Cruise Virgin Looking for "Cruising for Dummies"

[CoolHandChris]

In an attempt to avoid humiliation I was hoping to find some cruise for beginners FYI but wasn't able to find any. Any input you have is greatly appreciated.

 

We had plans to visit family in Tampa but they couldn't get time off work so we booked a relatively short cruise during the week. I know nothing about cruises. I have been looking around and think I have straightened out the excursion trips but I don't know what the boat is going to be like at all.

 

For some reason I thought all food and non alcoholic drinks were free. Clearly I was wrong there as I saw mention of a soda card for $45 or something. What exactly comes with the trip and what is extra? Is the soda card less expensive for a 5 day? How much is a beer (as I plan on many of these)? Mixed drinks/frozen drinks? Do they have dance clubs? What sort of night life goes on?

 

Since I was expecting to spend relatively little and am clearly going to have to readjust the 'ol budget, what are some ways to cut costs? What are you permitted to bring aboard? Bottles of liquor? No beer? Soda?

 

I am going very basic (room next to the boiler room kind of trip) but my understanding that the staff is compensated almost entirely on tips. Who am I to tip and how much? Is it by room or per person? Does each person in a room have to set up a credit card? Can each person set up their own CC?

 

I am sure I am forgetting a lot but this should atleast get me in the right frame of mind as I have very little idea of what to expect. All I know is I am really starting to look forward to it!

[nbevins]

drinks can be brought on board pack liquer in bags that are going right onto ship--not carryons--as they most likely will take it.PLasic bottle sealed and wrapped in towe or something.We have also brought beer on board.You can bring soda on board at each port or in you carryon.We have never had beer or liquer spill in luggage--even chking it through on planes

i am assuming you are on a carnival ship??There will be numerous bars with dance and music-late into nite--you donnot need to buy a drink to enjoy them--or you can make one in your room and take it into public areas..There is a nightly show in the theatre--no charge of course

there is a charge for port excursions--if you post for free suggestions people wil give you some ideas to do on your own--or chk out library for travel guides--I like Insight

 

there is no charge for food coffe tea juice(in mornings only--bring a few extra glasses to your cabin-there should be a frig

[RWolver672]

drinks can be brought on board pack liquer in bags that are going right onto ship--not carryons--as they most likely will take it.PLasic bottle sealed and wrapped in towe or something.We have also brought beer on board.You can bring soda on board at each port or in you carryon.We have never had beer or liquer spill in luggage--even chking it through on planes

i am assuming you are on a carnival ship??There will be numerous bars with dance and music-late into nite--you donnot need to buy a drink to enjoy them--or you can make one in your room and take it into public areas..There is a nightly show in the theatre--no charge of course

there is a charge for port excursions--if you post for free suggestions people wil give you some ideas to do on your own--or chk out library for travel guides--I like Insight

 

there is no charge for food coffe tea juice(in mornings only--bring a few extra glasses to your cabin-there should be a frig

 

Only the Conquest and Spirit class have refrigerators in the cabins. The OP said he/she was in a cheaper cabin so it's a pretty good guess that he/she won't have one.

 

As for the credit cards, you can put one down for each person in your cabin or all on the same one. You can also put cash up to cover the account. The tips are automatically added to your sail and sign account the first day of your cruise. They charge $10 per day, per person. This can be adjusted if you feel you aren't getting the service you feel you should.

 

Go to http://www.carnival.com/ and click on FAQ at the bottom of the screen. There are a lot of answers to questions that most new cruisers ask.

[breenw]

Coolhandchris:

 

You will glean all the info you need from fellow posters on this website. Don't be afraid to ask anything as no question is 'stupid'.

 

Food and non-alcoholic drinks are free except sodas. That would mean iced tea, coffee, lemonade, etc. The only food you would pay extra for is if you decided to dine in one of the reservation-only supper clubs offered on some ships, or the desserts at the specialty dessert bars that are available (usually in the lobby area) on some ships.

 

Soda cards are figured at so much per day depending on how long your cruise is going to be. You can definitely bring your own sodas with you, either purchased prior to your boarding the ship, or in one of the ports. If your cabin doesn't have a refrigerator/cooler, just ask your room steward to keep your ice bucket full and you'll be all set.

 

You will be expected to tip your wait staff and room steward ($10 a day total I believe), so if you're going on a 7-night cruise it would be $70 total.

 

The ships have alot of entertainment for you to enjoy for free. This would include laying by the pool, using the hot tubs, exercise room, music, dancing, comedy shows, variety shows, games, etc. There are also other forms of entertainment that have a fee but you don't have to participate in these. They would include Bingo or gambling in the casinos. Many ships also have art auctions that you can attend but you don't have to purchase anything.

 

I'm not a beer drinker but I know they have buckets of beer you can purchase - 6 for the price of 5 or something like that. Most ships have a 'drink of the day' that runs around $4.50. You can control how much you spend on liquor depending on how much you choose to drink.

