Yep, we're new!

[Rob&Nancy]

Hi,

We have just booked our first cruise - January '05 - and have lots of questions (and boy, are some of them going to sound dumb!!:o ). I'm going to post a list of questions here, but if this is too cumbersome, please let me know, and I'll break it into separate posts.

1. We're sailing on Royal Caribbean - does anyone know if there is an additional cost for spa services?
   
2. I would love to bring along a bottle of something sweet for after dinner sipping in the cabin - is that a no-no? Or, how would you suggest I do it?
   
3. Has anyone ever rented a tux on RCI? Any idea of the cost?
   
4. Are there ATMs on the ship?
   

Finally - and I know I will have more questions later - what the heck is "my DH"?:confused:

 

Thank you for any assistance you can offer!

[Brucemcdou]

Hi, Rob&Nancy -

 

There are no "dumb" questions, only those that aren't asked! I'm sure you'll enjoy your cruise and become hooked like the rest of us!

 

1. We're sailing on Royal Caribbean - does anyone know if there is an additional cost for spa services? Spas on all ships cost extra - it's one of their real profit centers. I don't know whether RCI posts their spa charges on their website, but presume that the prices will be comparable to a very expensive land-based spa - $110 for a one-hour full body massage, $30 for a men's haircut, for example. The spa staff will be very well trained and professional, but they will also try to sell you extra items after your treatment, such as skin treatment. You can just say no.

1. I would love to bring along a bottle of something sweet for after dinner sipping in the cabin - is that a no-no? Or, how would you suggest I do it? Most cruiselines overlook a bottle or two of wine or liquor brought on board in your carry-ons or in your checked luggage. Wrap the bottles carefully in leak-proof bags. The worst thing that can happen is that they'll confiscate them and return them at the end of the cruise.
   
2. Has anyone ever rented a tux on RCI? Any idea of the cost? Not on RCI, but on Celebrity, which is owned by RCI. $85 for a tux for a week-long cruise, extra for shoes. Check out the RCI website.
   
3. Are there ATMs on the ship? Yes, for which there will be a fee. In addition, you may be able to take a cash advance in the casino at no charge on your onboard account for no fee.
   

Finally - and I know I will have more questions later - what the heck is "my DH"?:confused: "Dear Husband," DW is Dear Wife, DD is Dear Daughter, etc. I have no idea who started this!

 

Thank you for any assistance you can offer!

[Finflapper]

DH....means Darling Husband, DD......darling daughter, and so on.

[doone]

Welcome to the boards and the world of cruising. You do know, you will now be hooked like the rest of us. So with that said, my dad likes to rent a tux, we have used http://www.cruiselineformal.com to do this with great results. But rest assured, your husband does not need to rent a tux, a nice suit is perfectly fine for formal nights, but a tux does make it all special.

 

Enjoy your first cruise and I am sure it won't be your last one.

[Rob&Nancy]

Thank you so much - while reading this forum I had a sense that this would be a welcome place to hang out. I know I will have lots more questions, and appreciate the direction. (And we're definitely taking a bottle of Carolans aboard!) :D

[traveller99]

My welcome to Rob & Nancy, too. Remember to check out the RCI forum - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83 - and some of the destination links, too. I've rented a tux from the "crusielineformal.com" site on 3 occasions with excellent service. It's kinda cool to arrive in the stateroom and open the closet to find my fomal gear already hanging in there, pressed fresh and ready to go! Keep asking questions, researching stuff on the net and soon you'll be posting answers. CHEERS!

[TheWog]

Welcome to the boards. Make sure you check out the ports of call boards for the places you will be visiting. Have a great cruise. What day are you leaving and which ship?

[Melissa_A]

Rob&Nancy, if you take a look at the royal caribbean website's freq. asked questions, you'll get a lot of info as well.

[Shelli]

Re your ATM question: while it's true ships have ATMs, it's also a sad fact that most of them run out of money after the first couple of days. It's not a bad idea to take some traveler's checks-- the purser's desk will cash those for you at no charge (but they won't cash personal checks). On some lines (not sure about Royal Caribbean) you can get cash from your on-board account in the casino at no extra cost. You can probably find this out on the board specific to Royal Caribbean.

 

Most cruiselines allow wine in carry-ons, but not any other liquor. If you're packing it in your checked luggage, don't put it in before flying (if that applies)! Wait till you arrive at your port location. (As an appropriate aside, it's a good idea to fly in the day before sailing to avoid any problems... and to extend your vacation! And to re-pack your checked luggage... LOL) Transferring the contents from glass to a plastic bottle is a good idea, as is wrapping the whole thing in bubble wrap and then in a zipper bag. What a mess it'd be if something broke! And the baggage handlers onboard really throw those bags around, believe me!

 

Enjoy your cruise-- you'll soon be hooked just like the rest of us. :)

[aqusis]

.... It's not a bad idea to take some traveler's checks-- the purser's desk will cash those for you at no charge (but they won't cash personal checks). ......

 

Actually Royal Caribbean will cash a $200 personal check while onboard. $250 if you have an AMEX card.

