Do you have any first cruise tips?

[trishaedge]

My husband and I will be cruising for our first time on Dec. 12th on NCL Dream out of New Orleans. Our ports of call are Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Cancun. Are there any items, other than the usual, that are must bring with you items? Is there anything that we should do immediately after boarding to make our cruise smoother? Any port of call helpful hints or shore excursion suggestions? Any tips or comments would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Rdabadie]

1) Book no tours through the cruiseline: Overpriced! Any tour you book on the cruiseline is being sold at the end of the peir for 30% less.

 

2) Bring 1/2 clothes, 2 times the money (lots of $1 for tips) and 3 times the sunscreen

 

3) Roatan = Sante Health Center. I've been on 10 cruises, gosh knows how many ports, that was the best, by far! By really, REALLY far! You must find them online and book, it was wonderful, bueatiful, great, fantstic...and 1/2 the price of the spa on the ship. Also they have access to the most admazing beach (back on the mainland) you can snorkle on the edge of the reef, kyack on the water. It's more relaxing than words can describe.

 

4) Cozumel: Mr Sancho's is the best "fun" beach, Noche Cocum is the nice and quiet, Chanckanob is best for snorkling. The shopping is cheap just get a little off the main street and barter you heart out. Carlos and Charles must be done, make sure you dance on stage, on a chair, on a table...

 

5) It cost $5 to use the internet for 5 minutes onboard. It cost $5 for 1 hour at an internet cafe in port. Do the math :-)

 

6) Tip a bartrender/drink waiter $10-20 on the first day and ask them to take care of you for the week, they will!

 

7) In Cancun take the tour to Talum, and bring a bathing suit (trust me!)

 

8) Bring at least 3 bathing suites each for the cruise, nothing worse than getting into a cold wet bathing suit (and things take longer to dry out on a ship.)

 

9) You really don't need all those cloths you packed, if I go home with any clean clothing left I consider it failure on my part :-)

 

10) Ignore the complainers, enjoy the sunset as many times as you can, see the sun rise at least once, and just enjoy yourself

[dizneydawn]

The following are things I have taken on my cruises:

 

1) an extension cord or power strip. There is typically only one outlet in the room, that way you can have multiple things pluged in at once.

2) a digital LIT up clock. If you are inside, difficult to figure out what time it is if you do not bring your own lit up clock.

3) Febreeze to get the smoke smell out of your clothes. They sell travel sizes for a dollar in my local drug stores.

4) an over the door shoe holder to put toileties in, storage space is limited in most bathrooms.

5) more soap than I usually pack for my other vacations, for getting off all that sunscreen!

6) aloe vera for possible sun burns, all medical supplies are more expensive on the ship.

7) some over the counter meds for cold, diarrhea,upset stomach, sleeping pills, ect.

8) extra wire hangers, there are typically not enough for all my dinner outfits.

 

I have only been to Cozumel and agree with Rdabadie that Carlos and Charlie's is a do not miss spot.

 

Hope that was a little helpful!

[Shellbelle28]

The only things I can add to the above post are:

 

- Before your cruise learn everything you can from these boards, the cruiseline's website, other reviews on the internet and the documentation you receive from the cruiseline.

 

- Check out the Roll Call section of this site and find others who are on your same sailing and plan to meet them sometime while on your cruise. It's fun. If your itinerary has a regular Cruise Critic meeting scheduled, often ships officers will attend and are very gracious and can be most helpful.

 

- While on the cruise thoroughly read the Freestyle Daily schedule that is distributed to your cabin. This has all the details of what is happening when. Often the restaurants are open different hours on different days, activities are scheduled randomly, shows are in various places. I can't believe how many people I've heard griping that they didn't know something and mad that they missed it when it was right there in the Freestyle Daily.

[trish1c]

Reading the boards is a good start.

 

Know yourself & do what makes you happy no matter how many people tell you that you have to do something.

 

If you are not organized, adventurous & a great at keeping track of time, consider spending the money for the tours through the cruise line. If you book through them, you are guarenteed that the ship won't leave w/o you. Otherwise you may truly be on your own. If you are OK with that risk, book independently; the savings are worth it.

 

Bring a highlighter. That way you can mark your daily itinerary.

 

Don't be afraid to try something new, especially a food you've never had. You can always get something else.

 

Do not forget:

* money

* camera / film -- bring more than you think you need b/c it's expensive on board & in the ports

* lots of sun screen at a higher SPF than you wear at home

* a hat

* a beach bag of some sort for excursions to carry your stuff

* a great attitude looking forward to fun.

 

Enjoy!

[ColoradoJuli]

Wonderful ideas that everyone has shared. A few items that I would add to the list is:

 

1) A nightlight. Nothing worse then trying to use the bathroom in a pitch dark cabin.

2) If you are a music freak, like me, then remember to bring music. We have a walkman style CD player with little speakers that we like to bring.

3) Underwater camera as well as 'regular' camera. You can buy the underwater camers on ship, but it is expensive. Lots of film or your computer to download digital pictures. You will want lots of pictures to remember this very special time in your life.

