"I wish I knew before..."

[Underwatr]

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?

I don't know about golf carts, but I'm pretty sure they rent little open four-seaters that might was well be a golf cart.

 

Unless you need the tour commentary, Key West has a free shuttle us that will take you to the key sites such as the Hemingway House, Southernmost Point (to within a block or so, anyway), Duvall Street, etc. We were mostly interested in getting from Point A to Point B so free was good.

[T-N-C]

I don't know about golf carts, but I'm pretty sure they rent little open four-seaters that might was well be a golf cart.

 

 

 

Unless you need the tour commentary, Key West has a free shuttle us that will take you to the key sites such as the Hemingway House, Southernmost Point (to within a block or so, anyway), Duvall Street, etc. We were mostly interested in getting from Point A to Point B so free was good.

 

 

 

What do I look for (is it a trolley, bus, etc)

 

Thank you for the info. [emoji16]

 

 

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[Keith1010]

How much I would enjoy certain ports.

 

But to know that you have to be open to seeing ones you know little about.

 

I also wish I would have known how much I would love sea days.

 

Keith

[Underwatr]

What do I look for (is it a trolley, bus, etc)

 

Thank you for the info. [emoji16]

It's the Duvall Loop Bus (marked as such on the bus, looks like a regular city bus except in bright colors).

 

https://www.carfreekeywest.com/duval-loop-bus

 

Edit: Note the operating schedule - Thu-Sun between Easter and Christmas, daily Christmas-Easter

 

[T-N-C]

It's the Duvall Loop Bus (marked as such on the bus, looks like a regular city bus except in bright colors).

 

https://www.carfreekeywest.com/duval-loop-bus

 

Edit: Note the operating schedule - Thu-Sun between Easter and Christmas, daily Christmas-Easter

 

 

 

 

Thank you thank you

 

 

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[Underwatr]

Here's a graphic of what the bus looks like:

 

[Sgàile]

Speaking of comfy dressy shoes...I've just returned from my first cruise. My feet are damaged from accidents and surgeries, and dressy shoes with heels are too uncomfortable. I bought a pair of Crocs Cleo sandals in solid black and wore them for all meals, formal nights and not, and around the pool and around the ship and not ONCE did anyone look at my feet with disdain.

 

They weigh absolutely nothing and I packed them in my carry-on in a baggy. They come in a wide variety of colors.

 

Here is their complete collection of women's sandals; there are several that you could wear for formal night and nobody would know the difference, then you could wear them at the pool and around the ship during the day. http://www.crocs.com/womens-footwear-sandals/women-footwear-sandals,default,sc.html?sz=37

 

I Love my croc wedges. I also have croc slide sandals. Excellent suggestion.

[Sgàile]

Do not forget to pack anti-diarrheal and anti-nausea pills in your first aid kit. They don't take up much space and are essential should you experience the norovirus onboard. We had packed them as a precaution for the land portion of our vacation before boarding the Diamond Princess in Beijing last April and did not need them, but it turned out that we had a pretty severe outbreak of the norovirus onboard.

 

When I got sick at two in the morning my husband called the ship's doctor as we had been instructed to do (the captain made announcements every day) and the nurse told him what dosages I should take of each medicine. Since I was then confined to quarters for 48 hours after the last episode of symptoms, I was glad that I had medicine to stop the symptoms as soon as possible. It also saved the cost of a doctor's visit and saved us the trouble of going down to the clinic at 2 a.m. and, two days later, it allowed me to get out of the room hours earlier than I would have otherwise.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the norovirus, it is a highly contagious flu virus common in crowded places such as ships. In our case, I met someone on our ship who was sick with the flu the first day we were on board, so it would have been brought onto the ship from elsewhere and not caught from the ship itself. Unfortunately, once on board it seemed to spread quickly and many, many people were affected. Here is a link to the Cruise Critic information page, if you're interested:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=71

 

This is just a small bit of advice that I hope you never need. Happy cruising!

 

Lisa

because this list is so very long I'm not unaware if this is already been addressed or not: influenza and norovirus are not the same thing. They are equally contagious and miserable but they are separate illnesses.

[Sgàile]

All of these tips are great. Just remember pick and choose what works for you and don't worry about the rest. One of the things that makes cruising so fun is that you can customize it to what you enjoy!!

 

I have to say, we love a balcony. We really enjoy sitting there in the morning drinking coffee and in the evening with a glass of wine in our pjs before bed. Definitely worth the extra money for us.

