disneymomof5 Posted January 18, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I do not know where to begin! :confused: My husband and I are taking our 5 children on our first cruise in November, 2008. Our children range in ages from 3 to 16! We have chosen a 5 day Carnival cruise out of Tampa. We are going to be on the newly refurbished Inspiration. We are going to Grand Cayman (which I have been to many years ago) and Cozumel. I Can anybody tell me what to do to prepare, what to pack..... what to expect?? What are the open air markets like in Cozumel? I could list hundreds of questions.... I just do not know where to begin! Do we really need passports? HELP?! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskier Posted January 18, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I do not know where to begin! :confused: My husband and I are taking our 5 children on our first cruise in November, 2008. Our children range in ages from 3 to 16! We have chosen a 5 day Carnival cruise out of Tampa. We are going to be on the newly refurbished Inspiration. We are going to Grand Cayman (which I have been to many years ago) and Cozumel. I Can anybody tell me what to do to prepare, what to pack..... what to expect?? What are the open air markets like in Cozumel? I could list hundreds of questions.... I just do not know where to begin! Do we really need passports? HELP?! Thanks! With that many children, you will need a medicine bag with common ailment medications and bandages. It is expensive on the ship to buy them in the gift shop. Since it is your first cruise, you wont know how the motion is going to affect you and your husband. For some reason kids are not as prone to it as we are. Bonine is a good one but it is more expensive than the generic. You can ask the Walmart pharmacist for it. It is called Meclizine. You can buy a 100ct bottle for $9.95. The main difference is that Bonine is flavored. Also pick up a bottle of Ginger Root pills in the vitamin section. These help calm a quesy stomach. I take the Bonine at night as it makes some people sleepy. You also want to start taking before you get on the ship so that it has time to get into your system. You will be overwhelmed with a lot of information at first. The ship will appear to be huge. First thing once onboard is to go up to the Lido deck and get lunch. At 1:30pm, they will let you into your cabins. Your Sail & Sign card will have which restraurant and at what time your dinner time will be. Most of the vendors in Cozumel that are open air is at the main town square. The reason for this is that they are tearing down and rebuilding the market building at the back of the square. Prices are negotiable in most of the places. YES you will need passports but you are in luck. Starting February 1st, you can apply for a US Passport Card which will be cheaper. It is only good for land or seaport entries. http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted January 18, 2008 #3 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I do not know where to begin! :confused: My husband and I are taking our 5 children on our first cruise in November, 2008. Our children range in ages from 3 to 16! We have chosen a 5 day Carnival cruise out of Tampa. We are going to be on the newly refurbished Inspiration. We are going to Grand Cayman (which I have been to many years ago) and Cozumel. I Can anybody tell me what to do to prepare, what to pack..... what to expect?? What are the open air markets like in Cozumel? I could list hundreds of questions.... I just do not know where to begin! Do we really need passports? HELP?! Thanks! Okay, just take a deep cleansing breath. First thing to do is check out the passport website: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html this is a good time to start the process so you don't have to pay for expediting them (and before the people about to take summer trips start applying). Unless things have changed in the last couple of years, both parents need to go in person with the kids. You can bring in the photos (Auto Club, drug stores, and other places will take them cheaper than the post office, usually around $7 per person) to many post offices. One advice that many of us give: if flying to your embarkation port, go at least a day prior. Then you won't risk getting to the port too late (especially as now the cruiselines are required to submit the passenger list at least an hour or so before sailing...so you have to be already checked in and onboard long before that). Another advantage is that you will have time to go to a store in your port city if you forgot to pack something, or couldn't bring everything because of airline regulations (weight-wise). Check out the "ask a cruise question" board here, as someone may have posted a good packing list. I remember somebody came up with a long list, so you may have to do a search on "packing". But don't try to take everything. Also check out *************** for a good checklist. Be aware that many head waiters will keep out jeans out of the dining rooms for dinner. But you can always dress down in the casual buffet. I'm one of