What advice would you give a newbie?

[Breezybreeze]

We leave in 29 days for our first cruise. What piece of adivce would you give for the 1st time cruiser? We are sailing from the Jacksonville port on Mrs. Celebration. We will be going to Freeport and Nassua. Any advice on what to do, see, or eat would be great. Also any advice on what to do on the ship would be great too. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

 

Thanks to all.

 

 

Happy Cruising:D

[truecruiser]

ther are many interesting packing tip threads, etc. if you click on the search link and type in packing, many should show up. also, carnival secrets thread is something you might want to read through.

 

my faves to pass on:

 

1. if you like coffee, bring a travel mug w/ lid and dishwand to wash;

2. lighted clock for cabin;

3. don't miss comedian's "R" rated midnight show (if ya have that kind of sense of humor);

4. bring a power strip for extra outlets in the cabin.

 

have a great time.

[cruiselubbers]

In Nassau:

 

Check out the Aquarium at the Atlantis Casino & Hotel. The end of the Aquarium pathway leads you right out to the beautiful beach!

 

Stay away from any area about 2-3 blocks away from the main area....it's kinda rough looking!

 

If touring on your own check into a few different cab rates for the cheapest & best deal. You have plently of time in Nassau, so you have time to do alittle deal shopping!

;)

 

Have a great time & don't stress to much about anything. :D

 

Congratulations on your first cruise! I promise you it won't be your last!

[Wennfred]

We leave in 29 days for our first cruise. What piece of adivce would you give for the 1st time cruiser? We are sailing from the Jacksonville port on Mrs. Celebration. We will be going to Freeport and Nassua. Any advice on what to do, see, or eat would be great. Also any advice on what to do on the ship would be great too. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

 

Thanks to all.

 

 

Happy Cruising:D

 

Never been to Freeport or Nassua but have been on many ships that went elsewhere.

 

#1 Tip for me is, If you see more then one item on the Dinner Menu to try, order them both.

 

#2 Carry a small yellow highlighter and every night head up to the Pursers office and get an extra copy of the Capers so you can highlight the things you want to do throughout the day and you can keep that copy in your pocket.

 

#3 Like stated above, don't miss the Comedy Shows, take a nap around 9pm if you want to see the Midnight Rated "R" show, get up around 11:45pm and head to the theater.

 

#4 Enjoy your vacation.

 

 

Fred

[miched]

If you fall over board don't drink the water. In fact don't drink any water at all.

 

Don't eat any yellow snow.

 

Stay away from sharks and sting rays.

 

Make sure you get back to the ship before it leaves.

 

Don't lose any money in the casinos. The plan is to win.

 

Actually just wing it. You will have more fun exploring and doing things your own way.

 

Don't worry about forgetting something. You can almost buy anything you want or need plus some.

 

Don't be in a hurry or rush. There are a lot of other passengers so just relax and be patient. Don't let some little trivial thing upset you.

 

Last but not least enjoy your trip.

[MN Cruiers]

I would advise using the search option when looking for specific things before posting a new thread. Most of the time your questions can be answered right away without waiting for replies.

[Captain Funtime]

Take the transfers from the airport to the pier. (short ride)

 

Take post it notes...come in handy leaving your room steward requests.

 

Take an insulated mug for drinks at the pool. The ice melts fast otherwise.

 

Don't take too many clothes. The laundry service is good and reasonable.

 

If you don't like the menu offerings at dinner...you can get a steak.

 

You can order entrees as an appetizer if you want to taste something.

[Caliber1]

Reeeelax, you're on vacation. Leave the cell phone off until you get home.:cool:

[MamaParrotHead]

A popular quote from many here on CC is, "Take half of the clothes you think you want to pack and twice the amount of money". :D

 

Other tips:

Do your homework...know what your options are as far as the ship AND the ports. I've heard back from many who have taken cruises and walked on "blindly" and not had a good time/AS good fo a time because they weren't aware of all the things the ship and ports had to offer. The "tourist trap" places immediately surrounding where the ship docks or tenders is a lot different than the "real" feel of an island/port.

 

Don't plan on doing wash...half of the washers don't work, the dryers take forever...and the things that "work" don't work very well. Don't waste precious vacation time in a laundry room.

 

Don't book flights that are leaving real early the day you get back into the US. On the same note, if at ALL possible, try to fly in a day early so you don't have to worry about delays and missing the ship.