 

One of the funnest things we did was to take along bubbles to blow from our balcony. The kids had fun doing it and you could hear lots of others on their balconies laughing and enjoying it too.

 

Happy cruising!!

What a cute idea. Bubbles added to my list.

[Sgàile]

It only took two days (lol) but I've finally finished this thread.

 

I'm one of those obsessive planners too, however as everyone else has said, I am SOOO glad I found this thread prior to leaving.

 

You have cut my packing in half.

 

We're driving to port, and had planned to leave the morning of, but now we're driving down the night before.

 

I've made my own "can't be without it" list.

 

I am so flippin' excited I can hardly stand myself. I come home from work everyday telling my DH something new I learned and he just rolls his eyes. He's the "tell me the day before we leave and I'll just pack a bag" kind of guy! I think he's getting tired of my daily updates, lol.

 

Thank you guys so much for being willing to share all this great information!

Haha, me too.

[CoasterGuy]

Well, I read through the first 93 pages. Thanks for the tips all, learned a few things.

 

I'm probably the only single person who will ever post in this thread. Every freaking post mentions DH/DW/BF/GF. *sigh*. Got depressing after a while. But all the best to all of you on your upcoming cruises. And.... I will gladly come back and post some tips of my own after getting done with my first cruise.

Edited March 31, 2018 by CoasterGuy

[Twitchly]

Well, I read through the first 93 pages. Thanks for the tips all, learned a few things.

 

I'm probably the only single person who will ever post in this thread. Every freaking post mentions DH/DW/BF/GF. *sigh*. Got depressing after a while. But all the best to all of you on your upcoming cruises. And.... I will gladly come back and post some tips of my own after getting done with my first cruise.

 

 

Please do! I have a single friend who is thinking of doing a cruise but is hesitant because it seems like it’s only for couples. I know she’d love to hear a single’s perspective.

[colonialinnkeeper]

Well, I read through the first 93 pages. Thanks for the tips all, learned a few things.

 

I'm probably the only single person who will ever post in this thread. Every freaking post mentions DH/DW/BF/GF. *sigh*. Got depressing after a while. But all the best to all of you on your upcoming cruises. And.... I will gladly come back and post some tips of my own after getting done with my first cruise.

 

Enjoy every minute and think about all the people you will meet and new places to explore. It's a wonderful adventure if you are open to new experiences. We've met some great people over the years and are still friends today.

[MedicKenK]

Well, I read through the first 93 pages. Thanks for the tips all, learned a few things.

 

I'm probably the only single person who will ever post in this thread. Every freaking post mentions DH/DW/BF/GF. *sigh*. Got depressing after a while. But all the best to all of you on your upcoming cruises. And.... I will gladly come back and post some tips of my own after getting done with my first cruise.

I'm a single cruiser, now. Been on 3 cruises now as a solo. My wife and I enjoyed cruising together but I just couldn't give it up. Going on another solo next month with one more planned for next year. There is a Solo Travelers thread here but it mostly covers single supplements.

Go, try it. Your best friends are yet to be made.

[CruiseReadKnit]

I am (was!) a first time cruiser just off the NCL Breakaway (Bahamas, 7 day). I traveled with a friend and we had a fantastic trip!

 

I read lots of articles and forum posts before the trip. Here are my 5 tips:

 

1. You need some way to securely carry your card: a shirt/shorts/skirt/vest with deep or zippered pockets, a lanyard, or a tiny purse. The only thing you need walking around is your card, but you must carry it at all times, so figure it out before you go. (We ended up safety pinning our pockets closed.)

 

 

2. We read about packing light, and each brought exactly 7 days worth of mix-and-match clothes. But it was hot and we changed a lot more than we expected, so we each ran out of clothes. Another 2 or 3 more changes of underwear, t-shirts and shorts would have been nice. (And/or bring quick-dry clothes if you can find them.)

 

3. Bring all the tourist information and maps you need for your shore/port trips with you. We were in Nassau for 2 days and didn't have a good map the first day. We wasted a lot of time wandering around before we found a good map.

 

4. We brought way too much non-clothing stuff. The cruise ship was basically a nice hotel, so there are lots of amenities. There are books in the library, games in the card room, food and drink everywhere. Try to keep it to a minimum. That said, a wide-mouth water bottle was handy.

 

5. We walked and stood a lot on board and on shore. Bring good walking shoes/sandals!

 

HTH!

