Me and my friend are first timers in cruise vacations. Leaving in a week from La Romana and going to visit a few carribean islands, my main concern is of what to take to the boat with me? Like is it cold inside, like in carribe tours bus, i am always freezing where they blast AC, is it cold outside if you wanna walk or chill on the balcony? How much usually excursions cost? Are they worth going? Should i take an iron to iron my clothes? Some kind of meds? Any insight appreciated.
- Thread starter JessicaRabbit
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Going on cruise for the first time. Advice?
If you are going to be in the Caribbean, you will not be cold. If you are concerned about the air conditioning, take a sweater. I have never been cold outside, not even at night. But if you are, the sweater should be enough. Take casual clothing for daytime, but if you eat in the main dining room, you will dress for dinner. They usually have one formal night per week.
Excursions can be very costly. A lot depends on which islands you are visiting. The excursions that are sold on the ship tend to be overpriced. When you get off the ship there will be tour guides waiting with books to show you what tours they can offer you. (A lot like the guys on the beach by the resorts have.) Their prices are not as high, and you may be able to bargain your price. At some ports you might just want to walk around. Depends upon the island. I have been on excursions that I loved, but some were not so great.
Regarding medication, of course if you have medication that you take on a regular basis, you should take it with you. If you are prone to motion sickness, pick up something for seasickness before you leave. There will be a doctor on the boat, but I have no idea what they charge. I have never been ill on a cruise.
Do a little homework before you go, and have a great time.
Excursions can be very costly. A lot depends on which islands you are visiting. The excursions that are sold on the ship tend to be overpriced. When you get off the ship there will be tour guides waiting with books to show you what tours they can offer you. (A lot like the guys on the beach by the resorts have.) Their prices are not as high, and you may be able to bargain your price. At some ports you might just want to walk around. Depends upon the island. I have been on excursions that I loved, but some were not so great.
Regarding medication, of course if you have medication that you take on a regular basis, you should take it with you. If you are prone to motion sickness, pick up something for seasickness before you leave. There will be a doctor on the boat, but I have no idea what they charge. I have never been ill on a cruise.
Do a little homework before you go, and have a great time.
Me and my friend are first timers in cruise vacations. Leaving in a week from La Romana and going to visit a few carribean islands, my main concern is of what to take to the boat with me? Like is it cold inside, like in carribe tours bus, i am always freezing where they blast AC, is it cold outside if you wanna walk or chill on the balcony? How much usually excursions cost? Are they worth going? Should i take an iron to iron my clothes? Some kind of meds? Any insight appreciated.
Are u really serious,
Isn't that part of the whole experience?
U want advice on this crap?
Good luck!!
That was very helpful!Are u really serious,
Isn't that part of the whole experience?
U want advice on this crap?
Good luck!!
I dont know what to ask about since i never been on a damn boat! Would not be fun to have only light summer clothes if they blast AC everywhere or take extra luggage of sweaters i wont use! Or that is part of fun? Just thought may be people went on these cruises already and will share of what they think is essential or useful. We will visit Santa Lucia, Martinique, Barbados, san Maarten if i remember correct.
It could be a little chilly at night on deck.
One, maybe two sweaters should be fine since you have a tendency to get cold easy.
It's not quite summer yet, so nights may get chilly in the ocean breeze.
One, maybe two sweaters should be fine since you have a tendency to get cold easy.
It's not quite summer yet, so nights may get chilly in the ocean breeze.
Me and my friend are first timers in cruise vacations. Leaving in a week from La Romana and going to visit a few carribean islands, my main concern is of what to take to the boat with me? Like is it cold inside, like in carribe tours bus, i am always freezing where they blast AC, is it cold outside if you wanna walk or chill on the balcony? How much usually excursions cost? Are they worth going? Should i take an iron to iron my clothes? Some kind of meds? Any insight appreciated.
I went on my first cruise, to the Western Caribbean, the first week in November. The temperature inside the ship was very comfortable, same as in a big hotel, and outside was just like the Dominican Republic.
Regarding excursions, you should be able to learn about those available to you on the cruise line website. They vary in price. Read up on them and do a google search to see what others had to say. Also, on the cruise line website you should find a section where others who have taken the exact same excursion report their experience and evaluation.
In every port their are private tour companies offering the same excursion, often at a lower price. My concern was that if anything happens that delays the getting back to the ship, the ship will sale without you. However, if you are on an excursion offered by the ship, you are guaranteed that the ship will wait.
I didn't take an excursion in every port we visited, but I wish now that I had. I am booked on a cruise to Alaska first week in June and I have an excursion lined up for every port, including a two hour trek on the top of a glacier which we will get to by helicopter.
As far as your meds are concerned, take what you normally take during that period.
If you were going on a vacation to a resort, would you take clothes that had to be ironed?
In short, think of the cruise ship as a big hotel and take whatever you would take if you were going to spend your vacation in a hotel.
... Nora virus is all too common on those cruise trips.
She's in cabin 1311, inside, lower deck. Knock four times.
Alaska is a great cruise. Very different from anything else I have ever experienced. Will you be stopping in Sitka? That was our favorite port. Also loved the Mendenhal glacier. We didn't book the excursion. There was a bus that took us here for $10 each, round trip.I went on my first cruise, to the Western Caribbean, the first week in November. The temperature inside the ship was very comfortable, same as in a big hotel, and outside was just like the Dominican Republic.
Regarding excursions, you should be able to learn about those available to you on the cruise line website. They vary in price. Read up on them and do a google search to see what others had to say. Also, on the cruise line website you should find a section where others who have taken the exact same excursion report their experience and evaluation.
