First time cruiser!! Need Help with wardrobe!!

[texangrl1216]

Hi CC community,

 

I'm getting married next Saturday (5/17/14), and our honeymoon will be on the NCL getaway leaving on 5/24/14. We are super excited!! It's my first cruise ever and his first with NCL. I have a TON of questions (I'm a planner) but will try to keep it limited.

 

1) I have very fair skin and burn very easily. Do you have any tips for what to wear? Is this even a real concern if I wear sunscreen?

 

2) I'm a sun dress kind of girl. Will this follow the dress code for the ship?

 

3) For those who have sailed before, is there a high concern for seasickness??

 

4) what's one piece of advice you could give to a novice cruiser??

 

Thanks for all of the help and advice!!

 

 

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[horsegal]

First of all Congratulations! Enjoy your wedding and have an awesome honeymoon! (Mine was also a cruise which was our first and got us hooked!)

 

We have not been on NCL but I can help with a few of your other questions.

 

For the sun: My DH is fair skinned and burns easily. Even with sunblock multiple times he will sometimes still burn. I would suggest stay covered up (still us sunblock) as much as you can. It might also be worth investing in a rash guard shirt to wear while swimming. You could also just wear a T-shirt while in the water also. The sun will be much stronger and it is much easier to burn while in the water because the sun reflects off of the water onto your skin. You also will not notice your skin burning from being cool in the water and you will be having too much fun!

 

Seasickness: That will depend on you. I would suggest you bring stuff just to be prepared in case you have a problem. I like to have ginger root pills with me, they work even after you start to feel sick and are all natural so you will not get drowsy and you can still drink alcohol and not have to worry about it.

 

Most of all relax and have a great time and expect the unexpected and go with the flow!

[Sauer-kraut]

On Norwegian you don't have to dress up...shorts are even allowed in most of the dining rooms! So you'll be fine in your sundresses.

 

As for advice, don't over pack, you'll be wearing swimsuits and coverups mostly. You can always wear bottoms a couple of days and switch out your tops. Also for evening you can shower and wear what you are planning to wear the next day as you won't really be getting too dirty/sweaty at night. BRING A HAT!! I wear a sunhat whenever I'm cruising.... you will have to walk outside to get somewhere else on the ship usually.

 

Just pack a great attitude and enjoy yourself!!

[kjets]

We always pack aloe vera gel or spray. It is not always sun burn but wind burn that gets us and the aloe vera is such a relief! And a hat, with a verandah, is a must! One that covers the top of your ears, your neck and your forehead, they have lovely ones that can be packed now.

One think that has always come in handy for us are two different coloured highlighters. This is to highlight, and know who wants to do what on, the daily patter (Princess).

Have a wonderful wedding day and hope your love for one another grows deeper and deeper into the future :)

[texangrl1216]

Thank you all for the good advice and well wishes! I'm currently looking for a hat and stocking up on sunscreen. It seems like a trip to the drug store is in my future as well.

 

Happy cruising!!

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Look forward to having a wonderful cruise honeymoon! :)

Dress on NCL is rather casual so don't worry too much about what you take. Do consider taking some sort of sweater or wrap for your sundresses because the dining room and other public areas on the ship are often quite chilly!

There are gift shops on the ship so if you forget something or need more things like sun screen, hats, shirts, etc. you can buy them there.

LuLu

[cb at sea]

Daytime is ULTRA CASUAL...shorts/tees/swimsuit/ etc...is what everyone will be wearing.

 

If you burn easily, keep that sunscreen on and "up to date"....apply 30 mins prior to being in the sun, and every 2 hours thereafter! Stay out of the sun as much as possible!

 

Can't help with the motion issue...never suffered from it!

[cdnphotogirl]

I have not cruised before either but if I could make one suggestion to you....bring pure Aloe Vera Gel. You can buy it at any pharmacy. If you burn, it will take the heat out of the burn so you are not uncomfortable.

[Whimsy88]

2nd on the aloe vera gel. Also keep in mind that any nylon "tech" type shirt (doesn't have to be rashguard) will provide some level of sun protection. If you are snorkeling, you are definitely going to want to wear one as your back will burn quickly! You can get them to match swim bottoms pretty easily and fairly inexpensively. I would never preach to anyone about skin cancer dangers, etc., but if nothing else, just think how miserable the rest of the cruise will be if you are burned the 1st or 2nd day!:eek:

 

And most importantly, bring a great attitude. We all want our vacations to be perfect, but life rarely is, and a bad vacation day (barring anything really serious) is better than any non-vacation day!:)

 

Best wishes on your wedding and for a long lasting marriage!

