[karostay]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

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.

Ice cream would be chocolate

[Aloha1]

As a veteran of more than 30 cruises around the world, here's my take:

- Ignore the nay sayers. Try it, you might like it!

- Go for a 7 day cruise as the incremental cost over a 5 day cruise is small. You will have more time to experience all the nuances of cruising.

- Get on board as soon as you can on Embarkation Day. You paid for that day so go enjoy it. Have lunch, take a dip in the pool, wander around the ship, etc.

- If you have enjoyed your cruise consider booking a future cruise while on board. Most lines offer discounted fares to on board passengers for a future booking. You can always cancel.

[Pdesensi]

Start with 3 day cruise. Book above 7 floor. I love a balcony. Do not get inside room. I love cruising.

[UHH47]

With 38 cruises behind us and 3 cruises in 2020, with the shortest cruise of 12 days.
We like the smaller ships, less then a thousand passengers, all inclusive (Azamara, Oceana, Silver Seas). If you like a carnival, then go for the mega size ships and get charged extra for everything except water and plain coffee, and all those activities like rock wall climbing, wave surfing, go cart track are not free or inexpensive. Cocktails and specialty coffees are$$.
No one can tell you what cruise ship to go on, unless they know what your likes are and what your budget is.
We love CRUISING.

[TheWarriors]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

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

...given the current political climate that exists today.

Wow, TDS even in a cruise review, lol.

[Dlbonivich]

If you get sick on a plane you might get sick on big boats. People who do mot have motion sickness think it is from the waves, it is not it from the forward motion. I had acupuncture treatments before I left and wore a prescription ear patch and did pretty good. Have fun.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by rick2071

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 never got sick flying, but only been on one cruise. 3 days , 4 nights, & 2 days on that I felt sick, but never got sick, & both times it was when I got up in morning. Eat a little bit when ever you can & that works. Eat even if you don’t feel like it, keep food in you stomach or you could just get some over the counter sea sickness patches. That’s what my wife used & she never felt sick.

[davem4616]

well, you've certainly received some great advice. my thoughts because of you being prone to sea sickness is to make sure that the ship will be sailing in calm waters....stay away from the Atlantic itself and consider the Adriatic or hugging the northern Med coastline where the seas are usually calm (albeit you'll have a long flight over to Rome or Athens). Give consideration to how many people you want to be 'onboard' with. The larger ships with 3-4K passengers can feel like Time's Square at times....we prefer Windstar, as they have no more than 325 passengers and you usually anchor in ports that the huge ships can't get into.

[Adorrable1]

Use Bonine otc med. The motion sickness has to do with the inner ear. Start with a 3 day, that's what I did. Don't get an outside cabin. Way too much motion. You want an inside cabin in the middle of the ship. Also get a prescription for a scopolomine patch. Take it from one who knows and heed my warning or you're in for a long week.

[waverly51]

As far as I’m concerned there are no pitfalls. My husband and I have been on 28 cruises and we love it. It really doesn’t matter how many days you take but if you’re skeptical, I would try a three day first. Carnival and Norwegian are two of our favorites. Happy sailing.

[aallbrand]

I would not advise cruising with the current state of the Virus in the news. A cruise ship is a terrible place to avoid Flues and viruses . I would wait until things settle down.

[juscause]

Originally Posted by Pdesensi

Start with 3 day cruise. Book above 7 floor. I love a balcony. Do not get inside room. I love cruising.

Five sentences. I agree with only the fifth.

[Brondrisek]

Go with a 3 day to decide if it’s for you. Then your not “stuck” for a week.
I don’t like a big ship that dumps 5000 people either, find something smaller so you can enjoy the ship.
I’m sure you will love it.
Pitfalls are overeating and bad weather.

[RMguy]

Seriously?

If you get sick flying you are probably susceptible to motion sickness and a short cruise to the Bahamas will be good. Definitely get a balcony midship on decks 7,8 or 9. Talk to your doctor about meds you can take. Try to get a newer ship. Cruise Critic will give you specs on almost all ships. Don’t use the hot tubs and wash you hands frequently. Bring a passport and get trip insurance for medical.