~NEW to cruising...PLEASE help me get started

[emilee'smama]

:)

 

Hello.....I am BRAND new to cruising and was referred to this board. I hope some kind soul has the time to help get me started.

 

My husband just informed me that he wants to take a cruise during our fall break (Oct 11-16). We live in San Antonio and want to drive, so that gives us the choices of Galveston or Houston. We are taking our 3 year old.

 

here is the only 4 day from Galveston for our dates that I have found

 

4 days from Galveston on Carnival Ectasy going to Cozimel. Level 4B (have noooo idea what this means)

Price $968 TOTAL (plus tips) for 2 adults and 1 toddler

this comes out to $80 per day per person. Is this reasonable, overpriced...???? I read on a thread that $60 is "the rate"

 

ANY HELP is sooo greatly appreciated!!!!

 

I don't expect you to "do the work" for me, but could you PLEASE point me in the right direction...boards to read, etc. I need to decide soon.

 

THANKS soooo much for your assistance!

 

:) :) :)

emilee's mama

[Happy ks]

I think your rate is pretty good, I did find one about $20 less (total), so you may have paid a booking fee. At this late date, to change your booking will be a hassle and sometimes there is a cancel fee, so I would just stay put if I were you.

 

Your cabin is an inside, on the Main Deck (perhaps listed as deck 3 on the elevators). The cabin is roomy, especially if you don't have the beds pushed together. I don't think there is a sofa bed. so you or your mate may have to sleep in a pullman (overhead bunk), I'm not sure you want your little one up there.

 

Emilee will have fun in the kids club, register her there the first night. The counselors onboard ships are usually great, you and your husband can enjoy a bit of alone time, if you wish. The staff and crew will adore your little one, so do plan on taking her into the dining room in the evening.

 

I haven't been on this itinerary, you might want to visit the ports of call boards here to learn more about where you're going. Please keep in mind, you're still within hurricane season, so don't make so many plans for shore time that you will be disappointed if the ship cannot make it to your ports. I do read every years how people will have their heart set on something and it just doesn't happen. The ships' Captain keeps everyones safety as a consideration above all else.

 

I'm sure you have many more questions, please feel free to ask, or search, away.

 

You still need to plan your clothing (there will be a formal night in the dining room), plus your clothes for shore excursions. Don't go out and buy a bunch of new clothes, you really don't see people dressed up during the day.

 

Wear comfortable shoes, take plenty of sunscreen and a selection of OTC meds, both for adults and your little one. Take a good camera with more film/memory than you think you need. Plan to take enough spending money so you can have a good time.

 

I read about shopping on a lot of threads and, personally, think it is a waste of vacation time. Go and see and do, you can shop at home, you don't have the experience of visiting a foreign country very often.

 

Make sure you have either passports or birth certificate/drivers license (Emilee doesn't the driver license :) ). Just make sure you have the proper birth certificate for everyone, from your state/county, not the decorative one from the hospital.

 

OK, I'm probably confusing you. Just take it one step at a time, making lists of questions, you can check them out one at a time.

 

Have fun planning and have a great first cruise :) :)

[newmexicoNita]

The Ecstacy is an older ship but the cabins are nice sized and for your first cruise this would be a great start. I don't know where you got your pricing but if you are working with a travel agent or got it through the cruise line stick with them. Inter net companies can be awesome but for the first time cruiser using an agent or the company itself is the best way to go. Have a great cruise.

 

Yes, 4B will be an inside cabin with 2 lower beds and probably a bunk. Carnival does have nice sized cabins compared to other lines. NMNita

[Happy ks]

The deal Cruzman mentioned is for the cruise Oct. 7th, which would not work for the OP. I checked the date the OP has booked, the TA he mentions is the very same price she already got.

[emilee'smama]

Thanks Nita! ALso, thanks for letting me know about not mentioning sites. I am accustomed to boards where you can say...where can I get the best deal on xyz and others will post...it's xxx at Target and yyyy at Wal MArt , etc....so was just trying to be comprehensive with what I knew. I will try to edit those posts ***update I can't figure out how to edit a previous post...just the current one. ANy suggestions!

