What question did you wish you would have asked before the first cruise?

[5326jan]

• I wish I had known the difference between Anytime & Traditional dining...We had anytime and it was a mess.
  
• I wish I had known how much I love to have a balcony cabin
  
• I wish I had not just grabbed at the hotel and transfers in FT.L provided by Princess but made my own arrangements
  
• I wish I had know the pros and cons of cabin locations
  
• I wish I had known - or been confident enough to arrange -my own excurions
  
• I wish I had know that a decent travel agent could have told me att this....
  

• I wish I had known - and read Cruise Critic.
  

 

Yes, all this PLUS... I wish I had known that some travel agents compete for your business by giving you discounts, On Board Credit, wine in your room, and other perks.!!! Our agent did none of the above on our first cruise!:rolleyes: We have definitely learned a lot here at Cruise Critic!:D

[TimeTraveler2]

Didn't know you could order as much as you want in MDR.

Also would still like to know how to get a lounge chair by pool since most are reserved.

[Neiner]

i would have asked someone too lock my suicase before it was full of stuff i ddnt need too wear. i dont overpack now and am so glad i have cut my clothing in half.

 

Isn't that a bit too revealing? :eek:

[dustyroad]

Isn't that a bit too revealing? :eek:

 

:D:D. i wish i could cut them in half by loosing weight. and i never do that on the cruise either. ;)

[sjcruiser]

I wish I had known or asked about not taking all those clothes like I was going away forever. So glad I learned to mix/match, and take less.

[staygulf]

Didn't know you could order as much as you want in MDR.

Also would still like to know how to get a lounge chair by pool since most are reserved.

 

There is no such thing as "reserving" loungers. If you see one that has been unoccupied for more than 15 minutes, simply move the "stuff" on to the floor and take over the chair. No passenger has the right over another to reserve loungers. Some people think that by placing a towel on a lounger it's theirs for the whole day and they can come and go as they please. Well, sorry, not in my book !!

[Jana60]

For instance, what do you know now that you wish you were aware of prior to taking your first cruise.

 

We are newbies, taking our first cruise in early 2011 to the Caribbean. I'm not so sure what to ask, but I know there are some tips/tricks and secrets that I'll wish I were aware of prior to boarding the ship. :)

 

 

I am going on Cruise #13 in 2 weeks. I've been on 4 different cruise lines and many different sized ships and the most important things I have learned are #1) read the cruise critic review and then #2) print out the deck layouts, locate areas of interest (especially your own cabin), find out which decks you can travel from the front to the back of the ship on and which ones you can't.

 

I spent my first cruise lost at least 1/3 of the time and only learned my way around on the last day of the cruise. You will find that very few of the crew speak English well and none of them speak it as a first language so understanding their directions is pretty much impossible. Even the folks who speak English do not always know their way around the ship. I have sailed on Carnival Triumph twice. On my 2nd cruise aboard her, I overheard one of the pursurs directing another passenger to the lounge "where they do the Karaoke". Instead he was directing her to the main show lounge at the other end of the ship. I corrected his directions. When I told him that I had been on a 7 day cruise on the Triumph six months before, the purser informed me that I had been been on that cruise ship a total of 7 days longer than he had as he has just joined the crew the day before.

 

Now I typically know my way around a new boat before we leave port and I'm never late for the shows and special events.

[suezyq50]

Get to port early, board, and enjoy that first day. Pack less. I now pull out what I want to take and put half of it away.

[stowaway2k]

the general cruise advice I would have for first timers is take half as much clothing as you think youll need and twice as much money

 

Before my first cruise, I read a "to do" list that said

"Pack your luggage. Go to the bank and get travelers checks. Return home and unpack half of what you packed. Return to the bank and get more travelers checks."

 

I thought... ha ha... very funny, but that doesn't apply to me. :rolleyes:

When I came back home after the cruise, I wished I had done exactly that: half the clothes, twice the money. :eek:

 

(Does anyone use travelers checks anymore? :confused:)

 

There is no such thing as "reserving" loungers.

No, not any more. :( Those were the days... a reserved deck chair that was always there, always available, just for you. :D

[GlendaleCruiser]

 

(Does anyone use travelers checks anymore? :confused:)

 

Nope. Lots of places won't accept them, either. Too much trouble they say.

[wrxrob]

I am going on Cruise #13 in 2 weeks. I've been on 4 different cruise lines and many different sized ships and the most important things I have learned are #1) read the cruise critic review and then #2) print out the deck layouts, locate areas of interest (especially your own cabin), find out which decks you can travel from the front to the back of the ship on and which ones you can't.

 

Awesome! :) Never would have thought of this.

[griffy116]

1) The #1 tip is pack less clothing. We've cut our cruise clothes in half (or less). Women in our crowd use a LBD for formal nights now instead of the long gowns. Four inch heels are difficult to walk in on the deck and around the ship.

2) You spend more than you think you are going to. Those frozen drinks look so good out by the pool. That wine tastes so good at dinner. You look so good in that photo.

3) Save your looser clothing for the last days and nights. Shockingly, you may find you have gained a few pounds. One of our most hilarious memories is my Aunt asking for help getting her dress zipped on the last formal night. It took 3 of us to get her zipped and stuffed into her dress. When she said, "what is wrong? this fit perfectly when I tried it on the night before we left," my daughter replied, "ice cream, desserts, frozen drinks, buffets for breakfast and lunch?"