In every port their are private tour companies offering the same excursion, often at a lower price. My concern was that if anything happens that delays the getting back to the ship, the ship will sale without you. However, if you are on an excursion offered by the ship, you are guaranteed that the ship will wait.
I didn't take an excursion in every port we visited, but I wish now that I had. I am booked on a cruise to Alaska first week in June and I have an excursion lined up for every port, including a two hour trek on the top of a glacier which we will get to by helicopter.
As far as your meds are concerned, take what you normally take during that period.
If you were going on a vacation to a resort, would you take clothes that had to be ironed?
In short, think of the cruise ship as a big hotel and take whatever you would take if you were going to spend your vacation in a hotel.
Thinking more about your question re an iron, I should have mentioned that it is customary on cruise ships to have one or two nights during the cruise as formal nights in the dining room. Those interested, dress up. If you take a dressy dress, then you may need to iron it.
However, formal night is optional. There are many other dinner options on the ship, including the cafeteria and several specialty restaurants where dress is informal. On my first cruise, I did not go to the formal night dinners and judging from the number who also ate the cafeteria, there were many who did not.
So it is up to you.
I don't plan on taking clothes for formal nights on the 7 day Alaskan cruise, either.
PS: There will most likely be a small self-service laundromat on each deck of the ship you are sailing on. The machines take quarters. If you expect to use the machines, bring a roll of quarters. Or you can get a roll for US$10 from the guest services desk.
However, formal night is optional. There are many other dinner options on the ship, including the cafeteria and several specialty restaurants where dress is informal. On my first cruise, I did not go to the formal night dinners and judging from the number who also ate the cafeteria, there were many who did not.
So it is up to you.
I don't plan on taking clothes for formal nights on the 7 day Alaskan cruise, either.
PS: There will most likely be a small self-service laundromat on each deck of the ship you are sailing on. The machines take quarters. If you expect to use the machines, bring a roll of quarters. Or you can get a roll for US$10 from the guest services desk.
Alaska is a great cruise. Very different from anything else I have ever experienced. Will you be stopping in Sitka? That was our favorite port. Also loved the Mendenhal glacier. We didn't book the excursion. There was a bus that took us here for $10 each, round trip.
No, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, plus a day each on ship in Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord.
Having worked on ships for 12 years--3 years just here in the Caribbean, I got a few recommendations. I've been to all the islands you listed...many times. Too many for a few of them. I will list some suggestions, but in no particular order of importance:
1. Stay away from gambling in the Casino.
2. Be prepared to tip bartenders, service/chamber maids, waiters, cocktail waitresses, Spa/masseuse workers, etc.
3. Be prepared to eat, sleep, eat again, drink, then eat again. Wake up, and repeat.
4. Excursions/Tours are very expensive. Some suck big time, some are very interesting. Depends on the island and the tour company, etc. Be prepared to read in-between the lines of which tours are worth it, and which ones are a waste of time.
5. Bring condoms. The waiters, bartenders, officers, shop attendants, Casino dealers, cooks, security officers, deck crew, and everyone else hidden deep below the ship are running around horny and are willing to have sex with anything that moves or bends over. Everyone is locked up and humping anything stationary.
6. Bring some formal clothes for formal nights. Typically, for a one week cruise, there will be two formal nights where it might behoove you to dress up, or look like a redneck. However, here in the Caribbean, these nights are not so important...it depends on what cruise ship/cruise line you are on. Some cruise lines are very high end/extremely expensive and therefore attract a wealthier crowd...they tend to take formal nights very, very serious. The lower end cruise lines--Carnival, etc., not so much.
7. If you're married/faithful type, bring a good vibrator and lots of batteries. Batteries are very, very expensive in the gift shop on board the ship.
I'll think of more suggestion later.
Frank
1. Stay away from gambling in the Casino.
2. Be prepared to tip bartenders, service/chamber maids, waiters, cocktail waitresses, Spa/masseuse workers, etc.
3. Be prepared to eat, sleep, eat again, drink, then eat again. Wake up, and repeat.
4. Excursions/Tours are very expensive. Some suck big time, some are very interesting. Depends on the island and the tour company, etc. Be prepared to read in-between the lines of which tours are worth it, and which ones are a waste of time.
5. Bring condoms. The waiters, bartenders, officers, shop attendants, Casino dealers, cooks, security officers, deck crew, and everyone else hidden deep below the ship are running around horny and are willing to have sex with anything that moves or bends over. Everyone is locked up and humping anything stationary.
6. Bring some formal clothes for formal nights. Typically, for a one week cruise, there will be two formal nights where it might behoove you to dress up, or look like a redneck. However, here in the Caribbean, these nights are not so important...it depends on what cruise ship/cruise line you are on. Some cruise lines are very high end/extremely expensive and therefore attract a wealthier crowd...they tend to take formal nights very, very serious. The lower end cruise lines--Carnival, etc., not so much.
7. If you're married/faithful type, bring a good vibrator and lots of batteries. Batteries are very, very expensive in the gift shop on board the ship.
I'll think of more suggestion later.
Frank
The term about the cruise demographic I've heard is "newly wed and nearly dead." Prob pretty rich with recently divorced cougars as well.
Cruise Line: Pullmantur Cruises
Ship: Horizon
I booked it through Archy Immobilaria (sorry if spelled wrong).
Thank you Frank for good advices!
And im not in a lower deck stop hating!
Ship: Horizon
I booked it through Archy Immobilaria (sorry if spelled wrong).
Thank you Frank for good advices!
And im not in a lower deck stop hating!