Having second thoughts

[Nliedel]

I am sailing the Mariner in the fall. We are going to do a couple days at Disney before we sail and honestly it is going to cost us, per day, much more than the cruise. Yes we are staying at the Contemporary, so the lodging is higher, but with food.. Iy, yi, yi!!! We are easily looking at 1400.00 (of course I have a 6 and 8 year old and they need crap! Tons of it in their minds). I can honestly say that cruising is a good deal and a great time. Those boys are so excited they could pop. They both want summer break to be over so we can go already!

[heathernijoli]

I think anyone has second thoughts before boarding a cruise ship for the first time, but I think as soon as the ship pulls away from shore and you realize that you can't feel much motion and there IS TONS TO DO - that feeling quickly (and I DO mean quickly) leaves your system. Cruising is awesome and once you go once you will want to go every year...

 

Go! Enjoy!

 

Let us know how much you love it...

[megr1125]

Hi Peekskillny....

 

 

First, you are probably driving from NY to Bawl-i-more right??? So you are saving airfare. Yippee!

 

I agree with the other posters...you will have a great time!!!

 

My mom and I were not sure if we'd like our first cruise.....actually she worried more than me. I think she had more fun than I did! And I can't wait for our next.

Haven't done Grandeur or Eastern carib BUT I am sure it will be great.

 

Ships can sail around storms......islands can't-nor can mickey mouse!

 

 

Your kids will have plenty to do. Adventure Ocean has programs for all ages and I am sure the kdis will make new friends.

 

Some things to pack...

 

1) An open mind!

2) A camera

3) space for your extra stuff you may purchase.

 

Try new foods, stay up late, order room service......see the shows....read the Compass (list of events, etc for the day) so you can see what's going on that you mught like to attend.

 

Don't try to do it all...you can't.

 

Stop by the 1st time cruisers board if you haven't already....don't worry too much. Remember it is a vacation which, any day, is better than being at work!

 

What else can we help you with??

[stillfrantic]

My family of 5 will be on the Grandeur in August also(oldest will be 15 too.) It is really expensive, especially by adding the 5th person, but we have cruised before and we all do really love it. It is so easy to enjoy spending time together and actually getting to relax, something Disney World doesn't really allow! We are really looking foward to 9 nights as a way to really forget about everything but what bathing suit to wear for the day or which of the places might be fun to try for lunch!

 

All kids are different, but mine were not borred on the cruise we took. They spent time playing ping pong and learned to play shuffleboard with their own variations. They did some of the kids activities, the oldest met friends and swam and just hung out with them, we all did family activities together. It was just nice not to really have to worry about what to do that day....there were plenty of easy choices within reach, or we didn't have to do anything at all.

 

I am the penny pincher in my family and I have to say I LOVED that the kids were wide eyed in excitement that mom wouldn't stop them if they wanted to order off the adult menu, that if they wanted chicken fingers right after they ate that I didn't care. And honestly, since I'd made final payment 2 months prior I kind of imagined it was all free too! :) I'm guessing your final payment is due pretty soon, as is mine, and you are reserving the expensive shore excursions and feeling the hit. In my experience, just do it and give it a try. I bet you will all end up having a great time. Even if not, they will have great memories of the parts they did enjoy and you'll know while crusing isn't something you want to do again, you loved X about it and can plan the next trip around that. But, I think you'll love it so much you'll dream of your next family cruise. :)

[mom2kids]

We took our kids on their first cruise 2 weeks ago. They are 7 and 8, they had a blast! We never heard the B-word come out of their mouths. In fact, they wanted to go to Adventure Ocean ALL the time. I almost felt guilty about sending them. The staff does so much with them.

 

When they weren't at AO, they were in the pool, or arcade.

 

Don't worry about not having a good time, worry about getting "HOOKED" like the rest of us, and wondering which ship will be our next.

 

Enjoy your vacation. GET OUT THERE!!!!:D

 

Voyager 10/00

Mariner 4/05

[aftmdne]

We were on the Grandeur last August. We had a WONDERFUL time. Originally we were worried that it would be too hot, but it was very nice. There were three hurricanes in the Caribbean when we were out, and we never had a bit of trouble except some rough water the last day or two, and that was not a problem for us. The crew was very good at adjusting the course as need be to avoid the storms. We did end up not being able to dock in Florida because they were preparing to be hit, but that's okay...we got to see Charleston, SC instead!

 

You will have a wonderful time. We've booked another one for this August, leaving Baltimore on the 19th. Can't wait!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I always get pre-cruise blues and anxiety attacks. That was especially true before our first cruise (RCCL, Mariner of the Seas.) I wondered why I ever got myself into such a mess and worried about every detail from clothing to weather to on-shore excursions and everything my brain could think up to worry over.

 

The morning we drove up to Cape Canaveral for that first cruise, I was so depressed. Then magic happened! We pulled up to the docks and there were the magnificent Disney ship with an enormous Donald Duck hanging off the rear and the totally awesome Mariner looming before us. I was instantly enchanted.

 

All my concerns and worries vanished. I couldn't wait to get on board. Yes, some things didn't go exactly right, but both my husband and I were hooked on cruising from that very first voyage. Problems can and do arise on any vacation, anywhere. But as it turned out for us, our biggest problem was exhaustion because there was so much to do and we drove ourselves really too hard to do it all. Funnily enough we haven't learned to modify that bad habit on subsequent cruises.

