Ever been on a Cruise?

L

Leanz

Forum Member
Anyone ever been?
I'm going on a Royal Caribbean 8 Night Easter Caribbean Cruise on Feb 21 on the Independence of the Seas. I'm a little scared considering Ive only traveled, to canada and ohio... We got a room with a sea side balcony thinking that if i can see the water maybe it will help me not be scared haha

Give me some tips! let me know things I should bring that I might forget! Let me know if you got sea sick, let me know how much money to bring/save. Let me know if you even used the gym on board or if you were just to damn busy. Let me know if you could actually feel the ship rocking back and forth? Ive seen some youtube vid's that have me scared.....

we're departing from fort laurderdale, FL
then going to sanjuan, st. thomas, st. maarten, and labadee.
 
8 nights on a cruise ship is no worse than 4 hours in a jeep. these new boats are so big you cant feel anything anyway
 
Leanz said:
Anyone ever been?
I'm going on a Royal Caribbean 8 Night Easter Caribbean Cruise on Feb 21 on the Independence of the Seas. I'm a little scared considering Ive only traveled, to canada and ohio... We got a room with a sea side balcony thinking that if i can see the water maybe it will help me not be scared haha

Give me some tips! let me know things I should bring that I might forget! Let me know if you got sea sick, let me know how much money to bring/save. Let me know if you even used the gym on board or if you were just to damn busy. Let me know if you could actually feel the ship rocking back and forth? Ive seen some youtube vid's that have me scared.....

we're departing from fort laurderdale, FL
then going to sanjuan, st. thomas, st. maarten, and labadee.
Click to expand...

we've been on two cruises, and enjoyed both. Its all in what you make of it. There is a TON of different activities daily on the boat. You'll get a flyer every night of the next day's activities. You can participate, or you can just chill on the deck by the pool.

Things to bring: your basic summer clothing, and some formal attire as well. they will have two formal dinner nights during an 8 day. shirt & tie. (Assuming you're a dude).

You wont need cash on the boat. you'll be using your sail and sign card. basically a debit card that you use for paying drinks, tips, etc. then at the end of the cruise, they just bill your CC. Bring cash for excursions on the islands.

Personally I did not get seasick. Feeling the boat will depend on where your room is. Try to see if you can get a room towards to the middle of the boat. You'll feel it less, if you encounter some choppy water. Overall though, don't sweat it. you'll be fine. Bring some dramamine if you need it.

We've done St Thomas / St. Maarten. Both Islands are very nice. Whatever you do, don't buy Cuban Cigars. They will confiscate them at customs. Not worth the hassle. Your booze allowance is allows limted. they'll explain everything on the boat, prior to the first island stop.

DONT go to the spa the first day or so. Wait towards the end of the trip, if you plan on getting a massage or other services. The price goes down every day. The next to last day is the best deal. This includes other on boat shopping as well.

The worst part of a cruise, is getting on and off the boat. Everyone is in a rush. Take your time. dont fight the crowds.

Have a good trip:cheers:
 
Leanz said:
Anyone ever been?
I'm going on a Royal Caribbean 8 Night Easter Caribbean Cruise on Feb 21 on the Independence of the Seas. I'm a little scared considering Ive only traveled, to canada and ohio... We got a room with a sea side balcony thinking that if i can see the water maybe it will help me not be scared haha
Click to expand...

I've been on two cruises, both with Royal Caribbean, and I would have no problems recommending them. Good choice so far. :) What exactly are you scared of? The balcony will be nice, especially for a longer cruise like you're doing. I would have recommended at least getting a room with a window/portal, just so you know when it's day/night and pulling into port.

Leanz said:
Give me some tips! let me know things I should bring that I might forget! Let me know if you got sea sick, let me know how much money to bring/save. Let me know if you even used the gym on board or if you were just to damn busy. Let me know if you could actually feel the ship rocking back and forth? Ive seen some youtube vid's that have me scared.....
Click to expand...