4) Odd item, but they don't have them on ship: toothpicks

5) Sewing kit (for emergencies)

6) Fanny pack so you don't have to tote your purse with you on the islands and your hands are left free to carry all the goodies that you bought.

7) Light sweater. Sometimes the public rooms can be a bit chilly

8) Pack everything that you think you need and then pull half of it out. You really don't need that much clothing. One large suitcase should work for two people. A hanging bag if you are going to do the formal nights.

9) (I know it sounds strange) duct tape. You can buy small flat rolls at the dollar store. You never know when you might need it. It can fix a broken suitcase, hem a skirt, keep a shower curtain from attacking you.

10) Go ahead and bring a blow dryer. The one in the room isn't that great especially if you have thick hair.

11) You only need three pairs of shoes. Sandals, tennis shoes, and dress shoes. A cruise is really not a fashion show.

12) Go ahead and bring your own soap and shampoo. The dispenser stuff is about as good as a cheap hotel soap.

13) Bathing suit cover-up. You can not walk through the ship without a cover up on.

14) Extra batteries. They are available on the ship, but very expensive.

15)binoculars It is so fun to sit on the ship and be able to see the flying fish.

16) Business cards with your personal information on it to hand out to all of your new friends so you can stay in touch with each other.

17) If you are going with a group, we also take magetic boards (found at local craft store: Michaels, Hobby Lobby). It is wonderful to leave messages on the board as to where you are or when you can meet up next. You can also take post-it-notes and they work the same way.

18) Walkie Talkies. I don't care if it is just the two of you. You will find these very handy!

19)Lanyard to wear around your neck. You can have the front desk punch a hole in your room key and then put it on the lanyard. It is very handy and you won't be searching for your key all the time or loose it.

20) Collapsable mesh bag for dirty laundry. I found mine at Walgreens for $2.50. It helps to keep your room and closet neat.

21) Neosporin, bandaids. Never know when coral might strike ;)

22) Pepto Bismal tablets. You can take one before a meal on the island that you might be unsure about the food. It will prevent you from becoming sick. It is not necessary on ship.

23)Woolite - to rinse out swimsuits

24) We like to bring our own water bottle with us. The ones on the ship are a bit large to carry around and really expensive. You can also find carrying straps for water bottles. We just fill up the bottles on the ship before we head off the ship,

25) Final Item: Gallon size ziplock bags to put wet items in when packing to head home.

26) One more (sorry) I always put all of my 'liquids' (shampoo, facial cleanser, toothpaste, etc) in a ziplock bag. This prevents the liquid from getting all over your clothes in case it should come open. If you are flying, if you put as much stuff in ziplock bags as possible then if they search your suitcase there is less that they will be able to mess up and believe me, they can make a really big mess of your suitcase.

 

Hope I didn't overwhelm you. The most important item is to have a wonderful time. This will be like no other vacation you have ever taken and you will soon become adicted to cruising like most of us on the CC board.

[ColoradoJuli]

One item I forgot.

 

We like to make a sign to put on our doors. It helps us locate our room and lets others on the cruise know who is in the room. Look on the boards for ideas to put on your door.

[ColoradoLad]

I am humbled!

 

Yes, so many smart tibits!

 

The nightlight: I always attach small flashlights to the

"bug out bag" Army term: where you keep what counts in one place and in one bag, "in case".

 

Now tell me how to get my cats and dog onboard?

 

The cats are cared for at home by a cat sitter friend and the huge dog goes to a Dog spa with three times the space

inside and out that we have on the cruise!

 

ColoradoLad

[ColoradoJuli]

ColoradoLad - I am in Denver - what pet sitter do you use. I'm not sure what we are going to do with the girls (cats) this time. The neighbor that usually takes care of them will be out of town.

[teacup754]

thanks for the great tips, we are sailing in december on the 18th on the Sea and will print these out as reminders when we pack..

[trishaedge]

Thank you to all who posted tips and hints for our first cruise, very helpful. I love to be organized and will make a list from all the suggestions. We are very excited about our first cruise. Thanks again!

[seashore]

If you do the cave tubing in Belize, bring a wet suit! You will be happy that you did. This was a great trip.

When you visit Cancun, take a trip over to Isla de Mujeres. This was a highlight of our cruise. We booked it on the Dream and felt it was well worth the money.

Don't do the eco-hike on Roatan. This excursion was not well run and a waste of a day.

I hope that you have a great trip. If you look up my previous posts you can read more about our Christmas cruise on the Dream...

[Luanne]

Bug spray for Roatan and Belize. Bug spray was $12 on the ship. I second the highlighter to mark the Freestyle Daily of the activities you are interested in. The power strip and night light are a great thing too.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Luanne

[Ceramicpro]

The ruins in Tulum were awesome. Go there if you have time!!

 

 

Also, my doctor insisted that my tetanus vaccine was up to date and that I had at least my first vaccine of Hepatitis A before I went to Mexico & Belize. Check with your doctor about this.