[zoncom]

Banana Boat 50 or over. Do not think Aloe prevents sunburn, which you need to do .NCL main dining room food so so. Bring sundresses and allow extra $ to dine in alternate restaurants. Le Bistro very good. Go to library, get Caribbean cruise books out or you will miss many sights. Frommers, Fodors. DKE Eyewitness Guides excellent pictorials.Bring walking shoes like Tevas which even go in water.

Edited May 12, 2014 by zoncom

[stephanievrubio]

1 -- If I were you, I'd take a good sunscreen and perhaps a hat for beach days.

 

2 -- I think sun dresses are most welcome on cruise ships. Are you talking about formal nights or evenings?

 

3 -- I wasn't too concerned with the possibility of getting seasickness, but I brought some medication with us just in case.

 

4 -- Go with the flow. Plan your little heart away, but in the end always just go with the flow.

[Krissica]

One piece of advice - pack only half of the clothes/shoes you think you need! It is repeated over and over again on these forums but is 100% true.

We got married and did our honeymoon last December on a cruise so I can imagine how excited you are!

[tutigugi]

Hi there, we are wondering if anyone had some experiences of mobile phones in mediterranean ports; we are from US and we do not know whether our mobile phones will work or not and what is the wifi situation on the boats, is it free or you have to pay for that..Thanks Alex

[Flatbush Flyer]

Hi there, we are wondering if anyone had some experiences of mobile phones in mediterranean ports; we are from US and we do not know whether our mobile phones will work or not and what is the wifi situation on the boats, is it free or you have to pay for that..Thanks Alex

 

 

Depends on the phone and provider. Call the provider and ask about phone. If it's a "world phone" it will have and use a compatible system with European countries. However, you'll be connected to a partner provider and charges for international roaming (both voice and data) will apply.

Your provider has a special customer service for international service and they will tell you about voice and data packages you can purchase (which are time and/or data limited).

 

Notice that I am not giving you any price or choice specifics because side errant companies do it different ways.

 

However, if you can, keep your phone on airplane mode or turned off from the minute you leave the US until you are somewhere that has partner service for your provider. Even then, I would keep all data off, choose manual mail retrieval with no graphics and short headers, .etc. ultimately, you don't want to turn anything on before you are connected to SAFE wifi or else you'll get a dump of data and a hefty charge.

Call your provider and they will walk you through these steps.

 

 

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[whataboutport]

Make sure your hat is packable/crushable. You don't want to bring a straw hat that can't be squished down, as it will take up too much room.

 

Since you are so fair skinned, I would also bring one of those umbrellas that fold down to the super small size when you go on excursions. So you can shade more than just your head.

 

Pack your clothes so you have a capsule collection, so that everything you brings matches with everything else you bring. And bring clothes that can be worn different ways and with different outfits. I like to travel light. It's easier to pack on the last day, and lighter to carry off the ship. And if you're flying, no checked bag fees. Bf and I share one 21" rolling carryon and a backpack for each of us, and that gets us thru a 2 week vacay. And that's including formal nights!

 

Bring at least 2 swimsuits so you never have to put back on a wet one.

 

And don't go crazy with the shoes. Depending on your excursions, you'll need one walking pair, flipflops/water shoes, and dress shoes. Last time I brought flats, flip flops and heels. The heels took up too much room for me wearing them for one night for less than an hour. So this time I'm bringing fancy flats instead of heels, sneakers and watershoes.

 

I used to like to bring as much as I could before, and everytime I would have tons of stuff I didn't wear. Now I pack light and use everything I bring.

 

Have a great time and congrats! :)

Edited May 13, 2014 by whataboutport

[cdnphotogirl]

No, Aloe Vera Gel will not prevent sunburn but it is always good to have just in case you miss somewhere with the sunscreen. (trust me when I say having a sun burn in your ear is so NOT fun.)

[paluni]

I think I heard from a ship's doctor, or something like that, that almost nobody gets seasick on the cruise ships. They are so stable and big that it's not a problem. I and my husband never get seasick on a cruise. We both got sick on a whale-watch trip outside the Golden Gate in San Francisco on a little boat (my husband green-face sick, you could say), but the big cruise ships never bother us. That being said, you could be an exception and get seasick, but you almost certainly won't. I have never spoken to anybody on a cruise ship who got seasick on the cruise.

