Biggest mistake 1st time cruisers make.

[spongerob]

You are not a truly experienced cruiser until you have awakened in the middle of the night covered with something brown and sticky. You soon figure out it was the chocolate that was left on your pillow, but for a moment or two...

 

I consider that event the final rite of initiation.

[mii]

You are not a truly experienced cruiser until you have awakened in the middle of the night covered with something brown and sticky. You soon figure out it was the chocolate that was left on your pillow, but for a moment or two...

 

I consider that event the final rite of initiation.

 

O.K. Rob now that is funny. I think that might have happened to more people than they care to admit.;) Nice to have a good laugh.

 

Marilyn

[Nliedel]

As for the shore excursions.. If you have never cruised before you should think about Cruise Sponsored shore excursions if you have a short time in port. It is easy to lose track of time and get left behind.

[gopher's girl]

The mistake that first time cruisers make is to not have found and read every post on cruise critic before they leave :)

 

Actually, perhaps not a mistake but it did help greatly.

 

Don't pack more than 1 pair of shoes per day - they will just charge you more for your luggage.

 

If you have thick hair and can't stand anything but perfection then take your own hairdryer and never go out on deck (haha).

 

Don't be afraid to book that balcony if you can afford it. So many people are afraid of getting hooked but I can't tell you one thing I would rather be hooked on than balconies.

 

Don't spend your whole cruise in the casino.

 

Please be kind and have a conversation with people you meet on board. It is amazing how many nice stories you will have when you come home.

 

Take a small notebook and make yourself journal 10 minutes every day so you have something to reflect on when you come home.

[Crowsie]

Make copies of your passport/bc and carry them with you while on shore...but separately from the originals.

[SuzyQ75]

You all have helped me out so much. I'm going to take a lot of these suggestions! Thank you!

[stones902]

Didn't read all the posts so don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet....

 

Laying in the sun the entire first day w/o sunscreen. It seems like every cruise we see a "lobster man". People just aren't used to the Caribbean sun. It can ruin the first couple of days of your vacation.

[Aquarian]

I always pack a change of clothes and swimming suits in the carry-on BUT one year I forgot to include my husband's sandals. Our luggage came late and he only had brown leather shoes that he wore on the plane! It was a very warm afternoon in long pants until our luggage came. So, don't forget the summer shoes along with the clothes!

[SaylorGirl]

Don't watch all the re-runs of "Love Boat" and expect your cruise to be the same!

[Road Warrior]

There are lots of people out there who base their view of cruising on what they saw on Love Boat! When I asked some family members if they were interested in cruising, they replied that they didn't want to walk around the ship formally dressed 24 hours a day:p

 

Another of my two favorite myths from that show:

1) The bartender standing behind the bar wearing a suit and maybe one or two people at the bar. (My first cruise in 1981, the bar was a mob scene)

 

2) The well dressed people going top-side at night while the ship is asea. The lady's hair doo and the man's hair stays perfectly combed. No Wind!:p

[figmentdj]

Biggest mistake? One name says it all – Carlos & Charlie's. Barely made it out of the restaurant. Barely made it back to the ship. Didn't venture out of the cabin for the rest of the night. I bet we were a sight stumbling back to the ship. Never again.

[Case1096]

I agree with an earlier comment about expecting perfection. Last year my friend and I were on the Imagination (it was my friend's first cruise), the embarkation process was a disaster because the ship arrived late that morning. They weren't making annoucements, I'll admit as a verteran cruiser it was pretty bad, but my friend was ready to leave and fly back home! Needless to say even though the embarkation process and the debarkation process as well were horrible, it was one of the best times we ever had. I vented to Carnival about that whole situation and I was very surprised that I did not even receive an apology letter for the problems they encountered. I didn't want a free cruise or anything, just a letter saying sorry we screwed up, next time we will get it right.

[Pam in CA]

I think one of the biggest mistakes is packing too much. The more cruises I take, the less I bring. If I haven't worn everything I brought by the end of the cruise, then I've still brought too much.

 

One of my tricks (it works for me) is that I got an over-the-door hanger where I put all the clothes I'm planning to bring and hang them up there. I go through them to see if there are things too similar or too close in color, or if something doesn't go with the basic black evening sandals I bring, or if a coverup (shawl, etc.) doesn't go with at least two outfits. It's amazing what you realize you can do without.