 

The minute you leave the house...put your mind in "vacation mode". Delays and mishaps may happen...but it's OK, you're on VACATION.

 

Take lots of pictures...reliving those captured moments while at home, back to the daily grind, is truely priceless.

[dnj1]

Advice that I heard from someone else that I plan to use on our next cruise: At least once, see the sun rise and sun set from the highest deck. WOW that even sounds pretty.

[mprucha]

Email me and I'll send you a huge list of tips I put togethe for cruises that a lot of people have used. It's broken down into categories like tips for the cabin, for food, etc etc. anne@prucha.com

[Kurbanfan]

Just relax and have a wonderful time. My best advice.....don't overdue it on the research. Everyones cruise experience is different.......

It's nice to experience your own........

Happy sailing:)

[albertiger]

Find the darkest part of the ship and look at the stars, you've never seen them like this before!:D

[MistyRo76]

My advise to you would be.....Don't sweat the small stuff. Your cruise is going to be exactly what you make of it...which is exactly how it should be.

 

Be adventerous at dinner. The great thing is the food is included, so try new things. If you don't like something, you can always order something else or head to the buffet. Before I started cruising, I could not imagine that I would ever like to eat escargot, crab cakes, or pumpkin soup. But now they are faves of mine.

 

I also agree about catching the late night comics. I have seen most of the ones when I have cruised and there have been only a few that weren't very good. And get there early if want a good seat....but don't sit close if you don't want the chance of getting heckled a bit.

 

And bring extra hangers....they don't provide a whole lot of them in the cabin.

 

Have fun.

 

Misty

[MaryZ]

Just relax and have a wonderful time. My best advice.....don't overdue it on the research. Everyones cruise experience is different.......

It's nice to experience your own........

Happy sailing:)

 

I totally agree. Don't worry about all the things you don't know, just enjoy what you are doing at the moment.

It's the best reason to book another cruise, to do all the stuff you didn't do the first time :D

[Mysticks1]

If you have an inside cabin a nightlight will come in handy. Also I use a cheap plastic over the door shoe caddy. I put it on the bathroom door and have spots to store all of your necessary "stuff" out of the way. The one I have is clear plastic so you can see everything in the pockets.

[tinyrose]

Relax and have fun! :)

[L2J]

1) Have realistic expectations - you'll probably walk away feeling like you've gotten more.

 

2) While the crew is there to serve/please, they too are human beings and deserve the same amount of respect from you that you expect from them.

 

3) Enjoy...:)

[cruzn buckeye]

We have been on 16 cruises and didn't figure this out until 2 cruises. In Nassau, you can take a public bus, about $1 pp to the Breezes all-inclusive resort. $60 for a day pass. Well worth it. Nice pool, beautiful beach, hot tub and good food.

Have a great time!

[cruzn buckeye]

Oh and also really great Margaritas...all included.

[cruiselubbers]

Oh and also really great Margaritas...all included.

 

 

These two tips are yours are enough to make me say YEPPIE! Thanks for that tip!

 

OP & rest.....one other tip I'd like to share with you is...........

Remember the hot tub in the spa is open to adults only! :p

Don't know about the other ships but the 5 headed showers on the Inspiration in the spa showers work wonders!

 

PS....Don't tell everyone about that tip! ;)

[MamaParrotHead]

We have been on 16 cruises and didn't figure this out until 2 cruises. In Nassau, you can take a public bus, about $1 pp to the Breezes all-inclusive resort. $60 for a day pass. Well worth it. Nice pool, beautiful beach, hot tub and good food.

Have a great time!

 

You're telling me the $60 is for all food & drink, too? :eek: I don't suppose anyone has a quote for day passes for kids. ;)

[cruiselubbers]

You're telling me the $60 is for all food & drink, too? :eek: I don't suppose anyone has a quote for day passes for kids. ;)

 

 

Ditto, please answer that one cause it's important to me too! :D

 

Thanks in advance! :cool:

[Breezybreeze]

:eek: Wow, Thank you! for all the great advice. I do like the idea of Breezes. I will be finding out more info on that. I did want to go to Atlantis, but Breezes sounds to good to pass up. If you have any more great ideas please tell me. They are getting me even more excited about the BIG day:p If I could I would leave right now and sit by the boat/dock and wait for the 21st. Sounds crazy huh? I just have a huge smile on my face when I think that I'm going on a cruise:D Have a great day!!

[margie4233]

where do you find the carnival secrets threads?