First Time, So excited

[Lorrastine]

Hey everyone,

 

This will be my first time cruising. I have always wanted to do it never brought myself to it until now.

 

I will be cruising with Carnival, on the Carnival Fascination on August 7th, 2014.

 

Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has been on this ship before I would love to hear from you!!

 

[cb at sea]

You will have a blast! Enjoy the anticipation!

 

Bring binoculars, there's lots to see at sea!

 

This is simply a vacation...there is no "right or wrong" way to do it!

[anandaindonesia]

Congratulations on your first cruise!

Welcome to CruiseCritic, and to the wonderful world of cruising!

 

You can find your cruise mates in this link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2021821

Join them, and discuss to better prepare for your cruise.

 

Enjoy, and Bon Voyage!

 

Sent using Tapatalk. Sorry for typho.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.:)

Don't miss the sailaway going under that bridge departing JAX. Everyone claps and cheers when Fascination clears it by inches. :D

LuLu

[Lorrastine]

Thank you All,

 

I read somewhere about the sailaway under the bridge, I will definitely make sure I am there to see that.

 

I will keep searching for tips and tricks, I think I am just overly excited, the thought of going on a cruise is amazing!

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Have a wonderful cruise

[KirkNC]

Welcome to Cruise a Critic!

[OCruisers]

Thank you All,

 

I read somewhere about the sailaway under the bridge, I will definitely make sure I am there to see that.

 

For sure it'll be a wonderful way to begin your cruise out of JAX! :D

LuLu

[Keith1010]

Congratulations on your first cruise.

 

Always helpful to read the Carnival Board as you can learn a great deal there and also to visit the roll call for your cruise.

 

Have a wonderful time.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Once you have taken your first cruise, you will be hooked.

[t_car]

The Fascination is a wonderful first cruise.

She is 20 years old, but you would never guess that once you are on board.

Excellent shape, and very clean.

We had a fabulous time on her.

She is the only class ship that can make it below the bridge to get to port.

So when you go under the bridge you almost believe you are going to hit it.

Also be on the look out for dolphins on the side of the ship before leaving port.

There is a small boat that goes out there and feeds them and they play around. Fun to watch.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[JenaMH]

Welcome to the addiction!

If you want ship spoilers - here is my blog with pictures from that ship! http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Atlantic/blog-681988.html

 

My new cruiser tips:

Get involved and make new friends - cruisers are friendly people!

Don't be afraid to try new things.

The "fun times" daily schedule part tears out to easily put in a pocket.

Take a watch, even just a cheap one is fine. (Or you'll be buying one on board!)

If you like to gamble, pay attention to the 6 drinks you can get $5 match play tickets for on carnival. I believe they are Mai Tai, Mojito, Cruzer, Long Island, and....? Hold onto your receipt for it and take it to the purser in casino to trade them in!

Be present for the sailaway party on Lido deck (pool deck) and also for fun things like the men's hairy chest contest!

Turn off your phone once you board before the boat pushes off. You do NOT want to experience roaming charges! (Airplane mode is OK and allows you to still take pictures.)

Make a point to see a sunset and a sunrise. (It is so peaceful and quiet in the mornings before the sun comes up. I'm not a morning person, but it really is neat.)

[Lorrastine]

Welcome to the addiction!

If you want ship spoilers - here is my blog with pictures from that ship! http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Atlantic/blog-681988.html

 

Thank you so much for that I am going to look now, looking at the pics just gets me even more excited.

 

&& thank you all for your helpful tips. I am so overly excited and I did not even think about my phone or a watch. Ive still got lots to learn in less than a month but we feel like once we go on this cruise, then it will be non-stop for us.

 

 

The Fascination is a wonderful first cruise.

She is 20 years old, but you would never guess that once you are on board.

Excellent shape, and very clean.

We had a fabulous time on her.

She is the only class ship that can make it below the bridge to get to port.

So when you go under the bridge you almost believe you are going to hit it.

Also be on the look out for dolphins on the side of the ship before leaving port.

There is a small boat that goes out there and feeds them and they play around. Fun to watch.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I will definitely have to look for the dolphins, I've looked up a lot of stuff to do and gone through everything, But I guess I will have to really wait till the day comes to look at the menus and plan everything out. I got the Faster to the Fun just so we can get a little rest before we meet up with the rest of the family I hope that was worth the $50.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Be sure to read the FAQs on the Carnival website.

[Lorrastine]

I should go do that now!! Though I do get confused about one thing, which is the whole passport or birth certificate thing. I have my Birth Certificate and ID, and from what I read I assume that is all I need.. Welp, I guess I will find out. :confused:

[TheDivineMrsM]

Lorrastine, I am cruising with hubby and adult son for the very first time in August on Royal Caribbean and aaaauuuuggghghhh!!!!! Every day I'm getting a little more excited. Hope your trip is grand!

[t_car]

I should go do that now!! Though I do get confused about one thing, which is the whole passport or birth certificate thing. I have my Birth Certificate and ID, and from what I read I assume that is all I need.. Welp, I guess I will find out. :confused:

 

Although I think you will be OK with you Birth Certificate and ID, since this is a closed loop cruise originating and ending in the US, it is best to ask your travel agent or Carnival, just to be sure. You do not want to get turned away when you are already at the terminal.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I should go do that now!! Though I do get confused about one thing, which is the whole passport or birth certificate thing. I have my Birth Certificate and ID, and from what I read I assume that is all I need.. Welp, I guess I will find out. :confused:

 

 

The main confusion revolves around whose rules you need to follow. Governmental entry/exit requirements (U.S. et al.) vary AND may be less stringent than the transportation carrier. The "closed loop" U.S. cruise item is the perfect example: Some cruise lines (mostly premium/luxury like Oceania or Regent) require a passport for ALL passengers on ALL itineraries. And, has been pointed out all over CC, a passport is required for any international air travel.

For the relatively small cost of passports over their useful life, you get "peace of mind".

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[wassup4565]

And now...bring on the passport argument roadshow!!!!

 

You will love your cruise, but check with the cruise company or your travel agent to make sure your ID is sufficient for this trip.

 

When you get back, get your passport. You can't go wrong with a passport. You can go wrong without one.

[dancinman66]

And now...bring on the passport argument roadshow!!!!

 

You will love your cruise, but check with the cruise company or your travel agent to make sure your ID is sufficient for this trip.

 

When you get back, get your passport. You can't go wrong with a passport. You can go wrong without one.

 

 

Totally agree. Especially if something goes wrong in. A port

Passport is a must

 

Enjoy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lorrastine]

Yeah I think I will get one since I plan yo be cruising a lot. But I feel like this cruise is too close in order to have one. I guess since this is my first time I will just have to find out the do's and don'ts of cruising.