First Cruise !!

[murfturf]

2003, Carnival Sensation.

 

I was out with friends, listening to a local band we followed faithfully. During the performance, they announced that they were participating in a "theme cruise." Fans of the band could book through a local travel agency, take the four-day cruise on which the band would perform at special events. I think there were some things like T-shirts thrown in.

 

I'd wanted to take a cruise since the old Love Boat days, so I was thrilled at the opportunity. As typically happens, EVERYONE in our group expressed excitement at the possibility, but that enthusiasm dwindled by the light of the next day. A few die-hards were still interested and I began researching. I discovered the 4-day theme cruise was more expensive than the 5-day regular cruise. Since we could see the band play any time, we booked the 5-day cruise instead!

 

I've been hooked ever since!

 

YES - Agreed on the Love Boat thing! I have wanted to go for YEARS!

 

2013!!

 

My first cruise is 2 days away on Allure of the Seas! Going with my bf and his family on their family cruise. Super excited and nervous all at the same time!!

 

My mom cruised in the 90s on RC back when the Nordic Empress was in service. She LOVED it and is super excited for me to go on my first cruise! Doing packing and everything today!!

 

 

My parents started cruising in the 90's while I was a young mother, and later a single mom. I kept wanting her to take us along but she said "I didn't go on my first cruise until I was 40, you can wait!" LOL I kept bringing up cruises, but we'd go to Hawaii or Disney World or Washington DC for our "Big Trips" finally - before our 10th anniversary my mom had just gone on Independence and loved it, so decided to give a cruise to my DH and I as an anniversary present!

 

Have fun - I love hearing about first time cruisers! Reminds me of the day :)

 

To the OP - enjoy! Thanks for starting this thread!

[mkmom514]

Enchantment of the Seas - 4 night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. My husband's office had their annual meeting on board so they arranged (and paid for) everything. We discovered we are definitely cruise people, and knew we wanted to cruise again someday when our finances were better.

 

When I heard about the building of Oasis of the Seas, I told my husband I wanted to go on that ship someday (never believing it would happen). Fast forward, August 2012, we were on the Oasis for the eastern Caribbean 7-night.

 

I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for my husband's hard work, and for the provisions God made for us over the years, that nothing could have ruined that trip for me. I didn't care about crowds, kids, crowds, etc. I was just so glad to be there. When we got to the waiting area in the terminal, I actually did my happy dance and got teary-eyed. Now we're planning our next cruise. Cruising makes me dance!

[GraphicsChyk]

When an where was your' first cruise and what did it mean to you before and after ? Taking my first cruise with my lovely wife of 18 yrs. in April. It is overwhelming trying to figure it all out. All I know is what is important, is that I will be spending a week with her without a schedule or work.

 

My first cruise was in 2005. My mom had always wanted to cruise but never could afford it. So I maxed out two credit cards and took me, her and my son on a Carnival cruise. We had a lot of fun. It was the first for all 3 of us, so we had no expectations. DS mostly ate pizza and sat in the room (I'd sprung for a OV room but couldn't do a balcony) playing his game boy, but that's what he enjoyed. I'd say it hooked me on cruising, even though I've only been on one other so far. Got my next one booked for September, taking my mom for her 69th birthday. I was bound and determined to get her on another cruise, as she loved it so much. This time I'm paying without credit cards though lol.

[JYD Hawkeye]

Some great stories here. Keep em rollin in !!

[Lynn the Cruiser]

My first cruise was my best cruise ever! My sister and her husband were experienced cruisers and always asked us to go. My husband never wanted to....he was sure he would hate cruising. My sis and bil were going on the NEW Explorer and asked us to go. It would be her whole family and my whole family (kids were in their teens and early 20's). I booked it without my dh knowing (it was also our 25th anniversary). Of course I eventually had to tell him and he was still determined to hate it, but everyone else was so excited, he had no choice! We walked onto the ship and fell in love with cruising even before we set sail. As you can see my my signature, we've been cruising ever since. But that was the only cruise that our entire family was on.

[Crazy4Cayman]

October 2000, Carnival Victory. Our first cruise and most memorable as we bought home a wonderful souvenir, our son :-)

[jp1982]

My first cruise, I believe was in the early 90's - on the Big Red Boat. My first adult cruise was my honeymoon on the Grand Princess. We sailed in the Mediterranean and it was magnificent! We were hooked!

 

DH and I will be taking our first RCCL cruise in April, on the fantastic Oasis of the Seas! We can't wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[JoeRum]

Disney Magic Easter Caribbean with my Wife and 2 young daughters in Feb 2004. Loved it so much I talked my wife into booking for the Western a year later.

 

Haven't had a vacation since then. Until a couple weeks ago my wife and I had our first vacation alone together in 12 years to the Bahama's on the Monarch. Hooked!! Booked for the Brilliance for next Feb. It is so relaxing and I love the total isolation from everything.

[jndsilver31]

My DW and I have been married for almost 41 years. Like someone else posted we always wanted to do a cruise because of "Love Boat", but being in the US Navy from 1969 to 1989 and raising to children, there wasnt enough money for a vacation like that.

 

So fast forward to September 2012, finally crossed over from land onto the Freedom of the Seas for our very first cruise. I was so exicited from the day we booked, that I drove my DW crazy. I read CC, watched anything on tv about cruising. Then the day finally arrived. It was way beyond any thing i could have imagined.

 

We are now booked for Freedom in October. Again very exicited. Can't wait to get back on a ship (you can take the sailor away from the sea, but the sailor will always find a way back, LOL)

[ripjerry95]

2009 Carnival Imagination! for my 40th birthday. My brother had cruised 3 or 4 times and always said how great it was. So I kept saying how I wanted to try it out. My husband surprised me. It was a short 4 day cruise. We have been hooked ever since. Since then I have cruised 2x on NCL Jewel and another time on Carnival Ecstasy. This time we are doing another shorty on our first RC cruise. Haven't booked yet but will be either in April or May. Have a great time and welcome to your addiction! haha!

[Ander026]

This is a great thread.

 

My first cruise was with Holland America on the Ryndam in Alaska in 2009. I travelled with my family on a land tour then went on the Ryndam for a 7 day cruise. That is where I developed a cruise addiction. Now I cruise at least 2 times a year or more.

[reallyhooked]

We went to a cruise show to find out about the different cruise lines. DH cashed in an Insurance policy he'd been paying on since college.December 1997, Western Caribbean on Majesty of the Seas. We had an inside cabin (2135)

I laughed and cried at the farewell show. I was hooked. Couldn't wait to get home and book the next one.

Enjoy!!! IMO it's the best vacation for the money.:) And meeting friendly people that made it even more awesome.

 

Joyce

[Arizona Laura]

Carnival Victory..Eastern Caribbean..2007. I was in awe of a cruise ship once stepping onboard. DH and I when in San Diego had seen them docked and we both thought we would never cruise.

Cannot wait to see the Allure in April.

 

The Victory was rocking the first night and I remember thinking to myself is this considered mild or moderate. You just don’t know what to expect.

[gelo7]

Emerald Seas.