Never cruised before

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Old 02-15-2020, 08:03 AM
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Default Never cruised before

We have never been on a cruise and every time we fly I get sick, so we decided to try a cruise. What would you suggest 3,5 or 7 day travel. What are some of the pitfalls?
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Old 02-15-2020, 08:08 AM
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Old 02-15-2020, 08:32 AM
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Old 02-15-2020, 09:12 AM
OrangeBlossomBaby OrangeBlossomBaby is offline
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Originally Posted by rick2071 View Post
We have never been on a cruise and every time we fly I get sick, so we decided to try a cruise. What would you suggest 3,5 or 7 day travel. What are some of the pitfalls?
I suggest a 5-day. Three days usually means you spend the entire time on board. With a 5 day you get land excursions for two days, usually, where you can debark for several hours each day and sight-see, or enjoy a beach, or go shopping. Some have "swim with the stingrays" excursions (and similar) which are awesome for the water-adventure crowd. One year we sailed to Jamaica and during our land time we took a banana plantation tour. Another year we sailed to Tulum, Mexico and spent the day at the ruins soaking up the history and the sun.

For motion sickness, there are now ear magnets that reduce or completely eliminate that. My mother in law was queasy her first day, bought the magnets at one of the ship's stores as recommended by her doctor, and she was fine the entire rest of the trip and had a wonderful time.

More recommendations: bring your cell phone and keep it charged, so you can take lots of pictures. You'll save a fortune on professional photos on board (the ship photography crew is everywhere).

Do -not- get suckered into buying any of those "limited edition serigraphs" at the art auction. They aren't worth what you pay for, and they charge $50 for ground shipping even if you get one of them for only $5. You don't find this out until after you've already been awarded the bid and they ask you for shipping info.

DO explore the ship, as much of it as possible. If you prefer to spend most of your time "adulting" then usually the bow (front) of the ship has a 21-or-older-only area, with small soaking pools and jacuzzis and hammocks and a bar, where adults can lounge around and relax without a bunch of toddlers running around.

If you want to hang with the grandkids, it's the stern-end (back) of midships, where you might even find a bumper-car area, playground, family pool and kiddie pool, and lots of music and games.

There are also cruises with ships designed specifically with families and kids in mind (Carnival and Celebrity have some), with day-camps so the adults can spend time with each other for several hours every day, and the kids can have lots of activities.

Another DO: get the best stateroom you can afford. The only people who say "it doesn't matter, you never spend time in your room anyway" are people who get lower inside cabins with no windows. If you can get a room with a balcony, that does -not- have a limited view, get it. Doesn't have to be an owner's suite, and most balcony rooms are affordable these days.

Another DON'T: don't get the booze package. In order to get your money's worth, you have to have around 5 booze drinks every single day, per person per room. That is a LOT of booze.

A DO: do buy a 6-pack of water to be brought to your stateroom, when you make your reservation. It'll be cheaper than buying it once you're on board and the tap water on cruise ships doesn't taste good.

Another DO: bring 1 bottle of wine, per person, on board if you drink wine. You're allowed, and most rooms have mini-refrigerators these days, so you can have a glass every evening before dinner if you're into it, without paying $12 per glass.

A DO: if the ship comes to port and you're able to debark during the trip - then do so. Even if you'd been to the same place for 10 cruises in a row, it's just really nice to get off the ship and walk around.

A DO: bring your passport. Even if you're only going somewhere within the USA, it's good to carry it around with you. This leads me to another DO:

Have a SECURE spot to carry your passport and bring it with you if you debark the ship, again - even if you're just going to another part of the USA. You probably won't ever need to show it to anyone but it's one of those "just in case" situations given the current political climate.

A DO: do bring comfortable walking shoes, preferably slip-resistant, and use them whenever you leave the carpeted safety of the inner ship. Deck shoes, yes. 3-inch-heels around the the outside deck, no.

DO: splurge at least once on their high-end restaurant, which is never included in the "anytime, anywhere" dining plan.

DO: enjoy breakfast every single day, but remember to not overeat in the morning. It's VERY easy to do when you can have all the bagels and lox and bacon and biscuits and pancakes and pastries and eggs and grits you can eat. Balance your need for indulgence with your need to be physically capable of movement all day long, and save dessert for after dinner.

DO: enjoy shopping on board but do a little research in advance. If you like alcoholic beverages, find out how much they cost near us at the Villages first. When you get on board, compare costs with what they have at their duty-free shop. There are definitely some amazing deals but some of them aren't good enough for the extra time you spend receiving your purchase at the end of the trip.

Finally - we end where we begin: take LOTS of pictures! If you choose the wifi package you can upload them to the cloud, and not have to worry about maxing the memory on your device. You can weed out the ones you don't like when you get home. You will not be able to access your data plan on the ship and on most ships, wifi is not free, or particularly fast.

Not sure if this will let you see it but this is our ship going under a bridge, on one of our cruises in 2015. Browser no longer supported

Last edited by OrangeBlossomBaby; 02-15-2020 at 09:20 AM.
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Old 02-15-2020, 09:44 AM
Carla B Carla B is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick2071 View Post
We have never been on a cruise and every time we fly I get sick, so we decided to try a cruise. What would you suggest 3,5 or 7 day travel. What are some of the pitfalls?
"They," the public address system on the ship, and notices in the restrooms will remind passengers over and over to wash their hands to avoid spreading disease. Good warning to heed.

