First Time, Landlocked Cruiser questions

[ResearchObsessed]

My boyfriend and I are heading out on our first cruise ever. We are from Colorado and have spent very little time on beaches in our lives. I am hoping I could get a few specific questions below answered, as well as just a general recommendation of items to bring that someone more familiar with climbing mountains than swimming in water might want to consider.

 

 

1. Does the ship provide towels, or do we need to buy a few beach towels to bring around with us?
   
2. Is there a way to rent snorkels anywhere? We will be snorkeling with an excursion in Bonaire, however there are three other beaches we plan on visiting (Curacao, St. Martin, Aruba) and would like to snorkel there as well. We don't want to purchase snorkels unless we must.
   
3. What does your "beach bag" typically hold? Do you just bring a backpack to make it easier to walk around port and head to the beach?
   
4. Should I bring my passport off the ship, or just ID?
   
5. Do you recommend buying some sort of water shoe?
   
6. Any other recommendations for this mountain gal (ps. I am gonna be an expert at that rock wall!)
   

Just for general knowledge, we are on the September 9 sailing of Adventure out of San Juan! We so look forward to taking advantage of our Deluxe Beverage Package at 7,000 feel lower in elevation, should be a fun experiment :cool:

[Clarea]

The ship will provide beach towels. Any you don't return by the end of the cruise will cost you $25 each.

 

The ship does not rent snorkel equipment, so if you are not on an excursion that provides equipment, you are on your own to provide your own equipment.

[DeadPhish]

The ship does provide towells, both for while aboard and off ship excursions. They usually scan your sea pass so make sure you return it or they charge for it.

 

Most ships do rent snorkel gear, and some excursions even have it included.

 

Passports are generally left on the ship in the safe. Most ports in the Caribbean do not require them. Your Sea Pass card acts as your ID, but some ports do require a photo ID.

 

The Adventure is a great ship, my favorite so far. Starting out in San Juan is also great because you are already deep in the Caribbean.

[SG65CB]

Water shoes would be good for Curacao and maybe Bonaire. Not needed in St Martin or Aruba.

 

Leave your passport on the ship but bring your drivers license (photo ID).

 

Bring cash ashore including small bills for tips. I prefer to pay cash for everything and not take a chance with credit card problems. (Bring at least two credit cards on the trip and let your CC company know where you're going so they don't shut off your card.)

 

My beach bag has sunscreen, a book, and the towel they give me as I get off the ship. I don't like to bring a bag full of valuables because then you have to make sure someone is always watching your bags at the beach.

 

If you bring your phone off the ship a lot of beach bars offer free wi-fi.

 

If you are just going to the beach you don't need to pay for an official excursion, just find a taxi and rent chairs at the beach. Much cheaper.

[ResearchObsessed]

Thanks everyone! Right now the plan is for one ship excursion in Bonaire (Double Dip Snorkel) topped off with a trip to the donkey sanctuary. Curacao is pretty open at the moment, but thinking of getting a massage at Cas Abao beach and then sticking around there for a bit. Aruba we rented a Jeep, and I am sure we will find ourselves at a beach/swimming hole at some point. St. Martin we got an excursion (not with ship) where we get a ride to Cul De Sac and use of stand up paddle boards for the day to get to Pinal Island.

 

So excited! Last vacation was to Nepal, which was an adventure in every sense of the word, however we are excited for a more relaxed time on Adventure of the Seas this time around! We are also excited to have toilets instead of holes in the ground :p

[blackshirt]

The ship does not rent snorkel equipment, so if you are not on an excursion that provides equipment, you are on your own to provide your own equipment.

 

Most ships do rent snorkel gear, and some excursions even have it included.

 

So which is true? Can't say I've ever gone looking for snorkel gear onboard but isn't it available at Adventure Ocean?

[cb at sea]

You will just need ID and your ship's key for going ashore. Your DL is the same size as your key, so it's the easiest thing to bring. (You should ALWAYS have ID on you!)

 

If you have sensitive feet, water shoes will be good. We've never needed them...they are so ugly!!

 

My beach tote has what the above poster stated! We don't bring anything we can't afford to lose! If your BF has velcro pockets in his swim trunks, he can hold your cash, credit card, etc....water doesn't hurt them. I just stick my stuff in my book!

 

Adventure Ocean is the kid's club...no snorkel gear there!

[SG65CB]

We are also excited to have toilets instead of holes in the ground :p

 

You will find the cruise ship toilets very interesting. Make sure you are not sitting on it when you flush it.

[ResearchObsessed]

You will find the cruise ship toilets very interesting. Make sure you are not sitting on it when you flush it.

