So who has been on a cruise? Advice?

Lisa1971
Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
in Chit-Chat
We're looking into a Disney cruise next summer. I've never been on a cruise before and was wondering if anyone could give me some helpful advice, suggestions, and/or "do's and don't" of cruising! I have a friend who loves them and an aunt who will never go again. What are your experiences, bad or good? Would you go again and what would you do differently next time?

Thanks!
Lisa
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Replies

  • kaylaandthestarcatcher
    kaylaandthestarcatcher Posts: 836
    Ooooh, I'm going on my very first cruise in December and I would also love some advice!
  • kikiboniki
    kikiboniki Posts: 398 Member
    I've had the blessing of going on a few cruises, two as a child, and one last year. They are great!

    Here's my advice:
    bring books or things to do that you enjoy, knitting, sewing, whatever... maybe start a new project.. there will be A LOT of down time between ports.

    sunscreen is a must, so are cute swimsuits

    don't eat as much as I did on the cruises... there is amazing food available ALL THE TIME, its awesome. I think I gained like 10 pounds.

    you will have the opportunity to go on excursions at the port. They are expensive (100$ plus) but so so worth it. When I was in Belize my sister and I paid a boatload of money to go tubing in an underground cave. So worth it for a once in a lifetime experience.

    I am very prone to motion sickness, so I lived off dramamine the whole time. I would have preferred a pressure point push bracelet or something like that, but I lacked the foresight.

    have a wonderful time!
  • caspergirl7
    caspergirl7 Posts: 590 Member
    Disney is the best BY FAR!! If you have children that would be the only one I would take them on.

    I would not recommend Carnival for ANYONE!! Not just because of what's happened lately with that company but also from personal experience.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Thanks so much! Yes, I have kids. They will be 8 and 4 by next summer. My daughter is SOOOOOOOO excited to go on a Disney cruise! Any advice on where the cabin should be located?
  • caspergirl7
    caspergirl7 Posts: 590 Member
    Thanks so much! Yes, I have kids. They will be 8 and 4 by next summer. My daughter is SOOOOOOOO excited to go on a Disney cruise! Any advice on where the cabin should be located?

    middle of the ship is the best but my hubby said he couldn't feel any movement no matter where he was in the ship unlike other cruise lines.
  • caspergirl7
    caspergirl7 Posts: 590 Member
    Good thing about Disney is soda & parking is included in cruise ticket & also they have fresh water pools.. Every other line makes you pay for both & has salt water in their pools.

    Not to mention the food is INCREDIBLE!!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    We have taken seven cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line and have had a great time. Excellent food including healthy choices, eat where you want to, when you want to ( Royal Caribbean gave us an assigned table at an assigned time---never again), excellent shore excursions, we loved every minute. Snorkeling in Belize, that was epic. We would love to go again, and on the same cruise line, but now that we are retired, I doubt we can afford to do it again.
  • Salt_Sand_Sun
    Salt_Sand_Sun Posts: 415 Member
    Been on 2 and loved them both. 2nd one was a bit more hectic b/c it was with family and we took both kids. The kids had a great time though and there was lots for them to do. They have Kid Camps so you can drop off the kids and you can go have a date night. :)

    My suggestion is do not schedule too many excursions. Find one you really want to do and then feel it out for others. You don't want to be rushing around trying to get to places and see *everything* - its about having fun. They give you the next days activities the night before (at turn down) and you can plan your day around what is happening on the ship and/or what island you are going to see!

    I love cruising - food (good food) included, lots of activies and you get to see multiple countries/islands for much cheaper than flying!! As for the cabin- the back....stay away from the anchor and elevators. :)
  • AAllin38
    AAllin38 Posts: 20
    disney is super expensive. I assume youre going for that line bc of your children?

    drink, eat, sleep and repeat. Those are my four advices.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Just did my first a couple of weeks ago!! My suggestions SUNSCREEN SUNSCREEN SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!! :bigsmile:

    I tried to be good/stay within my calories, didn't happen, lol, awesome food!!! Gained 7 pounds, but now have lost all that now!! The ships are big, so lots of walking, instead using elevators, use the stairs, that's what I did!!! Just enjoy yourself!! Have a great time!! :happy:
  • Ladyinwaiting4
    Ladyinwaiting4 Posts: 202 Member
    I went on a cruise with my mom when I was 16 years old. we took the Disney big red boat. we did 4 days in orlando , Florida and 3 days in the Bahamas. overall our experince was pretty good. first when you go on a cruise be sure to pack at least a few dresses some of them expect you to dress for dinner. my mom and I did not know that getting in and packed only 1 dress a piece luckily we wore the same size so we could switch dresses every few days.