How many people are traveling with you? I will tell you that there will be a lot of "down time" and you should be prepared to entertain yourself for hours. By that, I mean you'll be busy seeing cities when in port, eating, laying out, etc. But, you're also going to have a lot of time (besides the time those activities take) to chill. If you read books or magazines, I'd bring several. Bring some cards. Bring a laptop. Bring whatever you're into that'll entertain yourself. On one of my cruises, we went with a total of 8 people... and that was great since we could do group things.. like play Euchre, shuffleboard, etc. We had more fun than the second cruise, which was just two of us. Bottom line - bring stuff with you for entertainment.

I never got seasick. You might want to either bring some Dramamine (http://www.dramamine.com/)... or they also sell a small bracelet with a battery that also defeats motion sickness by sending electrical pulses. Generally speaking, most of the time you cannot feel the ship swaying... but, I'm sure there will be time you will (rough seas). I mean, if you stand on the top deck and stare at the horizon, you'll see the sea/sky horizon moving all the time. But, it's rarely "bad"... e.g. curtains moving, etc. The bigger the boat the less noticeable the swaying.

RC has nice gyms. Mostly cardio machines... elliptical and treadmills... medicine balls/mats. Some basic, but not many, free weights on the two ships I was on.

Generally speaking, I would just prepare/pack like you would for a summer beach vacation. Be ready for a small room, and very small bathroom. Make sure you bring at least one formal outfit for the formal dinner night (might even 2 on a 7 night cruise). Internet access is available on-board, but is fairly expensive. If you (or someone you know) has an aircard, they worked for me in most ports of call in the Caribbean.

Excursions - we did one at just about every port of call on our first cruise. They're safe and fun, but expensive. FYI - most of the time, you can book direct with the tour operator when you're at port... vs. booking through the cruise ship... for cheaper. e.g. We did a paraglide excursion through the ship and it was like $60/person. When we got to the paraglide boat, they told us we could have booked the same thing for ~$40 direct.

Drinks - expensive. If you drink pop, I'd buy one of RC's "unlimited refill" thermo-cups. It'll more than pay for itself. Alcohol is expensive - just know that going in.

Leanz said:
we're departing from fort laurderdale, FL
then going to sanjuan, st. thomas, st. maarten, and labadee.
Click to expand...


Have fun!
 
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I am a girl. hence the avatar haha

Our group will be a total of 6 people! So that should be good for entertaining each other. we've booked a zipline on st. maarten and snorkeling on st. thomas. the rest is free time to explore and shop I guess.

So what is an aircard exactly and should we buy one jsut for this cruise? My boyfriend will have to do some business things on the internet during our cruise and he was going to pay for the internet but its just rediculous!!

thanks for the good info! :)
 
Leanz said:
So what is an aircard exactly and should we buy one jsut for this cruise?

thanks for the good info! :)
Click to expand...

It's a cellular modem (think cell phone that plugs into your laptop for Internet access). I wouldn't go buy one just for the trip - they're fairly expensive... ~$50/month for data service. But, they're very popular in business with work laptops, etc. for people who do a lot of traveling. All the major carriers have their versions - Verizon, ATT, etc. I think mine was an ATT when I was down there.
 
Leanz said:
I am a girl. hence the avatar haha

Our group will be a total of 6 people! So that should be good for entertaining each other. we've booked a zipline on st. maarten and snorkeling on st. thomas. the rest is free time to explore and shop I guess.

So what is an aircard exactly and should we buy one jsut for this cruise? My boyfriend will have to do some business things on the internet during our cruise and he was going to pay for the internet but its just rediculous!!

thanks for the good info! :)
Click to expand...

Many cell phones that have internet on them can tether to a laptop and provide the internet on the laptop. Definitely don't buy an aircard just for a cruise.



I've only heard bits and pieces about St Maarten while I was plugging my ears once.... but if you need to know about the island, NOBOOST knows everything there is to know about St. Maarten... his friend's son lives there and his buddy visits there a few times a year.
 
Just went on my first cruise last year. Was with Royal Carribean on the Vission of the Seas. We left out of Long Beach and went to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Was one of the best vacations ever. Everybody on the boat was so nice, they had cool parties every night. The club on the boat was awesome, food was good, staff was great, even the shows were really good. I had more fun on the boat than I did at the stops. The boat did rock a little but I thought it was relaxing, it didnt bother me at all. Certain spots on the ship you could feel it more than others. Did spend a decent amount on drinking, its so easy to do the way they have you use a card and dont allow cash. Cant wait to do another one. I have pics on my myspace of the trip. www.myspace.com/jawyatt
 
when i younger my parents used to take me and my sister on a cruise every couple years during our mid winter break. I've been on the voyager of the seas, the explorer of the seas, the nordic of seas, and another i can't remember.. We would usually do fun activities at each port of call. Cruises are the best vacations, you never run out of stuff to do, the food and drinks are awesome. You forget your on a boat, its more of a small city... have fun!
 
