First time cruiser(Carnival Conquest)

[Scrapenthusiast]

Hello everyone!!! What a great wealth of knowledge this website is...I am stoked to have come across this one. I just booked my first cruise for 9/11/11 out of Galveston, TX on the Carnival Conquest. I'm super excited and can't wait! It will be myself, my mom, and my sister. I feel like there is so much to know, but I'm learning a lot here. I do have a couple questions though.

 

As far as shopping in the ports, what is the best option for purchasing stuff? Should we bring cash, credit cards, traveler cheques??? We are doing the anytime dining option...is this a good idea for first timers? We really liked the idea of having the flexibility. Also what about shore excursions? We are really just interested in shopping and sight seeing...nothing too arduous or taxing. We're pretty much all about relaxation for this trip. I've heard some folks mention booking directly through the ship and then some others mention private tours??

 

I'm hoping our room will be okay too. We booked an interior room on the Verandah deck, since we don't think we'll be in the room that much. I'd like to hear pros and cons on this too. Any advice, tips, etc is greatly appreciated! :)

[cruiserking]

Hello everyone!!! What a great wealth of knowledge this website is...I am stoked to have come across this one. I just booked my first cruise for 9/11/11 out of Galveston, TX on the Carnival Conquest. I'm super excited and can't wait! It will be myself, my mom, and my sister. I feel like there is so much to know, but I'm learning a lot here. I do have a couple questions though.

 

As far as shopping in the ports, what is the best option for purchasing stuff? Should we bring cash, credit cards, traveler cheques??? We are doing the anytime dining option...is this a good idea for first timers? We really liked the idea of having the flexibility. Also what about shore excursions? We are really just interested in shopping and sight seeing...nothing too arduous or taxing. We're pretty much all about relaxation for this trip. I've heard some folks mention booking directly through the ship and then some others mention private tours??

 

I'm hoping our room will be okay too. We booked an interior room on the Verandah deck, since we don't think we'll be in the room that much. I'd like to hear pros and cons on this too. Any advice, tips, etc is greatly appreciated! :)

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic Scrapenthusiast and congrats on booking your first cruise.

 

It's easiest to just bring cash with you, figure about a hundred a day. You probably won't spend that much but, it's better to have it available. You can store it in safe in your cabin.

 

If you're on a tight budget and interior room will be fine but, definitely a bit tight with three people.

 

We have had larger cabins on several cruises and have found that we spend more time there. It is very relaxing to have your personal oasis to return to especially the balcony.

 

For your first cruise I would suggest booking tours with the cruise line. If you're late coming back to port the ship will wait for you. If you book independently and are late the ship will not wait.

 

The beach transfer excursions are usually pretty reasonable thru the cruise line. A shuttle will take you to a nice beach for four hours and throw in a cocktail.

Some ports you can walk around on your own. Look at your itinerary and see which stops or excursions really sound interesting then book one or two.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Jonathan

[whciv]

Glad you found Cruise Critic and welcome. We've cruised over 20 times including just doing the Carnival trip out of Galveston last year. I'll try to answer a few of your questions.

 

Shopping. When shopping in most ports you are better to have a little cash. The local vendors don't normally take credit cards. The larger shops will, but the real fun is negotiating a great deal on a souvenir from a local. Its best to take small bills and be sure to keep your money close to you. If you want to buy a watch or jewelery then you can certainly pay with a credit card in the larger shops. Just make sure your credit card company knows you are traveling so they don't stop charges on you.

 

There will be lots of shopping option in Grand Cayman and even in Cozumel. Grand Cayman is very nice and is very safe to walk around. The island is a big banking center with lots of wealth. Cozumel is very touristy with some unique Mexican shops. There are excursions that tour the island. As far as Jamaica just be a little careful. There are a lot of drugs on the island and it may not be a good idea to venture out completely on your own as a newbie. The island is very tropical with very thick vegetation and very HOT and HUMID.

 

We have booked both private and cruise excursions. There are pros and cons to both. Private tours can be cheaper, last longer and give you a better experience. A cruise ship tour is safe, well planned and you don't have to worry about missing the boat. We have seen folks miss the ship due to private tours returning late. I would recommend you stay with a ship tour in Jamaica but the other two ports you can chose. Just do lots of research on the tour company before using them. There are other boards on Cruise Critic that talk about excursions by port.

 

My family always books inside rooms. We prefer to spend our money seeing the sights and not on our room. Besides, you really don't spend much time in your room. I think your selection will be great. We also prefer the anytime dining. We never waited to be seated and it was nice knowing we could spend more time in port and not worry about our dinner seating.

 

Have a great time!! The research and anticipation are half the fun.

 

Smart-Travelers

http://www.*****

[Colorado Kat]

If you are tight on space while preparing for dinner, one or two of you can shower in the gym/spa area.

 

Room service is great, but tip $2-$4, depending on how much you order.

 

You can order 2 of anything at dinner, or multiple appetizers, or 5 desserts for the 3 of you to sample.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[spny84]

Hello everyone!!! What a great wealth of knowledge this website is...I am stoked to have come across this one. I just booked my first cruise for 9/11/11 out of Galveston, TX on the Carnival Conquest. I'm super excited and can't wait! It will be myself, my mom, and my sister. I feel like there is so much to know, but I'm learning a lot here. I do have a couple questions though.

