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First time cruiser, any advice welcomed.

jskrilla90

By jskrilla90,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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evandbob

evandbob

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For a 1st time cruiser, especially if you haven't done any land vacations in the ports, I would suggest you pick and choose the ship's excursions in each. I know they cost more, but they are safe and you will see more than by remaining in the enclosed port area.

 

In Jamaica, you didb't say what port, but if Ocho Rios there's Dunn's Fall and Montego Bay these Doctor Cave's Beach. Cayman is all about the Stingrays, turtles and 7 mile beach. It is also the most non Caribbean of your ports. Mexico I'll assume is Cozumel, there are beach clubs like Mr Sanchez to enjoy or San Miguel to shop .

 

A lot depends on what will interest you and what your 8 year old can handle. When I cruise with my G-kids of that age, I usually opt for something just a tiny bit out of their comfort range as I want the experience to be expansive.

 

Have fun!

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Luke Dawg

Luke Dawg

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For a 1st time cruiser, especially if you haven't done any land vacations in the ports, I would suggest you pick and choose the ship's excursions in each. I know they cost more, but they are safe and you will see more than by remaining in the enclosed port area.

 

In Jamaica, you didb't say what port, but if Ocho Rios there's Dunn's Fall and Montego Bay these Doctor Cave's Beach. Cayman is all about the Stingrays, turtles and 7 mile beach. It is also the most non Caribbean of your ports. Mexico I'll assume is Cozumel, there are beach clubs like Mr Sanchez to enjoy or San Miguel to shop .

 

A lot depends on what will interest you and what your 8 year old can handle. When I cruise with my G-kids of that age, I usually opt for something just a tiny bit out of their comfort range as I want the experience to be expansive.

 

Have fun!

I agree with evandbob stay with the cruise excursion for first time.

 

We sail with my brother and his family his girls really like camp ocean (formerly camp carnival), one activity they enjoyed was a scavenger hunt where they have to check off items, like find someone with a red hat.

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daff67

daff67

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HI! First time cruising on freedom to Jamaica, Cayman islands, and Mexico this November any advice guys? Also I am going with my 8 year old daughter any reviews on the kids club and on shore excursions. Thanks

There's a "First time Cruiser's" thread and a "Ports of Call" thread. You should find tons of information there. There's also a search feature to search for topics. When I went on my first cruise, I read Carnival's FAQ's, read multiple threads, took notes. I also checked out" trip advisor". You'll find the answers to your questions already answered multiple times on this site. I think half the fun is the research. It makes the thought of cruising even more exciting.

 

Sent from my SM-G920P using Forums mobile app

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kittysnme

kittysnme

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Pack your suitcase then take out half the stuff, maybe more. :-) seriously, you don't need much when going to the Caribbean.

 

Also do your own research on the ports and ship. Join the roll call and participate in the anticipation with your fellow cruisers.

 

Read the fun times every night and plan out a few things you want to do the next day. Stay flexible and try things you normally wouldn't, you never know what fun lurks around the corner :-)

 

 

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Gamecock_Cruiser

Gamecock_Cruiser

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1) Go with an open mind

2) Enjoy your self

3) DO NOT try to do everything listed in the Fun Times. It is impossible and you will wear yourself out

4) Eat in the main dining room

5) When in port, just say NO to the persistent people trying to sale you things

6) Relax and have fun

7) If at all possible, disconnect from the real world leaving all electronics off (at least try it once)

8) HAVE FUN

9) Once you pack your suitcase, go back through and literally unpack half of it! (You will see what we mean when you return)

10) Most importantly: When they say the ship sails at 5pm, they mean 5pm! So be back AT LEAST 30 minutes early like the ship recommends!

Edited by Gamecock_Cruiser
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ABQrobin

ABQrobin

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HI! First time cruising on freedom to Jamaica, Cayman islands, and Mexico this November any advice guys? Also I am going with my 8 year old daughter any reviews on the kids club and on shore excursions. Thanks

 

We did this cruise on the Freedom last year. My detailed report is on my website here: http://www.rnrscuba.net/2015_Freedom/2015_FreedomPhotos.html

lots of photos and videos to check out

 

We loved the Freedom, the crew was awesome. Not sure who the CD is this time, it was someone else when we were there (she's now on the Legend). Lots of activities onboard and a fun itinerary.

 

Ports:

Jamaica - We had some reservations about Montego Bay Jamaica after reading so many negative remarks here on CC but we found the people there lovely and friendly. We did the zipline but that might be too much for an 8 year old.

 

In Cayman, we recommend the excursion for Stingray City and Turtle farm. It was fun and good for kids as well as adults. Really good excursion, we did it through Carnival but there are also independent ops.

My video:

 

Cozumel... so much to do! With a kid, I would recommend something like Chankanaab or a beach club, all depends on the kid though.

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rjrice1

rjrice1

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Awesome... 1st cruise. You already rec'd great advice.

Yes, do not over pack.. take few bathing suits/cover ups..mix & match outfits.

I usually pack a small first aid type kit... with tylenol, anti motion sickness, anti diarrhea, and etc.. these will cost $$ on the ship..

I also put all my important stuff in a small binder.... starting at the beginning of the ship to the end.. with it all in one place you won't misplace anything either.

As for the kids club ... warning... your child will love it and beg to go there for all of the events including dinner.. let her go. Take advantage of the late owl night too. She stays till 1am (they will bring her back to the cabin) gives you some "free adult" time

Don't get trap into buying all the pictures.. you can always ask other people to take pictures of you all and have them enlarged at Walmarts for pennies.

