Going on my first cruise. Prepare me OOT!

[C-Dog]

I have done Alaska, and the Mediterranean, and I loved them both. I am reasonably young (27 for Alaska, 28 for Med) and I had a great time on both. Just relax and have a good time. I was on Celebrity for Alaska, and I thought the food was stellar pretty much every night. The food wasn't as good in the Med (Holland America) but it wasn't terrible. There will be a lot of older people, but there will be some around your age as well. If you like to play games (Charades/Pictionary/etc) then you will have no problem meeting people that are similar to you for chatting and the whatnot. Just have fun, and partake of decent to good food at anytime that you want, for free.

C-Dog

[C-Dog]

Oh yeah, and you can try posting on

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/forums/index.php

to find people your age and interests, and arrange a meetup ahead of time. That way you are guaranteed to have someone else to hang with.

C-Dog

[dcasper70]

Nice!

Thanks all! I've got plenty to work with now.

</thread>

[KilgoreTrout]

Something my wife packs all the time that has saved my ass a couple times:
Cottonelle bum wipes

[Runkmud]

I don't believe Royal Carribean has poker on board.

I was on one of thier ships a few months ago.

The premium restaurants are a $20 extra charge, and worth every penny. Book as many nights as you can right when you get on the ship. They fill up fast. If they're booked on any night, tip the hostess and she will call you when someone cancels. I tipped her a $20 and I got a call every night.

A great tip if your going to be drinking alot. When you get back to your room drunk at night, call up room service and order a bunch of sandwichs and juices. Pass out. In the morning when you wake up, open the door and pull the trays in, they'll leave them outside your room. Breakfast in bed.

Have a blast!

[jjp]

I've been on a few cruises.

Formal night: slacks and a dress shirt without tie is acceptable. Don't go to the buffet just because you don't want to dress up. The food in dining rooms is much better.

When ordering meals, you will be given a choice of 3 or 4 appetizers, 3 or 4 salad/soup choices, and several main courses. Feel free to order more than one of each type, including main courses. You don't want to be a pig about it, but most of the appetizers are really good so don't feel constrained with just one.

Don't feel like cruising ends when you have kids. They have wonderful things on the ships called "kids camps". They keep the kids busy all day doing crafts and games and stuff. The kids love it. My 3 (ages 7, 5, and 2-1/2) wanted to be in there all the time. We actually wanted to be with our kids some of the time, so we took them to the pool and stuff, but it is a great family vacation. Gets pricey though.

[MrBrightside]

[ QUOTE ]
Somehow everyone who has replied has forgotten to remind you to smuggle in some booze. It would probably have to be in plastic thermos-like containers, from what I've heard they will check your luggage, in any event I heard something about glass bottles not getting on for some reason.

This is hardly a secret, but cruise ships get you on board for a fairly tremendous loss to them, and rely on your drinking and gambling habits to make up the difference. I've heard bar tabs of $1500 to be pretty standard over the course of a week cruise, so sneaking on some booze or wine will save you a lot of money.

[/ QUOTE ]

amen. we had like a whole mini bar in our room. My wife and I were pretty newly married and broke. We tipped our housekeeper dude up front to keep it iced down. Worked out great.

[gusmahler]

Recently came back from my first cruise. It was fun. A few comments:

* It was a Royal Caribbean cruise (Vision of the Seas in the Mexican Riviera).

* Poker was nearly non-existent. Only a single table and there wasn't a single person on it 6 of the 7 days I was there. One roulette table, one craps table, a few BJ tables, a three-card poker table and the rest of the casino was slots/video poker.

* This ship only had two dining options, the buffet or the main dining room. The buffet food gets old after 7 days. The breakfast choices were the same every day. The main food was nice, but I got sick after eating some Mexican food in Mexico and wasn't able to eat the same after that.

* The ship's official entertainment was pretty bland. They had a couple of Broadway-esque singing/dancing shows, but they were lame. A couple of comedians, a couple of has-been singers. Nothing else really of note. So the only fun thing to do at night was hang out in the dance club. (I'm married,
so can't comment on the ease of hooking up on board).

* The excurisions are wildly overpriced. You can usually find equivalent activities just by asking people on the shore.

* We ran up a $1100 bill in 7 days (on-top of the initial cruise price). This included a couple of spa treatments for my wife, but that's still $700+ for gifts and beverages (as stated above, all food is free). And we didn't seem to drink that much.

* That's in addition to cash spent in Mexico and to $200 in tips at the end of the cruise.

[private joker]

Bumping this thread instead of creating a new one.

I'm planning a 4-day cruise in August, probably on RC (to Mexico). Anyone have suggestions on the best way to book it? Websites, etc. -- or are they all going to be the same prices and deals? Oceanview stateroom? Does the deck matter?

Like DCasp before this thread, I've never been anywhere near a cruise ship.

Also, what's the likelihood that I spew all over the side of the boat? I get motion sick in the back seat of cars. What are the best over-the-counter medicines to get for that?

[Runkmud]

Take a dramamine before you set off, typically you should get used to the movement and only need the one you start out with.

I'd recommend getting a room with a balcony, it makes a huge difference, especially if you're a smoker, but even if you're not, it's still a huge difference.

What cruise line are you planning on going. Carnival is more for the younger, drinking folk, while Royal Caribbean is geared towards older couples, but perhaps preferable if you're going on a romantic trip.

If you choose RC, right when you get on the ship, I recommend booking reservatiions in the restaurant that charges extra money. Typically the extra charge is only $20 or $10 a person, but the diffence in food quality is huge.

I'll come back and add more information as I think of it. Or if you have any specific questions feel free to ask, I've been on about 8 or 9 cruises.