 

We have friends who travel with us on cruises and never rack up any onboard expenses except their tips. They don't drink, play bingo, or buy any souveniers in the gift shops (wish I could say that), so you can definitely enjoy yourself without spending a fortune.

 

If you are on a limited budget as far as shore excursions, many people just get off the ship and walk around the city/shopping area. Many of the islands have free public beaches that you can enjoy also. You might have to take a short taxi ride, but the prices are very cheap compared to what you would pay here in the States.

 

Every night you will receive a "newsletter" in your stateroom called the Carnival Capers. It will have a full list of activities for the next day that you can enjoy. They are listed by time and place and you can review the Capers before you go to bed each night and decide what you would like to do the next day. They also give you a map of each port you will be visiting so you can see the layout of the town and where things are located, along with recommended shopping. There will always be a "shop talk" onboard in the main showroom and they will tend to tell you to only shop in those stores. Don't listen to that as these shops pay a fee to the cruiselines to be a recommended store. The shop talks are informative though in that they will tell you things about each port that are of interest, and they also have giveaways that you might win.

 

Make sure you read the small booklet that comes with your cruise documents. There is alot of information in there especially for first time cruisers. Everything from what to wear in the dining room, to emergency phone numbers to leave with your family at home.

 

Just ask away and fellow posters will be glad to answer your questions!

[AppleValleyCruisers]

Chris,

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Try checking out http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=97, which probably will answer a lot of the common questions, but of course feel free to ask away here if you don't see something there or can't find an answer using the search function (which I have found is sometimes hit or miss...)

[Guest CRUZIN' SUZIN]

As a general rule the shorter the cruise the livelier the night life on the ship (don't call it a boat -- people don't like that -- ha! ha! ha!)

 

On a 5 nighter, it should be short enough to have a nice lively nightlife but long enough to get some relaxation in also.

 

Don't book the excursions. Take cabs to the beach and just chill. Make sure you get back to the ship (boat) on time though. THE SHIP WILL LEAVE THE PORT WITHOUT YOU!!!!:eek:

 

Avoid the casino if you are on a tight budget. Don't buy the soda card. It is hard to drink enough pop to make the card worth it unless you are a serious coca cola junky. Bring a 6 pack with you on board or just drink fruit punch and iced tea all day.

 

Don't stress too much about bringing liquor on board. Just get the ship's drinks and maybe get a bottle or two of duty free when you get to your first port of call.

 

Pack light -- load your suitcase and then take half of what is in it back out and leave that stuff home. No need for a Tux for formal night. A nice sports jacket is sufficient (if you are a man). A nice dress or slack set is good for a woman.

 

No jeans or shorts in the dining room -- ever!!!!

No saving pool chairs -- ever!!!!

No smoking in non-smoking areas -- ever!!!!

No jumping the line in the buffet -- ever!!!

No using fingers in the buffet -- ever!!!

 

And do bring some seasick med just in case. Take the first pill 30 minutes before the ship pulls out and go light on the alcohol the first afternoon until you see how well you handle the ship's movement.

 

Oh yeah, wear all of your tight fitting outfits first. The food, salt in the air/water and the sun tends to make people retain water on cruises and people just puff up after the first day or two, especially women.:mad:

 

Don't expect too much on your first cruise. I love cruising more than any other vacation but my first cruise was a bit overwhelming and I didn't enjoy it as much as my subsequent cruises so go with lowered expectations and you will have a blast.

 

Good luck and we want to hear how things went for you.

[denb]

I just saw one at the bookstore last night. It's about $20. Or, you can find them for as little as $.30 on Amazon. ;)

[rickcop44]

""Oh yeah, wear all of your tight fitting outfits first. The food, salt in the air/water and the sun tends to make people retain water on cruises and people just puff up after the first day or two, especially women.""

 

 

Now wait just a minute, Cruzin! My DW makes me get up every freeeekin' morning and work out in the gym! I detest being told that I retain water on the ship (boat, schooner, tug, whatever it's called). And when we go ashore, she makes me walk from store to store to store to store then walk back to the ship so we can work out in the gym before dinner. I am one of thos poor souls who can actually lose weight on a cruise despite making a pig out of myself at the buffet and in the dining rooms (can you say, "I'll have three of those."????)

[conquestnewyear]

Wow. Great writting!

My husband and I are going for our first cruise on Conquest on the New Years Eve. We are lost of course but since we both read here and read there we can catch up stuffs...like the capers that I had no idea what it was and now I know after read your post.

I really enjoy reading this...

Thank you!!!

[2Ports]

with that book. Bought it before our first cruise - total waste of $5 - should have saved it for a DOD (Drink Of the Day). There's LOTS more useful info right here for free. Hardly glanced at the book; discovered CC before it got here from Amazon.

 

 

ps - Be sure you use the search function or the posting police will pull you over! :eek:

[CoolHandChris]

You guys rock. Thank you all for your help. I spent quite a bit of time looking around and I can't wait to hop on the ship!

 

I tried to search but it won't let you unless you are signed in. So I signed up and posted this before I figured it out.