I am SO excited. SO SO SO SO SO excited.
In a little over a week my family and I are going on a vacation, and not just any vacation. We are going on a Carnival Cruise!!!
My husband and I have always dreamed of going on a cruise and somehow, it just never happened.
I can’t even begin to tell y’all in words how excited we are about this. Blogging has brought many fantastic opportunities my way and I’ve gotten to go on some great trips but, I’m the only one who ever gets to go.
Thanks to Carnival and the seriously out of this world opportunity to be a Carnival Mom Ambassador, my entire family and I are getting to go on a trip together! Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Here’s the thing; we’ve never been on a cruise. We have no clue what to bring, pack, expect etc…
So, here’s what I’m askin’ y’all.
If you’ve ever been on a cruise, I’d love to know your thoughts!! any tips or tricks? hints? insiders knowledge from a cruise veteran to a cruise virgin?
Okay.. GO!
Went on a Carnival Cruise last year and had a great time. The best thing I brought with me is a hanging shoe holder that fits on door. Then put on outside of bathroom door and everything we needed stayed nice and neat and was right there. All the plastic holders held all cosmetics perfectly! Have fun!
OMG, you are going to have an absolute BLAST!!! I did a Carnival cruise at the end of last September and it’s amazing. My advice is eat in the sit down dining room at night. You’ll have a set dinner time at an assigned time at an assigned table with the same people every night. The food is good, the waiters are fun and if you want more than one item from the menu they will totally let you have it. The sit down dinners are more dressy than the rest of the ship, but aside from the one formal night you can get away with slacks, jeans or a sundress. And on formal night it’s as formal as you want it to be. Some people will be in tuxes and evening gowns, others will be in dresses and suits. I’m pretty sure they won’t turn you away. I wore black slacks, heels and a cute top. Whatever you do DON’T skip the Chocolate Melty Cake dessert (not the technical term!) it is to die for!
I would say sit down dining room dinner is the only time you’ll need dressier clothes. The rest of the time on the ship I was in my swim suit, shorts, capris and t-shirts.
If you can do some excursions while docked DO THEM. Not sure where you’re going, but you can look online now at the excursion list and see what you’re interested in. I highly recommend booking any excursions early online. Once on the ship excursions tend to fill up fast. Let me know where you’re going and if I’ve been I’ll give you some fun suggestions.
You won’t use cash or your credit card on board. Upon check-in you’ll give your credit card and they will give you a Sail & Sign Card. You use this card for everything that you purchase on the ship (drinks, souvenirs, bingo cards, etc.). The only time you’ll need cash is at port, so I would take enough for wherever you may be going and shopping.
You are going to have so much fun!!!! The kids will have a blast too. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Dramamine. Chewable so the kids can take em too. You wouldn’t think about getting sea sick cause the boat is so big, but I got so sea sick and slept most of the time. What a waste. Have fun!
I agree. Dramamine is a must have. I would suggest giving some to the entire family before you board even if you don’t think you’ll need it because once sea sickness starts it is really hard to stop it. Ask me how I know…
Hope you have fun! Oh and pack a light windbreaker type jacket for everyone because it can get really cool on deck once the sun goes down.
Wow! What an awesome opportunity!
But, no advice here…I’ve never been on a cruise, either.
I wish I had some great advice for you, but I don’t!
I do, however, hope you have an absolutely fabulous time! 🙂
Be sure to check our CruiseDiva.com. She’s got lots of great information.
We went on a cruise about 5 years ago and we’re ready to go again.
My advice is take advantage of the little activities that are offered onboard. One of our favorites was a napkin folding class. My 11 year old son and 17 year old daughter still talk about it and try to recreate the things they learned while we’re waiting on dinner sometimes.
Have a great trip!
How exciting! I went on a cruise with my family last year and am getting ready to go on another one for my honeymoon. My advice would also be to take advantage of all the stuff they offer to do on the ship. I brought books but never got around to reading them because I was so busy doing other fun stuff. Also, bring a light sweater, sometimes it gets chilly on the ship itself.
How fun Rachel! I’m jealous!
My only advice is to bring some self-discipline. They were offering us drinks around EVERY corner! lol
You’re going to have so much fun! Oh yeah, and bring money for the shore excursions. They are expensive but such a great experience.