 

I also use the trick, mentioned previously, of lining my suitcase in tall kitchen plastic bags. They've saved my clothing several times when my suitcase was exposed to weather -- and I use them as a laundry bag during the cruise. I also use a couple of extra bags to separate types of clothing, particularly if something is going to rub off on something else. For packing to come home, I separate the really dirty and smelly clothes from the "good" clothes with a bag.

[98Charlie]

Biggest mistake? One name says it all – Carlos & Charlie's. Barely made it out of the restaurant. Barely made it back to the ship. Didn't venture out of the cabin for the rest of the night. I bet we were a sight stumbling back to the ship. Never again.

Last trip to Cozumel DW & I were waiting by the gangplank for another couple to catch up before we re-boarded the ship,

 

Saw two men with one woman in between them. Her arms over their shoulders, their arms around her waist. As they walked (kinda) by we saw several of the "Yard tall drink" glasses in their bags.

 

It took them about 5 minutes to get her succesfully through the metal detector. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Charlie

[Kruznut]

We've been on many cruises and have always been fortunate to receive our luggage within an hour or so after we boarded. I wonder if I should knock on wood now ?

[Cindy]

The biggest mistake I made on our first cruise actually happened before the cruise, and it was believing EVERYTHING I read on the message boards! By the time we left, I knew I was sailing on the best/worst ship in the fleet of the most outstanding/horrendous cruise line in the industry, with delicious/disgusting food and a friendly/surly staff!:D The lesson I learned was that what people like or dislike about a cruise is largely a matter of personal taste, and the time I spent obsessing about what could go wrong on our cruise was a waste of time. I also must not be that picky, because so far I haven't found much to complain about!:cool:

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm one of those who didn't quite always tuck in the shower curtain (hey, I'm half asleep when I take a shower).:o

[Cruisin' Chick]

Whenever I hear someone wonder if they should go on a cruise, I give this advice: go on a short (3-4 day) cruise and see how it goes. Also check out the weather and sea conditions (Cruisecritic is a good place to ask) for your itinerary so you shoot for a calm cruise.

[captainron]

After a few cruises over the years, I've determined (but don't tell DW) that you pack what you yourself are willing to drag through the airport. After our first cruise together, baggage weight has reduced considerably. This works.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[cnmiranda]

Remember to pick up your belongings after going through the security scanner to get back on ship. My BIL left an entire bag of goods purchased in the Bahamas laying on the package scanner belt. When he remembered the things 2 hours later it was already too late, they were taken/retrieved by someone else. :(

[JIMDSB]

1. Do not take more clothes than you need. You will only have to carry them back home.

 

2. Our first cruise (ages ago) we did EVERYTHING. By the time we got back home we needed another vacation.

 

3. If you are flying, leave a day early. If a storm cancels your plane, you dont have to try to catch up with the ship in another port.

[DrD]

Bring twice the money and half the clothes.

 

EXPLORE the ship on the first day! On the bigger ships it's common to have 1 pool very crowded, and another pool empty.

 

For relaxation out of the sun and crowds, go to skywalker's in the daytime, it has a great view and will be deserted.

 

 

Definately, definately leave a day early. It's SO much better to board at noon, well rested, than at 5pm, frazzled. It's like have another day on the cruise!

[Brennivan]

Buy travel insurance!

[shellyc]

Remember to pick up your belongings after going through the security scanner to get back on ship. My BIL left an entire bag of goods purchased in the Bahamas laying on the package scanner belt. When he remembered the things 2 hours later it was already too late, they were taken/retrieved by someone else. :([/quote

That happened to us too in Victoria, but the person that took my sack was right in front of me, so we noticed the mistake and exchanged bags. We both had purchased some last minute gifts at the store on the pier.

[ronjj66611]

The first cruise I went on with my DW, Princess lost our luggage for the first 2 1/2 days! I resorted to having to buy other new clothes on board. Thank god Princess was fantastic about it, they gave us $300.00 credit for clothes. The bags ended up in someone elses cabin, one guy thought it was the other guys luggage and vice visa (they were sharing a cabin but did not know each other). So be warned, it can happen to you too. I will NEVER pack all my clothes in on bag, but carry some on with me.