Mainly just relax, go with the flow and have lots of fun..

Edited by rjrice1
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MochaMacchiato

MochaMacchiato

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Leave all the worries of life at the embarkation port and turn off your phone! There will be time for life and uploading when you get home.

 

Do not have a rigid plan for anything. Be completely flexible. This will keep you from being upset or disappointed if you have to wait in lines or don't get to do something.

 

Just say no...and say it a lot! This will keep you free of pushy sales people on and off the ship.

 

As everyone says, pack LIGHT and pack RIGHT! Think of it this way: If you send a kid to summer camp, they will come back with most of what you sent them clean (my kid went to a seven day camp and NEVER OPENED HIS SUITCASE. I had stopped at the car wash on the way home to hose him off and make him change his clothes....the joys of boys. :( ). You WILL do something similar to this on the cruise. You will find that you will want a clean shirt (and underwear, please) each day but the rest sort of sits. You are not going for a fashion show for the 5,000 people onboard that won't remember you 30 seconds after you pass them on the ship (except for the guy who puked on my feet in the elevator...I remember him, but not what he was wearing.)

 

If you have a balcony, pack a bungee cord to prop open your door for a great breeze at night.

 

The power strip tip is the real deal. You will need one. Make sure it can be converted to plug into a two prong outlet just in case.

 

Take a lanyard for everyone in your room, have your Sail & Sign card hole punched at Guest Services and make sure everyone has their card on their lanyard around their neck. Keep it there ALL week.

 

Do whatever you want whenever you want to. Step outside your comfort zone and live large! For me, I drag my comforter from my room to the dive-in movies and eat ice cream every night while in my pajamas. My mother and I started this on our very first cruise. About 15 minutes into the movie a little girl comes dragging her comforter up onto the lounger next to me out of seemingly nowhere. This became the ritual every night after that. She is another face I remember from the cruise. I didn't care about her clothes though so, again, outfits are not important.

 

Go to muster. Listen and learn. This will matter if the cruise ship goes rogue and turns into a sub.

 

Eat a lot but walk a lot! I lost 11 pounds on my first cruise from all the walking and I ate everything I saw!

 

Budget ahead of time for what is important to you. Drinking packages are not important to me but coffee is. I plan a fancy coffee into my spending budget when planning my cruise. I plan hair braiding into my budget as well (FYI - Cozumel is the cheapest and best place I have found to get my hair braided). Those things are what is important to ME.

 

Make use of your cabin safe. We put everything in there...passports, tickets, medications, jewelry, etc.

 

Be nice to the crew. We don't know the struggles they go through. A little kindness goes a long way. They work very very long hours and only get a few hours off here and there each week. Many are sending money home to support large families.

 

Deck 3 is great to see the water up close and is shady and not crowded if you want a quiet place to read and relax...not ultra sunny there.

 

Upper decks will be crowded all the time during the day. Just be patient and wander around until you find a place to sit and catch some rays.

 

Wander the ship. You never know what you will find happening and be open to new experiences. Afternoon tea, games, lessons on this or that, or just people watching. Wow, what I saw while watching people!!!!!

 

If at all possible, use the stairs. A) They are good for you and B) You won't be complaining with the disgruntled people waiting outside the elevator doors. We NEVER used the elevator to go down to anywhere and rarely to go up...only if it happened to be empty when walking by.

 

Just have fun and, like someone else said, go with the flow and you will have a great time.

 

Best of luck!

 

Teri

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maldenmusic

maldenmusic

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We will be doing an 8 day on the Dream in December with the same itinery except we are also going to Costa Maya. In MoBay we have decided on Doctor's Cave Beach and on GC seeing Stringray City. Since we've been to Cozumel many times we are renting a car and driving around to see the other side of the island and at CM we are going to the Chachoben ruins. Don't overpack-you will probably wear things more than once.

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funship freddy

funship freddy

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Pack light. You can always use the self serve laundry or let them do laundry.

Don't take no for an answer. It is your vacation. Enjoy it. Eat breakfast at least once in the dining room. Fresh food and you are waited on. You don't need to take ones for tips. You can get change at Guest Services. Liked it better when it was called Purser's Desk :D Take post it notes so you can leave your room steward a note if you want anything.

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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HI! First time cruising on freedom to Jamaica, Cayman islands, and Mexico this November any advice guys? Also I am going with my 8 year old daughter any reviews on the kids club and on shore excursions. Thanks

 

I would love to help you out here, but Jamaica has three cruise ports and Mexico has two and it makes a difference when ports you are going to. For example, one port in Mexico has swimming with the manatees while the other one does not.

 

So, which ports are you going to?

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SiraJoy

SiraJoy

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Teri,

 

Thank you for the great tips. I made a copy of it for our upcoming cruise. It's actually our second cruise, but our first was in January 1993, so we're almost like first-time cruisers.

 

Blessings,

 

SiraJoy

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simplelife

simplelife

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When my kids were growing up we traveled with the outfit system. I packed each day's outfit (underwear, shorts, shirt, socks if needed) in a ziplock bag and put them in the suitcase. Made packing and unpacking and getting ready in the morning easier and we never had the "dirty or clean?" dilemma, as the dirties went right in the hamper or laundry bag and the cleans were still in the zip locks. You could do the same with PJ's. For longer vacations, do this for half the days and do laundry , putting the clean outfits back into the now-empty zip locks.

 

 

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Edited by simplelife
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