Anyone ever been on a cruise?

[KristinKervz]

I'm sailing off to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico from Miami in a few weeks and I'm SUPER excited! I'm also kind of nervous because I've never been on a plane, or a ship. I'm not scared of flying or sailing, I just don't know much about it. Any advice you have to offer would be much appreciated. From excursions to the smallest details about boarding the ship or plane. Thanks in advance!

 

[mross2_]

I went on a Princess cruise when I was a teenager. I sent about 50% of the trip sick in my room because of something I either ate or drank in Cozumel. My advice is to only drink bottled water and to be careful about getting ice as well. :thumbleft:

I hope to do another cruise sometime within the next 5 years. I really would like to do a cruise to Antarctica

 

[Mirra]

I went on two cruises when I was a teenager with family (father, former step-mother, and former step-sister). Despite being with two people I didn't care for, it was a pretty good time. Both of mine were via Carnival ships. As a teenage boy, I was probably interested in different things than will attract you but it was still a ton of fun. I can tell you that snorkeling in the Caribbean was pretty cool. One time was flat out amazing. Great visibility with a wide variety of beautiful fish, coral, and other oceanic life to see. Otherwise we didn't participate in too many excursions. We would often just get off the ship and walk the markets because the former step-mother had more interest in shopping than other activities... much to my despair. That said, be wary of any deals that seem too good to be true in those markets. Fake designer products and jewelry is rather common. Also do keep in mind what they say about drinking the water in Mexico is true and extends to the ice unless it's blended into an alcoholic beverage. The alcohol seems to kill whatever causes the problem but otherwise it will not be fun.

Aboard the ship itself, there are so many things to do. Between random activities, shows, the casino, places to dance, pools, exercise areas, sun decks, shops, spas and just about anything else you could want there's really no reason to ever be bored. The other thing about being on a cruise is there is almost constantly some place where you can grab something to eat. I know Carnival ships have (or at least used to) a 24/7 Pizza place at the back of the ship (with nice salads too). It was like being in a completely different world. Keep in mind that's the entire point and take advantage of opportunities that attract you.

As far as boarding and all that stuff, I don't remember anything being particularly special about it. Reboarding after an excursion required a passport or birth certificate... not just a cruise card. Unboarding at the end of one of the cruises was delayed because of an illness issue. You'll have to do muster training at some point where you're instructed where your muster station is in the event of an emergency and some basics on the flotation devices. Otherwise, you can almost forget you're even on a ship at times.

Have fun!

 

[Rileyster]

And hopefully the seas will not be rocky! I went on a Carnival cruise in December of 2010, and the sea was pretty choppy. The ship I was on rocked the entire time and I was surprised to find that I didn't get sea sick, but my friends kind of did, so bring something for it in case.

If you're on a closed circuit, you have to have either a passport or a birth certificate to get back into the states, but I hope for your sake you have a passport. I didn't have one, and the certificate line took FOREVER. 3 of us had to wait while my other 2 friends went in the passport line, they were out so fast they had time to go find the car, load everything up, stop at Starbucks for a drink and a snack, drove around for a bit, and they were back before we even made it out. Not sure if it'll be like that there but that's something to consider.

And with what Mirra said, snorkeling is amazing. I was so gob-smacked at how clear the water was and how much I enjoyed it. And also on the ship I was on, the pizza/salad place definitely was still in the back of the ship and was open 24/7

 

[SweepTheLeg]

No

 

[KristinKervz]

Omgash you guys are getting me so excited Snorkeling is a must, I won't miss out on that. I'm going to apply for my passport next week, but it sucks because I need to have it expedited so there's over $200 all together. Worth it though, I think. Thanks so much about warning me about the ice! I wouldn't have thought of that lol.

Our ship is the Carnival Imagination. It's an older cheaper ship, but hey... I'm no diva, I just wanna see the Caribbean. This is one of my lifetime dreams. I grew up poor, so this is fucking luxury to me

 

[SoTxBob]

Was many years ago but it was enjoyable. Was plenty to do but much of the stuff was geared toward the older crowd. You will never be hungry. My cruise had 4 dining rooms with round the clock seating's plus a couple small snack bars. The only time there wasn't something open was 3-6am.
Read the small print in your package. Depending on your deal, you will have various out of pocket expenses on the ship not to mention the excursions. They can really add up fast. Some include the bar tab while others dont include the liquor. General rule off ship is don't eat or drink it unless its been cooked hot enough you need to let it cool to eat. A friend was aware of the water, but didn't think about cold milk with a bowl of cereal after a dawn excursion off ship. He got sicker than a dog and was in the ship infirmary on the way home with a 105 temp and the rest of "Montezuma's revenge."
They LOVE tourists coming into port and will take every opportunity to relieve you of any cash you want to part with so bartering is the name of the game. If shopping is your thing, pass all the tourist traps and hit in town where locals shop. you will save immensely. But, perhaps most important...SUNSCREEN. You're sitting in a large reflector in the water that will fry you from direct as well as reflected sunshine off the water. :thumbleft:

 

[GreatDane]

As everyone else has mentioned, be careful of the ice and the water, always do the bottled water, May also want to look into some dramamine (http://dramamine.com/) it seriously helped with the motion sickness.

There will be food at all times like was said, be careful how much you eat and what you eat. there will be things that look REALLY tasty, don't let the looks fool you but be brave and try things that you wouldn't normally eat. The ships have staff chefs that are VERY good at what they do and your stomach may not like what they do try a little bit of everything that looks good and some of what maybe doesn't look so interesting.

Have fun and enjoy your trip, don't forget to show off your tan lines when you get back

 

[LadyLuna]

I was on a Disney Cruise when I was 18 and 19. There was absolutely nothing to do, since my parents were paranoid and didn't take into consideration that Disney expects anyone over 18 to be on their own... I couldn't join in the activities they were willing to let me do, and they wouldn't let me join in most of what I could've done, at least while we were on the ship. Then they took me to task for not making friends while at the same time... there was no one my own age I could socialize with!

So yeah, the two times I was on the cruise were not so fun.

But don't let that stop you! I'm sure Carnival has a better selection, and isn't quite so "adults or children, nothing in-between" oriented. Plus it's well known that I have traveling issues to begin with.

 

[Red7227]

Make sure you know the cost of calls and internet before you use them. You might get charged shop to shore satellite rates which can be anything up to $12 a minute.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Do not get caught with a joint or any pot in Mexico. You'll regret it.
If you smoke, just don't have a crumb on you when you get off the boat anywhere.

Seriously. Just don't even think about it.

 

[KristinKervz]

Do not get caught with a joint or any pot in Mexico. You'll regret it.
If you smoke, just don't have a crumb on you when you get off the boat anywhere.

Seriously. Just don't even think about it.

I don't smoke, unfortunately. I don't know what's stopping me but...
I'm curious... do you have a story you'd like to share? Or maybe you're just warning me about the horrifying Mexican prisons.

 

[Nordling]

Interestingly, a few months ago, maybe last year, I read that the President of Mexico wanted to make pot and some other drugs legal. He said that at this point, it's the only way to stop the drug cartels.

 

[lexmark402003]

I've been several times, though not in the past 4 years or so. Always had fun. The ships are so big that there is almost always something fun to do for people of all ages. And, of course, there is a lot more to do on the days in port.

 

[Neudiin]

All the worries about the food is at port, all the food on the ship will be just fine. The only real bits of advice I can give you is don't drink too much(there are parts of my cruise I still don't remember lol), make sure you have enough cash to tip at the end(at least on the cruise I went on that is when you tipped the staff that cleaned your room and stuff), when at port don't take a bunch of stuff with you off the ship(and keep a hand on it =) ) and lastly have a great time