First time cruising, what to expect?

[Imp]

Statistically you are more likely to die in an airplane crash than a cruise ship sinking.

But I hope everyone keeps posting stuff like this and scares people away. Just means cheaper cruises for me.

Although, that said I probably wouldn't sail with any of the Italian lines(Coasta, MSC, etc) they seem to have more problems than their American based counterparts. I saw an MSC ship crash into the pier in Jamaica. Put a cosmetic scratch on the ship well above the waterline. The week before the same ship grounded on a coral reef. Although to be fair it is MSC's first season in the Caribbean.

Being in the Carribbean, the water's probably warmer. Just remember where your life jacket is, and that the crew is always more interested in protecting the company image than getting you off the boat alive...

 

[Exterous]

I would love to take my wife on a cruise, there are some great deals out there. but what stopping me is the damn airfare.

Depending on how you feel about playing the rewards game and flying certain airlines there are a couple of promos out there for 2 free RT tickets. Southwest will do it after yearly fee+ any purchase. Some others will do it after $xxxx spent in x months (usually 3 months)

Its slightly more annoying to pick flights but we got our 2 roundtrip tickets to Ft Lauderdale for $80 total($59 yearly fee + $0.99 candy bar +$20 airport security fee)

 

[Perknose]

Not to threadjack - but I'm sure you mean "developing" or "poor". Third world means neither USA/NATO, nor USSR/Eastern Bloc/Cuba.

Just so you know, both North Korea, Cuba are 2nd world countries, while Kuwait and UAE are third world.

You have its origin correct, but that usage is thoroughly outdated and no longer applies in any meaningful sense.

The current usage has evolved to reflect a strictly economic development standard completely divorced from any political affiliation.

Therefore, Cuba and North Korea are now properly considered third world countries, as are the countries mentioned by the poster you responded to . . . even as the term "third world" itself has begun to fall out of favor.

Over the last few decades, the term 'Third World' has been used interchangeably with the Global South and Developing Countries to describe poorer countries that have struggled to attain steady economic development. [3] The Third World has also been connected to the world economic division as "periphery" countries in the world system that is dominated by the "core" countries.

With the demise of the USSR and the communist block, there is no longer an official Second World designation, although Russia, China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have "communist" governments. The Third World is the underdeveloped world - agrarian, rural and poor. Many Third World countries have one or more developed cities, but the rest of the country is poor, rural and agrarian. Eastern Europe should probably be considered Third World. Russia should also be considered a Third World country with nuclear weapons. China, has always been considered part of the Third World, although it is industrializing, has nuclear weapons, and has urban centers of intense development. In general, Latin America, Mexico, Africa, and most of Asia are still considered Third World. The Asian tigers - South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, except for their big cities, their maquiladora-type production facilities, a small middle class and a much smaller ruling elite should probably be considered Third World countries as well, since their populations are overwhelmingly rural, agrarian and poor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_world_country

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/General/ThirdWorld_def.html

 

[bobdole369]

I would love to take my wife on a cruise, there are some great deals out there. but what stopping me is the damn airfare.

airfare for 2 round trip from Denver to Miami including all taxes and fees is just about $800 bucks.

my favorite sites for shopping for cruises

http://www.cruises.com
and

http://www.cheapcaribbean.com

Yup. Move closer to the Carribean. But STAY OUT OF FLORIDA WE ARE FULL!

 

[Puppies04]

This thread really isn't about what I thought it was about. I think I will leave it at that.

 

[KeithP]

Expect to be surrounded by other tourist and treated like cattle with money.

-KeithP

 

[edro]

how to sneak booze onboard and save a lot of money
http://youtu.be/24HlK6IXkoc

Nice idea. I have packed liquor bottles in my checked baggage on all of my cruises and they got through just fine.
Still, if your bag got checked, the Listerine would probably get through.

 

[Mide]

Excursions/Tours need to be researched first. I went on a cruise for my honeymoon. We'd never cruised before, so we signed up for excursions not taking into account how long we would be in port, how long was the "tour" and how much it cost. For Example: roughly $50 per person for a tour; you had to be at the meeting place by 6:30am; it took an hour or more to get to the destination, the "tour" was an hour maybe; you got about 20 minutes to go where you wanted by yourself, then the bus back to the ship. Important to stay with the group cause the ship was only in port 4-5 hours.

Excellent, thanks for that info.

CruiseCritic.com - check out your exact cruise (ship and destination). There are reviews of the trip and suggestions and comments on excursions.

What destinations are you going to and what time of year?

Cool I'll check out that site.

I'm thinking on taking Royal Carribean this May going to the Western Carribean tour so 4 stops (Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel)

The biggest benefit to booking through the cruise line is that if something happens (bus breaks down, etc.) on your excursion, the cruise line will WAIT on you to get back. Not so if you book with a 3rd party, you are responsible for getting back in time.

