We LOVE cruising! We have been on 7 cruises with 2 more booked and 3 more in the works for this year alone! This post is full of the basics of cruising and tips that will help the first time cruise-goer or for those that haven't cruised in awhile!
Selecting your cruise line is SUPER important! There are many options and we always go back to the same cruise line...CARNIVAL!
WHY? They really are the FUN ship! They have activities starting earlier than I get up and go later than I stay up! From top notch shows, games, karaoke, dancing, contests, swimming, sports and even an arcade - you WILL stay as busy as you like and try things you might not in "real life." Face it...you won't see these people again so you can be as crazy as you want!
So....go online, BOOK your cruise! Then come back here and read up on what to pack and what to expect while cruising!
Did you forget to bring a game or do you just like cards? Carnival will give you a FREE deck of cards if you just ask! I recommend going as soon as you are on the ship to the Guest Services desk to get them. The Guest Services line is always long, so getting the cards first thing will save you time when you really want them!
The rooms do NOT have a clock! And since most of us turn off our cell phones to avoid crazy fees/charges, you will need to bring a clock for the room! My favorite is The Pampered Chef Clock/Timer! It has a magnet on the back so you can stick it near the vanity mirror or a stand so you can put it on your bedside table. It even has a timer so if/when you do laundry, you can set the timer to switch or grab your clothes. Another plus, it is small! It won't take up suitcase room or an outlet in the room!
You never know when you will need to do a load of laundry, even when you bring enough clothes for the week. We always do a load of whites and a load of darks midway through our cruise! There are about 4-6 laundry facilities on most ships and your cabin steward can help you find the closest one. These are large washer and dryers (though not super large capacity). The cost is $3.00 per wash and $3.00 per dry so $6.00 total for a load of laundry! I considered the cost of a checked-in luggage bag at the airport at about $25.00 a bag, so by doing some laundry I save money; so just pack light and wash on the ship!
You can purchase detergent or fabric softener in the laundry room at $2.00 a piece or you can bring your own. Instead of worrying about bringing white powder into your suitcase and risk a drug dog, you can bring these instead. These sheets pictured above are by Purex. They have the detergent, fabric softener and static sheet all in one! It goes from washer to dryer with your clothes and the Purex sheets fold up nicely in a sandwich bag! You WILL need quarters! Bring about $20.00 worth just in case you need it!
Unless you LOVE your blowdryer, don't bring one! All cabins have one in the top drawer in the vanity.
Every bathroom will have shampoo and body wash (smells AMAZING) in the shower! Keep yours at home and use theirs instead! All you need is shaving cream, a razor and conditioner!
Do you love a particular soda? I LOVE the DEW and they don't offer that on the ship! So, when you get to your port, stash a 12 pack (wrapped in two plastic bags in between your clothes) in your luggage or carry them on! When you arrive to your room, just put your stash in the fridge that is offered. Now you can grab your favorite cold soda whenever you want (or when your body says it needs it) and save some money in the process!
Every night you will get a "caper" that includes all the events, specials, and important information for the next day (called the Fun Times). Before I go to sleep, I tear out the side strip (that includes the schedule of events) and plan out all the fun activities that I don't want to miss the next day. It is really important that when you go off the ship at a port, that you have that strip with you. Reason: it includes important phone numbers relevant to the country/port you're in that can help if you get left or need help! Don't leave the ship without those numbers! At night time, they will pull down your covers, make a towel animal and leave you with a few chocolates.
These always make me sad when I see them laying on my bed. This means that my cruise is almost over and I need to pack my bags and put these tags on. You can do one of two things with your luggage on the last night. If you booked a late flight, you can pack your bags, put on these tags and put your luggage in the hallway before midnight. They will collect your bags and have them waiting for you off the ship when it is time to leave. Your luggage will be kept by number so it is easy to find your luggage. OR you can just throw these tags away and do a self-assist. This means that you will keep all your bags with you and take all the luggage off by yourself when it is time to leave the ship in the morning. You WILL get to leave the ship the earliest, but you will have NO help getting your luggage off.
Now, aren't you excited now to cruise? Leave me a comment and tell me what cruises you are going on, or planning to go on, and provide some tips that you think might help others!
You have some great tips there Shannon. Mark and I went on a cruise awhile ago to Mexico for his birthday and loved it! We soo want to go again just the two of us again, just need to wait till Kinley is a little older. Have fun on your next one! Great Blog post! :o)
ReplyDeleteTotally go again! We have two more booked for October! This is only way I can truly call a vacation...a vacation. I just have the true time to relax while cruising! Miss you and your treats!
DeleteMy husband and I are going on our first cruise in September to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We are so excited. You offered some great tips and advice that I will take with me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Teresa! You will love your first cruise and congrats on 25 AMAZING years! If you have any questions as you get ready for cruise, please let me know!
DeleteI have two questions: (1) all the things I have read have said whatever drinks I take, I HAVE to carry-on. You said I could put them in my luggage- you have never had trouble with this?
ReplyDelete(2) Do you recommend the self-assist? What size bags do you typically prefer for a 7 day cruise?
Hi Jolene, I'm Kim and I was just reading this and thought I might be able to answer something for you until PamperedShannon get the chance to answer. I've been on two cruises and in just 84 more days we are going on our third cruise. I know several people that just put their soda in their luggage and send it through and haven't had any problems, just make sure that you don't lay the cans on their side when you pack them or they exploded easier. Now my sister had put a 12 pack of water in her suitcase and just before they took her bag she took one bottle out to carry on and drink. The problem with that was it help her luggage up from being delivered until early evening because it had to go through a more thorough security screening because it was open. So my advice would be not to open any 12 pack to send it through. I also just confirmed it was okay to send it through in my luggage or if I needed to carry it on and they said it could be checked through if it didn't make bag too heavy. Okay no on the self-assist part. I have tried it each way, checking my bags and then carrying them off myself. Okay disembarking the ship is a bit crazy anyways and I found that I was much less stressed not having to carry my luggage through the ship and off without any assistance. I didn't have to be off particularly early and so on my second cruise I left them pick it up and when we went down to the bay I could see my luggage before I even got to it and there was only a few people a head of me going through customs.To my husband and I we found it easier to get around and not worry about carrying the luggage out with us.
ReplyDeleteFor the luggage size, my husband and I both have our large suitcases we take, one for each, but then we usually need to take a few extras items that makes bags a little over weight. So we pack our smallest bag with all the misc. things we need and but that suitcase inside the empty medium suitcase (which is where we hid our heavy coats going from snow to Florida. LOL). I found that if we did it that way it gave us plenty of room to buy souvenirs for everyone while were gone and not have to struggle with how much more to space we needed to get it home. We fly on Southwest and at this time still are allowed two bags per person without extra charges and this is how it works best for us. Hopefully someone who had done it another way can give you some help too.
Great tips! I am surprising my husband with a cruise to Cozumel when he graduates from college in May so I've been looking for a list like this!
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