deadeye Posted March 22, 2007 #1 Share Posted March 22, 2007 We are going on the Fascination on May 7 and a number of first time cruisers are going with us. My daughter is just finishing her Senior year of college and she and some of her gymnastics teammates are going to be joining us on the cruise. There are going to be 11 of us in 4 cabins, my wife and I and our kids have been on 1 cruise, and my parents have been on quite a few. However 3 of the girls (2 of them 21, the other just 20) and the mother of one of the girls have never been on a cruise. We will be meeting with them this weekend. What kind of things should I communicate to them that they may not be aware of? Some of the things we are going to talk about include: 1) Prepaid tips 2) Formal night 3) Dinner attire 4) Soda & Alcohol prices 5) Excursions What else are some of the surprises that new cruisers don't expect? I have learned so much from the boards here and I really appreciate all of the input from everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen1225 Posted March 22, 2007 #2 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Just because I am a mom....maybe reminder about being safe onboard. No need for another "jumper" story. Also, reminder to have fun and relax. Since I have never cruised before either, I probably am not one to comment. Oh, well, I did anyway. Have fun!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea_u_onboard Posted March 22, 2007 #3 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Make sure they have all their documents on them and not packed in their checked bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea_u_onboard Posted March 22, 2007 #4 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Add room service to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbean dreams Posted March 22, 2007 #5 Share Posted March 22, 2007 explain to them how the sign & sail card works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennisLover Posted March 22, 2007 #6 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Suggest they bring a small bag so they have a bag to pack for the last night (since they will have to put all their luggage outside their cabin before 12 midnight). They can put their stuff for the first day in here too, so they have some things before luggage arrives. Hair dryers (if they have long hair, they may want to bring their own) and irons (Carnival has them in an ironing/laundry room so you don't have to worry about your clothes wrinkling!). Photo ID needed to get back on the ship in some ports (like Cozumel, sometimes) -- drivers license will do; no need to go on excursions or go to beaches with your passport. Great dancing in the Passage to India lounge with Music Asia (great rock music, if they or you like that). Music Asia on board till July. You can check out my Fascination review for more tips (link below). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaParrotHead Posted March 22, 2007 #7 Share Posted March 22, 2007 We are going on the Fascination on May 7 and a number of first time cruisers are going with us. My daughter is just finishing her Senior year of college and she and some of her gymnastics teammates are going to be joining us on the cruise. There are going to be 11 of us in 4 cabins, my wife and I and our kids have been on 1 cruise, and my parents have been on quite a few. However 3 of the girls (2 of them 21, the other just 20) and the mother of one of the girls have never been on a cruise. We will be meeting with them this weekend. What kind of things should I communicate to them that they may not be aware of? Some of the things we are going to talk about include: 1) Prepaid tips 2) Formal night 3) Dinner attire 4) Soda & Alcohol prices 5) Excursions What else are some of the surprises that new cruisers don't expect? I have learned so much from the boards here and I really appreciate all of the input from everyone. I got some plastic folders that were put together with a comb binding at Wal-Mart for like $1-$2 a piece (and purchased one for each couple that will be cruising with us). Each pocket I labelled with a category..."Flight/Transportation/Hotel", "Carnival", "Receipts" (for reconciling S&S charges at night with purchases made during the day), one each for the three ports were visiting "Cozumel", "Grand Cayman", "Ocho Rios", and a "MISC." folder. I printed off copies of our itineraries, invoices, receipts for excursions we've booked, a few "first timer" sheets I've collected along the way, a safety sheet, a "What to Expect the First Day" sheet (all of these I'd be happy to email you), confirmations, contact info, a general packing list and budget outline, information on our Travel insurance, rough "time line" of when things should be done/paid for, and put them in the appropriate folder. Plus I included a laminated "Emergency Card" (to stash in our lanyards with our S&S cards or in a wallet) that lists important phone numbers (the emergency contact numbers listed in the Capers for each of our ports, travel insurance, US consulate number, Carnival number, airline phone number and flight numbers). Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye Posted March 23, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I got some plastic folders that were put together with a comb binding at Wal-Mart for like $1-$2 a piece (and purchased one for each couple that will be cruising with us). Each pocket I labelled with a category..."Flight/Transportation/Hotel", "Carnival", "Receipts" (for reconciling S&S charges at night with purchases made during the day), one each for the three ports were visiting "Cozumel", "Grand Cayman", "Ocho Rios", and a "MISC." folder. I printed off copies of our itineraries, invoices, receipts for excursions we've booked, a few "first timer" sheets I've collected along the way, a safety sheet, a "What to Expect the First Day" sheet (all of these I'd be happy to email you), confirmations, contact info, a general packing list and budget outline, information on our Travel insurance, rough "time line" of when things should be done/paid for, and put them in the appropriate folder. Plus I included a laminated "Emergency Card" (to stash in our lanyards with our S&S cards or in a wallet) that lists important phone numbers (the emergency contact numbers listed in the Capers for each of our ports, travel insurance, US consulate number, Carnival number, airline phone number and flight numbers). Hope that helps! That would be awesome to have a list like that emailed to me. How are contacts normally made on the board? I looked for a way to PM you, but I didn't see anything unless I missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaParrotHead Posted March 23, 2007 #9 Share Posted March 23, 2007 at kwelsh1176 (at) msn.com. :) Happy to help! The docs are in Word, I hope that's OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye Posted March 23, 2007 Author #10 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Word is great. I'm emailing you now. Thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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