Jump to content

"I wish I knew before..."


T&Dcruisers
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for this awesome thread with all of your tips and advice! I've spent the last several days reading over all of them! My boyfriend and I are seriously considering taking a cruise this summer for a trip together. We're hoping to book soon, to the Caribbean! I did have a few general questions.

 

  • How early can you book excursions?
  • Do all cabins typically have a refrigerator in them?
  • Are cruise carry on dimensions similar to planes? I'm assuming we could just carry on all of our stuff, but it doesn't seem like people do that from reading here.
  • We're heavily considering Celebrity, but we also liked a Royal Caribbean itinerary as well. However right now Celebrity is less expensive. It doesn't look like we could go horribly wrong with any cruise line, but of these 2 which would you recommend for a young couple? He's 29 and I'm 28.
  • How much of a problem are pickpockets in ports? I plan to prepare for the possibility regardless, but I was curious.
  • Are there outdoor dining options available on cruises? Obviously it's not a make-or-break thing, but I do love eating outside on occasion.
  • When dressing for an excursion, is it a good rule of thumb to perhaps just wear a swimsuit underneath a coverup like a casual dress or something similar?
  • We love going to the gym and are wondering how gyms usually are on board. They look fairly decent from what I could tell, but I was just curious if anyone had any experience with the weights in these gyms.

I'm sorry for all of the questions! We just have a lot of them and are very excited! :) Thank you again for all of your tips! I've already taken some notes :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for this awesome thread with all of your tips and advice! I've spent the last several days reading over all of them! My boyfriend and I are seriously considering taking a cruise this summer for a trip together. We're hoping to book soon, to the Caribbean! I did have a few general questions.

 

 

 


  •  
  • How early can you book excursions?
     
  • Do all cabins typically have a refrigerator in them?
     
  • Are cruise carry on dimensions similar to planes? I'm assuming we could just carry on all of our stuff, but it doesn't seem like people do that from reading here.
     
  • We're heavily considering Celebrity, but we also liked a Royal Caribbean itinerary as well. However right now Celebrity is less expensive. It doesn't look like we could go horribly wrong with any cruise line, but of these 2 which would you recommend for a young couple? He's 29 and I'm 28.
     
  • How much of a problem are pickpockets in ports? I plan to prepare for the possibility regardless, but I was curious.
     
  • Are there outdoor dining options available on cruises? Obviously it's not a make-or-break thing, but I do love eating outside on occasion.
     
  • When dressing for an excursion, is it a good rule of thumb to perhaps just wear a swimsuit underneath a coverup like a casual dress or something similar?
     
  • We love going to the gym and are wondering how gyms usually are on board. They look fairly decent from what I could tell, but I was just curious if anyone had any experience with the weights in these gyms.
     

I'm sorry for all of the questions! We just have a lot of them and are very excited! :) Thank you again for all of your tips! I've already taken some notes :)

 

 

 

I don't have answers to everything, but can say:

1. Look at excursions on TripAdvisor....I think you can book far out (6 months or more) and they are more reasonable and less crowded than the ones you get through the cruise ships.

2. I think all rooms have refrigerators.

3. ? They take your luggage when you arrive and you get your luggage in front of your room later that day/evening. Pack a backpack with your suit and other must have items so you can have items you need until your luggage arrives. You do not want to carry around your luggage waiting for your room to be ready...it will weigh you down - literally.

4. I've heard Celebrity is for an older crowd (my 80 yr old mil loves Celebrity). I would do RCCL. Norwegian is good too and is more affordable.

5. Unsure about pick pocketers....nobody gets close enough to me and I take only what I need.

6. Unsure of outdoor dining...depends on cruise ship, but I think most dining is inside.

7. I usually pack a backpack with change of clothes, towel, etc...and wear my suit with coverup or shirt/shorts.

8. Depends on ship, but they all have gyms loaded with cardio equipment and all weights. I always bring my gym clothes...and they never see the gym. Lol.

 

Have fun! We are going on our next cruise in March 2019...too long to wait, but excited none the less.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have answers to everything, but can say:

1. Look at excursions on TripAdvisor....I think you can book far out (6 months or more) and they are more reasonable and less crowded than the ones you get through the cruise ships.

2. I think all rooms have refrigerators.

3. ? They take your luggage when you arrive and you get your luggage in front of your room later that day/evening. Pack a backpack with your suit and other must have items so you can have items you need until your luggage arrives. You do not want to carry around your luggage waiting for your room to be ready...it will weigh you down - literally.

4. I've heard Celebrity is for an older crowd (my 80 yr old mil loves Celebrity). I would do RCCL. Norwegian is good too and is more affordable.

