First Cruise Ever- HELP!

[TeaBag]

 

Since you are now in Concierge, you have the perk of lunch in the MDR on embarkation day.

 

Your tips will be added to your account each day and you can check your account on the TV.  The tips people are talking about putting in envelopes are above what is required, usually for excellent service.  They're always appreciated, of course.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and Celebrity.  You have chosen well.

Edited February 20, 2019 by TeaBag

[LMEEE06]

We are first time cruisers and I'm loving all these tips! Thank you to all!

 

[Formerly known as Seabee]

A lot of great advice has been imparted here.  I will simply add one caution regarding being ashore....DO NOT BE LATE getting back to the ship.  They will not wait for you (unless you are on a ship excursion in which case they probably will wait).  Anticipate traffic delays.  I always plan to be back in board (or at least in a cozy pub on the dock) at least one hour before sail away.  You can easily get caught up in “island time” (or “Miller time”) and lose track of real time.  Make sure you always have a designated thinker in your group.  Bon Voyage

[Cruise Raider]

17 minutes ago, Formerly known as Seabee said:

A lot of great advice has been imparted here.  I will simply add one caution regarding being ashore....DO NOT BE LATE getting back to the ship.  They will not wait for you (unless you are on a ship excursion in which case they probably will wait).  Anticipate traffic delays.  I always plan to be back in board (or at least in a cozy pub on the dock) at least one hour before sail away.  You can easily get caught up in “island time” (or “Miller time”) and lose track of real time.  Make sure you always have a designated thinker in your group.  Bon Voyage

 

Best cruise advice of all times!  Bravo!  

 

[DENIE]

2 hours ago, Formerly known as Seabee said:

A lot of great advice has been imparted here.  I will simply add one caution regarding being ashore....DO NOT BE LATE getting back to the ship.  They will not wait for you (unless you are on a ship excursion in which case they probably will wait).  Anticipate traffic delays.  I always plan to be back in board (or at least in a cozy pub on the dock) at least one hour before sail away.  You can easily get caught up in “island time” (or “Miller time”) and lose track of real time.  Make sure you always have a designated thinker in your group.  Bon Voyage 

Agreed!  You do not want to be like those people having to run to the ship, to be met with those already on board whooping and hollering at you!  🙂

[kathynorth]

Most of your questions have been answered, but I'll chime in an item or two.

 

As an FYI, if you purchase the drink package on the ship you can wait a day or two to see if it's worthwhile for you to buy the package and they'll pro rate the cost per day until the end of the cruise. You can also just purchase the package for one of you if one is a drinker and one is not. If you purchase prior to the cruise you are required to purchase the full cruise for both people in the cabin. 

 

Don't forget that you can bring 2 bottles of wine onboard with you on embarkation day. 

 

You should bring 2 credit cards with you. One is for the ship account. The second is for off ship purchases. If you only have one card you risk having your shipboard holds interfering with your in port purchases. Also be sure to call your credit card company to give them a list of the countries you will be visiting on your trip. Otherwide your CC company might put a stop on your card when it's used in another country.

 

San Juan- Walk to the fort, then spend time walking around Old San Juan. There is a free shuttle that will take you around OSJ and all the way to the fort, but it takes a very long time for the shuttle to arrive and make it's way around town. Just easier to walk or to take a cab.

 

St Thomas- take a cab to Maegen's Bay. 

 

Punta Cana- sorry, haven't been there in a very long time

 

Nassau- last time we booked a last minute snorkel trip right after we got off the ship. We just followed a couple of crew members who said they planned to snorkel and had a great trip.

 

I would book Murano for a special dinner. Order the surf and turf (Lobster Murano and Chateubriand for two) .  You may want to book the dinner now since you are looking for a specific date. You can change the date and time after you are on the ship.  

 

Flight home- pack light and walk off with your belongings as early as possible. If they say 7am, then be ready for 6:30. The goal is to be toward the front of the line. The later you leave the more chances you encounter other passengers with issues that slow down the disembarkation line. Take a cab to the airport. Cabs are easy to find as you get off the ship. 

 

Have fun!

[panoramaofthepast]

Do a walking food tour - Uncle Google will help you find one [or use Viator]. History and local culture rolled into one.

[K12Guy]

I always get the jitters when I see someone ask about making flights before noon. Simply because so much of our day is beyond our control and a missed flight is a missed flight, regardless of the bad crash on the freeway that blocked all lanes for two hours. Or the taxi/Uber you take that has a flat and no spare. Or, whatever life throws at us. So, I book later flights, have breakfast on the ship, let all the faster and more important people get off and then walk off with our luggage at a leisurely stroll and head for the airport. Once checked in we go to the lounge and wait in relative peace and quiet for our flight, not having to fret about anything. I am married to a lovely lady who worries about missing our flight until an hour and 45 minutes into the flight. She's that way. That's ok. It's my job to make her comfortable. If either of you is like either of us, you best book a flight for after 12 or so. Or maybe early evening and find a beach with cool beverages.

 

It's a vacation. Don't add stress to make it seem like it's not a vacation. Don't worry. Be Happy, Ma'am!

[geneology]

my two cents - 

 

Murano for Anniversary dinner

 

St Thomas - I would do the ship tour St John on your own.  The ferry goes to and from the port - no worries about traffic.  The ship will wait for ship excursions.  We went off season so cinnamon bay was closed and trunk bay was empty.  Very rustic but the best beach IMO. Before getting on the ferry for the return trip to the ship, get smoothies with a shot for the ferry ride home. yummmmmm!!!

 

San Juan - We have been there several times, as people have said - forts, walk around Old San Juan, shop, ate at Barrachina Restaurant, touristy but fun place to go.  We are going this March on Edge - making sure we try the rooftop bar/restaurant Punto de Vista - in the Milano hotel. 

 

10:30 AM flight - way to close for me - its the end of a vacation - I would rather take a later flight than going right into rush mode.  I try to stay destressed for as long as possible.  LOL

 

Happy Anniversary and enjoy your cruise!

 

PS - best advice was from Seabee! DON'T BE LATE GETTING BACK ON BOARD. SHIP AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN!!  LOL

[bethtex]

We have been to San Juan a couple of times.  Highly recommend the Flavors of San Juan food tour.  You get a walking tour of the city plus some great food.  We had time to also walk/take the shuttle bus to both forts, but might depend on how long you are in port.  

Your cell phone will work there, so you can Uber around also to save time.

[xraymomma]

Hubby and I will on this cruise too. We’ve been to all the ports except the DR, and we didn’t plan anything there because I’ve read that tendering to this port is cancelled sometimes due to weather and water conditions. 

We’ve sailed several lines and Celebrity is our favorite because of the laid back vibes and great food. 

In Nassau, there is a fantastic restaurant called The Pepper Pot, just behind the straw market. The jerk chicken is AMAZING. We shared a plate in December when we went- won’t be making that mistake again. 😂 

We plan to just walk around Old San Juan, eat and sight see. We did the El Younqe rainforest tour last time and we loved it. 

See you onboard!!!!