I also avoid booking an inside room but find ocean view rooms just fine. My husband is one of those who says "you don't spend much time in the room, so what does it matter?" It matters. It's nice to be able to see out. And I imagine if you asked those on board the "Diamond Princess" quarantined in their inside cabins right now, they would say it matters a whole lot.

Generally, cabins on lower decks and in the middle of the ship are more stable in a seaway, if you are at all prone to seasickness.

Be choosy in booking expeditions off the ship. These costs can quickly add up.

Enjoy the food, the service, and your fellow passengers. No cooking or cleaning for a whole week!

Last edited by Carla B; 02-15-2020 at 10:27 AM. Reason: Add something.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:27 AM
OrangeBlossomBaby OrangeBlossomBaby is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carla B View Post
"They," the public address system on the ship, and notices in the restrooms will remind passengers over and over to wash their hands to avoid spreading disease.

I also avoid booking an inside room but find ocean view rooms just fine. My husband is one of those who says "you don't spend much time in the room, so what does it matter?" It matters. It's nice to be able to see out. And I imagine if you asked those on board the "Diamond Princess" quarantined in their inside cabins right now, they would say it matters a whole lot.

Generally, cabins on lower decks and in the middle of the ship are more stable in a seaway, if you are at all prone to seasickness.

Be choosy in booking expeditions off the ship. These costs can quickly add up.

Enjoy the food, the service, and your fellow passengers. No cooking or cleaning for a whole week!
Actually I had responded to this, in error, and acknowledged the error a few posts down-thread. Unfortunately, this one post of mine is what some posters have chosen to focus on instead of anything else in the thread, so I just deleted everything I said.

Last edited by OrangeBlossomBaby; 02-17-2020 at 09:36 AM. Reason: To stop people from focusing on my mistake and focus instead on good suggestions by me and everyone else.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:33 AM
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Google.

Which part of cruise ship is most stable?
Lower Decks
In addition to picking a midship stateroom, which are usually spread out across several levels, it's also a good idea to opt for one that's below the water level. This is because this part of the ship, its lowest and most central area, is the most stable during rough sea conditions.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:35 AM
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Google.

What deck level is best on a cruise ship?
The lower and more central you are in a ship, the less roll and sway you will feel. Even if you choose a balconied stateroom, choose the lowest level and the most midship one you can find. The higher decks and cabins at the very front (forward) or back (aft) of the ship will rock and roll the most.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:36 AM
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We must be the only couple who do not like cruises.

I don't like all that gambling, rocking, water, weird stuff to eat, no golf courses, did I say all that water, (where you see in your mind a ship upside down with the lights on under water) shiver, bunches of people in small places, water, other people who drink too much and all that yucky germy disease that seems to breed in all of their pipes and surfaces. (What's up with that???)

Nope. I do not care for any more thank you.

If we all liked the same thing they would only sell vanilla ice cream.
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Last edited by graciegirl; 02-15-2020 at 10:50 AM.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:36 AM
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That is not correct. The cabins most centrally located and lower on the boat will experience the least motion.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby View Post
Actually rooms on the upper decks are the most stable. Just like the movements on a metronome or the hands of a clock - the part closest to the point of reaction (the boat IN the water) will show the most significant impact of movement and the part furthest away (the boat above the waterline) will show the least significant impact of movement.
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Old 02-15-2020, 10:45 AM
OrangeBlossomBaby OrangeBlossomBaby is offline
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Oh you're right! It -is- the lower decks. I was going by experience - might've been psychological. We had an upper balcony room, and visited friends who were staying a few decks lower. It was raining, not a bad storm or anything but the ship was definitely rocking a bit. We felt it much more down under than we did above. Might've been because there were no windows - just movement. It's the same for me when I used to take the subway in Boston - if I was near a window and could look out of the car, it was easier to keep my balance (I always stood) than if I was in the middle of the car surrounded by people and couldn't see the windows at all.
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:02 AM
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I would definitely suggest you book your cruise on a New Ship. They have the least motion, you won't have to worry about motion sickness. We cruise with Princess and always Book on the newest ship they have. Also, a Balcony room is a must. Its worth the extra cash! Give yourself a chance to experience what a new ship has to offer before deciding if you like cruising! The older ships are cheaper, but the newer ones have great stabilizers! I agree with other posters advising you not to buy the drink package. I also agree that a 5 day cruise might be a good test. Hope you enjoy your new adventure!
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:09 AM
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You never really know how long your cruise will be, just ask the nearly four thousand people trapped on the quarantined cruise ship right now off the coast of Japan.
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:29 AM
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Orange Blossom Baby gave excellent advise. I also think a five day cruise would be the best. If you are the type that enjoys a little more quiet than excitement I would try Celebrity or Princess. If you love partying try Carnival or Royal Caribbean and a larger ship. If you chose one of the larger ships do not forget to make your reservations for the shows and such as soon as available. Get a travel agent. They are very helpful.
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:37 AM
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Just my personal opinion and MANY disagree with me but I wouldn't take a cruise if it was given to me for free. I'd rather be sick in the air for 6 hours than sick on a boat for 6 days. Also, everyone I have spoken with always says: "It was WONDERFUL except for that ONE BAD DAY." I have no desire to experience "that one bad day." I'm a landlubber ! Get me somewhere as fast as you can!
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