I would pack some medicine (of all varieties) to take with you. We used a drawer in the nightstand as our medicine cabinet for the week. You just don’t want to have to go to the ship doctor. Also, as with any vacation, you will pack more than you need 🙂 Definitley read the newsletter they leave for you each night that tells you what’s happening the next day. Now’s the time to try things you wouldn’t normally do because you don’t want to pay for it. If it’s included in the cruise, go for it! This also relates to food. Try it all!!!! Enjoy.
My Advise, Check and make sure your excusion is still scheduled before leaving the ship that morning… ours got cancelled with no notice and we spent 2 1/2 hours waiting with 50 other people… for a boat that was not coming. and ended up spending more time trying to figure out what else we could do… Still had a great time, but I would double check!! Have a great time!!!!!
Oh by the way, the pools on deck are salt water from the ocean. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that, but it was a huge shocker the first time I jumped in!
I’m seriously jealous! You lucky lucky woman!! I blog too, what am I doing wrong? lol
I too am a cruise “virgin” so I can’t offer any help that way but: I wish you and your lucky family the BEST time! Safe travels and lots and lots of fun!
Sharon
Congratulations! I think you and your family will thoroughly enjoy the cruise. We went on a Mediterranean cruise two years ago and loved it. The dining room dinners are top notch, just like any five star restaurant for service and quality (not to mention quantity) of food. Be prepared to have your photographs taken by the cruise photographer. They took them during evening meals (special set-ups for formal night) etc. and you could view them in an open viewing area the next day. Your choice to purchase them or discard them. Take in the evening shows…the talent is amazing.
Hats off to Carnival Cruise Lines for providing this opportunity for your entire family. You will be a fantastic Ambassador Mom for them. Happy Sailing 🙂
WOOHOO!! have a great time!! no tips here, I’m a cruise virgin….
I see others recommend Dramamine, but I would say Sea Bands and ginger because Dramamine can cause drowsiness. Still take it with you, just in case you need it, but have other options to try first.
Check with your cell phone provider to be sure that you won’t rack up internationsal charges if you use your phone – or you’ll at least be prepared with how much it will cost you. Domestic water doesn’t extend too far off the coast and usually once they depart you are considered international.
Check with the cruise line about wifi if you plan to have your laptop.
Medications that anyone takes routinely. It seems like a no-brainer, but is easily overlooked.
Even if you forget something, think about whether you can do without it. Chances are you can. Enjoy!
Most important thing- BRING YOUR OWN BOOZE. But the thing is you aren’t technically aloud to bring booze. However you are aloud to bring fine wine if boxed in cases. Since I live in San Diego, I am my friend and family’s booze cruise ambassador. They fly into SD and I pick them up at the airport and then we go straight to BevMo. Purchase whatever you want and get some wine boxes from BevMo and tape them up really nice. I think they check them when they get on the ship with the luggage. And viola! They are magically in your cabin when you get there. Probably save you thousands of dollars. Well it’s a family cruise so maybe hundreds. Or is it the other way around? Lol. 🙂 Have fun! I’m soooo jealous, I’ve sent off so many people but have never been on a ship myself.
I have never been on a cruise but I hear they are absolutely wonderful. Have a great time with your family. : ) (I am excited for you all!)
I haven’t been on a cruise so I have no tips to offer, but I wanted to say Bon Voyage!
We’ve been. We like it. It will be cheesy, but just… embrace the cheese, and you will love it. Remember you can order as many food courses as you want (want one of EACH appetizer? Go for it. You’ll be a trendsetter, everyone else will be doing it too, by the end of the trip)…
oh! and this is important!!! Get the cocktail that comes in the pineapple! GET IT!!! (Sneak the other booze on board in water bottles. Don’t pretend you’re above that.)
AND GET A MASSAGE!! (On the beach if you can swing it.)
I went on my fourth (? I think) cruise last month and I wrote two (awesome, if I say so myself… and I do) blog posts about it… go read!
http://mgoetts.blogspot.com/2010/08/cruise-top-ten-countdown.html
http://mgoetts.blogspot.com/2010/08/vacation-outtakes.html