 

Ha! Actually, one good thing about holes in the ground is it makes it harder to touch anything questionable. EVERYTHING there was questionable.

[Clarea]

So which is true? Can't say I've ever gone looking for snorkel gear onboard but isn't it available at Adventure Ocean?

I've seen ships sell snorkel gear, but I've never seen an RC ship rent snorkel gear.

[maryjaden]

We were on the Adventure in November sailing out of San Juan. You will love it!

 

We are leaving this Saturday on the Harmony and want to snorkel so I called RCI about renting gear from the ship. She told me that none of the RCI ships rent snorkel equipment. They have it available to buy. (It is provided for you if you do an excursion though) I wasn't real keen on renting from the vendors on shore. What we are doing is taking our own masks, but renting vests and flippers from the vendors.

 

We also take a back pack along for the beach with the towels, sunscreen, etc along. If you rent a few chairs on the beach for a minimal amount, sometimes they will keep an eye on your things for you while in the water. We take our ID and money with us in the water in a small waterproof pouch.

[Hey Tina]

1. The ship has towels you can check out and use on the ship or ashore.
   
2. I haven't looked into the cost of a snorkel, but would the cost of renting 2 sets 4x be cheaper than purchasing?
   
3. I do take a backpack, a mesh one. Same shape as a normal backpack just mesh.
   
4. At the very least take a photo ID with you because some ports (San Juan) require that. I've never taken my passport off the ship.
   
5. I took water shoes on my last two cruises and never used or needed them once.
   

[LeeW]

Agree with Bob - never seen snorkel rentals on ship. But you can rent on almost any beach in the ports you are going to. Was going to recommend Power Rafting in St Maarten since Trevor and Jessica do a great job and snorkeling and boat ride are great, but you already have plans for there.

 

We normally don't take fins but bought masks and snorkels a long time ago. They don't add much weight to the luggage and you know they are clean and fit. Better if you go to a dive shop, but you can check sizes at a Big 5 Sports shop. For your ports you don't really need water shoes, but we normally take them. And what about the underwater camera? We use a Nikon S33 that doesn't need a housing and fits easily in a pocket for general use. Get a good wrist lanyard.

 

Jeep is good choice for Aruba for first time, although the 4x4 tour is decent and shows you the major points. Beaches north of town are easy to get to by city bus (Bus 10 $2.40 US) that runs every 20 minutes or so. The private vans with the red license plates also do well for $2 if you want to ride with the locals and run maybe every 5 minutes. Not allowed to drop at the bus station so they drop next door.

[Smiley525]

If you have a Costco they sell cheap Snorkel sets.

[George C]

If you have a Costco they sell cheap Snorkel sets.

 

I would do that over renting in multiple places, I know they are pretty cheap

[cruiserfromalabama]

Sounds like you are trying to cruise very prepared-a very good way to cruise! I would advise to get a waterproof pouch to put credit cards, cash, and cell phone in when going to beach. I use the one that goes around my neck and most travel need websites or Amazon carry them. We don't wear water shoes-just sturdy sandals like Tevas. Whenever we have snorkeled before on excursions, snorkels, masks, and fins were provided. If you are germ fearful-take your own, but ones we have taken have them soaking in clorox solution before and after use. I have small mesh backpack type bag and this holds our towels from ship and possibly spare shirt or coverup. Also make sure you carry your sunscreen. We always carry as little as possible, because when you are snorkeling-no one is keeping an eye on your stuff! Valuables are always on my body! Good luck on your cruise!

[perditax]

If you decide to bring water shoes, don't do what I did and buy the cheap ones on Amazon (they just filled with sand and became even heavier and crappier than they already were ... we threw them away after the first day). There's probably a right way to buy them.

[Johnamac123]

My boyfriend and I are heading out on our first cruise ever. We are from Colorado and have spent very little time on beaches in our lives. I am hoping I could get a few specific questions below answered, as well as just a general recommendation of items to bring that someone more familiar with climbing mountains than swimming in water might want to consider.

 

 

1. Does the ship provide towels, or do we need to buy a few beach towels to bring around with us?
   
2. Is there a way to rent snorkels anywhere? We will be snorkeling with an excursion in Bonaire, however there are three other beaches we plan on visiting (Curacao, St. Martin, Aruba) and would like to snorkel there as well. We don't want to purchase snorkels unless we must.
   
3. What does your "beach bag" typically hold? Do you just bring a backpack to make it easier to walk around port and head to the beach?
   