5. Unsure about pick pocketers....nobody gets close enough to me and I take only what I need.

6. Unsure of outdoor dining...depends on cruise ship, but I think most dining is inside.

7. I usually pack a backpack with change of clothes, towel, etc...and wear my suit with coverup or shirt/shorts.

8. Depends on ship, but they all have gyms loaded with cardio equipment and all weights. I always bring my gym clothes...and they never see the gym. Lol.

 

Have fun! We are going on our next cruise in March 2019...too long to wait, but excited none the less.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you for your response! I was definitely already leaning towards a lot of what you advised, especially with the luggage/carry on, attire for excursions, etc. Thank you for the advice on ages on Celebrity; I had heard they leaned toward an older crowd. BF isn't huge into parties (I'm the more extroverted one in the relationship lol) but I think we'd both appreciate a larger under-30 crowd on a cruise and the option for a late night spot, even though we do get along wonderfully with those older than us! We'll take a look at Norwegian too! :) I'm currently keeping track of stateroom prices on several sites... hoping for a good deal! Congrats on booking your cruise! Hey, March 2019 will be here before you know it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you like to eat outside, take your food from the buffet and bring it to eat somewhere al fresco.

 

You can even have it on your private balcony.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Sent from my SM-J730G using Tapatalk

 

I was hoping something like this was possible! Do people ever do this? I haven't really seen anyone mentioning it so I suppose it isn't all that common..?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so different lines have different rules about brining on beverages? what about Holland America? I was going to bring a few bottles of water on with me

 

Not sure about HA, but Viking allows you to bring any beverage onboard with you, alcoholic or otherwise. They’ll apparently even uncork your bottle for you and provide glasses! Sounds humane to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for this awesome thread with all of your tips and advice! I've spent the last several days reading over all of them! My boyfriend and I are seriously considering taking a cruise this summer for a trip together. We're hoping to book soon, to the Caribbean! I did have a few general questions.

 

  • How early can you book excursions?
  • Do all cabins typically have a refrigerator in them?
  • Are cruise carry on dimensions similar to planes? I'm assuming we could just carry on all of our stuff, but it doesn't seem like people do that from reading here.
  • We're heavily considering Celebrity, but we also liked a Royal Caribbean itinerary as well. However right now Celebrity is less expensive. It doesn't look like we could go horribly wrong with any cruise line, but of these 2 which would you recommend for a young couple? He's 29 and I'm 28.
  • How much of a problem are pickpockets in ports? I plan to prepare for the possibility regardless, but I was curious.
  • Are there outdoor dining options available on cruises? Obviously it's not a make-or-break thing, but I do love eating outside on occasion.
  • When dressing for an excursion, is it a good rule of thumb to perhaps just wear a swimsuit underneath a coverup like a casual dress or something similar?
  • We love going to the gym and are wondering how gyms usually are on board. They look fairly decent from what I could tell, but I was just curious if anyone had any experience with the weights in these gyms.

I'm sorry for all of the questions! We just have a lot of them and are very excited! :) Thank you again for all of your tips! I've already taken some notes :)

 

Some random answers....

 

Every ship I've ever been on has a fridge in the cabin

 

Every ship I've been on has places to eat outside, usually adjacent to the buffets. Many ships also have pool side grills (burgers, hotdogs, fries etc). And many people will fix a plate in the buffets and take them out on deck in other places.

 

Pickpockets are not generally a problem but it's always better to hang with others, be aware or your surroundings and take common precautions when in port in another country.

 

Excursions vary by port but yes, be flexible in your attire.

 

Holland America is your post 75+ crowd. Celebrity (X) caters to baby boomers which are typically 50-70s, you know, the "classic rock generation" (I'm right in the middle of that and X is my favorite line). Royal typically caters to younger than that with families, but we sail Royal most often because of the perks we have. Frankly if I was in my late 20s again I would probably go Carnival. They are party ships. But then again every cruise is what your make it.

 

My wife and I usually work out every day on a cruise and have found most on board gyms pretty good. Most ships also have running/walking tracks and we often walk the stairs as well. Not to mention all the other stuff to do.

 

Hope that helps from the perspective of an old Celebrity cruising geezer.;p

Edited by mac66
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was no fridge, no cooler in our oceanview cabin in Vision OTS. No big deal. It was October in Canada [emoji16]

 

There is ice bucket and you can ask the room steward to fill it daily, if you want to.

 

All other ships we have been on, have fridge in the room.

 

Sent from my SM-J730G using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In regards to all your questions,that is how we all learned about cruising.We have only traveled

36 Days on Princess

10 days on Princess Coral

and our planned trip 80 Days on Holland.

also 16 day River cruise with Ama Waterways. All trips were excellent

We had fridges in our rooms, except Ama .Gym,s were enough for a good work out.

