Christopher
Member
Going on a carnival cruise! Excited yet nervous! Any expwricned ccruisers share experiences?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
My first cruise! experienced cruisers what should I know / bring?!
- Thread starter Christopher
- Start date
- Status
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
Any prior symptoms of sea sickness?
perfectchaos007
Member
Carnival Cruise? Bring a portable toilet, a flashlight, and write your Will before you set sail.
weemadarthur
Member
Plan your day around the sponsored activities. What stops will you make?
gothamghost
Member
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States
Chums Knifeblade
Neo Member
Never go on a cruise without one, Cruise rooms usually have like 1-2 Power outlets, it's awful if you have alot of electronics with you.
Also bring basic meds and such, and empty bottles too, You can sneak on booze
DTLIONS1013
Member
Empty shampoo bottles to sneak liquor back onto the ship
n64coder
Member
Read up the NeoGAF of the cruising messageboard I found cruises to be a lot of fun. My only recommendation is to eat the same way that you do at home. It's very easy to gorge yourself on the food.
They usually have nice gyms on the ship so I would take advantage of those so you don't gain any weight on the trip.
They usually have nice gyms on the ship so I would take advantage of those so you don't gain any weight on the trip.
Liquidsnake
Banned
This is the best post I have read all day.
perfectchaos007
Member
And owned by Miami Heat owner Micki Arison
You can never be too cautious!
Depending on the size of the ship, bring 2 way radios to keep in touch with whoever you're going with. If you're part of a large group they come in handy:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE6MIO/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE6MIO/?tag=neogaf0e-20
n64coder
Member
One more thing. If you're interested in doing excursions, I recommend booking them yourself via the CruiseCritic board. It's a lot cheaper than the on-board option. Just check out the port-of-call section of the board to find out potential activities and reputable names of companies that provide the service.
wsoxfan1214
Banned
You can't even feel the waves on most cruise ships
gothamghost
Member
I had read somewhere about sneaking clear alcohol onto cruises by purchasing a 24 pack of bottled water then taking the center 8 or so bottles and replacing the water with alcohol and putting them back in the pack. I'm not sure if it would work or not but it seems likely they won't check all of the bottles.
Chums Knifeblade
Neo Member
Haha I though the same on my last cruise, and We couldn't find an empty channel to talk on, almost everyone seems to have that 2 way radio idea, plus Staff has em
n64coder
Member
I do recommend buying some sea sickness patch to have handy in case the waters get rough. I never have any issues but on our last cruise, my youngest daughter was queasy and crying that I had to run down to the gift shop to buy something for it. It was $15 for a little bottle of lavender oil. I'm sure it's much cheaper at your local pharmacy or Amazon.
Chums Knifeblade
Neo Member
If it's his first time he'll probably feel it but it'd go away after a few hours, Now standing on land for the first time after being a a cruise ship is funny
onadesertedisland
Member
They shake the water, don't sneak it in water.
You can bring wine.
You can bring wine.
Northern Lights
Banned
Sun tan lotion.
jamesinclair
Banned
LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE OFF OR IN AIRPLANE MODE
Don't forget sunscreen!
And the power strip suggestion is valid
Don't forget sunscreen!
And the power strip suggestion is valid
Don't overpack clothes - you can reuse the same ones as needed.
If you use eyeglasses, bring an extra pair.
Formal night - Carnival doesn't require a tie, so at the very least bring some decent dress/sunday clothes.
Feel free to bring some bottled water or soft drinks to keep in your hotel room. You can ask the steward/strewardess to empty out the minifridge in your room to keep your drinks in there. It was a little annoying late at night when I wanted something to drink. They have 24 hour room service, but water isn't on the list of free room service.
It is VERY easy to spend money while you are on the cruise, just be conscious of where your money is going. At least it was for me. It was nice to get away from everything and not have to worry about work, school, everything. Carelessly spending money to pay for overpriced drinks is something I succumbed to a few times without thinking about it.
When you first get on the ship, park your bags into your room and go explore and see what all is on the cruise. Also, review the daily brochure to see what events are and what times that they start at. I really enjoyed some of them. My favorite was probably a Jeopardy type game.
Bring sunscreen, advil, and other supplies. They have them on the ship but they are expensive.
If you want to buy pictures, you can go and look at them each day and put them aside on one of the shelves. They don't throw away any of them, so don't feel pressured to think they might toss them each day. You can save them all up until the last night of the cruise and go through them.
