I will be boarding a 12 day Royal Caribbean cruise early next year.
As this is my first time ever on a cruise, I'm looking for any advice or tips and tricks you could share with me.
Thanks!
First Time Going on a Cruise - Looking for Tips and Tricks
Comments
- 1
- 2
@kiitos: A royal Caribbean roughly 4ish years ago. We were supposed to head through a bunch of tiny islands but never made it that far.
that is a big worry! Missus is draging me onto a cruise.
Bring money to tip the cruise staff. Some are overseas workers who don't make much. Something small like $2 helps.
Also they love Tim Tam's etc.
First Time Going on a Cruise
Try to avoid large icebergs.
That won't be a problem in 2019.
If motion sickness is a concern and tablets don't cut it, there's an injection you can get in the ship clinic that sorts you out for two weeks. Make sure you have travel insurance if you plan to use that.
Bring a small amount of personal entertainment as there will be some nights where none of the ship entertainment appeals to you.
As others have mentioned, DIY shore excursions can be cheaper, but takes a bit more work to organise.
Don't overpack as some cruise liners have self serve laundromats. Having said that, if I recall correctly Royal Carribean don't, but they do have laundry specials during sea days
Eat ginger ya Macca junkies!
When you go ashore always wear a wrist watch that is set to 'Ship Time'!
Many people have missed their Ship because their phone automatically switched to local time.
That's right the Clocks on the Ship may not always exactly reflect local time in the port you are in.
Interesting, every cruise I've been on the time onboard is adjusted to suit local timezones.
set the count down timer on the phone, one less anchor to carry
When your aboard don't fall into the pool and drown, because that would be highly ironic.
More concerned of accidentally swallowing dead skin cells and pee! Making fresh water with reverse osmosis membranes requires lots of fresh water to backwash the membranes something hard to get on ships.
Our cruise allows us to carry a slab each of bottled water.
If you end up in the water, there is no need to sacrifice the wooden door for Rose while you stay in the freezing water and die of hypothermia. The door can probably support both your weight or you can take turns getting in and out of the water. No one's going to make a movie out of you so be more practical than Jack.
Which ship?
Cruises aren't everyone's cup of tea, but as someone like me who is an anxious traveller they are ideal. So ignore the nay-sayers and just try it out for yourself.
I agree with the above, don't get the alcoholic drinks package, the soda one is fine though.
Try and get a cabin that's near a laundry but not next-door ( 2-3 cabins away). If you need to do washing there is usually a queue so it's convenient to be near one.
If a tour books out that you wont don't be disheartened, sometimes they are released again from people's shopping karts who haven't paid for them yet.
Wait for deals. This should go without saying because of the website you're on but there is always Room upgrade/on board credit deals going on.
At sea days can be a drag, I try and plan my special restaurant days on those so you have something interesting going on.
Not sure if Royal do it, but Princess have special star gazing nights where they turn most of the lights off. Definitely do this!
No laundries on RCI ships
If by chance your boat turns upside down because of a tidal wave, always follow the ex prostitute up the Christmas tree towards the part of the hull that the young kid says is the thinnest. There's got to be a morning after…
zomgbsed… Your PMs are turned off. You may not like what I have to say, and if I posted it here I'd probably be banned for a month, but who knows, you might appreciate it too. PM me if you feel to. You might have to turn PMs on temporarily to do, I'm not sure.
My young son’s advice: Take a lanyard with you! The ones available on ship are either expensive, ‘girly’ or both!
don't bother with any food that you have to pay for, the included food options are fine and the others are expensive.
get a drinks package, but think about the one you want. I drink alot of coffee and no alcohol so I got the soft drink and coffee package.
book shore tours as soon as you get on board. It can be cheaper booking them with the locals but it's alot easier and safer to book on the ship.
Book your onboard entertainment as soon as you can. Our cruise did not have enough seating and sessions for everyone so alot of people missed out.
Forget the on board photography - it's expensive and not that good
take a few lanyards with you
when it comes time to get off back home, keep your bags with you and don't let the staff collect them. It's quicker and less hassle.
and board and depart whenever you want, don't worry about the timing.
That's hardly any deaths and they're from like 2007 and 1940, 1903, etc.
I bet more people died reading Ozbargain…
Haha yeah right, as if browsing the internet could ki
What are the lanyards for?