 

As far as shopping in the ports, what is the best option for purchasing stuff? Should we bring cash, credit cards, traveler cheques??? We are doing the anytime dining option...is this a good idea for first timers? We really liked the idea of having the flexibility. Also what about shore excursions? We are really just interested in shopping and sight seeing...nothing too arduous or taxing. We're pretty much all about relaxation for this trip. I've heard some folks mention booking directly through the ship and then some others mention private tours??

 

I'm hoping our room will be okay too. We booked an interior room on the Verandah deck, since we don't think we'll be in the room that much. I'd like to hear pros and cons on this too. Any advice, tips, etc is greatly appreciated! :)

 

As others have said, bring cash (small bills) on shore. Every vendor I've bought from has taken US money but they don't all give change in US money. Travelers Checks are not as widely accepted as they use to be and sometimes they have extra charges to them. There are ATM machines on the ship, but they usually have a $6 charge plus your bank charge.

 

You can easily walk around Cayman and Cozumel on your own both are reasonably safe. Cayman you can get to the beach easily so here can shop and/or sit on the beach for a while. I have never been to Jamaica. Also remember you do not have to get off the ship (or stay off very long), the ship will usually be a lot less crowded and usually there are Spa Specials (Discounts) on Port Days so if you want to try the Spa, this is a good time. Visit the Port of Call portion of this forum, they will tell you what others have done and you can decide if you want to spend money on a shore excursion. Even though Stingray City is very Touristy, it is worth a snorkel trip IMO if the budget can afford. I usually book my tours through the ship because we do snorkel trips, hiking, ATV'ing and just like the convenience of them. Also, note, Cayman is a tender port which makes it sometimes get canceled and just takes more time to get on/off the ship.

 

Roomwise, I've been spoiled and got a balcony and now can't go back but it is up to you. There are plenty of places to go on the ship, you can even find very quiet spots if you just need to get away from people for a while. Definitely remember the Spa/Gym area usually has showers and I know of many people who take advantage of them (usually it's the guy who gets kicked out the room while the girls get ready :)).

 

I love Anytime Dining, just like Restaurants. Show up, tell them your table size, and either sit down or get a pager for a few minutes.

[firefly333]

Hi, Iv been on Conquest 4 or 5 times now. I usually park at either the hotel or EZCruiseparking.com

 

When you board check out Sur Mer, up above the back buffet, most people miss it until the end of their cruise. It is dead the first day when the buffet is so crowded. It had fish and chips and oysters and some other fish type things.

 

I prefer traditional dining and having a larger table of folks to meet every night where its fun to talk and say well how was that excursion today and chat about our day. Im still emailing with people from my last cruise. Anytime dining the service can be quit slow during busy times. The show times are built around traditional dining.

 

I got stuck with anytime on Princess and its why I no longer book princess and stay away from NCL, but I think some like it. Most people prefer traditional. Even Carnival only devotes part of one dining room to any time, so you know its not the norm or most preferred.

[serene56]

 

I'm hoping our room will be okay too. We booked an interior room on the Verandah deck, since we don't think we'll be in the room that much. I'd like to hear pros and cons on this too. Any advice, tips, etc is greatly appreciated! :)

Some one will be sleeping in an upper bed.

The cabin will be extreme darkness 24/7 with NO natural light at all.

You want to bring an alarm clock or use the phone for a wake up service or you will sleep whole portions of your cruise away.

 

I think for a first timer-- an inside cabin works well- like you stated you sleep in your cabin.

 

3 females in a tight space-- use the showers in the gym/spa area. You get more shower space and the shower heads are amazing.

There is only one outlet in the cabin-so all the hairdryers. curling irons etc could get quite taxing. Avanity with a mirror for three people- take shifts.

There is no sofa in the cabin.

 

Whats above your cabin- you do not want to be below the pizza kitchen nor do you want to be around ice cream machines

 

 

I LOVE the Mongolian station at lunch times during the week- check it out early as it gets crowded as the week goes on

[Scrapenthusiast]

Thanks for the info. everyone! I wasn't really thinking of bringing that much cash so that's really good to know! I figured it might be kinda tight in the cabin, but we'll make it work. I'm planning to take a cruise with my hubby in Feb 2012 so I think we *may* go for a balcony on that one! ;-)

 

It's nice to hear that anytime dining has worked out well for someone. In reading over the threads...folks seem to have a definite preference on this either strongly for or against it, lol. We're going to give it a try and see how it goes. I think we'll be fine. We don't really mind a short wait if it comes down to it. The main thing is that we loved the flexibility of it. Next cruise I'm sure we'll try assigned dining so we can compare.

 

It's nice to hear about various experiences with the ports and excursions as well. I've heard that Jamaica is kinda sketchy anyhow so we'll definitely be booking through the ship for this port.

 

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! It's soooo helpful! I'm basically handling everything so the more I can find out ahead of time the better!