I did a 3 day Alaskan a few years back and a 7 day Disney cruise last spring with my nephew. I don't know if it was the fact that it was Disney or what, but 7 days on a boat was a bit long. At least they had internet, so all I did was surf porn.
 
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7 days is a bit much. We've done a variety of them .. I think 5 days is just about right, but definitely budget a day in FL (or where ever you're leaving from) before your cruise starts. You want to have a buffer in case your luggage is lost, flight delayed, etc.
 
I have been on two of them.

I miss my old home. :( This is when we were at Marmaris, Turkey in 2001. Time of my life. I miss the Navy.

Truman_6.jpg
 
TurboOutlaw said:
Just went on my first cruise last year. Was with Royal Carribean on the Vission of the Seas. We left out of Long Beach and went to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Was one of the best vacations ever. Everybody on the boat was so nice, they had cool parties every night. The club on the boat was awesome, food was good, staff was great, even the shows were really good. I had more fun on the boat than I did at the stops. The boat did rock a little but I thought it was relaxing, it didnt bother me at all. Certain spots on the ship you could feel it more than others. Did spend a decent amount on drinking, its so easy to do the way they have you use a card and dont allow cash. Cant wait to do another one. I have pics on my myspace of the trip. www.myspace.com/jawyatt
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My wife and I took this same cruise for our honeymoon back in 2005. RC did a great job, and we both really enjoyed it. I dont get seasick, but my wife does... she just wore "the patch" for the duration of the trip and never had any issues. Typically a carribean cruise hops to many islands and the boat is moving at night time. That gentle rocking of the ship will put you right to sleep when you lay down. As everyone has already mentioned, excursions are fun, but expensive. Drinks on board have inflated bar prices, but anything in a hurricane glass, you get to keep the glass. Get the unlimited soda plan... it's like $8 for the week and will pay for itself even if you have one soda a day. Have fun.
 
I've never been a cruise, but I heard they are a blast. Endless amounts of activities. My boss goes on them all winter long. They say once you go on a cruise, you won't want to do anything else vacation wise. Be safe, and have a great time.
:D
 
I just got back from the western Caribbean on Carnival last week. I don't mean to be a downer, but check the weather. It was rainy, overcast, and very windy most of last week. It was so windy they closed the upper decks of the boat. In one port we had to try four times to dock. Two other cruise ships said forget it and left. The boat was rocking a bunch; in fact I am still feeling it to this day. I don't normally get sick, but my wife does. She took along some of the patches and those did the trick. If you think you might get seasick, go get some of the patches.

We did the southern Caribbean on RC five years ago. Not only was the weather better, but the RC boat was MUCH bigger than the Carnival boat. The bigger the boat, the more there is to do, and the less it moves. I think you will enjoy RC.

We aren't a big fan of the formal dinners, so we skipped them on this last cruise. However, pretty much all the boats have a nicer restaurant that you have to pay ($20-30) for and get reservations. We did that last week and it was well worth it. I wore khaki pants and a golf shirt.

Have fun.

Ken
 
KimKim said:
Many cell phones that have internet on them can tether to a laptop and provide the internet on the laptop. Definitely don't buy an aircard just for a cruise.



I've only heard bits and pieces about St Maarten while I was plugging my ears once.... but if you need to know about the island, NOBOOST knows everything there is to know about St. Maarten... his friend's son lives there and his buddy visits there a few times a year.
Click to expand...

I was told that there are a lot of mango's there.
CAMERA1091.jpg
 
been on 4 cruises and they are a blast especialy if you are with the right crowd!

The women tend to be the ones that bitch the most when the ship starts rocking. If you are outside on the balcony it makes things better but I was so drunk the whole time I couldn't feel the boat moving :)

HAVE FUN!
 
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