If you plan on drinking soda, buy the soda pass the first day you get on. I kind of wish I bought one on my cruise.
Sometimes they will pass out alcoholic drinks as you board, those aren't free.
Review excursions before you book them. If you are going to Nassau, stay on the ship. I didn't care for the island AT ALL. A lot of the non-sponsored excursions are better than the ones that the cruise line will offer. Don't be afraid to look at those.
Trying to think of some other things. I have only been on two cruises so far.
Yeah, this. A lot of the cruise ships have some cell phone reception that your phone can connect to. If you do this it will result in some nasty, nasty bills.
If you use eyeglasses, bring an extra pair.
Formal night - Carnival doesn't require a tie, so at the very least bring some decent dress/sunday clothes.
Feel free to bring some bottled water or soft drinks to keep in your hotel room. You can ask the steward/strewardess to empty out the minifridge in your room to keep your drinks in there. It was a little annoying late at night when I wanted something to drink. They have 24 hour room service, but water isn't on the list of free room service.
It is VERY easy to spend money while you are on the cruise, just be conscious of where your money is going. At least it was for me. It was nice to get away from everything and not have to worry about work, school, everything. Carelessly spending money to pay for overpriced drinks is something I succumbed to a few times without thinking about it.
When you first get on the ship, park your bags into your room and go explore and see what all is on the cruise. Also, review the daily brochure to see what events are and what times that they start at. I really enjoyed some of them. My favorite was probably a Jeopardy type game.
Bring sunscreen, advil, and other supplies. They have them on the ship but they are expensive.
If you want to buy pictures, you can go and look at them each day and put them aside on one of the shelves. They don't throw away any of them, so don't feel pressured to think they might toss them each day. You can save them all up until the last night of the cruise and go through them.
If you plan on drinking soda, buy the soda pass the first day you get on. I kind of wish I bought one on my cruise.
Sometimes they will pass out alcoholic drinks as you board, those aren't free.
Review excursions before you book them. If you are going to Nassau, stay on the ship. I didn't care for the island AT ALL. A lot of the non-sponsored excursions are better than the ones that the cruise line will offer. Don't be afraid to look at those.
Trying to think of some other things. I have only been on two cruises so far.
Yeah, this. A lot of the cruise ships have some cell phone reception that your phone can connect to. If you do this it will result in some nasty, nasty bills.
Christopher
Member
Oh and here was me expecting a cruise with a non-stop carnival haha.
Forgot to add, at dinner you can order as little or as much as you want (appetizers are single servings, fyi). But you want three appetizers? You can have that. Two entrees? Sure, no problem.
They will also have assigned seating for dinner unless you have anytime dining. You may be seated with another couple. You can ask for a private table the first night and they may be able to accommodate you and set you up for the rest of the cruise.
They will also have assigned seating for dinner unless you have anytime dining. You may be seated with another couple. You can ask for a private table the first night and they may be able to accommodate you and set you up for the rest of the cruise.
SteveWinwood
Member
I bought the alcohol pass once and boy was that fucking expensive.
I technically got my money's worth, but at the end of the day I just felt like an alcoholic.
I would recommend not buying that.
The unlimited soda was pretty cheap though for all you can drink sugar water.
I technically got my money's worth, but at the end of the day I just felt like an alcoholic.
I would recommend not buying that.
The unlimited soda was pretty cheap though for all you can drink sugar water.
speculawyer
Member
I think it was $50 a day at the carnival cruise I went to for the alcoholic pass. The soda pass was like $23 for a 5 day cruise.
If you do buy alcoholic drinks on the cruise, tips are included in the receipt you sign. Not sure what happens with tips when you have the pass.
Christopher
Member
Miami, FL ---- 4:00 PM
Explore this Port
2/24/2014 Fun Day At Sea ---- ----
2/25/2014 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
2/26/2014 Cozumel, Mexico 10:00 AM 6:00 PM
2/27/2014 Belize 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
2/28/2014 Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan 8:00 AM 3:00 PM
3/1/2014 Fun Day At Sea
3/2/2014 Miami, FL
I wish, next time I hope that drink offer is valid!
That's so completely untrue. There were nights on my cruise where I could walk own the hall and see the entire ship shifting, and one night at the show the ship was rocking so hard that it was throwing me forward in my seat.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked