First time cruiser questions!

[NewbieCruiser2013]

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I have just booked a Royal Caribbean cruise for 21st September departing from Southampton on Independence of the Seas. We actually did a RC cruise in May 2011, a 3 day Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral on Monarch of the Seas. We are considering this as our first "real" cruise and have a lot of questions!

 

Firstly, we have booked in inside cabin, we may upgrade nearer the time but for now money only allows this! I would love to know suggestions on what cabin (L, K, N, M) to book and what deck is best. Our current cabin is Deck 7, AFT.

 

Also, is My Time Dining a good option? We are a young couple, both early 20s.

 

Any tips for first time cruisers are much appreciated too :-).

 

Thank you!

[ticktoneer]

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I have just booked a Royal Caribbean cruise for 21st September departing from Southampton on Independence of the Seas. We actually did a RC cruise in May 2011, a 3 day Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral on Monarch of the Seas. We are considering this as our first "real" cruise and have a lot of questions!

 

Firstly, we have booked in inside cabin, we may upgrade nearer the time but for now money only allows this! I would love to know suggestions on what cabin (L, K, N, M) to book and what deck is best. Our current cabin is Deck 7, AFT.

 

Also, is My Time Dining a good option? We are a young couple, both early 20s.

 

Any tips for first time cruisers are much appreciated too :-).

 

Thank you!

Keep looking at Cruise Critic as great threads with many tips pop up all the time.

 

Indy is a fantastic ship. We sailed on IOS in May and had a great time.

 

In my opinion, MTD and traditional dining are both good. MTD gives you more flexibility and enables you to be less of a planner and more spontaneous if you want to be.

 

We nearly always cruise inside cabins as I would much rather spend the extra money I would have paid for an OV or balcony on my next cruise.

 

Deck 7 aft is quite a nice area in my opinion. You're only 2 floors up from the main promenade area (so easy to get to etc.) and you are at the right end of the ship for food - ha ha ha !!

 

If you are prone to seasickness then mid ship is supposedly always better. It can get a bit choppy coming in and out of Southampton for the first 1 or 2 days.

 

Have a fantastic 'Real' cruise :-)

[Folk Singer]

Use this link to check out best cabins per ship.

 

 

http://deckplangenius.com/IndependenceoftheSeas.aspx:):)

[Folk Singer]

Enjoy your trip. we really like the TA.:):):)

[NewbieCruiser2013]

Thanks for comments! What does TA mean?! I am seriously new to all of this!!

[Clarea]

Thanks for comments! What does TA mean?! I am seriously new to all of this!!

Travel Agent or transatlantic.

[jackretired]

Thanks for comments! What does TA mean?! I am seriously new to all of this!!

 

TA has 2 different meanings.

Trans-Atlantis

Travel Agent

.

[ryano]

Thanks for comments! What does TA mean?! I am seriously new to all of this!!

 

Heres a few more that you will see around here that arent the standard chatboard abbreviations as in LOL, BRB etc.

 

CC = Cruise Critic (or Credit Card)

TA = Transatlantic OR Travel Agent (depending on whats being discussed)

MDR = Main Dining Room

WJ = Windjammer

OBC = Onboard credit

DH = Dear Husband

DW = Dear Wife

DD= Dear daughter

DS - Dear son

 

and you can see where I was going with that Dear Stuff. :)

 

Maybe some will add more for you. Sometimes you will see a letter followed by OS as in FOS = Freedom of Seas, IOS = Independence of the Seas etc.

[NewbieCruiser2013]

Thank you!! I will sign up when I get on a computer

[jackretired]

Cabin Selection, it is up to you to decide. Here are some things to think about:

 

To avoid the motion of the ocean, be in the center of the ship.

Top to bottom. Front to back. Side to side in really bad seas.

Stabilizers do a good job but sometimes …

 

To avoid noise

What is around you

What is over you

What is under you

Look at the deck plans

 

To avoid long walks

Where are the elevators

 

To avoid elevators

Do you want to be close to MDR, windjammer, pool deck, casino, schooner lounge?

 

To avoid $

Inside

 

To get a view

Balcony

[NewbieCruiser2013]

Thank you! We did choose the room based on that there were cabins above and below so no "common area" noise, hopefully we will be able to afford an upgrade nearer the time as I do really like a balcony!