4) You can relax. You don't have to do everything to enjoy your cruise to the utmost.

5) Saying "please" and "thank you" means more than you know to your fellow cruisers and the crew.

[MonaCD]

They used tohave, not sure they have them now, a little fold up card with the layout of the ship available at the Guest Services desk. I pick some up as soon as I board and carry it with me until I get my bearings.

[Warmer Climes]

I wish I had been much more relaxed about the whole process. As long as you get to the port in time and have a couple of credit cards that work and your passport and reservation stuff, you're all set. You can buy anything you forget.

 

And if you do your research, you can save a lot of money by doing private excursions vs. ship excursions.

[GORDONCHICK]

I wish I'd known to pack a power strip so I could dry my hair while DH was showering - it would have saved so much time. Also to plug in flat iron and use while DS is in the bathroom.

 

Also, know that if you are adventurous in trying new foods and you simply don't like something, just request something else! They really want you to be happy and well-fed, so it's not a problem at all.

[srlafleur]

On the several cruises we've been on with freestyle-type dining, I wish I had realized that I could come back to the the MDR a while later just for dessert.

[Bill S]

"Will cruising become an addiction?" :eek:

[jlp20]

Why am I using a TA who really hasn't a clue about cruise vacations.

 

A week afetr making that first booking I found these boards. Five weeks of reading, went to pick up the cruise docs. After 30 minutes, I realized the T/A was asking me the questions...

[MsYukon]

I didn't have to do it all the first time I saw it in the daily newsletter!

 

And so agree with the 1/2 the clothes and twice the money!

[celyvabeach]

I wish I've discovered CC before my first cruise...

I wish I was confident to book my own flights and hotels..

I wish I knew how to change tables after getting stuck with undesirable tablemates (that's why I prefer 2-toppers now unless travelling with friends)...

I wish i knew how to book private excursions (recommended on CC) instead of getting stuck with a crowd on ship's shorex...

I wish I didn't have to buy all the photos taken by the ship's photogs...

I wish I didn't have to do so much shopping on the ship store and on shores...

After a few cruises and several land vacations I'm more confident and now can do all of the above with no problem...my DH is so proud of me lol!

[bcsurvivor2001]

There is no such thing as "reserving" loungers. If you see one that has been unoccupied for more than 15 minutes, simply move the "stuff" on to the floor and take over the chair. No passenger has the right over another to reserve loungers. Some people think that by placing a towel on a lounger it's theirs for the whole day and they can come and go as they please. Well, sorry, not in my book !!

 

Sorry - but while I agree no one has the right to plop a towel on a lounger to "reserve" it all day and not use it....if someone were to remove MY belongings after I've been in the POOL for longer than 15 minutes I think I'd be rather upset to say the least. So, being at the pool I'm not allowed to "come and go" to the pool as I please?? Now, asking those around my vacated lounger if anyone is using them is a different story ;)

 

I do agree - it's annoying to see vacant "towel saved" loungers empty literally all day. That's why I always ask the neighbors.

[Jana60]

Sorry - but while I agree no one has the right to plop a towel on a lounger to "reserve" it all day and not use it....if someone were to remove MY belongings after I've been in the POOL for longer than 15 minutes I think I'd be rather upset to say the least. So, being at the pool I'm not allowed to "come and go" to the pool as I please?? Now, asking those around my vacated lounger if anyone is using them is a different story ;)

 

I do agree - it's annoying to see vacant "towel saved" loungers empty literally all day. That's why I always ask the neighbors.

 

I agree. You want to feel free to swim and then sun bathe then swim again ect.. without fear that your belongings will move or disappear.

[KatieMcG]

For instance, what do you know now that you wish you were aware of prior to taking your first cruise.

 

We are newbies, taking our first cruise in early 2011 to the Caribbean. I'm not so sure what to ask, but I know there are some tips/tricks and secrets that I'll wish I were aware of prior to boarding the ship. :)

 

I wish I had known I was going to get sea sick, and I had taken dramamine while still on shore to get it into my system. I was fine the first night, but spent the next day and a half in misery until I was able to keep the medicine in. I was on Epic, and we had a rather smooth sailing according to the crew, but apparently, I just have a very weird inner ear. ;)

 

So, my suggestion is to take the dramamine/bonine/patch before you board, just in case.

[GlendaleCruiser]

I agree. You want to feel free to swim and then sun bathe then swim again ect.. without fear that your belongings will move or disappear.

On most ships the wait time is 30 minutes. I get as annoyed as anyone when chair hogs save loungers for a long time, but on the other hand, I've waited a good 20 minutes in the hamburger line 50 feet from my lounger at times. If I want to swim, I would expect to come back in a reasonable time and find my belongings. If possible, I tell people on the loungers around me that I am: --going to the bathroom, --getting a snack, --running back to my room for my lotions, etc. and they can help save them for a reasonable time. I am usually solo at the pool (my friends don't like to be in the sun) so it helps if I can engage my fellow loungers.

 

If I come back in 15 minutes and find my stuff gone, I'm calling Security on your A$$

[Morgsmom]

Actually, security won't likely intervene. My biggest pet peeve are chair savers, especially those who are 'holier than thou' about it. I've been sitting there at 8 am when someone comes by with towels and "marks" chairs and says "the sun will be just lovely when we return later today..." Makes my skin boil... however, on most lines the security will NOT touch personal belongings nor intervene in such circumstances, in my experience.