Just booked our first cruise, YEAHHH!

[rydan]

Hello,

 

After listening to my freinds and family telling us how great cruising is, we decided to start with a short cruise. We just book the Millennium for Nov 10th.

 

We book a 2C. We were told that the rooms are are the snmall side compared to a land based hotel. but they are very funtional. If you vet's have any tips for a green horn, please let me know.

 

Anyway, I am so happy. Is it normal for an adult to feel like a kid again?

 

Hello, to all of you.

[Ems2]

Is it normal for an adult to feel like a kid again?

Yes it is!

 

My DH and I did our first cruise in June and loved it so much we booked our 2nd whilst still onboard. We feel like excited children and are counting down the days to our next adventure.

[HR Queen]

Congratulations! You will probably become addicted like us. We have gone 4 years in a row and are trying right now to figure out how to do year 5 next spring. Just relax & enjoy....so much to do & see - you just can't do it all. We have never been disappointed.

[Mr. Click]

Cruises are fun, plain and simple. One of the things we have really enjoyed the past 5 years is seeing different places without having to pack and unpack. Just go and enjoy. It is a great way to relax. Not sure where your trip goes but just go and enjoy it. Sea days are great for exploring all the nooks and crannies of the ship, the shows are nice, not broadway quality but they are nice way to spend some time in the evening.

[dmwnc1959]

Congratulations and Welcome to Cruise Critic! :D I hope you love Celebrity Cruises as much as everyone here does. It is definitely my personal cruise line of choice. I'll also be on the Celebrity Millennium later this year and would love to hear about your trip when you get back!

 

Here's some additional info and pics for the Celebrity Millennium to help get you started:

 

Pictures:

http://www.shipparade.com/az/Celebrity_Millennium/Celebrity_Millennium_3.htm

 

http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Millennium-Tour-1.html

 

http://www.seapixonline.com/nsthumbs.php?hit=1&tot=42&mid=0&typ=name&wds=Millennium&cat=118

 

Menus

Main Dining Room

http://mercruiser.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/celebrity-menus-april-18-may-2-2011.pdf (pages 1-4 for a four night cruise and last page too)

 

Olympic Restaurant ($40pp charge)

http://www.beyondships.com/files/Cel_Mill_Olympic.pdf

 

AquaSpa Cafe

http://www.beyondships.com/files/AquaSpa_Cafe_Menu_-_Breakfast.pdf

 

http://www.beyondships.com/files/AquaSpa_Cafe_Menu_-_Lunch.pdf

 

Tip Calculator

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

 

A thread on luggage tags...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1302575

 

... and one on eDocs

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1498659

 

...and Internet Packages aboard the ship

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1308351

 

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!! :D

[ORV]

Best tip I could give is to read as much as possible here on Cruise Critic. It's huge.

[dmwnc1959]

P.S. Don't forget to go online and complete your cruise registration:

 

After booking the cruise:

 

- Go on Celebrity's website and log in

- Click My Celebrity and then My Reservations

- In the drop down list of your booking select Manage My Reservation

- Complete the Online check-in

 

Read over the Reservations Summary page of your reservation to make sure everything is in order as well.

 

Your Xpress Pass will become available shortly after completing the Online Check-in and you should get an email from Celebrity Cruises indicating when it is ready for printing.

 

Your Luggage Tags and e-docs will be available shortly thereafter, luggage tags via the Online Reservation Summary page and e-docs via a link when you get the e-mail. They can also be found on your Online Check-in page at the bottom when they are ready.

 

Keep checking for your luggage tags on the Online Check-in page when a 'button' will appear in the lower right. If you don't manage to secure any before hand there should be some available pierside when you get to the ship.

 

Print out your Xpress Pass and any transfer vouchers to take with you on the flight. The e-docs are about 13+ pages of the legal stuff and may contain other vouchers for items you've purchased and/or the signature data for your onboard expenses and may be worth printing.

 

If you want, pre-book shore excursions, drink packages, spa packages, and specialty dinner reservations as well.

[WALKER1313]

My best tip (other than reading Cruise Critic) is to set out all the clothes you think you will need to pack. Then... get rid of half of them.

 

 

Relax and have a great time.

[FrankinPA]

Hello,

 

After listening to my freinds and family telling us how great cruising is, we decided to start with a short cruise. We just book the Millennium for Nov 10th.

 

We book a 2C. We were told that the rooms are are the snmall side compared to a land based hotel. but they are very funtional. If you vet's have any tips for a green horn, please let me know.

 

Anyway, I am so happy. Is it normal for an adult to feel like a kid again?

 

Hello, to all of you.

 

Welcome. You will likely become addicted and spend your kid's inheritance like we are doing. I am sure they will not mind. :o And you will make many new friends. Like Orv says, read these boards and be sure to do a search on any question you have to see what has been discussed.

 

When you return from the trip, be sure to share you thoughts with us. I bet you will still be doing the "happy dance".

 

Larry

[FrankinPA]

 

If you want, pre-book shore excursions, drink packages, spa packages, and specialty dinner reservations as well.

 

If you are into wine and are thinking about a wine package, I would recommend you wait until you board to check out the available deals. Celebrity is now offering, for example, a three bottle wine package that includes specialty dining reservations. So there is no reason to book and pay $40 per person for specialty dining if you are going to buy a wine package that includes the dining.

 

Also there are hundred of threads (it seems) on these boards discussing the pros and cons of drink packages. Suggest you do your homework on those.

May people who drink a lot find them to be a good deal. Many others think they are not. It depends on what you plan to drink.

