First Time Cruiser
 

My husband and I will be taking our first cruise at the end of April and I was wondering if you had any tips. We are just trying a 3 day trip to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean. The ship is called the Monarch of the Seas. Thank you!!!

If you have any issues at all with motion sickness get your "helps" ahead of time. Dramamine works...you can get a non-drowsy type and take it before you get on the ship. Then just go and enjoy yourselves. It's like a HUGE hotel on the water....alot to do and alot to eat!!!!

We've been on the Monarch many times. It is an older ship, but has wonderful people working on her.
Check out cruisecritic.com Go to the Royal Caribbean forum. The search Monarch. You will have more information than you ever wanted to know.

Plan to get on the ship early so you can enjoy the day before sailing and start the wonderful abundance of food. We try to board between 11:00 & noon. We love cruising...getting ready to do our 16th next month. Have a great time!!!

Its a great ship, you'll love it , My opinion is not to take dress up clothes as more and more people are choosing not to do this . Stay casual on this trip until you get the lay of the land because I guarantee this will not be your only trip.....Your in for a treat......

fumar with a bottle of rum, yo ho....:mornincoffee:

If you are prone to motion sickness, take something before you get on board. Once you start to get the feeling it is almost tooo late. i would not recommend the "ear patches"...mixed results if they work and people can have bad side effects.

The Monarch is an older ship but you should still have a great time. Problem will be when its time to come back, you have just started to get the lay of the ship...ie tooo short a trip.

Buy a Rum Runner Kit to get your booze on board. Pack it in the bottom of your checked luggage.

Dieting is forbidden. Just got back and still paying for it. Not money wise.....weight wise.

If you eat in the dining room for your eveing meal, although they have a menu it's not set in stone. If you want more/less of something they'll bend over backwards.

You'll have fun.

Read their web site for their recommendations.
Pack as little as possible.
Make sure that if the ship gets into port an hour or two late you can still make your transportation back home.

Thank you for all the great advice!! I am really excited now!

Cruising site
 

Check out www.cruisecritic.com. We've used it for 2 of our cruises and it's got a wealth of info specific to your ship, people who have done the same cruise previously, people who will be cruising with you, what to eat, what to wear. Sometimes takes the mystery out of your trip, but is beneficial to get you to know the layout, the stops, etc.
Enjoy! We just returned from the Oasis and had a great time!

Like others said....don't over pack.