Funny things you did on 1st cruise

[Sailingstagediva]

Still laughing about LUGGAGE MAN.........

[shelby101]

We took everything we owned clothing wise as not sure what we would need. This was before we had the suitcases with wheels. Together we had 12 suitcases and were trying to get them to the porter by moving 2 at a time while one stayed with the moved ones and the other went back to get 2 more. Then when we got them all unpacked they were all over the room because there just wasn't enough room for all of them. Learned my lesson well.

[Tao Diva]

My first cruise was with a group. Everyone who had cruised before was giving me advice and helpful tips but I kept blowing off sea sickness advice bragging that I have sailed a 26ft tartan sailboat since I was 17 and have been bucked all over the Great Lakes and from one Erie island to another for days at a time and I NEVER get sea sick.

 

Pride goeth before a fall. I got my first taste of sea sickness formal night just before dinner. :eek:

 

A compassionate member of our group gave me a set of sea bands and though I still felt too sick to eat my lobster, by desert, I was good as new. Now, I never sail without them. Haven't needed them since, but you will never hear ME brag about my sea-worthiness again.:o

[TNM]

Ahhhhh those first cruise memories. I didn't discover CC until our 2nd cruise. Here are the mistakes from first cruise:

 

1. Opened cabin door to listen everytime cruise director came on with announcements. We thought it might be something "important".

 

2. Didn't take advantage of room service.

 

3. Went to every port talk/shopping meeting....again thought we had to be there for important information.

 

4. Worried the whole week that I might get motion sick. Opted out of first shore excursion because I wasn't feeling well from worrying about it. (seriously) ha ha non refundable tickets also but DH stayed with me.

 

 

I think those are the main things. We came home from our first cruise not sure if we would do it again. But.....did more research, found CC and went again the next year and have been cruising ever since. I still take along a truck load of anti-motion remedies but love to cruise!:)

 

I ran to the cabin door every time there was an announcement too! :p

 

And I worried so much about seasickness the first 2 days that I was making myself sick from thinking about it...the darn ship barely moved at all, lol...

[Crusin Hogs]

4 of us went on the Conquest , We did not know about the

MDR until the 4th night. We were so tired of the buffett

for 3 meals a day!

[arpie05]

Not necessarily funny - but we ate lunch at McDonald's before we boarded because we did not know any better!

Oh, we did that! But I have to admit that was my second cruise, Honeymoon on a Big Red Boat in 1992.

 

 

I was just remembering the funny thing I did on my first cruise, in 1987 (I was still in HS) - I took one of the buckets from the casino which we all played in (including 10 year old sisters) and used it to get drinks with (soda and water). I did get strange looks from the staff :rolleyes:

[GeorgiaPeach51]

My first cruise with my husband, my sister and her husband was a hoot. We all had inside rooms. The first morning we were up about 7, slid a note under their door...gone to the Lido for coffee, meet us there. At 8 we went back to the cabin. Nothing. Left another note. Gone to work out. Meet us there. Back to the cabin at 9. Nothing. Left another note. Gone to breakfast.... Note after note under their door and nada.

 

You get the idea....we were getting downright worried about them. When we were thinking seriously about getting the room steward to open the door, they finally appeared around noon, and these were two people who were usually up at 6 a.m. Amazing what sleeping in pitch dark will do to your body clock! And the ship rocking a little...they still say it's the best sleep they've ever had in their lives.

 

Now we do balconies and are older, we sleep on ships like we do at home....off and on! Maybe we need to go back to inside so we can sleep like hibernating bears. :)

[kcroxyoursox]

My first cruise was on the Victory out of New York. I was 19. The only mistake I really made was staying up way too late with the friends I'd made, thus making me sleep in way too late and missing out on so many activites!

 

Second cruise was on my honeymoon on the Conquest out of Galveston. Mistake this time was not bringing seasick meds. Since I hadn't needed them the first go round, I didn't even think to bring them in case. Spent the first day of my honeymoon in bed, alternating between sleeping it off and crying because I was ruining our honeymoon. Finally went to the purser for meds (thanks CC for teaching me this) and was fine the rest of the week.