 

THANKS again!!!!! Everyon has been so helpful.

 

:) :)

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

DO NOT MISS formal night with a three year old! There is nothing as magical as seeing your children dressed up for their first dress up party, and especially on a cruise ship. You and your husband will be astonished at how nice children will be when they attend formal night.

 

I write this because many parents are reluctant to take their children into the dining room on formal night but if you go to the first seating there will be other children.

 

And you are being very wise to take your child traveling early in their lives, because they will learn to love to travel and more importantly learn how to be non complainers when traveling.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[GORDONCHICK]

Your three-year old should be fine in the upper berth if you and she are okay with it. Our DS first cruised at three and thought the bunk to be great fun. The ladder made me nervous so I stood behind him every time but he was much more comfortable with it.

 

Formal night is fun with little ones, and be sure to get family photos taken. They are the best souvenirs! DS loves finding his own ties and dressing up like Daddy.

 

We will be cruising on Conquest (also out of Galveston) the week before you. This is our third cruise, but first on Carnival. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about their children's program.

 

Relax and have fun!

[lucy/tim]

Our last cruise was this past March with my husband and two boys (14 & 11) and we sailed out of Galveston on the Elation, we drove from Alabama to Tx. Try to arrive at the ship somewhere around 11:00am-12:00pm so that way you can go ahead and board and you will have time to tour the ship before it leaves at 4:00pm or 5:00pm.. Arriving at the dock was easy, DH dropped us off and they showed him where to go and park and then a shuttle brought him back, parking is $10.00 a day, the lot is fenced in with security. When you arrive back to the docks there will be shuttles waiting and one shuttle will take passengers only and the other ones will take passengers and luggage back to your vechile.

Make sure that you have your cards (carnival will issue you them when you check-in) and driver license when you dock at a port. What I did was when we arrived on board I gave my husband my license and he put them in his billfold to keep with his. I never took my purse with me when we got off the ship, and he always had his billfold. And, don't forget that when you arrive back at home to get your license back from him. When you get off the ship at other ports of call the security will look at your carnival card and your license before they will let you board and it was much easier by letting my husband have all the cards in his billfold. :D :)

[racegrrl]

The great thing about cruising is you can be as busy as you want to be, or you can really relax. A four day with one port (if that's correct, I haven't looked) gives you lots of time to hang out as a family. Enjoy this time! And though I don't have kids, I have heard wonderful things about Camp Carnival - check out the Carnival boards, do a search including "camp" in the title and you will see lots of threads about it. Or start your own. Lots of nice, helpful people on that board. They saved our butts on our first time cruise.

 

And like someone said above, you will have lots of opportunities to have some neat pictures taken together. TAKE this opportunity! Yes, they are twenty dollars for the 8x10, but you can bring them home and get wallets made - just intime for your Christmas cards! They are great souveniers and money well spent when you figure what sitting fees at a professional photographer costs. You can sit for each backdrop, go to the photo gallery the next day and decide if you want any, some or all of them. Don't waste your $$ on the copies on board, you can make them at home a lot cheaper.

 

A cruise/vacation is what you make of it. You can spend a little or a lot, you can have high or low expectations, and you can make it great or ruin it all with your mental attitude.

 

Oh, big tip - lay out all your clothes and things you need about two or three weeks before - go through them, make sure they are clean, no hidden stains, and they still fit. ;) This gives you time to get them cleaned/altered if needed. Now, about a week before, lay them out and remove HALF of them. And then, the day before you pack, lay them out and remove HALF of those! I am not kidding you will over pack. We came home with tons of clean clothes from both our cruises (less the second time, but still had some). :o You will spend more time in a swimsuit/shorts and will change in & out of clothes, but wear them for short periods of time typically. So, DON'T OVERPACK! :D