[Dunmore2]

Be sure to join the roll call for your cruise. You will get to meet people before you sail. Some you may connect with, others not. There may be shore excursions for you to join, sail away parties, cabin crawls or other activities. We have made great friends through a couple of the roll calls. As with all public forums, don't give out too much personal information.Bon voyage.

[dmwnc1959]

Be sure to join the roll call for your cruise.

 

Here's the link just in case...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1355213

[rydan]

Thank all of you for your responses. I dont know where to begin.

they should rename this site to Cruise-Nuts.

 

We dont really drink alcohol, buy we did buy the soft drink package. love my sprite/7up :)

 

Got my dark suite in the cleaners for formal night, my sport jacket is ready to go.

 

OK, now what the heck should we do in Cozumel? We looked at the cruise lines tours, but if anyone has any ideas on a snorkel & beach package NOT fro the cruise line, let me know.

 

Thank you, Thank you.

 

I just thought us Dinsey fanatics were crazy...

[islandgirlejfan]

Thank all of you for your responses. I dont know where to begin.

they should rename this site to Cruise-Nuts.

 

We dont really drink alcohol, buy we did buy the soft drink package. love my sprite/7up :)

 

Got my dark suite in the cleaners for formal night, my sport jacket is ready to go.

 

OK, now what the heck should we do in Cozumel? We looked at the cruise lines tours, but if anyone has any ideas on a snorkel & beach package NOT fro the cruise line, let me know.

 

Thank you, Thank you.

 

I just thought us Dinsey fanatics were crazy...

 

You are going to love cruising! There's nothing like enjoying time on the ship......it's very relaxing! :)

 

You may want to check the Cozumel forum for some ideas. There is some great information on all ports of call here on Cruise Critic! :) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=210

[rogfam]

Just be careful with the closets. It seems that everytime I cruise they put something in there that makes all my clothes shrink!!!!

[MrsKruse]

We took our first cruise last April on RCI - we have always been independent travelers and though we'd hate cruising, but for $75pp/pn in the Med, we took a gamble on it and LOVED it. Sure, your room will be small, but it will be functional. Our RCI room was much tinier than what we'll have on Celebrity this spring, and we managed the 12 days with two of us, without any worries of overpacking or sardine experiences. I'm jealous that your first cruise will be Celebrity :D

 

I'd highly recommend checking your roll call for opportunities to split private excursions. We did that in several ports and made some great friends (and had some awesome tours we couldn't have afforded otherwise!)

[Orator]

A few tips from a frequent cruiser who has made almost every possible mistake:

(1) Don't try to do everything. You need to pick and choose. Remember, they try to fit 7 days of activities into a 5 day schedule. If you try to do everything you'll need to take another cruise just to recover (not necessarlly a bad thing).

(2) Pace your eating. I see this all the time. New cruisers see all the food and feel that since they paid for eat, they must eat it. Usually by the third day they don't ebven want to see the food.

(3) Don't sweat the small stuff. No cruise is 100% perfect. Some people focus on finding the negative. You should focus on the positive.

(4) Get to know the staff. Unlike some lines Celebrity encourages their staff to talk to the passengers. You will meet some exceptionally talented people.

(5) Book anther cruise while onboard to gain an upgrade and credits.

Finally, HAVE A GREAT TIME :)

[mdv31616]

We were on the Celebrity Century in March on the 4 day to Key West and Cozumel. We also decided to do on our own. We got a taxi for less than $10 for 2 people and went to Chankanaab. We spent a few hours snorkeling and relaxing. There were plenty of chairs, drink choices and lovely scenary. They have a lagoon for snorkeling which was good for us novices. Equipment rates were reasonable and clean bathrooms nearby. Afterwards we easily got a taxi into town. Had a wonderful lunch at La Mission. Afterwards wondered around the town and a short taxi ride back to the port.

 

We have only been cruising for two years and are scheduled for our 5th on the Sihouette next month. I sincerely hope you love it as much as we have.

[gelo7]

Congratulations and welcome aboard.

[Karynanne]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

There is nothing like the anticipation of your first cruise! I take that back...walking onto the ship for the first time is the ultimate thrill.

 

My only suggestion: Don't read too much into any negative review. Each and every person's personal experience is different. One may find the food terrible, and another on the same cruise will rave about it.

 

Relax, go with the flow, and enjoy it all.

 

Karyn

[glo]

Leave the sport jacket at home you will not need it.

Thank all of you for your responses. I dont know where to begin.

they should rename this site to Cruise-Nuts.

 

We dont really drink alcohol, buy we did buy the soft drink package. love my sprite/7up :)

 

Got my dark suite in the cleaners for formal night, my sport jacket is ready to go.

 

OK, now what the heck should we do in Cozumel? We looked at the cruise lines tours, but if anyone has any ideas on a snorkel & beach package NOT fro the cruise line, let me know.

 

Thank you, Thank you.

 

I just thought us Dinsey fanatics were crazy...

[rydan]

For those who have first hand knowlegde of the Olympic resturant.

Do you think it is worth the PP cover charge?

 

1) And at diner in the MDR (i read some posts using the a accronyms)

Are Dockers and a button down shirt OK for us guys on non formal nights?

 

2) My wife tends to get chilled, are the ships comforatable or should she pack a light sweater?

 

3) Spa packages. Buy them online now or wait until we board the ship?

 

4) Never been to mexico before. What is the one not to be missed place to see while in Cozumel?

 

5) Does the gym have a instructor available?

 

6) How are the beds - Lumpy, Soft, Hard ect...

 

Thank you