[okgirl]

My 1st cruise on the Big Red Boat in 1994. I was traveling with a friend and her daughter and I never even saw any of the paperwork. We were at Disney World before the cruise. Not knowing any better, we spent the morning at the Magic Kingdom. We left Orlando about 1:30 since "checkin was at 4 pm" ..... We took our time, stopped for lunch, don't remember what else .... and showed up at the port about 4:30. Someone led us to the purser's desk to check in ..... I didn't realize how close we were to missing the ship until my 2nd cruise.[/quote]

 

I have to 2nd that......our 1st cruise was on the Festivale in 1983. The 1st dumb thing we did was to board a flight to Miami from Tulsa in dresses, hose and heals..........:rolleyes:.........

 

I don't remember what time the flight got in, but I do remember that when we walked into the terminal building they were starting to close down the desks..........so I'm guessing that it must have been well after 4pm......

 

It's still amazing to me how many blue S&S cards you see on the ships.....I'm sure a good number of these people are either sailing with someone who has sailed or they have sailed on another cruise line...But if John's blog is correct about 2/3's of the guests are new to Carnival....

 

So I'm sure all of these newbie mistakes are still going on.........

[okwriter]

This wasn't funny---but goes to show you what happens when a newbie ASSumes something. :rolleyes:

 

My first cruise was last January with two friends. I mistakenly thought formal night (or whatever it's called) was the first night aboard. We all got dressed up and went to the MDR for early seating. I wondered where the photographers were or where we needed to go to get our photo taken but was too embarrassed to ask anyone. We also noticed that not many other folks had dressed up. Being our very first meal on a cruise, we didn't know the menu would have been special if, in fact, it was formal night.

 

The next afternoon, we read the (then) Capers and found out formal night was the second night. But by then we had started consuming DODs and missed formal night altogether. DUH. :D

[Dthom54]

Well, after a little too much tequilla on the Lido Deck one day, I led the conga line up and down all the stairs and around the deck. At the end, Funship Freddy was standing on the dance floor and we had a picture made with him. That night when we looked at the picture I was wearing about a size 9 flip flop on one foot and one of mine (size 6) on the other foot. It was way funny to us. Thought our daughter would die laughing. I will never live it down but that's why they are called the fun ships. :p

[Mommyof1]

This was actually on my 2nd cruise, but my DH's first...

 

It was me, my DH and our DS (I think he was 7 at the time). The morning of debarkation, we were getting our stuff together to leave the room and head out for breakfast and wait with the masses. I double checked that I had the customs form and our birth certificates (we didnt travel with passports then). I had specifically remember handing them to my DH to put in his carry on. He couldn't find them!! We had already put our luggage out the night before and they were going directly to the airport, so we wouldn't see them until we got home. My DH thought I had packed them in our luggage by accident. I was freaking out and called the Purser's Desk. They told me I'd just have to talk to customs. We were panicking they wouldn't let us off the ship. We ended up with a really nice customs officer and he asked us a few questions and let us off.

 

When we got home my DH found our birth certificates in his carry on.. it was in a pocket he never checked!

 

That was one stressful event. I promised myself I would never let him be responsible for carrying important documents again.

[MSRussell]

1. Opened cabin door to listen everytime cruise director came on with announcements. We thought it might be something "important".

 

After my first cruise I didn't do that, but did go out on the Balcony to make sense of what was said.

Then I heard an announcement came over the speaker in my room looking for missing passengers, as the ship was ready to sail. I relaxed after that, for some reason I didn't know if it was important, I could hear the announcement in my room.

Melanie

[TaraLynne]

-booked shore excursions ON the ship

-ate every single meal in the MDR

-booked airfare through the cruise line

-I could probably think of more if I really tried but my first cruise was 10+ years ago...

[Shelbyjane56]

On first cruise hadn't found CC.The first morning DH woke me up saying hurry hurry we only have 15 min to get to breakfast.We thought if we didn't make it to MDW no food.Had a great thme.