[Scrapenthusiast]

Some one will be sleeping in an upper bed.

The cabin will be extreme darkness 24/7 with NO natural light at all.

You want to bring an alarm clock or use the phone for a wake up service or you will sleep whole portions of your cruise away.

 

I think for a first timer-- an inside cabin works well- like you stated you sleep in your cabin.

 

3 females in a tight space-- use the showers in the gym/spa area. You get more shower space and the shower heads are amazing.

There is only one outlet in the cabin-so all the hairdryers. curling irons etc could get quite taxing. Avanity with a mirror for three people- take shifts.

There is no sofa in the cabin.

 

Whats above your cabin- you do not want to be below the pizza kitchen nor do you want to be around ice cream machines

 

 

I LOVE the Mongolian station at lunch times during the week- check it out early as it gets crowded as the week goes on

 

Thanks for the tip on the showers...that is definitely good to know! As far as I know there are cabins above and below our cabin so we should be okay there.

[firefly333]

T I've heard that Jamaica is kinda sketchy anyhow so we'll definitely be booking through the ship for this port. !

 

I listened to them tell me how it wasnt safe in Jamaica the first time. The last two times I walked into Montego Bay by myself (and yes Im female). Once you get away from the port, the people who are telling you the crap about how unsafe it is ... to try and convince you to book with them, you are fine.

 

You can buy a bracelet for $15 that you can hop on and hop off the bus there. Good idea as its usually awfully hot to walk like I do. The other time, last sept we missed BOTH Montego Bay and Cayman Islands due to a storm. Only went to Cozumel that time on Conquest. One lady told me this was the 3rd time out of 3 she missed Caymans, so its not unexpected. The other time on Conquest we did Eastern, different ports.

[Scrapenthusiast]

I listened to them tell me how it wasnt safe in Jamaica the first time. The last two times I walked into Montego Bay by myself (and yes Im female). Once you get away from the port, the people who are telling you the crap about how unsafe it is ... to try and convince you to book with them, you are fine.

 

You can buy a bracelet for $15 that you can hop on and hop off the bus there. Good idea as its usually awfully hot to walk like I do. The other time, last sept we missed BOTH Montego Bay and Cayman Islands due to a storm. Only went to Cozumel that time on Conquest. One lady told me this was the 3rd time out of 3 she missed Caymans, so its not unexpected. The other time on Conquest we did Eastern, different ports.

 

Ohhhh...I see so it's kind of a little bait and switch game going on?! LOL Thanks for the heads up on that!

 

The bracelet sounds like a great idea. Perfect for what we are interested in doing which is mainly grabbing some souvenirs. I know it's hurricane season, so I guess I won't get my hopes up about getting to stop at these ports....just in case it doesn't happen we won't be disappointed with not being able to visit those ports. Is this bracelet something that is being sold by a local bus??

 

Thanks for your tips! These are great!

[Scrapenthusiast]

Hi, Iv been on Conquest 4 or 5 times now. I usually park at either the hotel or EZCruiseparking.com

 

When you board check out Sur Mer, up above the back buffet, most people miss it until the end of their cruise. It is dead the first day when the buffet is so crowded. It had fish and chips and oysters and some other fish type things.

 

I prefer traditional dining and having a larger table of folks to meet every night where its fun to talk and say well how was that excursion today and chat about our day. Im still emailing with people from my last cruise. Anytime dining the service can be quit slow during busy times. The show times are built around traditional dining.

 

I got stuck with anytime on Princess and its why I no longer book princess and stay away from NCL, but I think some like it. Most people prefer traditional. Even Carnival only devotes part of one dining room to any time, so you know its not the norm or most preferred.

 

I'm writing that down...sounds like a great way to start our cruise off and avoiding a long line is always nice!

 

I'll be flying in from VA to my mom's in San Antonio and then we're planning to drive up to Galveston and grab a hotel the night before. Any recommendations close to the port? I'll check into that website for parking too.

[firefly333]

Im the last person to ask. I stay cheap. I stayed at Econolodge the last two times, which is usually about $40, and right next to Gaidos Fish Restaurant, right off Seawall, 500 yds at most.

 

I stayed at Quality Inn and Suites Beachfront in Jan when I got a deal for $45, off season. Sept hotels will be more than in the winter down there. I dont need a fancy place. EconoLodge has one king bed for cheap, and I cruise solo. Everyone else turns their noses up if its not a better name.

[Scrapenthusiast]

Im the last person to ask. I stay cheap. I stayed at Econolodge the last two times, which is usually about $40, and right next to Gaidos Fish Restaurant, right off Seawall, 500 yds at most.

 

I stayed at Quality Inn and Suites Beachfront in Jan when I got a deal for $45, off season. Sept hotels will be more than in the winter down there. I dont need a fancy place. EconoLodge has one king bed for cheap, and I cruise solo. Everyone else turns their noses up if its not a better name.

 

lol~Well if that works for you...why not?! ;-) We're probably going to splurge since we'll be getting in the day before and usually like to stay at some of the nicer hotels. I'm sure I'll find something good....I just didn't want to be too far away from the pier since none of us have been to Galveston before.