For your Seapass card (gets you into your room and you also need to hand it over when purchasing drinks and getting on and off the ship)
take old lanyards from home no need to buy one. it walks around in day time in swimwear with zero pocket
Don't, this was fairly recent but applies to all. Simply don't.
https://www.euronews.com/2019/06/10/carnival-cruise-ships-pr….This post brought to you by third world slave labour.
Is there any nuclear-powered cruise ship yet?
As far as I know there are only military ships using nuclear. It fascinated me to find out they had to be "refueled" once every 20 years.
Hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes. Cruise ships are notorious for gastro bugs.
Make sure you wipe down surfaces in your room, and sanitise your hands before you eat or drink anything.hand sanitizer before you eat is a good idea I keep some in the room.
The on board doctor will probably be expensive. Get travel insurance to cover sickness and consider lowering the excess depending on how regularly you catch something when travelling. Or do everything you can to keep germs away and stay hydrated.
I visited the doctor on ship. The minimum cost to see them was $100. My bill came to $285, of which I got $85 from insurance.
A mate was bragging about his insurance and got charged 1 US grand to look at his kidney stones. Took him 6 months to sort out insurance.
I got magnetic clips from Office works, like bullclips, to hang washing smalls on the wall. The elastic cloths line with suction cups from Kathmandu didn’t work. Take some giant pegs to peg your towel to the deck chairs it can get windy. It’s a good seat saver when you at the bar.
Avoid bogan families having fights when the bar closes
If you get motion sick, you might feel like death the whole trip. If you can't handle that don't go. What's worse in rare cases you can become semi-permanently seasick after the trip. My wife remained dizzy, as if she'd just come off the boat for weeks. Fortunately she did recover because there is no cure for this condition. Look up Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS). Yep it's rare, but it's literally crippling if you get it and no way to cure it.
Get travel insurance that covers you for everything you can possibly get covered for. Don't quibble about price. Make sure they're reputable and will pay out.
WHY? Any medical treatment onboard or overseas has potential to be so expensive it bankrupts you.If you have any particular need for medication or medical gear, find out in advance what the rules are and who you need to notify.
Expect to put on a few kilos. Food is typically very tasty and often priced as part of the package, so it's like a 12 day all you can eat adventure unless you're too seasick to eat or have great self control.
Be nice to the ship's staff. Please and thank you, always. Some are younger people looking for adventure. A lot are away from their loved ones because it's the only way they can support them. It is better than their family not having an income but it didn't sit well with me on the one cruise I went on. I felt like some kind of cartoon villain.
Talk to the entertainers if you get a chance. They're usually colourful interesting people who've led interesting lives. One particular magician comes to mind. Told us stories about being a card sharp and getting into danger. (Who knows how much of it was exaggerated).
Find out exactly what you are and aren't allowed to take on board. If permitted, international adapters come in very handy.
Make sure your paperwork is all in order well in advance. Otherwise you'll be stressing when you should be relaxing.
Find out in advance what is on, so that you can take the best options. No point in finding out after the fact about the best activities.
If you're going with kids find out about kids club. Not to dump your kids at all the time, but as a break for both you and them.
The rooms are tiny. Don't over-pack.
You're on a boat. Be prepared to get wet sometimes. Particularly if the weather is bad. Protect your gadgets (phones, cameras etc.).
Find out in advance what the exchange rate is and exchange your money at the right time. You can save quite a bit of money if you know whether to do it on the boat or on land.
Read up on the law at the places you're going to stop and on international waters. Most of the time being sensible is enough but there are odd laws everywhere and you don't want to fall afoul.
Be nice to the ship's staff. Please and thank you, always. I personal tip at the end of a cruise ship trip been nice to them make them amazing
Don’t worry Elton will pay your carbon offsets if anybody scrutinises you !
Take lots of seasick tablets
Dont pig out on the food every day
Dont get drunk every day
Avoid the hoolagans and drunks if you canEnjoy the onboard entertainment
Probably will get negged but it's worth watching to know what to expect/lookout for:
The Real Cost of Cruises | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj | Netflix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nCT8h8gO1g
Worth the watch!
I would probably allow a day after the cruise to recover. I didn't experience any sea sickness at sea (there were a couple of really rough days), but when I was back on land it felt like the land was swaying. The swaying wasn't enough to make me sick, but it was enough to be annoying. Fortunately it only lasted a couple of hours.
