"I wish I knew before..."

[Smokeyham]

9 hours ago, Dixieking said:

Quick question, is it advisable to make seating reservations in the dining room or just show up when you want?

If you choose traditional dining, then your dining time and seating will be assigned (you can ask to switch tables if your table mates are not to your liking). 

 

If your ship has "anytime" dining (called by a variety of different names) then check to see what reservation options are available.  When there were just two of us we often just turn up.  Sometimes we are given a pager and have to wait a short while for a table to become available, but most of the time we get taken to a table quite quickly.  If we are given a pager then there is usually a bar close by to go and get a pre-dinner drink.

 

[Dixieking]

Thanks so much for the info. I certainly do appreciate the help!

[GeminiBy4]

....that finding an empty lounge chair is impossible before sunset, two cruises......never successful.  

[newbiewaves]

What time did you get up Gemini? 🛌

[GeminiBy4]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:53 PM, newbiewaves said:

What time did you get up Gemini? 🛌

On the cruises, many days, 10 a.m., and I see that could be a problem.    I rise at 5 am at home, not sure what is about cruising that is a sleeping pill for me!     

[Smokeyham]

49 minutes ago, GeminiBy4 said:

On the cruises, many days, 10 a.m., and I see that could be a problem.    I rise at 5 am at home, not sure what is about cruising that is a sleeping pill for me!     

If there is nothing you really want to do in the morning, then not really a problem.  Nice to have the flexibility to get up when you like.

[newbiewaves]

Ah but if you want a pool lounger then 7 am or earlier and take it in shifts to look after them if they have lounger police 🙂 lol Yes its ridiculous, someone started it and then if you cant beat them join them. Guess better that than pay to reserve one and price out the poor cruisers 🙂 🙂 

[Sancho_proudfoot]

Best advice l read on starting cruising was:

Lay out the clothes  you intend to take - then put HALF back in the closet.

 

Work out how much money you will need - then DOUBLE it.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

On 4/2/2019 at 6:18 PM, GeminiBy4 said:

On the cruises, many days, 10 a.m., and I see that could be a problem.    I rise at 5 am at home, not sure what is about cruising that is a sleeping pill for me!     

me too.  I get up early all the time.  I want to sleep in on a cruise.  but my mom gets me up by 8 so we eat breakfast and I get a chair in the shade and go back to sleep.  

[newbiewaves]

Oh and another i discovered;

 

Shoes / sandals that fit at home in the cold will end up too tight after a long haul flight and sunny climes. If they fit snugly at home leave them there and take/buy looser ones!

[julie3fan]

6 minutes ago, newbiewaves said:

Oh and another i discovered;

 

Shoes / sandals that fit at home in the cold will end up too tight after a long haul flight and sunny climes. If they fit snugly at home leave them there and take/buy looser ones!

 

Wonderful advice!  I bring sandals with adjustable straps, and *always* have to let them out!

[Sharonboudreau]

On 11/5/2009 at 12:02 PM, cardbucfan said:

A couple of things: the food is not gourmet. It's good and plentiful but we had heard everybody raving about the food on a cruise ship and how wonderful it was and how you gain so much weight so we had very high expectations. The food is like banquet food-good but not great. (I don't have to cook it or clean up after it so it's that much better to me!)

 

Don't bring so many clothes-nobody cares if you wear the same thing twice.

 

Board the ship as soon as you are able on the first day. It counts as a cruise day and you are paying for it so enjoy it!

 

[Brat81978]

On 11/11/2009 at 7:48 PM, lnw said:

I've seen a couple people mention to bring wine and sodas on board but check your cruise line. Ours did NOT allow those to be brought on board and held them for you until you left the ship to go home.

Same with self service laundry.  NCL doesn’t offer this (or bringing any sodas/water/etc) although they do offer a deal on day 3 or 4 where u can wash as much as u can fit in the laundry bag for 19.99.  (Line it with a pillowcase and u can fit A LOT in the bag!). NCL also will not allow you to bring bottles of alcohol purchased either in port or on ship to your room.   It’s held until the evening before disembark and then delivered to your stateroom.

I find the shipboard hair products to be very drying to my curly hair.  I always bring my own shampoo and conditioner because of this. Also, def agree with the air freshener.  Bathrooms are small and it can be close quarters.  We most recently stayed in a Haven 2 br on NCL and there is a thick curtain closing the bathroom off from the master BR so the spray definitely comes in handy.  Most of this advice on this thread is not cruise line specific so I’d definitely recommend checking with the cruise line prior to following some of this advice.