 

We were on the Mardi Gras for our honeymoon Dec 18 1976. We were in an inside cabin, back then the cabin didnt matter to us. We decided to take a shower before going to dinner ..however we did not know that as small as the bathrooms were, you had to stand on a block of wood, little did we know you could also use the bathroom at the same time, meaning it took a few trys to take a shower without getting the toilet paper soaked! We loved that ship....but now we lke having more room, but we do like not having to deal with TP issues :)

[gone_cruisin]

Now this did not happen to me, but a fellow first time cruiser....

 

Male friend of mine was selected to participate in the spoon on a string contest.

 

For those that don't know, it's where a spoon is tied to a VERY long string and two men and two women stand side by side and race to have the spoon dropped down the girls shirt and down the mens pants. The race is against another set of 4 people and the goal is to get the spoon all the way to the end of the people line the fatest.

 

Well the intitial part went well for my friend. Spoon and line went up or down everyone's respective parts and out the end. The cruise director then wanted them to race to remove the spoon.

 

OMG!!!!! Well the leading female grabbed the end of the string and yanked as hard as she could......thus lodging the spoon in my male friends undershorts. She kept tugging too even after he fell to the ground in pain. It was too funny - but at his expense.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if my friend has a phobia of spoons now.

[Princesskiki]

Our first cruise was on the Carnival Celebration, 1997,

out of New Orleans. As you may know or not, the ship has to go down the Mississippi River to reach the Gulf of Mexico.

 

It takes 7 to 8 hours. We were in a inside cabin at the very back(aft) of the ship.

 

The Celebration, at this time, had a vibration in one of her shafts(propellers).

 

We board, time passes, many DOD and Miller Lites. Bed time.

 

When we get to the mouth of the Mississippi River, ship slows to get the pilot to take us out of the river into the Gulf. There is a lot of vibration.noise etc.

 

My wife and her daughter think we are sinking, grab the life vest, go into the hallway(as they told us to do at the Muster Drill). They are not alone. A few other folks are also there wondering what is going on.(All 1st time cruisers.)

 

You may ask: "Were was myself?"

 

A sleep. Too many DODs/Miller Lites.

 

She told me "I was gonna let you go down with the ship"

{Said with a deep southern accent}

 

I said "Well, what happen?" She said "I tried to wake you up, but, oh well, boy, go down with the ship." They found out what it was, no big deal.

 

We did survive this "event" and talk about it to this day:

"Remember when you thought we were sinking?, Shut up boy you were passed out. You don't remember a thing."

 

"Girlfriend, I was just in a deep sleep"

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it.

 

JimmyJames

 

No, you were being a gentleman... ladies first ;-)

[txracefan]

Thanks for all the fun posts.Keep them coming.

[WinnipegCruiser]

My first cruise?

 

I didn't realize in advance that I would be giving up my luggage at the curb stop. I just assumed I would (like checking in at the airport) first check in and then perhaps give up my luggage.

 

So at the curb stop, I gave all our luggage to the porter (tipped him) and went inside to check in.

 

Only then realizing that all our ID (passports etc) was in the front pouch of my carry on sized suitcase.

 

Oops....

 

Well, it was not funny at the time.

 

 

The porters allowed us into the huge room with all the luggage that was in line to be loaded on the ship. We found ours (lucky) and got the envelope with all the documents.

[mdbowl300]

Happened as we were getting ready to board the Inspiration.

The 4 months leading up to our cruise I was conversing using some other board with 1 other fellow cruiser. I had not found CC yet. We gave a few details of ourselves, but nothing fancy. We did not even set up a meet and greet. We just wished each other well and to have a good cruise.

My DW and I were sitting in the terminal all checked in, around 9:30ish when another couple came in and sat right behind us a few minutes later. We were just about the only people in the terminal. As I was listening to the conversation it just sounded familiar. The guy gets up, I believe to use the restroom, and the woman strikes a conversation with my DW. It was our first cruise and they had been on a few before. Finally after she made a few comments that I recognized I introduced myself to her calling her by her first name, which she had not revealed yet. You can imagine she was a little shocked until I told her I was the one conversing with her husband on the board.

