First Cruise

[frankdank]

Hi everybody,

I am a first time cruiser. We are leaving on June 15th on Carnival's Inspiration. I am sorry if my questions seem dumb. What time should we get to the port. Should I book an excursion now or wait till I am on board? I don't usually get sea sick. Do they sell any remedies on board? I would assume they do. Our cabin is a lower deck towards the front of the boat. Is this a good location? We have a porthole or 2 I believe if that helps. We are really excited and can't wait for the 15th. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions you have to offer.

[lougee1043]

frankdank]Hi everybody,

. What time should we get to the port.

if you have a 5pm sail you most likely can board around 11am

 

Should I book an excursion now or wait till I am on board?

i would book now to make sure there is space for you

 

I don't usually get sea sick. Do they sell any remedies on board? I would assume they do.

you can usually get something for free from the front desk or the sick bay----------------i personally carry meclizine (bonine) an over the counter drug with me

 

Our cabin is a lower deck towards the front of the boat. Is this a good location?

cant help you there

 

We have a porthole or 2 I believe if that helps.

outside natural light cant hurt

have a great trip

[trish1c]

Hi everybody,

I am a first time cruiser. We are leaving on June 15th on Carnival's Inspiration. I am sorry if my questions seem dumb.

There's no such thing as a dumb question, except the one you didn't ask. We were all 1st time cruisers once.

 

What time should we get to the port.

Ships usually begin baording around noon. Get there a bit before if you want to be among the 1st on board. If you want to avoid that crowd & breeze on, check the incoming flights for your port of embarkation & time you're arrival so you miss them. I'd say around 12:45 -- 1. The early birds will be on & the late comers will not have arrived yet.

 

Should I book an excursion now or wait till I am onboard?

It depends on you. If you are booking through Carnival, now may be better so they don't sell out. If you are booking through a private provider, you should make arrangeemnts before you leave. There are often kiosk's at the ports 7 you can book when you dock but heaven knows what you're getting. You can choose to check out the ports on your own. Just be mindful of the time; you don't want to miss the ship.

 

[QUOTE]I don't usually get sea sick. Do they sell any remedies on board? I would assume they do.

They do sell them, but my preference is to take them prophylactically b/c they don't do any harm. By the time you need them if you are just taking them, I'm always worried they won't work.

 

Our cabin is a lower deck towards the front of the boat. Is this a good location? We have a porthole or 2 I believe if that helps.

They say the middle of the ship is the most stable location. People have preferences but anything that lets in natural light is OK in my book

 

Enjoy your trip.

[celbercrz333]

Are you flying to the city that the port is in or are you driving? You want to be there in plenty of time to get on the ship. Around 12 noon is pretty accurate. I would book the shore excursion before you get on the ship. I agree that it could be sold out. Bring your own remedies for seasickness. That way you'd need to go to the doctor on board for a shot only if you have rough seas due to a storm. They normally say that the middle of the ship and on the middle level is best if you want to have the least motion for seasickness. A porthole is great not only for that "open" feeling, but it gives you a great view especially when you come into a destination port. We always get a room with a view. How far towards the front are you staying?

Where are you going?

[PJDUCF]

Book the excursions now as there can be a line onboard and possibility of missing out

 

Any window beats none. I cant get used to the inside cabins i just crave natural light when I wake up

[sportsterjohn]

Buy your seasick med (bonnie or dramamine) at a drug store before you get on the ship, it will be alot cheaper this way! Also, you should start taking the seasick med the day before the cruise. As far as location. The lower and closer to the center the smoother but in all honesty, I never really noticed much difference no matter where I have been located. The more important effect is how smooth the seas are that week and whether the captain is using the stabalizers or not. If there is an excursion you are dead set on, assume that a bunch of other people are also dead set on it and try to book it on-line prior to the cruise. If they won't allow you to for that particular excursion have someone in your group go to the excrusion desk 15 min prior to it opening for the 1st time.

[Spikesgirl]

we had to wait until we were on board to book all our excursions. That may or may not be true for you. It may just have been for that route (Mexican Riviera).

 

If you start whichever type of sea sickness remedy pill a couple of days before the trip, you won't be as likely to sleep or want to) sleep through your first day on board. Even the less drowsy pills hit some hard. I am seriously prone to seasickness and our first cabin was low and midship. Never got sick once,but we were also sailing the inside passage to Alaska - pretty smooth all the way around. Now that my DH has gotten balcony crazy, I take the medication pretty regularly. Anything low and center in the ship will be the smoothest.

 

We always get to the port early because the DH loves to watch the ships and all the activity. Getting there by 11 will ensure you some prime dock watching.

 

Hope you have a fabulous cruise!

 

Charlie