What is your best cruise advice to a newbie

[C 2 C]

Don't forget the meds. "Stuff" spreads on cruiseships. We always take along cold medication, stuff for sniffels, scratchy throats, insect bites (especially in Mexico).. and whatever normally ails you. Supplies on board are very limited.

[stingraylagoon]

My best advice is to keep a journal of your daily expereinces. Makes a great trip down Memory Lane.

[C 2 C]

My best advice is to keep a journal of your daily experiences. Makes a great trip down Memory Lane.

 

Use the ship's picture postcard to record the date, the people you met, your cabin, your tours etc. Few people cruise only once. Keeping a picture record will bring back fond memories.

[woodofpine]

no one mentioned (to a newbie) to take a carry on with swim suit and sundries when boarding. Your luggage may be in transit to your cabin for a period of time during embarkation, even on a med cruise where folks tend to trickle aboard. (#1)

 

2) If at all possible, both cities deserve a few days more. I'm not a huge fan of cruiseline hotel packages - but in Venice - if this is the only way to get cruiseline luggage transfers, then consider it; Venice is not an easy place to transfer in (despite its immense charm otherwise). Barcelona's easy (I'd do a hotel on/in or adjacent Las Ramblas-Bari Goti).

 

3) Stay up late or get up early for the Straits of Messina and the cruise by of Stromboli. Talk to bridge officers about Stromboli and how close the ship will pass and when... It's pretty cool to see an erupting volcano at night either before or after Vesuveus (which can be climbed too!).

 

And always, relax and keep your expectations modest; your cruise will then almost certainly be grand!

[HspncElvis]

Our honeymoon will be mine and my fiance's first cruise. We are going on the 12 night Venice to Barcelona trip on the Millenium. We have traveled Europe before but never done it via cruise. I would love some tips (and I'm not talking about for the honeymoon part....just cruise related) ;) Thanks!

My girlfriend and I ware taking our first cruise January 8th, 2007. Advice?? Don't drink he water!! Well, bottled water is ok. =)

[Pecoraro]

My best advice would be to book with somebody other than Celebrity unless your plans are flexible!!!!!!!

[Longboysfan]

Make sure to....

 

1) Hit the T pool one day.

 

2) See the late night Comedy show.

 

3) Hit the sushi bar before dinner.

 

4) Then walk to the back of the ship to hear the singer.

 

5) Talk to the Captains club hostess - she will know a lot about the port areas.

 

6) Relax a lot on your sea days. Hit the main resturant for breakfast and lunch one time. This is another way to meet people on board.

 

7) Ask - if you see it on the menu - to split a second dinner if you both like it.

 

8) They may bring you a Just Married cake but you may just ask the Mater'd about that.

[nu2sea]

My advice would be to go for it.

 

Let yourself be carried away by the beauty of the sunsets and the newness of the experience of being at sea. Don't let any of the minor distractions of mistakes made or opportunities missed get in the way of the pleasures of being together while exploring a new environment. Try everything you can at least once and store up the memories.

 

No matter how often you cruise, you'll remember your first one.

 

Susan

[allyfl]

My advice is to start a savings account for future cruises. They have this very addictive quality. Have a terrific time!! We went on Galaxy for our honeymoon 4 years ago and it was just great!

[Bri0815]

My DH and I just finished our honeymoon on the Summit! While it is not the exact same cruise, we were very happy with Celebrity's service on the m-class ships...I won't spoil the surprises, but we definitely got some perks for being honeymooners so make sure you tell your travel agent AND Celebrity! The crew went out of their way to make us feel special.

These people definitely know what they're talking about when they say "don't fill your schedule too much." We took a few excursions that looked interesting to us, but made sure we made time to experience the ports in our own way. The places you are going are PHENOMENAL and extremely romantic...Remember, it's about the two of you and the way you experience this together will be unique.

We were pretty excited about our "alone time"--planning the wedding was VERY stressful and we had his parents living with us for 2 months--so we requested a table for 2 at dinner. On past cruises we've been on, dinner was an excellent time to meet new people if you had a large table. Whatever you prefer. Having people to hang out with during evening activities was a great thing.

Congratulations and have a wonderful honeymoon!