It was just one of the moments and made us all laugh.

[airlink diva]

Ok, I'm not sure wether this is funny or embarrssing (or both). :D :o My 1st cruise was a 4 day Western Caribbean on the Imagination (now the Carnival Imagination) in January 2003. I didn't realize that the food was included in your cruise fare. My Mom and I got onboard and went up to the Lido Deck for lunch. I waited at the table while she got her food and then I went to get mine. I filled my plate, got an iced tea (or something like that) and procceded to walk around the Lido Buffett about 6 or 7 times looking for where to pay for my food!! :o Not being able to find the cashier, I went back to the table and told my Mom that if they come after me, telling me I hadn't paid for my lunch, I'd tell them the truth which was I couldn't find where to. My Mom looked at me (trying not to laugh) and said something along the line of, "You don't have to pay for it, you've already paid for it with your cruise fare". Right them, I was so embarrassed that I wanted nothing more than to sink into a hole and never be looked again!! :o

It is kinda funny now though!! :D

 

I was the same way for dinner on my first cruise!

I had always heard that if a restaurant don't have the food prices listed, the place is very expensive.

I was in a panic at dinner because there was no prices and my money was locked up in my suitcase in the cabin.

One of my friends who was a vet cruiser ask me why I only order a salad and nothing else (the waiter asked me several times was that all I wanted), I told her I couldn't afford to eat here each night. She laugh and told me you paid for it in your cruise fare.

I was also so embarrassed!

[LuvCruising01]

Visited nearly every booth in the straw market in nassau (went straight to the back)...I thought there would be something different if I looked at other tables in the back and that they would barter better.

Just wanted to get out alive! Rats and tight spaces are NOT your friend when you're not in a familiar place.

 

Also,

on a previous cruise, some friends that were cruising with my DW and I (both strict sober people at the time) were doing every nearly everything possible on the ship and having to explain to our friends why they didnt need to go to the Friends of Dorothy event. They didnt understand my explanation (a little too much to drink maybe?) and went anyways, and seeing their faces after they came out was priceless as they were REALLY expecting to be attending a production of wizard of oz.

[RWolver672]

Our first cruise was on the Destiny out of Miami in 1999. We stopped at St. Croix and spent the day at the beach getting sunburned pretty bad. On the way back to the ship, we had to walk along a long pier. As we got closer to the ship, there was a steel drum band playing. Being in a good mood, I saw one of the ropes that tied the ship to the pier. I like a dummy decided to do the limbo under it to the music.

 

I misjudged and came up to soon and scraped my sunburned forehead raw on the rope. I never had anything burn like that until I got to our cabin and put some aloe on the sunburn and it got into the raw forehead. I can normally take a lot of pain, but that put tears in my eyes. I spent the rest of the cruise with a raw forehead and got lots of strange looks.

[hobbyhrs97]

Our first cruise was our honeymoon on the Carnivale..

We left wedding reception after driving our drunk wedding party home, changed, went to the airport, jumped on the plane ,rented a car drove to the pier in Port Canaveral Fla. No sleep

Boarded ship, went to cabin, laid down on the bed for a quick "nap" and woke up the late morning the next day:eek:, so much for wedding night!

[lidoplease]

These are so funny--still laughing about the empty luggage.

I had not found CC on our first cruise either. We went with another couple and on formal night the menu had filet and lobster. I don't eat lobster,but I wanted the steak and there was no other steak on the menu. My husband's friend loves lobster and said, "I will eat your lobster." So I saved my bread plate and when the food came I put my lobster on it and handed it across the table to our friend. I swear-it felt like every waiter in the dining room ran to our table wanting to know what was wrong with my lobster--there was plenty of lobster and they would get another for our friend--etc, etc. I was so embarrassed, I guess I had made a major etiquette faux pas, but we laugh about it now.