[Krissica]

I think I heard from a ship's doctor, or something like that, that almost nobody gets seasick on the cruise ships. They are so stable and big that it's not a problem. I and my husband never get seasick on a cruise. We both got sick on a whale-watch trip outside the Golden Gate in San Francisco on a little boat (my husband green-face sick, you could say), but the big cruise ships never bother us. That being said, you could be an exception and get seasick, but you almost certainly won't. I have never spoken to anybody on a cruise ship who got seasick on the cruise.

 

I've experienced the opposite where I have spoken to many people who have been seasick, myself included. My first cruise years ago I stocked up and took meds to prevent it from happening - that was a little overboard so I just started packing some non-drowsy dramamine on every cruise since then just in case. I never needed it until our last cruise this past December, where I woke up in the middle of the night and was extremely seasick from the rough waves. It was nice to have it in that instance.

Generally speaking though the big ships do seem to be more stable and I don't think most people get seasick who think they're going to. Better safe than sorry!

[whataboutport]

I think I heard from a ship's doctor, or something like that, that almost nobody gets seasick on the cruise ships. They are so stable and big that it's not a problem. I and my husband never get seasick on a cruise. We both got sick on a whale-watch trip outside the Golden Gate in San Francisco on a little boat (my husband green-face sick, you could say), but the big cruise ships never bother us. That being said, you could be an exception and get seasick, but you almost certainly won't. I have never spoken to anybody on a cruise ship who got seasick on the cruise.

 

I also got seasick on my first cruise. It was in the early 90s on Carnival. From looking at Carnival ships in dock, seems like a few of those old ships are still in service!

 

Last year on the Allure, yes Allure! on the way back to Ft Lauderdale the sea was very choppy. I started feeling queasy so I put on my Sea Bands. I walked thru the Solarium and it was miserable up there. But on small boats I don't get sick, go figure.:cool:

[Kova15]

I tried to upload a picture of the hat I wore on our cruise. (we shall see if it worked) It was pretty awesome because it was big and floppy but also I could fold it up and shove it in my bag. I got it at Target in 2012. My DH made so many jokes at me for it before we got there, but I think I used it everyday.

 

You will be happy in sundresses. I am also a sundress girl. I think I packed all my sundresses and wore all of them. I wore them around during the day and my nicer ones at night. I wore a cocktail dress for formal however on our next cruise I plan on getting a floor lenght gown.

 

One thing I wish I would have brought was a nice swimsuite coverup. I dont know why but I didnt think to bring one and I would have liked to have one. Also bring tampons. another thing I didnt think I would need, but Aunt Flo decided to visit and I had to get some from the ship.

 

Have a super fun time!!!! Congrats on the wedding!

[griffy116]

Wear sunscreen and take a hat and a cover-up. There are shaded areas under a cover near the pool where you can enjoy the outdoors but limit your sun exposure.

 

I love sundresses, but in the air-conditioned areas of the ship at night, I get chilly. If you carry sundresses, consider carrying a light sweater and/or a wrap. The sun dresses will be fine as far as the dress code and the wrap or sweater will come in handy if you get chilly in the a/c.

 

We have one member of our family that occasionally gets a bit seasick on the first evening. She now takes a bonine as a precaution. She takes it the night before we sail and the night we sail and doesn't have to take it the rest of the cruise and is always fine, even if we hit rough seas.

 

Take a small zip-lock with over-the counter meds such as Pepto-Bismal, Ibuprofen, band-aids, cold med capsules. If you have an upset stomach or cold symptoms after the shops close at night, you don't want to be miserable until you arrive at the next port and get off and go to a pharmacy. It's a great relief to know you have your own "medicine chest" in a small zip-lock. With any luck, you won't need it, but we've learned the hard way that it's worth it's weight in gold if you feel lousy in the middle of the night and have this handy. Also, keep some $1's in a handy spot to pay room service for delivery as a tip. It's not included in the regular tips.

[Traveller20074]

I think I heard from a ship's doctor, or something like that, that almost nobody gets seasick on the cruise ships. They are so stable and big that it's not a problem. I and my husband never get seasick on a cruise. We both got sick on a whale-watch trip outside the Golden Gate in San Francisco on a little boat (my husband green-face sick, you could say), but the big cruise ships never bother us. That being said, you could be an exception and get seasick, but you almost certainly won't. I have never spoken to anybody on a cruise ship who got seasick on the cruise.

 

my husband and I must be the exception to the "almost nobody"

 

 

we were "out" for the count for about two hours going out of our Alaska cruise 2 years ago.

 

I got seasick on the Celebrity Summit. I got seasick on the Bahamas Celebration. Lucky me :rolleyes: :D