 

I hope you really enjoy yourselves as much as we have. In fact, you may find cruising is easier and less expensive than mega-theme parks or fancy resorts. A wise and experienced cruiser told me before my first crusie as I fretted over our ports of call. He told me, "It doesn't matter where you go or what you see. You will have a fabulous time." That turned out to be true every cruise we have taken.

[mmsalmon1987]

Not that you need any more opinions...but here is my coment. At disembarkation on the first cruise we took the kids on, my daughter who was 13 then, got all tear-y eyed when it was time to go. She still e-mail some of the kids she met, that was three years ago. I was surprised at how much time they spent in the kids program. My son was in the younger group (and the "free" program ends at 10:00, I almost went broke paying for the extra hours he wanted to stay, the last night I made him pay for two hours!!)

 

Not that I am saying this about you, but my Mother is a pestimistic person who worries alot and doesn't think she is worth the expense of having a good time.......so she stays at home, and we tell her all our great stories when we get home.

 

Many of the posters on these boards have a great quote in thier signatures, it reads: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

[3redheads]

. It could be hotter than hell in Virginia,

 

 

Believe me, it already is hot a hell here :D

 

Kim

 

PS I'm cruising in August also. Can't wait!

[Seapup]

Are you going to Bermuda on Grandeur in August? If so, you are only at sea two days (or 2 1/2). The other time you are at dock in Bermuda. So little time to get sea sick.

 

Dont expect Trump Tower service because you are not paying for it (even though you are payihng a lot). Ships with that kind of service cost far more.

 

Expect a nice Marriot resort and adjust your thinking that the same weather could hit anywhere you would be.

[negc]

You can't live your life always worrying about "what ifs". We were in Orlando last summer when Hurricane Francess hit and Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World etc. were closed for two whole days. We survived and when they reopened there were no crowds or lines and we had a wonderful time. Stuff happens. Unless you are prone to motion sickness you most likely won't get seasick, but if you do there are medications available onboard that will relieve or eliminate the symptoms. Kids are unpredictable and can, if they want to, be bored in the most exciting places, or make friends with others their age and have a fabulous time just about anywhere, even doing nothing. Focus on the positives and get the kids involved (sounds like you may already have done so) in planning the trip. Don't over schedule and allow some time for spur of the moment things, or just quiet relaxing moments. RCI's Grandeur is a beautiful ship. It may not have ice or inline skating and some of the features which abound on the Radiance and Voyager Class ships but their kids programs seem to be well-designed for various ages and frankly, we have frequently been surprised when we found out how many kids were sailing with us, because the programs kept them so well occupied that we rarely saw that many of them.

When my wife and I planned our first cruise, I was sure that it would be a one-time experience. Our next cruise will be our 35th. :)

[PrettyLA]

Go and enjoy your cruise. You cannot live life with all of the "what if...?" questions. I highly doubt that you or anyone would get bored. If they did then they obviously are just looking for something to complain about. Get on the internet and entertain yourself if you are seriously that bored on a cruise ship. These ships aren't like the Titanic with only shuffleboard to pass the time. Trust me, you will be amazed at how much there is to do on board.

 

As for weather problems, you can't control that. It's the same as going to Disney World. If it rains all of the time then what are you going to do? The captain will do everything in his power to steer out of a hurricane, so you don't need to worry very much about that.

 

I say go and take the cruise, you only live once and if you don't experience it then you will never know if you would have liked it. If you don't like it then it's unfortunate but your vacation is what you make of it.

[Annieeee]

I just returned from the Grandeur 9 night cruise out of Baltimore. We had a great time and you will too. I have to warn you about the Marketplace. Some of the stores are not open on Sundays, and some that are were open on Sundays are not back in business yet as a result of the damage they sustained during last year's hurricane. The shopping lecturer never said a word about the stores being closed on Sunday. Upon our return we told him and he said oh sorry yes, I guess I should have mentioned that on Sundays some shops are closed. So go snorkeling or whatever, and don't be such a pessimist!! Heck you might drop dead before you even stop foot on the ship and you did all that worrying for nothing!! If it is gonna happen, it is going to happen, so relax and enjoy and stop the "what if's" .

 

At CocoCay, go snorkeling, or parasailing, we did and it was just wonderful. Key West we just walked around and did a little bit of shopping and had lunch. We are there for such a short time. Cozumel was wonderful, try power snorkeling, go to a beach, relax, have fun, then go shopping and try some of their local cuisine.

 

You will probably have such an enjoyable time, that you will be booking another cruise before you get off this one.

 

Annieeee

[Suzij11]

dont worry.. it is a GREAT ship.. the food was the best... and the best port was RCL's private island (Coco Cay)! so much to do .. our waiter works the volleyball (he is the best!) -- stop by and tell him Susan-Stoney & the boys (June 2004) say HI!!

 

it was great to take the boys on this ship for the 1st time, because they got a taste of cruising at a smaller level, not on the big ships, where they can get lost .. and have too much too do..

 

going out of Baltimore couldn't have been better... easy in, no waiting and right on board!

 

you will have a GREAT time!:)