Last Minute Advice Please!!!!

[Ariels Twin]

Hey Everyone,

I am leaving in 23 days and can't wait. I am a first time cruiser, what are some last minute pointers from all you experts. What is it that I would have never thought to ask or expect? For example, I am beginnning to realize that the pools on board are not so much swimming poools as they are get in cool off and such. I have 2 small children one is 3 and the other is 5, so any tips for them as well would be greatly appreciated.

 

Have a wonderful evening and thanks so much in advance!:):D

[firefly333]

What ship will you be on?? Plan on gaining weight, the food is wonderfull.

[Ariels Twin]

We will be on Carnival Pride...I have been trying to lose ten lbs, so that when I am on the cruise, it won't look like I put on any weight! LOL

[vkramer]

I am with you on the 6/26 sailing of the Pride. My family cannot wait. It will be my daugher (29) and fiance (28) and son (20) along with my husband and myself.

 

I have done numerous carnival cruises and the one thing that you should do is relax and enjoy every moment of the cruise. Don't stress over little things.

 

Have fun and maybe we will meet up on the ship.

 

Vicki Kramer

[Tralynn]

Sign the kids up for Camp Carnival when you board the ship. You'll be amazed at the fun activities they have for the kids. They will also have the Camp Carnival's activity sheets for the week available. Make sure you grab one so you can pick and choose when you want to bring the kids.

 

Most of all, have a blast!

[bleuiz]

Hey Everyone,

I am leaving in 23 days and can't wait. I am a first time cruiser, what are some last minute pointers from all you experts. What is it that I would have never thought to ask or expect? For example, I am beginnning to realize that the pools on board are not so much swimming poools as they are get in cool off and such. I have 2 small children one is 3 and the other is 5, so any tips for them as well would be greatly appreciated.

 

Have a wonderful evening and thanks so much in advance!:):D

 

Camp! On our large family cruise....the younger kids ranged from 3-8 ....and they went on different camp activities....had a great time....

[semichigan]

Hi! Congrats on your first cruise!

The pools are certainly not for swimming laps in but I'm pretty sure they are about 5 feet deep and they have a ledge around them to sit on. Also, on the Pride there is a children's pool on deck 11 that's more of a "kiddie" pool - probably a foot deep or so. Also remember that the pools are filled daily with sea water but there are outdoor shower heads to rinse off in.

Enjoy!! You will get hooked...like the rest of us!:)

[A&Jfamily]

Take advantage of breakfast, and even lunch in the dining room; they have all the offerings of the buffet and more. The servers are wonderful with the kids, and it is so nice not to be juggling trays with little ones.

 

Try the supper club - put the kids in camp for dinner and have a nice evening.

[flounder315]

take your kids to camp carnival as often as possible, you have to take them out of camp, certain hours every day, and that can be a hassle. Take a highlighter to mark your capers with the things you do not want to miss. get the kids a deck of cards from the pursers desk. Enjoy your cruise, you will become one of us addicts...:D

[firefly333]

Go to the casino and get a free laynarnd and then have a hole punched on your sea pass card to attach it. So you can wear it hands free. Helps in the buffet when your hands are full.

[The Klev]

Hey Everyone,

I am leaving in 23 days and can't wait. I am a first time cruiser, what are some last minute pointers from all you experts. What is it that I would have never thought to ask or expect? For example, I am beginnning to realize that the pools on board are not so much swimming poools as they are get in cool off and such. I have 2 small children one is 3 and the other is 5, so any tips for them as well would be greatly appreciated.

 

Have a wonderful evening and thanks so much in advance!:):D

 

I was a first time (well, not including the Disney Cruise many moons ago) cruiser in february and used these boards to get all kinds of tips for our first cruise - you can click on the link below for some tips I used on the Valor. Here's a few pieces of advice I got from the boards:

 

1. I Googled "waterproof wallet case" and bought 2 of them (1 for me and one for wife) and used them everywhere we went - no problems in the water, everything stayed dry. They cost around $12 and you'll get them in 3 days.

 

2. I made a copy of our passports "just in case." I left our original passports with the purser on the first day of the cruise and asked them to stamp them at each country we stopped at and picked them up the night before we disembarked.

 

3. Chair hogs stink, but we didn't let it bother us. We just hung out on the balcony and, if we wanted to take a dip, dropped off our stuff a few decks higher. Don't let chair hogs get to you.

 

4. If you drink wine, you can carry a bottle per person on the ship. We raided the Lido Buffet for appetizers around 4:40 and had a cocktail hour in our room every night.

 

5. Get funky colored luggage tags and mark your bags - trust me, this will help you finding your luggage during disembarkation.

 

6. A few bungee cords worked well to open the balcony door (if you have a balcony) Just note that, if you open your door to the hallway, it'll get very windy.

 

7. Be picky about any Carnival photos you really like. On the bottom, they are marked "Silver," "Gold," and "Platinum." The platinum ones are the most expensive, gold next expensive, etc... My wife didn't know this until we were charged over $100 for a handful of photos.

 

8. When you get on the ship, if you like to play cards, ask the pursar for a deck of cards. They're free, nice and will probably be gone by the end of the cruise.

 

There is a thread somewhere on here called " Secrets Carnival Doesn't Want You to Know About" (or something like that) It's a great read.

 

Most important?

 

1. Have fun. You are on vacation. Do not sweat the small stuff. I though the Valor food was okay. But I didn't want to gain weight, so, for an entree, I always had a double order of salad. In my review, I could have written that the food was adequate but, since it's only 1 person's opinion, it was fine. And the salads were totally fine. It's amazing what some people will write about. Accentuate the positive on your cruise. So, look for the good stuff and soak it all in. The Pride looks like a beautiful ship.

 

Best wishes,

 

Alan K

[tlbuckingham]

Being your first time one concern may be sea sickness (yourself or your children). Research some methods that may help you just in case as it can make or break your cruising experience (ask my wife after her first cruise).

[PNFAM]

Don't forget your precruise registration. And don't foreget to bring your funpass with you to the terminal. There's been several ports terminals making passengers show proof there on the cruise before proceeding on to security.

[cb at sea]

Cruising isn't that much different from a resort get-a-way...there's no "right or wrong" way to do it. Just enjoy!

Kids don't really "swim laps" when there's alot going on....your kids will be fine with getting in the pool to "cool off"---

Just go, and enjoy!