4. Should I bring my passport off the ship, or just ID?
   
5. Do you recommend buying some sort of water shoe?
   
6. Any other recommendations for this mountain gal (ps. I am gonna be an expert at that rock wall!)
   

Just for general knowledge, we are on the September 9 sailing of Adventure out of San Juan! We so look forward to taking advantage of our Deluxe Beverage Package at 7,000 feel lower in elevation, should be a fun experiment :cool:

 

Snorkel excursions are the way to go (if in your budget). Curacao (Scubacao) and Aruba have great excursions. ABC's might have best snorkeling in world. DL off the ship is good idea, and a COPY of passport (leave original in safe). Watch your time. Don't miss the ship.....

[CruisinCons]

As you are a landlocked Coloradian, I can understand your reluctance to buy snorkel equipment (Nebraskan here.) We rented via each excursion on our first cruise 25 years ago, and before our second cruise one year later we purchased a set of our own. We found ourselves quickly addicted to cruising and got many years of use out of them. Most of the time it wasn't a big deal, as the airlines didn't charge for luggage, so we had a big mesh bag that held the two sets, including fins. Now fins are more of a hassle to take on a plane. That set went on about ten cruises and finally went into the garbage 20 years after purchasing them. Worth the investment.

[maryjaden]

Spend the money on a good pair of water shoes. I bought mine at a local shoe store and they have held up very good. They look like!e athletic shoes and are very comfortable to walk in, light weight and dry quickly.

[ariana181988]

San Juan ahhh you are going to love it. If you can try to eat at pinones beach. They have the best alcapurias. Trust me I'm Puerto Rican lol. Also go to senor paleta in San Juan. Best popsicles ever!

 

I never bring towels since the ship provides. It's literally one less thing to carry.

 

I can't speak on the snorkel equipment.

 

While in St. Marteen. I highly recommend solid ATV rental. It's outside of the port but it's $100 for an atv rental for the whole day. That's such a bargain. Mr ateo the owner is so nice and will tell you how to get around. We stopped at orient beach and jet skied for $90 for one hour. The ship does jet ski rentals but they are more like tours and we didn't enjoy that.

 

I usually just take my sea pass and ID when I get off.

 

Have fun!!

 

 

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[JoyMouse]

I like to bring two towels from the ship per person. One to sit on and one to dry off with.

 

 

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[madeth313]

Being smaller bills ($1 and $5) on the islands. Often when on shore excursions you stop at local bars or stands and sometimes it's difficult for the locals to break a $20.

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

My boyfriend and I are heading out on our first cruise ever. We are from Colorado and have spent very little time on beaches in our lives. I am hoping I could get a few specific questions below answered, as well as just a general recommendation of items to bring that someone more familiar with climbing mountains than swimming in water might want to consider.

 

 

 

 

1. Does the ship provide towels, or do we need to buy a few beach towels to bring around with us?
   
2. Is there a way to rent snorkels anywhere? We will be snorkeling with an excursion in Bonaire, however there are three other beaches we plan on visiting (Curacao, St. Martin, Aruba) and would like to snorkel there as well. We don't want to purchase snorkels unless we must.
   
3. What does your "beach bag" typically hold? Do you just bring a backpack to make it easier to walk around port and head to the beach?
   
4. Should I bring my passport off the ship, or just ID?
   
5. Do you recommend buying some sort of water shoe?
   
6. Any other recommendations for this mountain gal (ps. I am gonna be an expert at that rock wall!)
   

Just for general knowledge, we are on the September 9 sailing of Adventure out of San Juan! We so look forward to taking advantage of our Deluxe Beverage Package at 7,000 feel lower in elevation, should be a fun experiment

 

1) Yes, the ship provides towels.

2) Yes, you can rent snorkels, or buy them on the ship. However, there is no guarantee that the beach you are at will have a place that rents snorkels. You will have to research that. If you are on a ship excursion that includes snorkeling, then snorkeling equipment will be provided.

 

3) What is best to use to carry to the beach is a personal choice. However, I recommend taking as little as possible. Also, who is going to watch your stuff while you are in the water? If the place has rental lockers - great. Otherwise, this is another consideration.

 

4) Big debate on this. Me personally, I leave the passport in the cabin safe. Why, because I'm afraid it could be stolen or if I'm swimming I cannot take it in the water unless I used a water proof pouch to put it in. However, I also have a passport card, and I do take that since it is much easier to carry and will not get damaged if it gets wet. That said, some people will tell you never to leave the ship without your passport.

 

5) This again is a personal choice. However, if you are asking me, and you are, I say yes.

6) You might want to try a dolphin swim.

 

 

Because of a change in Photobucket's terms the pictures below will disappear after August 16, 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sawyershane]

Everything that is posted here is great but the one thing (since this is your first cruise) since you are not taking a cruise ship excursion at a couple places: DON'T BE LATE The ship WILL leave without you. Check your times!

Have fun, cruises are the best vacations.