[ticktoneer]

What actual cruise are you doing?

 

You'll have to catch a thread about the benefits of booking with a US based travel agent if you're from the UK rather than Royal Caribbean UK or a UK travel agent.

 

Feel free to e mail me if you have any questions !

[NewbieCruiser2013]

We're going on a 12 night Med cruise from Southampton departing 21st September...didn't know there were benefits booking like that but I will have a look thanks :-)

[COMBOY]

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I have just booked a Royal Caribbean cruise for 21st September departing from Southampton on Independence of the Seas. We actually did a RC cruise in May 2011, a 3 day Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral on Monarch of the Seas. We are considering this as our first "real" cruise and have a lot of questions!

 

Firstly, we have booked in inside cabin, we may upgrade nearer the time but for now money only allows this! I would love to know suggestions on what cabin (L, K, N, M) to book and what deck is best. Our current cabin is Deck 7, AFT.

 

Also, is My Time Dining a good option? We are a young couple, both early 20s.

 

Any tips for first time cruisers are much appreciated too :-).

 

Thank you!

 

Personally, most all inside cabins are the same in dimension and amenities so it really doesn't matter what deck you are in. Being as close the stairs and/or elevator bank is what I feel is critical. Why? If your cabin is located at the far end of the corridor/hall you have to walk sometimes a long way to the elevators/stairs. But once you get to the elevators/stairs getting anywhere within the ship is a snap. Walking those long corridors after a while get old & tiresome really fast especially if let say you forgot something and have to go way back to your cabin. Mid ship is always good if you are prone to motion.

 

MTD is a good option if you want flexibility in your dining time and/or you like to sit and dining with a lot of new people. However, you never really get to know people and every night can be the same old small talk...where are your from? Are you having a good time?

Sure, you can probably get a table all by yourself (if available)..but I feel meeting new people and socializing is the high point of dining and cruising. But if the thought of having to dine every night at the same time with the same people doesn't agree with you then do MDT.

 

Traditional dining is great because you get fixed dining time at the same table with the same waiter, bus boy & tables mates. They get to know you and what you like and the service can get much more personalize and it's the same with your table mates. Usually a few days of getting to know each other...you avoid the small talk and idle non-sense like with MTD which gets old really fast. Many times I've make great friends with my tables mates and even kept in touch after the cruise. Of course...it can go the other way....and you get stuck with less then desirable tables mates; however you can always ask for a table switch. Most of the time it works out just fine.

 

What type of dining all depends upon your personality and what type of dining experience you want. Flexibility vs Personalizes Fixed seating. Both have pros and cons. I've done done and had both good and bad experiences with either, but I think I've stick with Traditional dining because I like to get to know my table mates and wait staff.

[mamasylvia]

We are first-time cruisers and I didn't consider fixed dining times for more than a few seconds. :) It doesn't suit us: we don't get hungry on a schedule, we're not cruising to socialize with strangers, and we value the flexibility of heading for the dining room whenever we get hungry - with so many places to eat, if the MDR has a longer wait than we want, we can go someplace else to eat! What's important is to think about what *you* want and select the dining plan that will suit your preferences and goals.

 

We also paid for an oceanview balcony. I am SO looking forward to sitting on the balcony, watching sailaway, watching the ocean roll by, watching the islands approach, hoping for some spectacular sunsets. ;) But that's me. Again, your goals and preferences are what will determine whether you want to save towards a cabin upgrade or towards something else. There is no one right way. (Or there wouldn't be all these cabin choices!)

[Merion_Mom]

Heres a few more that you will see around here that arent the standard chatboard abbreviations as in LOL, BRB etc.

 

CC = Cruise Critic (or Credit Card)

TA = Transatlantic OR Travel Agent (depending on whats being discussed)

MDR = Main Dining Room

WJ = Windjammer

OBC = Onboard credit

DH = Dear Husband

DW = Dear Wife

DD= Dear daughter

DS - Dear son

 

and you can see where I was going with that Dear Stuff. :)

 

Maybe some will add more for you. Sometimes you will see a letter followed by OS as in FOS = Freedom of Seas, IOS = Independence of the Seas etc.

 

Not everyone agrees that the "D" stands for "dear".

 

:D