    also make sure you know where to find your room if you are staying at a hotel the first few days. my mom and I stayed at the disney beach resort and we found our room once but then when we crossed over the bridge to the food court and heading back we got lost we ended up in the middle of the road way off track finially we found the office but they wouldn't help so my mom got a beach towel wrapped herself in a shaw asked me to get a stick and the first person we saw my mom said will you help me I am a poor widow lady trying to find my room. so the gentleman took us to our room. my mom didn't lie she was a widow as we went on the cruise a month after my dad died so we could get away.

    if going to the bahamas don't let the people ask to braid your hair!! most of the people who do it do not wash their hands or have lice and it can get passed on to you. so you be sure to say no to brading your hair.
  • JaneDough_
    JaneDough_ Posts: 301 Member
    cruisecritic.com


    everything you wanted to know about cruising.
  • NYactor1
    NYactor1 Posts: 9,642 Member
    You will have a great time. I have been on two now, both with Royal, which is a line I would recommend. Some tips:

    - Dining: decide if you want a traditional or freestyle dinner cruise. The traditional has 2 or 3 dinner times where you select your dinner time and than have you have the same folks at your table each night. With freestyle, dinner is anytime you want it, with whomever happens to be there at that time. My preference is the traditional, as it allows everyone to catch up and discuss the day's events.

    - Tipping: add 20% to you estimated cruise cost for tips. You can opt to include your tips for the various staff members at the end of your trip or tip them throughout the stay. I tend to do both. The porters and room service I often leave them a cash tip in the morning. Trying to tip waitstaff and the other folks could become a hassle, those folks I include at check out.

    - Dress code: your cruise may have a few formal nights where formal attire is required. The main dining room may also have a dress code even on non-formal nights, no sandals, etc

    - Bring post it notes: cell/texting service can be very expensive. Trying to stay in contact with the rest of your group can be tough - use post it notes on doors to tell your friends where you went, i.e went to the gym on deck 7.


    - Take advantage of the night life and entertainment. Be aware that some of the late night events can be of an adult nature and often include people from the audience. These events are taped and than replayed throughout the remainder of the trip.
  • highmaintnance
    highmaintnance Posts: 215 Member
    Don't over pack! I have been on two cruises and have seriously overpacked both times. You literally will be wearing a bathing suit and shorts practically the whole time. I, of course, packed an outfit for every day and one for dinner at night. I will never do that again. Bathing suit and cover for daytime and maybe three outfits that are interchangable for the dinners. One pair of flip flips and one pair of walking shoes. That's all the clothes you need.

    Pack tons of sunscreen, chapstick. Get travel size shower stuff because the showers aren't very spacious. Take time for yourself. When I took my daughter, I felt guilty about putting her in the children's room but everyone kept telling me it was my vacation too and I should have some me time on it. I will definitely take advantage of that more next time.
  • highmaintnance
    highmaintnance Posts: 215 Member
    You will have a great time. I have been on two now, both with Royal, which is a line I would recommend. Some tips:

    - Dining: decide if you want a traditional or freestyle dinner cruise. The traditional has 2 or 3 dinner times where you select your dinner time and than have you have the same folks at your table each night. With freestyle, dinner is anytime you want it, with whomever happens to be there at that time. My preference is the traditional, as it allows everyone to catch up and discuss the day's events.

    - Tipping: add 20% to you estimated cruise cost for tips. You can opt to include your tips for the various staff members at the end of your trip or tip them throughout the stay. I tend to do both. The porters and room service I often leave them a cash tip in the morning. Trying to tip waitstaff and the other folks could become a hassle, those folks I include at check out.

    - Dress code: your cruise may have a few formal nights where formal attire is required. The main dining room may also have a dress code even on non-formal nights, no sandals, etc

    - Bring post it notes: cell/texting service can be very expensive. Trying to stay in contact with the rest of your group can be tough - use post it notes on doors to tell your friends where you went, i.e went to the gym on deck 7.


    - Take advantage of the night life and entertainment. Be aware that some of the late night events can be of an adult nature and often include people from the audience. These events are taped and than replayed throughout the remainder of the trip.



    Post it notes is a great idea. Also, at the very beginning, write down everyone's cabin numbers, if you're going with a group. Prepay your tips if you can, it saves you a headache trying to figue it out on your last day. I also loved both my Royal Carribean cruises.

    I know the OP is going on a Disney cruise but for people going without kids or with older kids, get the all you can drink package! Royal has one for $50 a day and if you drink the fruity drinks or beer, you will get your money's worth.
  • nzs110b
    nzs110b Posts: 56 Member
    OMG! I LOVE cruises.... I am actually leaving Tuesday for a Medditeranian cruise out of Barcelona. I think this will be my 9th cruise in 5.5yrs.