Take a few Magnets to hand things on the walls, so you do not tape the walls

great ones in Home Depot with hooks on them.

We also took air freshener spray as rooms are small and stuffy at times.

Enjoy your trip relax and learn for your next trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take a few Magnets to hand things on the walls, so you do not tape the walls

 

Several people have mentioned taking magnets so you don't stick things to the wall. I'm such a newbie that my question is even more basic: what would you want (or need) to stick to the wall? And why? Genuine question -- I'm very curious about the answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Several people have mentioned taking magnets so you don't stick things to the wall. I'm such a newbie that my question is even more basic: what would you want (or need) to stick to the wall? And why? Genuine question -- I'm very curious about the answer.

 

All sorts of things! You can decorate your door with them, post the day's activities where you can easily see them, take magnets with clips and clip your excursion envelope so it doesn't get lost! My girlfriend had our cabin decorated for our anniversary this past Christmas and one of the decorations was a long string of clips with little anniversary signage in each one, hanging from the ceiling by a really strong magnet. I took those out and clipped all our normal stuff, plus our sun hats to and it was up and out of the way and easy access! You can bet I'm taking that again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Several people have mentioned taking magnets so you don't stick things to the wall. I'm such a newbie that my question is even more basic: what would you want (or need) to stick to the wall? And why? Genuine question -- I'm very curious about the answer.

Meh, we've been on 9 cruises all but one was a week, and one was 8 nights, never hung anything on the walls or felt like it was needed. I just put important stuff in the safe and had the other papers in a neat pile, lots of the paper stuff I get I end up throwing away right away. Never had problems finding places to store things (bathroom can be tight) so the best storage thing I bought was a toiletry bag that can hang up.

 

Sent from my XT1650 using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going on my first cruise in 20 years with my two sons ages 8 and 3, Carnival Magic for a 7 night eastern Caribbean with my boyfriend and my friend in April. I’m the only prior cruiser!! But I was a kid at the time so this information has been invaluable to make sure everyone is comfortable and accommodated for.

 

My question: any decent port ideas involving children for the following ports? Amber Cove, San Juan, Grand Turk, and St Thomas.

 

Have considered Kon Tiki in St Thomas as it’s kid friendly. Booked a catamaran cruise with open bar and lunch in amber cove. Have nothing for San Juan. And I heard on there’s there’s a great free beach with chairs etc a five minute walk from port. Open to any and all ideas!!

 

Best thread ever, keep up the great work.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going on my first cruise in 20 years with my two sons ages 8 and 3, Carnival Magic for a 7 night eastern Caribbean with my boyfriend and my friend in April. I’m the only prior cruiser!! But I was a kid at the time so this information has been invaluable to make sure everyone is comfortable and accommodated for.

 

My question: any decent port ideas involving children for the following ports? Amber Cove, San Juan, Grand Turk, and St Thomas.

 

Have considered Kon Tiki in St Thomas as it’s kid friendly. Booked a catamaran cruise with open bar and lunch in amber cove. Have nothing for San Juan. And I heard on there’s there’s a great free beach with chairs etc a five minute walk from port. Open to any and all ideas!!

 

Best thread ever, keep up the great work.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

If your kids like history at all, the historical walk in San Juan was really good. They take you through town pointing out historical sites and giving you the history of San Juan and then you end up at the fort which was really cool.

 

Our friends hung out at the beach in front of Margaritaville in Gran Turk and loved it. Not sure if there was a cost or not. I think you just need to buy a drink or some food to use the beach but not sure.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Hello all I posted this on a different thread four days ago with no response so I thought I would try this one. (I hope that's okay). We are going on the Breeze in May. This is an Eastern Caribbean Cruise and we have never done this itinerary before. We plan on renting a golf cart in Key West and sight seeing (any thoughts about this??). I'm having a hard time trying to decide what to do in Freeport and Nassau. We are kinda thinking of taking a cab to Cleveland Beach Club (has anyone done this before and what do you think) and going on the VIP Blue Lagoon shore excursion in Nassau. My husband and I are traveling with another couple and we want to make sure this is an enjoyable cruise for them because this is their first cruise. Please any advice about these ports is greatly appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Key West - trolley or city tour they will show you the main sights and give you some history. I have never seen a golf cart on the streets there. Are they even street legal?

 

Nassau. One of the beach hotels beach if you like beach. Walk around downtown and up to the rum house for a beautiful view and a rum punch. Take the water taxi to Atlantis to walk through the shopping area and the casino for free. Check to see how long you are there because that makes a big difference. Never been to Blue Lagoon.

 

Freeport. We only went once and took the Jeep tour. We loved it.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...