we had an amazing time. Due to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, our itinerary was changed (this can happen if there's a reason the ship can't dock at the scheduled port. Pack your good attitude and be prepared to go with the flow). I have been to Nassau many times, and unless you want to go to Atlantis (you can get a day pass), I've found that it's a great port to explore on your own. The Pirates of Nassau Museum is a favorite of ours, especially if we've already spent most of our budget. And the pier is right off the main drag, so there's plenty of attractions, food, and shopping within walking distance of the pier. As for St. Thomas and St. Maarten....well, I still haven't made it there yet.

I use a travel agent for all of my bookings, even though I'm a bit of a control freak a like to do all of it myself. I now get a minimum of $100 onboard credit whenever I said simply because I use the same agent every time (and I've had 6 bookings). My TA is great, and very prompt with phone calls, and listens to me and what I'm hoping to get out of a cruise (that's EXTREMELY important). Particularly if you're a first time cruiser, a TA will help you with all of the stuff you may not be aware of.

Now, for Oasis, she's a beautiful ship, but she's BIG. Passenger complement of 6,200 (assuming double occupancy). On Royal, you can make reservations within 90 days of sailing. Some of the events will have a fee, some will be free (most of the entertainment). I suggest that you make reservations for anything you can that you may want to see before you go. Even if you decide to skip it (I had 2 reservations to Cats and still missed it), you haven't lost anything. Also, on Embarkation Day, if you have MyTime Dining, make reservations for the week. Otherwise, you'll wait during peak times.

Gratuities? I don't pre-pay them. I used to, but I discovered my travel insurance was cheaper if I didn't because it added more value to the booking. So, now, I just factor it in, have the money set aside, and pay the credit card bill as soon as the charge for the cruise spending posts.

Have a GREAT time!!

Oasis is a WONDERFUL ship! I did a back to back (two weeks in a row) last fall with my boyfriend, and we had an amazing time. Due to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, our itinerary was changed (this can happen if there's a reason the ship can't dock at the scheduled port. Pack your good attitude and be prepared to go with the flow). I have been to Nassau many times, and unless you want to go to Atlantis (you can get a day pass), I've found that it's a great port to explore on your own. The Pirates of Nassau Museum is a favorite of ours, especially if we've already spent most of our budget. And the pier is right off the main drag, so there's plenty of attractions, food, and shopping within walking distance of the pier. As for St. Thomas and St. Maarten....well, I still haven't made it there yet.

 

I use a travel agent for all of my bookings, even though I'm a bit of a control freak a like to do all of it myself. I now get a minimum of $100 onboard credit whenever I said simply because I use the same agent every time (and I've had 6 bookings). My TA is great, and very prompt with phone calls, and listens to me and what I'm hoping to get out of a cruise (that's EXTREMELY important). Particularly if you're a first time cruiser, a TA will help you with all of the stuff you may not be aware of.

 

Now, for Oasis, she's a beautiful ship, but she's BIG. Passenger complement of 6,200 (assuming double occupancy). On Royal, you can make reservations within 90 days of sailing. Some of the events will have a fee, some will be free (most of the entertainment). I suggest that you make reservations for anything you can that you may want to see before you go. Even if you decide to skip it (I had 2 reservations to Cats and still missed it), you haven't lost anything. Also, on Embarkation Day, if you have MyTime Dining, make reservations for the week. Otherwise, you'll wait during peak times.

 

Gratuities? I don't pre-pay them. I used to, but I discovered my travel insurance was cheaper if I didn't because it added more value to the booking. So, now, I just factor it in, have the money set aside, and pay the credit card bill as soon as the charge for the cruise spending posts.

 

Have a GREAT time!!

Lori