Leave a tip the first day for your room cleaning. Leave them $20 the first day and they know you will tip well and will provide better service. Even more important, if you order room service or other similar things TIP THEM, at least a buck or two.

Good advice...being ditched on an island would suck after a few hours.

So what is the etiquette for tipping in general? Do you have to tip them every day they clean your room?

Stock up on meds before you go.

Pro tip: Do NOT use a credit card in Jamaica. Even in the tourist traps. They WILL steal your numbers and empty the account.

Will do, thanks

Typically you will have set or are assigned a "dinner" time, and most dinners are fairly formal. They often have a VERY formal night (black tie). But usually slacks and a button down shirt - and a hot little black dress for the wife are acceptable. They don't inspect you unless its super formal night.
If its just you and your wife you will likely share a table with another couple - just some random people. We enjoyed our time with our table mates - but only went to "dinner" one time - the rest of the time we ate from the buffets upstairs.


That note about not having change is absolutely true. HAVE SMALL BILLS! Or local money.

Interesting dinner info. Thanks.

Parasailing was amazing too. The view is AMAZING and its incredible peaceful. I highly recommend it

Yeah I'm all over this.

So yeah thanks everyone for that abundance of feedback. It's a great help. I'll go to that Cruisecritic website and research some more.

2 more questions that I'm sure someone can answer:

1) How safe is your room and your stuff from getting stuff stolen? Laptops, passport, etc. Also everyone mentioned to bring cash in small denominations. I'd prob keep everything in the safe except when taking x amount on these land excursions but yeah how safe is the room safe?

2) I know I commented on it above but how should one tip? I don't want to have room service spit in my food but then again I don't want to tip all the time either. Is it customary to tip a few bucks every single time someone does something for you? Like luggage, getting picked up on the mini-boat, room service, out eating, room cleaning, etc? Would just tipping a dollar during those times be enough?

 

[Atty]

The room safe is in my opinion, extremely safe. When I thought I had lost and or had stolen my iPod charger and went and talked to the concierge desk, they immediately tracked down the employee who cleaned my room and spoke to him. They checked and double checked with me to make sure the issue is resolved. The safe is usually hidden in a cabinet and you are the only one with the key code. Obviously the cruise has a master key to open it but I've never heard of anyone having any problems. They are the same safes you see in hotel rooms.

 

[alkemyst]

you made an event over an iPod charger?

 

[TridenT]

This thread really isn't about what I thought it was about. I think I will leave it at that.

Came here to post this. Seriously, I came expecting something more from ATOT.

Disappointed.

 

[nanobreath]

Good advice...being ditched on an island would suck after a few hours.

So what is the etiquette for tipping in general? Do you have to tip them every day they clean your room?


1) How safe is your room and your stuff from getting stuff stolen? Laptops, passport, etc. Also everyone mentioned to bring cash in small denominations. I'd prob keep everything in the safe except when taking x amount on these land excursions but yeah how safe is the room safe?

2) I know I commented on it above but how should one tip? I don't want to have room service spit in my food but then again I don't want to tip all the time either. Is it customary to tip a few bucks every single time someone does something for you? Like luggage, getting picked up on the mini-boat, room service, out eating, room cleaning, etc? Would just tipping a dollar during those times be enough?

Typically you don't tip til the very end of the trip. Basically the last day you leave tips. The same goes for if you use the formal dining. The only point to leaving a tip the first day is basically to say you WILL tip, ensuring they strive to give you better service. Read this for a more thorough explanation of tipping: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?id=132

1) The safe in the room is sufficient for storage during the cruise. When you bring your luggage they take possession of it and deliver it to your room. Be smart where you store your money/valuables before you get them into your room and the safe.

2) If you get room service TIP when they bring the food. Every time. When we were younger taking a cruise with our parents, we didn't know and didn't tip the first night. Suffice to say the service lacked after the first order. The next night after our parents told us to tip every trip, we did and service certainly improved. $1-$2 is enough per trip, depending on just how much food you order. We always followed a $1 per item tip since we had more than 2 people in a room.

For everything else read the link above for a good explanation, as they really go over anything I would mention here.

 

[rh71]

The room safe is in my opinion, extremely safe. When I thought I had lost and or had stolen my iPod charger and went and talked to the concierge desk, they immediately tracked down the employee who cleaned my room and spoke to him. They checked and double checked with me to make sure the issue is resolved. The safe is usually hidden in a cabinet and you are the only one with the key code. Obviously the cruise has a master key to open it but I've never heard of anyone having any problems. They are the same safes you see in hotel rooms.

I hid my wife's engagement ring in there for 3 days before finally proposing at the bow of the ship. Would do it again! Possibly the same wife too.