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First Cruise


Cholbert72
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Welcome to Cruise Critic and welcome to cruising. My guess is like most of us, your first will be one of many to follow. As many others would say by way of tips, take half the clothes and twice the cash! Also, don't over think it. Just go and enjoy yourself on the ship and the ports of call. The Western Caribbean is a very nice itinerary with very good ports of call.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

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Take a good attitude and roll with the flow!

NCL is very casual -- the most you need to dress up is a pair of pants (jeans etc) and a shirt with a collar ie. golf type shirt for men.

 

I don't know which ship you are going on but if you plan on doing the climbing wall or ropes course you need close toed shoes. Also there is a behind the scenes tour (for a fee) and you will need closed shoes for that as well if you choose to participate.

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Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the very addictive cruising, CholBert72!

 

Learn quickly what "ship time" is and be sure you have a watch or other device that does not change time based on time zone of the ship. All activities are based on ship time, even port arrival and departure time.

 

Be sure not to pack your cruise documents in your checked luggage! But, we normally put a copy of our boarding pass in an outside pocket in all our checked and carry-on bags. If the luggage tag becomes detached, they have a good chance of finding getting your luggage to you.

 

As someone else said, RELAX and enjoy the cruise!! :cool:

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HI, agree with the above, relax, have fun, be silly and do the silly stuff on the ship, join the roll call, check out FB if there is a page for your cruise, tell credit card you are cruising so your card will not be shut off, get a NCL latitudes so you can work your way up the perk ladder, relax, have fun, (yes I repeated) most of all don't worry about doing everything that the ship has planned each day....just plan on taking another cruise so you do what you missed LOL

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I would pack insect repellant, conditioner, hand wipes, disposable ponchos, and a portable back-lit clock.

 

 

 

Yes back lit clock , most ships I've been on have the clock on the ship channel or the phone both of which it's difficult to see in the dark . We also bring a small flashlight just in case .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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We always have a small, cheap night light that can be plugged into any normal electrical receptacle. There's nothing darker than a cruise cbin at 2:00am and the light can spare a stubbed toe or two.

 

We almost always forget to unplug them when packing up at the end of the cruise but at $3 apiece at CVS it's ourcontribution to the next passengers.

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Just carry yourself to an exciting holiday. If you feel like taking anything do so after a few days you will not need anything :)

This excitement on the first cruise is very intoxicating, you reminded me of my first time. Spent a lot of time packing up and on returning home realized I hardly used anything. Enjoy!

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Saw on another thread the perfect little night light. One of those battery operated tea lights for the bathroom. 6 at WalMart was around $2.50. And one will last for at least a 7 day cruise. And got 20 battery replacements on Amazon for $8.00. No need for electrical outlet!

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Remember to keep your cruise paperwork -- especially your passport or official government birth certificate -- in your carry on bag and not in your checked luggage. I've heard of people missing the ship their passport was in their checked luggage, and the porters could not find the bag before sailing time. Most cruise lines (I would guess NCL included) require an online check in at least 3 days prior to departure. You print some paperwork that has a bar code on it and take it with you.

 

For USA sailings, you have to be in the check-in line at least 90 minutes before departure time. Lunch is included when you board, so you might as well board around noon or so.

 

It is best to drive or fly in the day before the cruise. The ship won't wait for you. Also don't schedule too early a return flight -- sometimes the ship is delayed returning.

 

Bring some $1 and $5 bills with you for tipping outside the ship -- porters, bus drivers, etc. Generally you won't need cash on the ship except for the casino.

 

Bring a poncho in your carry-on in case it is raining. You can get them for about a dollar at Walmart. It's a good idea also to put some (if not all) of your suitcase clothes in zip-lock bags. Once it was pouring rain for us on departure day -- my suitcase got soaked and it took a couple of days before the clothes in the suitcase dried out. (Some ships have washers and dryers for passengers but mine did not.)

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