[stefs111]

These are all great tips, here are some more:

 

Benedryl cream or "After Bite" stick for any itchy bug bites

 

Extra Contacts and solution or extra glasses

 

Plastic Cups, the glasses in the cabin are small and these are good if you happen to smuggle on your own rum in a water bottle and make drinks in your room

 

Soda, pinapple juice, mango juice, sweet and sour mix if you want a tropical drink in your room, soda or water just to drink

 

I bring my own mask and snorkel so i can snorkle at any beach

 

Antibiotic (I bring a Zithromac tri pack) I dont want to ruin trip getting sick

 

Swim Ear in case we get water in our ears from beach or shower it will keep you from getting an ear infection

 

Remember to relax and dont rush around, just take it all in and enjoy not having to cook or drive to find a place to eat and enjoy the pampering!!!!

[crdtrnr]

I am envious... I don't sail 'till January.

 

Belize- You've got to do the cave tubing..a little walking is involved, but worth every effort. Get some water shoes..they work great. I recommend booking with Xtreme..Richard did a great job at 33% less than the ship cost.

 

Roatan- if you want to get away and be secluded, I recommend Salt n Pepper...check ports of call message boards for more info.

 

If anyone can tell me how to smuggle my cats on board, please let me know..a week is a long time to be away from the "kids", especially since they tend to tear up the house in retaliation...

 

Lisa

[seawyllow]

Hi, When you are in Cozumel, the snorkeling is the best at Chakunaab Park. There is a place called the sand dollar that does an awesome job including taking your picture under the water with the fish. You can also go over to Playa on the ferry and explore it. It has lots to do, shopping galore, and many restaurants. The restaurant/bar at the Blue Parrot right on the beach is a great place to go if you want to stay away from the usual touristy place. There is also a great tour place about 7 minutes down the highway from Playa called ATV Explorer. They offer an ATV tour through the jungle and you get to see caves and go swimming in a cenote as well. It lasts about 2 hours and when I was there last year, it was only $38.50 each. They have a web site that you can reserve it on line with no credit card and they will take 10% off if you do it that way. In Cancun, you can do the swimming with the doplhins or parasailing or just get a day pass to one of the many hotels right on the beach. Many of them offer full passes which means all of your food and liquor are included as well. If you do that, go to the Riu Palace Las Americas or the Melia, or the Sun Palace. They are fabulous.

The tubing trip in Roatan is cool as long as you are not "big boned" as it has a tendency to bottom out quite a bit if you are more than 130 pounds. Double check with the cruise line for documents as Roatan is part of Honduras and they require passports for entry. Just double check to see if you need one or if they let the cruise lines let you in with just a drivers license and bc.

 

Have a great time!

 

Chris aka the Seawyllow

[Zeno]

Best advice I ever got before my first NCL cruise was: READ the Freestyle Daily ! As a previous poster has stated there is so much useful info re: times and stuff in it.

[Liner]

trishaedge--

All of the above tips are great! The biggest tip I can give you since you are a first time cruiser is to save your money for your next cruise!!!!!:D

[mary4165]

Hi:

 

The cruise line has many options for tours. However, I used a company when we went to Alaska that sets up tours independently. They are not a whole lot cheaper but the tour is much more personal. On one in Alaska it was just us and the guide GREAT! Anyway check them out, heres the address:

 

http://www.shoretrips.com/agents/linkhome.asp?linkid=ST28120

[newmexicoNita]

Talk about lots of great ideas, you certainly have the best list anyone could give. I am going to add a couple I didn't see and disagree a bit on one. Booking through the ship versus on line or upon arrival. If the tour is more than about 5 hours please book through the ship. Once we almost missed the ship as our tour went over. If this happens with a ship based tour the ship will wait: booked on your own you may have to wave as the ship leaves you on shore. For most tours we do book on our own. Roatan has so many wonderful tours it's hard to decide. Tabyana Beach through the ship is great, we have heard the spa is unbelievable and we are doing Salt and Peppers this time around: never a bad review! If you intend on eating in a specialty restaurant book early! Try to avoid dinner from about 7pm to 8pm. That's the busiest time. We usually try to eat about 6:30, gives us the evening to enjoy whatever. Reading the dailies is a must and mark or circle what you want to do the following day. Most of all, as was said, don't listen to the complainers and you will see some for sure. Just go and enjoy every minute of your week. NMNita

[breeding]

This is a great thread with sooooo much information. Our first cruise isn't until June but boy am I going to be ready. I loved the message board idea. We are going with a group so I'm going to get everyone a message board for Christmas. Hope they remember it by June. Any great suggestions on tours (cruise line or other) to do on a Hawaii cruise?

[Fam of 5]

I may have missed this by another poster. Remember to bring a bathing suit cover up, sunscreen & hairbrush on your carry-on. This way you can enjoy the pool as soon as you board and not have to wait for your luggage.

[clyde1818]

Never been on NCL, but the best tip I could give you is get to the departchure(sp) city the day before if you can, that way you won't have to worry about your plane having delays or anything and you can feel that your on vacation early.

[mary4165]

I agree with newmexicoNita, I would never book a long tour at the destination, however the company that we used was very diligent about getting us back to the ship before the due back time. I would still recommend them. Clyde1818 is right on, if you can get to your departure city the day before you will be much more relaxed and won't chance the airlines delays, especially if you are in the snowbelt.