I got pneumonia on a cruise and the medical bill was HUGE (thousands). Definitely get travel insurance! It felt a bit surreal to pass the bill off to someone else to pay.
Due to the nature of contagious illness on a cruise they do a lot of tests. Medical staff are very nice though and they have the latest technology.
A room near the middle of the ship won't go up and down as much.
Pack sea sickness tablets. You may not need them, but what is $4 here will be $20 on the ship.
Pack a water bottle with a filter built in. I felt ripped off paying for bottled water, and the tap water is chlorinated so not the best taste.
We got the food package for 3 nights for 33% off.
Its good value as our kids eat for free.
The restaurants (Wonderland, Chops Grille & Chef's Table) are very good.
Should have got the 4 nights package.Got the soda package for 20% off for one of us. Coffee yah!!
Buy the packages months in advance.Once on-board, book the shows and iFly straight away.
I've seen people missed out on iFly, which is a pity.Shows are great, get there early to get good seats.
Bring your own keep cup to bring your coffee around and keep it reasonably hot.
I don't have any tips and tricks , but for Christ's sake, , do enjoy it!! the environment will be just fine with or without us, just dont be an ahole, but go on enjoy your first trip, even if it didn't turn out quite as expected, but hey you never know, maybe it will be heck of a nice experience.
Plenty of X-rated group events happening in suites always happening if you know look around
Lots of seamen involved, I bet.
Do the titanic pose
As the user that got negged said, the tips would definitely vary depending on your age and whether you are going with family, mates or a partner.
IMO only worth getting a drinks package if you're going with your mates and planning to get a good amount of drunk each night otherwise best to stick with no package. Soda package is a waste of your money. Do you really want to be drinking that much soda to get your moneys worth on a cruise.
One thing I definitely would recommend though is to avoid having dinner at the dining room every night. Just go to the buffet dinner. The food quality is so much better, has great variety as the food changes daily, you have the freedom to go when you want(so you can get to the shows on time) and spend as little or more time as you want there. In the dining room, you would have to book a time slot and go there at that exact time every night. Once you get there, you have to wait 15 mins for them to bring you each course. That's a 45 min wait + time taken to eat. Takes so long and the food quality is sub par in the dining room.
I enjoyed my Royal Caribbean cruise earlier this year. It's okay to plan things out and to have knowledge about things you want to do in each destination buts its also good to just go with flow.
When you're off the ship in each port, complain loudly at every establishment that doesn't accept your home country's currency and/or those that do but give you a bad exchange rate and the change in the local currency.
Never been on a cruise, but this seems like a "must do" for passengers based on places I've been in when cruise ships have docked.
Start thinking about your health regime when you get back.
The food and drink is both delicious and unlimited and you'll almost definitely come home with more than a little extra baggage.
imo, book 2nd session (late) for dinner. timing would be better, for everything.
prebook (prior to cruise) the captains table, captain hosts a behind the scene tour then a degustation menu, good food and price for what you get.
Whilst they say you cant, no-one ever stopped people bringing their tupperware and packing food from buffet to bring as lunch when the ship docks and you go onshore. (esp good when docking on an island where food options are scarce and have long lines from fellow passengers) Do it discreetly of course.
If bringing a powerboard, put it in your carry-on luggage, otherwise they will withhold your checked luggage to examine the board to make sure it complies and is safe to use. (will waste at least 4hrs at begining of cruise to line up, collect and have board checked by security). If brought as carry on, they screen it as you board the ship.
walkie talkies for larger groups are a good way to keep in touch with each other on the exceptionally large ship, but dont use high frequency or specially powerful ones, as they mess with ships equipment and will get withheld. Again it will be screened as u board. In otherwords, ur mobile wont work on the ship, whilst there are phones in the cabins, walkies are great to coordinate and communicate when everyone is running around on the ship.
A walkie talkie with all that metal around? Likely more troubles than benefit. Educate your friends to meet at specified places and times.
I took 2 sets on board (4) and it was godsave, since we had kids and elderly. Worked for us.
Oh for the internet. I used my win 10 laptop to share the connection to my other devices. It was reasonable enough. Except my sisters bf kept on calling me as noone else paid the $14 usd per day internet fee.
take your own coffee the slop on board is undrinkable
- 1
- 2
@lette: Which cruise line, when and where was this?