    You will love it!!! Get out in the ports as much as you can, sometimes you don't have to even book an excursion to have a lot of fun. Bring some stuff to do in case of bad weather. I love to read so I have my kindle with several books and games and my ipod for music at the pool.

    I agree that you shuold pre-pay your tips, it does save some headaches. Don't worry if service is bad (I DOUBT it will be), you can change your tip amounts before the last day at the service desk.

    As far as location of the rooms, I love a lower inside cabin in the aft. I have had one room in the front and you could hear the waves crashing on the side of the ship. We called the maintence guys because we thought a huge metal door was slamming somewhere, but it was just waves. Pay attentention to what is around your room too, arcade, kids area etc, and what is on the deck above your room too.

    HAVE LOTS OF FUN!


    PS: Turn off the cell phone and live off the 'grid' for awhile, it's so nice!


    Edit: I think someone already mentioned this, but know the dress code for the main dining rooms. Even on casual nights there sometimes are no jeans allowed, etc.
  • labeachgirl
    labeachgirl Posts: 158 Member
    If you get motion sick at all, get the patch (you'll need 1 for every 2-3 days). Dramamine is ok, but it always leaves me feel off or drowsy. Except for a slight eye blurriness, I felt normal the entire time when I was on the patch.

    Take the stairs when you can, I only gained 5lbs, and I swear that and the walking excursions helped.

    We ate in the formal dining room every night, it helped that we had great tablemates and it was fun to hear about their adventures. Plus, the food is really good and I enjoyed dressing up because no one does it anymore.

    We went on all day excursions to see the Mayan temples, it was awesome to climb up them, but the excursion left little time to get souvenirs while on-shore. So, that was the only drawback to those ones.
  • tigermom82
    tigermom82 Posts: 35 Member
    I've been on 2 Carnival cruises and while there were no problems and we had a good time, I don't think I would use Carnival again. Also, not because of the recent problems, but they were just super crowded (went in October and August, August being more crowded with everyone traveling before school started). Lines for food in the fast food area were really long and it was hard to find a table. I would definitely try a different line the next time.

    I would recommend eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch. There was never a wait and the food was better.

    You may have a formal night at dinner, so you should bring something to wear for that if you plan on eating in the dining room.

    Have fun!!!
  • Annerk1
    Annerk1 Posts: 372 Member
    Good thing about Disney is soda & parking is included in cruise ticket & also they have fresh water pools.. Every other line makes you pay for both & has salt water in their pools.

    Not to mention the food is INCREDIBLE!!

    Parking isn't included.
  • prncsslil
    prncsslil Posts: 2
    We just did our first Disney cruise at the end of February/beginning of March because we got a really good deal on it and found that the Disney Cruise forum was pretty helpful (be aware that there are Disney fanatics on there who find *nothing* wrong with the cruise line and have been on a million of them, etc. so their posts may be a bit biased)

    Your kids will enjoy the cruise if they're big into Disney! Bring magnets to decorate your door since that was a big deal to a lot of families, plus it helps your kids know which room is yours. Sign the kids up for the kid clubs because they get to do a lot of really neat looking activities and it gives you some alone time!

    There is a schedule of activities that they leave in your room every evening when they do turn-down service - we looked it over every night before bed and planned our following day based around times of things we wanted to do. There are Disney character meet and greets every day, but some of the lines get really long - so if you really want a picture with someone, go early.

    Oh, some of the little tips that we found out before we went that they don't really tell you:
    1 - bring a pillow case and leave it at the Guest Services desk at the beginning of your cruise, and the Disney characters "autograph" it for you (they drop it off in your room the last evening of the cruise) and kids go bonkers for it.
    2 - you can buy a book before you come on the ship and when you do your picture opportunities, you can have the characters autograph it right there too
    3 - bring nicer clothes for dinner - if your kids have princess costumes or anything like that, bring those too! Kids were dressed up to meet characters every night.
    4 - there may be a Pirate themed night depending on your boat - bring pirate costumes to dress up in for that night (if you forget, they leave stuff in you room, or you can buy from the shops)
    5 - bring cups with lids - Disney ships have a self-serve drink area that's open 24 hours (soda, water, juices) but they have tiny cups next to it. We brought big plastic cups that held 1L and filled it with ice and juice and minimized having to keep having to go back
    6 - you can order special things off the menu/room service menu (all included in your cost) that aren't listed: people were going crazy for the "famous" oatmeal cookies and you can also ask for the "Mickey bars" which is basically a vanilla ice cream that's been dipped in chocolate and it's the shape of Mickey's head.

    Which ship are you going on? What are your ports? You can also log into your account online through the Disney site and pre-book your excursions and activities before they fill up! :)

    Hope that helps!

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