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First-timer w/FTTF. What to do first?

momto3girls

By momto3girls,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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momto3girls

momto3girls

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Cruising for the first time with a group of 9 on Ecstasy out of Charleston in October. We purchased FTTF already.

 

Where should we head to first after dropping off our carry-ons in the room? Lido for food? Pools for chairs? Somewhere else?

 

What would YOU do first, oh seasoned cruising veterans? ;)

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cruisinqt

cruisinqt

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On the first day most cruisers don’t have their swimsuits with them so the pool area isn’t too crowded. And the Serenity area isn’t either. I wouldn’t worry about rushing to those spots. But the food venues fill up fast so go there first. I also like to go by the spa and enter the drawing for a free spa service. My friend won a 1 hour hot stone massage on our last cruise. I’m hoping to be the lucky winner on our next cruise. :)

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Organized Chaos

Organized Chaos

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Another vote for eating first. When everyone else begins boarding, Lido eateries fill up fast. Then while most people are eating and sitting around the pool, you can explore the ship and get to know where everything is, especially places you might be going to often, like your assigned MDR or the main theater. Don't worry about your checked luggage right away because chances are good it's going to take them some time to get it to your cabin, even with FTTF.

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teknoge3k

teknoge3k

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Looks like getting food is a clear winner!

Which gets packed more (I.e. lines and wait times) during the cruise...lido or Guy’s? In other words, which should we eat at before the crowds swarm in?

 

Guy's is a small burger joint while lido buffet is a pretty large, well, buffet. Different strokes...

 

Guy's gets bigger quicker simply because it's smaller (and DEEEEEEELICIOUS!)

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stellarose

stellarose

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Cruising for the first time with a group of 9 on Ecstasy out of Charleston in October. We purchased FTTF already.

 

Where should we head to first after dropping off our carry-ons in the room? Lido for food? Pools for chairs? Somewhere else?

 

What would YOU do first, oh seasoned cruising veterans? ;)

 

we dropped off our bags (pride last weekend). went to the lido deck for guys burger (veggie for me) and mermaid grill / buffett

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A&Jfamily

A&Jfamily

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Looks like getting food is a clear winner!

Which gets packed more (I.e. lines and wait times) during the cruise...lido or Guy’s? In other words, which should we eat at before the crowds swarm in?

 

 

 

Lido food will change each day - guys will not. So if you see something you like, try it. When we board early we will usually opt for Guys or Blue Iguana and grab a table and watch the tides of amazed people flood onto the Lido from the lobby elevators. 🤣

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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riclop

riclop

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Cruising for the first time with a group of 9 on Ecstasy out of Charleston in October. We purchased FTTF already.

 

Where should we head to first after dropping off our carry-ons in the room? Lido for food? Pools for chairs? Somewhere else?

 

What would YOU do first, oh seasoned cruising veterans? ;)

Food , pools chairs are not hard to come by after boarding.

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Lottacruises

Lottacruises

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Drop luggage off, if you are a people watcher find a good spot. If not, and you're the explorer type, explore before the masses crowd every elevator lobby. Food is plenty at any time. If there is something you want to try that you don't want to later wait for, the Mongolian wok is the longest wait and best to do it then if you would like to try it. Guy's is great, but at worst it's a 10 minute wait. Usually you can just walk up, spend a minute in line, and walk away with a couple of plates of burgers. Another area that if you want to try but don't like to wait is the pizza. It is almost always a wait there, they intentionally do that to avoid the waste. If you are a picture taker, take them of the public areas first, they will be less people.

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CruizCuz

CruizCuz

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We ALWAYS drop off our luggage and usually meet our room steward. We tip him and ask for our collapsable cooler to always be full of ice. We then head to the Lido deck and grab food. Afterwards, we grab a drink (or two) and head back to our room, where our luggage is usually already delivered. We unpack and then explore the ship....via stairs. The elevators by this time are packed!

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jwjax

jwjax

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Cruising for the first time with a group of 9 on Ecstasy out of Charleston in October. We purchased FTTF already.

 

Where should we head to first after dropping off our carry-ons in the room? Lido for food? Pools for chairs? Somewhere else?

 

What would YOU do first, oh seasoned cruising veterans? ;)

 

We go to our cabin, take a few minutes to check it out, head to the closest bar, get a drink, then head to the Serenity or any other quiet non-crowded spot. After a little while, we walk around and see what is on each deck.

 

We don't do the mad rush to food. We usually have a large breakfast at local spot prior to boarding, so food (and crowds) are not on our list of the first things to do.

 

Sometimes around 2:00pm, we will find an uncrowded food venue , have a bite to eat and get ready for sail away....IE..(more DOD's):)

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stargate fan

stargate fan

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Cruising for the first time with a group of 9 on Ecstasy out of Charleston in October. We purchased FTTF already.

 

Where should we head to first after dropping off our carry-ons in the room? Lido for food? Pools for chairs? Somewhere else?

 

What would YOU do first, oh seasoned cruising veterans? ;)

We drop off our carry-ons then explore the ship while it's still mostly empty. We go to the highest deck, walk around and take pictures, then go down one deck, repeat, until we hit Lido. We grab a quick bite, then continue exploring each deck.

24 cruises on 15 different Carnival ships and we still do this on every new (to us) ship we sail.

 

Enjoy.

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evandbob

evandbob

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When I flew into the port after an early morning flight from NYC, I would board with the platinums, wheel my one piece of luggage to my cabin, unpack, shower, and change into cruise wear and then head to one of the least crowded food venues, like the BBQ on deck 10 above the Lido on Conquest class ships or deck 5 BBQ on Dream class and above if that one was open.

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okgirl

okgirl

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My sister and I follow the same routine.

 

1. Stop at the Lobby bar for a Double Spicy Bloody Mary.

2. Go to our cabin and unpack our carry on bag. We don't unpack our large suitcases until the next morning.

3. Go to the Lido for something to eat.

4. Go to the Casino and set up our Players Bank, the casino doesn't have to be open to do this.

5. Go back down to the Lobby bar, have more drinks and people watch.

6. Go to muster.

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