[98Charlie]

Welcome to the boards Rob&Nancy and yes, you are right about the thought that this is a welcome place to hang out. In fact, it gets very addictive - before your first cruise and specially AFTER your cruise when you want to share your info with others.

 

Believe your initial questions have been answered by those before this post, but also know as your cruise comes closer, you'll have more questions to be answered or at least find opinions from former cruisers. Never, ever hesitate to post a question. Most of us who have cruised several times still have questions and this forum offers us a great way to get those questions answered as well as a way to meet others via cyber space who enjoy cruising.

 

PS About the DH thing, once we get on the ship my husband can be considered my darling or dear husband --- but one to two weeks out from a cruise date he's often my ``dumb husband'' as he goes into his spaze mode and starts worrying about what still needs to be done before we leave. Of course he could term me is DW, dumb wife, at times when we're rushing through an airport to meet our connecting flight and I remember something I forgot to pack. Oh well, once our feet hit that ship's door, things are perfect again. That's why so many of us love to cruise so much and so often.

 

Relax, enjoy your first cruise together and if any of us can be of help to you with questions, just ask.

 

Dianne. 98Charlie's DW

[Rob&Nancy]

Dianne - have you been watching me two weeks prior to our trips?? I'm always the one runnnig around with lists flying about like confetti. DW - oh yeah, that's me - and I'm not specifying what the "D" indicates! ;) My husband was reluctant to even mention to me that he was thinking about a cruise, he knows that I would immediately kick into "research" mode and spend all of my time on the Internet. Of course, the cool result of that is finding this place! It's all good. Thanks again to everyone, I will definitely be back.

[lakeluvr]

feature on these boards. It is at the top of the page and I think you can search the whole site or various threads... :)

I have found answers to all my questions by either searching or asking something specific to my situation. Have Fun! :p

Lisa

[98Charlie]

Nancy - you've just given me the best description of my part in 37 years of vacations with DH. I am the confetti - the pieces that have to fall together when it's time to leave so DH knows everything is A-OK. Research, yah, that's me, Got everthing planned, that's me. Know what we're doing at each port, that's me - but when we get on that ship we're both one again and I love every minute of the pre-planning even though I gripe about DH beforehand.

 

DH, (and with four days to go before next cruise, I'm using that term lightly) and I have known each other since we were 10 and married when we were 19. We turn 57 later this year. I can't wait to look him in the eyes on our cruise next week and remind him I'm the confetti in his life. He will agree an this next cruise is already looking like another memorable moment in our lives.

 

Thank you, Nancy.

 

Dianne.

[Rob&Nancy]

Dianne, what a lovely e-mail, thank you - I'm smiling all over the place. My husband and I have known each other since we were 16, but decided to marry the wrong people before we figured it out. We're both 48 now, and we've been back in each other's lives for 7 years, and married for 3 1/2. Looking forward to another 50 at least! Have a great trip, and thanks for the search tip, I'll try that with my next list of questions.

Nancy

[VickiVSN]

You can find a lot of information on my website at http://www.vsn.org/cruise including a fairly recent spa services menu HERE . Happy cruising :D

[Rob&Nancy]

Thanks for the great site, I really learned a lot. Especially appreciate the specifics regarding costs. That's the one thing that it's hard to get a handle on - estimating how much cash to bring along. We have become accustomed to the all-incusive beach resort, we hardly ever carried cast, except for singles for tipping. This is all new, and I appreciate the direction! Hope you have a great cruise in just 21 days! :D

 

Nancy

[isabellmybell]

Hi, Rob&Nancy -

 

There are no "dumb" questions, only those that aren't asked! I'm sure you'll enjoy your cruise and become hooked like the rest of us!

 

1. We're sailing on Royal Caribbean - does anyone know if there is an additional cost for spa services? Spas on all ships cost extra - it's one of their real profit centers. I don't know whether RCI posts their spa charges on their website, but presume that the prices will be comparable to a very expensive land-based spa - $110 for a one-hour full body massage, $30 for a men's haircut, for example. The spa staff will be very well trained and professional, but they will also try to sell you extra items after your treatment, such as skin treatment. You can just say no.

1. I would love to bring along a bottle of something sweet for after dinner sipping in the cabin - is that a no-no? Or, how would you suggest I do it? Most cruiselines overlook a bottle or two of wine or liquor brought on board in your carry-ons or in your checked luggage. Wrap the bottles carefully in leak-proof bags. The worst thing that can happen is that they'll confiscate them and return them at the end of the cruise.
   
2. Has anyone ever rented a tux on RCI? Any idea of the cost? Not on RCI, but on Celebrity, which is owned by RCI. $85 for a tux for a week-long cruise, extra for shoes. Check out the RCI website.
   
3. Are there ATMs on the ship? Yes, for which there will be a fee. In addition, you may be able to take a cash advance in the casino at no charge on your onboard account for no fee.
   

Finally - and I know I will have more questions later - what the heck is "my DH"?:confused: "Dear Husband," DW is Dear Wife, DD is Dear Daughter, etc. I have no idea who started this!

 

Thank you for any assistance you can offer!

Oh My Gosh:eek: And I being a newbie too, have just thought the D in DH always stood for Dam orrrrrrrrrrrr is that Darling, I forget:D

Hehe