[lloyd2050]

Thanks for all the info,so glad you had a great time and that does make up for the other minor issues. We have traveled a bit and we learn every time,so do not feel that you are alone ,we all learn from one trip to the other. We are headed in Jan 4th 2019 for 80 days and we are sure there will be things we will forget to pack,but that is life and we will enjoy every minute hopefully.

Happy travels

continue to travel

Regards

[Smokeyham]

I'm probably the only single person who will ever post in this thread. Every freaking post mentions DH/DW/BF/GF. *sigh*. Got depressing after a while. But all the best to all of you on your upcoming cruises.

 

Please do! I have a single friend who is thinking of doing a cruise but is hesitant because it seems like it’s only for couples. I know she’d love to hear a single’s perspective.

 

I've done a number of cruises solo, and would highly recommend cruising. My hint would be that you have some dinners in the main dining room, where you can sit at larger tables and meet new people, in a setting where it is natural to introduce yourself and you have your shared experiences on board and ashore as easy conversation topics.

 

Many cruises will also have a reception for solo cruisers early in the cruise. This is another place to meet other people who are by themselves.

[pacruise804]

My answers based on our experiences below:

 

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? varies by line (if booking ship sponsored), check your booking frequently
  
• Do all cabins typically have a refrigerator in them? typically, but not guaranteed - also many claim it is more of a cooler than a frig, but if you prop the cabinet door that helps
  
• 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. dimensions should be listed in your contract - we knew our room would be ready when we boarded so we carried all with us. if you will have a delay (or more than one bag each) in getting to your room I would check the luggage (or wait to board when you know you can access your room
  
• 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. check deck plans and amenities for each ship. a full promenade (or nearly full) is important to us and would rule out some ships
  
• How much of a problem are pickpockets in ports? I plan to prepare for the possibility regardless, but I was curious.we've never had issues, but pack lightly and be aware
  
• 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.you should at least be able to take food from the buffet to open seating areas. some ships have more formal outdoor options too
  
• 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?it depends on the excursion, but for Caribbean this is a good idea. I prefer a two piece for shore excursions (quicker in the restrooms;))
  
• 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.this also varies by ship, but we can usually manage to get a decent workout in. you may need to share/take turns and machines might be different than your home gym but there will be something to target each muscle group. benches are often sparse so you may need to get creative/be flexible on your routine. if you use moderate weights you should be fine for free weights, but there are few very light or very heavy. most gyms seem to be more geared toward cardio (treadmill and elliptical). keep in mind you are on open seas - on our last cruise we would not have felt safe doing much with how rough the seas were (we were sailing into a Nor'Easter though;))
  

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 :)

 

Asking questions is a great way to learn. Have a great cruise!

[CoasterGuy]

Please do! I have a single friend who is thinking of doing a cruise but is hesitant because it seems like it’s only for couples. I know she’d love to hear a single’s perspective.

 

My thanks to you, and everyone else who gave encouragement about cruising single/solo. My upcoming cruise is actually a hosted singles cruise. I KNOW I'm going to have a blast once I'm there, I just do. But at the same time, reading threads on CC and watching cruise related youtube videos.... I still can't help but feel like some weird outsider at times.

 

 

I've spent so much time the last four years hating being single, one of the reasons being the awkwardness of doing certain things solo. Maybe this cruise will help me not feel that way.

 

 

Ok enough from me, back to everyone's tips.

[lloyd2050]

Go,Girl Go, Enjoy every moment,mix in with other,s ,trust no one !. It is a great life

cruising,even thou most of us have partners,your is out there just waiting for you.

Be open to all that is going on,you will be planning your next cruise.

Happy cruising.

Mary & LLoyd.

[CoasterGuy]

Go,Girl Go

 

I'm a guy. But otherwise I will take your advice lol.

[julie3fan]

I'm a guy. But otherwise I will take your advice lol.

I caught that and thought that was funny! It's not like your screen name is ambiguous!

[THUDSON]

I have always heard to take your passport with you to the ports because if you miss the boat you can’t get back home. Any information would help.

 

 

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[Ole417]

If you don’t need your passport, take a copy of it at least. Otherwise just make sure you are back at least 30 minutes before the ship departs. I’ve never had a problem doing this. The other thing I do is take a picture of the time posted that you should be back. That way, if you forget, you can look at the picture!

[Smokeyham]

The other thing I do is take a picture of the time posted that you should be back. That way, if you forget, you can look at the picture!

 

That is a great idea! I guess the other thing to do is to erase the photo once you get back on board so that you don't confuse it with one you take for the next port.