First Time Cruiser

[wee-haggis]

I have a few general questions:

1)I know that todays cruise ships have stabilizers to keep the motion onboard to a minimum,but in the event of high waves at sea,is it better to have cabins on the upper levels or lower levels and preference of front ,mid,or back of ship?
2)Would mid march be a good tome to do a east Caribbean cruise with Carnival?(weather and crowds....are the ships usually full)?
3)If dressing up is not our thing for dinners,is there alternatives (ie:section or part of restaurants that are more casual (thinking of Triumph ship btw).

Sorry for my ignorance on this ubject matter.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

[bigmike7]

Yo-

Mid March is just fine in the Eastern Carib-

There aren't very high seas on the Carib and the ships are so huge that you don't feel alot anyway-

Try and get a cabin in the middle of the middle of the ship-

#1 - they are most times cheaper and #2 - the closer you are to the middle the better off you are-

Happy Cruisin'

Mike

[imsulin]

A Bonnie welcome to you, laddie/lass, and may Stirling Bridge and Robert the Bruce ever be in your memory, as well as Brigadoon and Prince Charlie! We all know exactly what's under those kilts, and what's in haggis (urp to both), so here's my answer:

Mid-March is great weather for the Gulf and Caribbean.
Mid-March is right smack dab in the middlle of Spring Break..ships are full, and some of the passengers may not be to your "liking". Drunk and drunker.
The Triumph has a Lido buffet that is open most of the day, and you don't have to dress up. However, the best food is in the dining rooms, where you DO have to dress up. You can also order from room service.
Lower level, mid-ship cabins are where you will feel less ocean rocking.

Bonnie Brae!

[Cotton]

[b][color=darkslategray]1. Midship and lower decks are ideal. Can almost guarantee NO motion.[/color][/b]
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[color=darkslategray][b][color=darkslategray]2. [/color]March is beautiful cruising weather! About crowds, according to when the schools in your area observe "spring break", you might be approaching the time when MANY children (elem. thru college) are on cruises. :confused: [/b][/color]
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[b][color=darkslategray][color=darkslategray]3. [/color]Every Carnival ship has a dining choice for your preference. There are the dressier, more upscale main Dining Rooms. There is the Lido Deck buffet dining, which is very, very casual, which is what you are looking for. There are also other options - including 24-hour pizzeria (and salads), or 24-hour room service.[/color][/b]

[b][color=darkslategray]NO questions are considered ignorant. Everybody here is helpful, so if you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask. WELCOME to the boards, and welcome to the world of cruising!:) [/color][/b]
[b][color=#2f4f4f][/color][/b]
[b][color=#2f4f4f][/color][/b]

[Cotton]

:D :D [b][color=darkslategray]Imsulin, geez, girl, posting at the same moment! (I had tried posting to this thread THREE times, and it kept saying I was not using enough words.) Who, me? Oh well, it worked this time.[/color][/b]
[b][color=#2f4f4f][/color][/b]
[b][color=#2f4f4f]Ah, we of like mind........[/color][/b]

[imsulin]

Birds of a feather, Cotton! Intelligent minds think alike....

Hey - what do you know about that Sweet Potato thing with the red wigs? I've heard about it, but don't know much about it. I know it's not a "Ya Ya" thing/

[pholter]

I agree with the other posters on here and have a few ideas as well.... The dining room on Non Formal nights may still be to your liking- you can wear a sundress or nice slacks and your SO can wear dockers and a nice shirt and fit in just fine. We did the Eastern itinerary during Hurricane season on the Lido Deck and still felt very little motion on board. Maybe just one day, but everyone felt it; not just our floor... If you can consider February as an option, you'll probably find less rowdy kids on board and possibly a little lower prices. Have a wonderful cruise!

[RWolver672]

Do remember too when choosing your cabin location that you won't always be in your cabin. Most people spend their "Sea Days" up on the Lido Deck.

[MikeNDebbi]

[quote name='wee-haggis']I have a few general questions:

1)I know that todays cruise ships have stabilizers to keep the motion onboard to a minimum,but in the event of high waves at sea,is it better to have cabins on the upper levels or lower levels and preference of front ,mid,or back of ship?[/QUOTE]My wife and I chose the 'Upper' deck both times (not [i]really[/i] Upper, more like middle but who wants to quibble?) near mid-ship just in case one of us found out too late that we were prone to motion-sickness. Encounter a day of hig waves both trips and even on the extreme ends of the ship (say, dining rooms for dinner) it never was that bad, and unnoticeable in the cabin itself. Follow the other posters' advice and stick to the middle of the middle and you'll have no problems...

[QUOTE]
2)Would mid march be a good tome to do a east Caribbean cruise with Carnival?(weather and crowds....are the ships usually full)?[/QUOTE]Sorry, first Eastern trip is in August, so I can't answer this via experience. We've gone in Sept both times in the past, when kids are normally in school and there's hardly been any kids aboard and not [i]super[/i] crowded, so I'd actually think mid-March might be iffy since some kids start getting Spring Break around then and the ships are fairly busy when kids are out (if memory serves of board discussions).

[QUOTE]
3)If dressing up is not our thing for dinners,is there alternatives (ie:section or part of restaurants that are more casual (thinking of Triumph ship btw).
[/QUOTE]They have informal dining and the food's fine there too. We dressed up on both Formal nights, but on the other nights I just wore Dockers and a polo-style shirt and never felt the least out of place.