Edited January 3, 2020 by Brat81978

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 9/3/2018 at 12:48 AM, ddddgraceee said:

**Power adaptors - there is one/two available in your cabin. Enough for the 4 people in our room. Want to charge something? Simply wait your turn.

lol, not enough, and they don't fully charge within an hour either. Between the 3 of us we have at least 3 electronic devices that need to be charged (you don't want to be stuck in a foreign country with a dead phone, do you? and you don't want to be stuck with an irate toddler who doesn't have the patience to wait for his tablet to charge to watch a cartoon, and you don't want an irate toddler in MDR without his tablet fully charged). Even than we still needed a portable battery to carry with us because the devices drain pretty quickly.

Plus electric toothbrushes.

So, we definitely bring a splitter and a usb adaptor/splitter.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Smokeyham]

Check on the cruisecritic board for your line/ ship to see what types of plugs are available in your cabin.  Many have both European and American plugs and bringing the appropriate adapter will give you an extra plug or two to be able to plug in your devices.

 

 

[SRF]

On 4/18/2019 at 9:31 PM, newbiewaves said:

Oh and another i discovered;

 

Shoes / sandals that fit at home in the cold will end up too tight after a long haul flight and sunny climes. If they fit snugly at home leave them there and take/buy looser ones!

 

For long haul flights, wear compression socks.  They will reduce the swelling.

[adventuredancer]

if even you are traveling somewhere warm, bring a sweater to wear in the evenings when you are inside at dinner, watching a show, etc. inside it can get chilly

[newbiewaves]

Yes good old air conditioning! Many a summer Florida holiday spent walking from a sauna into a fridge and vice versa. A wrap is also useful to cover bare legs in skirts if the temperature/AC drops.

[drsel]

Don't just buy any cruise at any price.
There are many Cruises available for under US$70 per person per day, including all port fees and taxes, excluding tips.
If our CC members are more value oriented, then prices will automatically start falling.
This corona virus outbreak has already caused Cruise prices in Asia to fall quite dramatically, especially Norwegian Jade and Royal Caribbean Jewel and Celebrity Millennium.

[Underwatr]

2 hours ago, drsel said:

If our CC members are more value oriented, then prices will automatically start falling.

Otherwise known as "the race to the bottom." 🙂

[drsel]

there are a lot of posts on the other threads where people have paid too much and now after the HUGE price drops, they are feeling really stupid because they are not getting the benefit of the price drop.

 

I only book a cruise if I get such a fantastic deal, that there is no chance of a price drop.

 

There are always a few fantastic deals available.

 

 

 

 

[brillohead]

9 hours ago, drsel said:

This corona virus outbreak has already caused Cruise prices in Asia to fall quite dramatically, especially Norwegian Jade and Royal Caribbean Jewel and Celebrity Millennium.

 

Jewel of the Seas is in Dubai, not Asia.  And the prices had dropped on those cruises long before this new coronavirus hit the news.

[drsel]

 
Jewel of the Seas is in Dubai, not Asia.  And the prices had dropped on those cruises long before this new coronavirus hit the news.

Jewel on 24 Feb has now dropped to $269 for 7 nights, including all port fees and taxes.
Just $38 per person per night for an oceanview

[brillohead]

50 minutes ago, drsel said:

Jewel on 24 Feb has now dropped to $269 for 7 nights, including all port fees and taxes.
Just $38 per person per night for an oceanview

I didn't say the price for Jewel hadn't dropped -- I just said that it had NOTHING TO DO WITH CORONAVIRUS, which is what you attributed it to.  

 

13 hours ago, drsel said:

This corona virus outbreak has already caused Cruise prices in Asia to fall quite dramatically, especially Norwegian Jade and Royal Caribbean Jewel and Celebrity Millennium.

The prices were dropping for those cruises way before the Kung Flu made the news, PLUS the fact that JEWEL OF THE SEAS IS NOT IN ASIA as you claimed.

 

If you're going to make a questionable claim, at least try to get your timing right and your continent right.  🙄
 

• NOT because of coronavirus.
• NOT located in Asia.

[drsel]

Dubai is in Asia.
The middle East is not a separate continent, its part of Asia