the types who does pack the medicine cabinet. My hubby doesn't laugh at this as I had Sudafed when he needed some. Just look at the medicines that you may need as the ship's store may not have exactly what you need (or else sell them for an arm and a leg). I usually try to bring a pain reliever (kids and adults), antihistimines (we tend to get hay fever), Purell. As far as clothes, Carnival and Princess have self-service laundries onboard (RC and Celebrity have laundry services but not the coin you-do-it-yourself machines) so you can pack less if you don't mind running a load. On a 5-day, you probably don't really need much. I also suggest trying out the various sea sickness remedies ahead of your cruise to see if you have a reaction. Ask your doctor if you're on medication (for example, many people use ginger, but there can be an interaction with certain meds). Then bring a couple of different types. On my last cruise, which just about always involves rough seas for a couple of days (round trip LA to Hawaii), I used ginger in two different forms. Everyone has different remedies they swear by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelingirl70 Posted January 18, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Ditto what the above posters have said. I always bring a medicine bag, too. I bring kids' medicines to cover just about anything - just in case. (Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, upset stomach, dramamine, cough/cold, etc.) I also bring a small first aid kit - band aids of different sizes, antibiotic ointment, etc. And a thermometer! Also, bring plenty of sunblock. Not only is it expensive on the ship, they ran out on my last cruise. I always pack twice what I think I will need. On our first cruise, I bought Sea Bands - they are pressure point bracelets (soft material) that you wear on both wrists. I made my kids put them on the morning of depature (before we boarded.) We encountered very rough seas that night (April 2006 when the RCCL ship got hit by the "tidal wave") - our seas were over 35 ft. The kids were fine. Not sure if it was the wrist bands, or of they just don't get sea sick, but better safe than sorry. As far as my other tips for travelling with kids - make sure your kids go to the Kids Camp orientation the first night. Force them to go if you have to. Even your 16 y/o who might think it is lame should definitely go. This is when all the kids on the ship make friends. From there, they can choose to go to the Camp activities or not, but at least they will know some kids on board. I can't stress this enough. I highly recommend checking out Paradise Beach in Cozumel. If you are looking for a great beach day - with plenty of stuff to keep the kids entertained, this is the place to go! Do a search on these boards for tons of information. It is a fantastic place! If your kids eyes are sensitive to salt water, pack goggles for them to use in the pool. Lanyards are great for kids to hold their S&S cards. They feel grown up having their own cards and it helps to keep track of them. We had our kids hang theirs on a hook in the cabin so they wouldn't get lost. A powerstip is a good idea if you have electronics (Gameboys, Ipods, etc.) since there is only one outlet in the room. Hope that helps - there is a ton of information on this site that will give you other ideas. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitaturbodog Posted January 18, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I do not know where to begin! :confused: My husband and I are taking our 5 children on our first cruise in November, 2008. Our children range in ages from 3 to 16! We have chosen a 5 day Carnival cruise out of Tampa. We are going to be on the newly refurbished Inspiration. We are going to Grand Cayman (which I have been to many years ago) and Cozumel. I Can anybody tell me what to do to prepare, what to pack..... what to expect?? What are the open air markets like in Cozumel? I could list hundreds of questions.... I just do not know where to begin! Do we really need passports? HELP?! Thanks! Congratulations, you have found the right place to prepare for your upcoming cruise! You should spend a while browsing these boards and reading what others have said about cruising. Go to the Carnival board, Ports of Call boards, First Time Cruisers board and Ask a Cruise Question board. Take your time, you have almost a year before you leave. It's overwhelming right now, but once you "do your homework" here on CC you'll be ready to cruise....and book another one when you get home!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Freid Posted April 11, 2008 #6 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Hi, In my opinion Traveling is always interesting for me. But as you mention required thing for travel. you will need a medicine bag with common ailment medications. You can buy a 100ct bottle for $9.95. You also need some dry food to eat and also required a enough money to buy all things as you desire. You required a handbags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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