1st cruise coming up! ***UPDATE***
 

I'm heading to the Caribbean in a little less than 2 weeks! My sister and I haven't been on vacation together since I was in 7th grade... just a *few* years ago lol! We're going with one of her sons and his family on Royal Caribbean. I'm so excited! (To be honest, it feels weird to be doing this since I'm a teacher and this is not during my vacation, but my superintendent approved my using all 5 of my personal days, and life is short, right?) ;)

Feel free to share any tidbits and advice you have! TIA!

Have a wonderful time! I have never been on a cruise, so it is in my bucket list :)

I did a 5 day Caribbean cruise with my family in Dec 2019. It was awesome. I don't really have any tips and tricks except be nice to the people who look after your room. They made the coolest towel origami animals for us every day. We left them a nice tip. Other than that, just enjoy yourself.

Oh! I do have one tip. Because it was the first cruise for most of my family, I took along the Sea Legs tablets just in case. Hubby and I took one every day, even with calm water. We weren't affected at all by the ship movements. I'd definitely do that again.

Wow! How cool is that! Enjoy your cruise. Safe travels.

So jealous! Have a great time! Best advice - lots of hand washing. As a teacher, I'm sure you're in the habit, but don't forget while you're on vacation (and hitting that buffet!) Also, pack a nightlight from the dollar store.

Have fun! I have only been on one cruise and it was Alaska (so would do it again...loved it). We got motion sickness bands that helped on the rocky days at sea. Otherwise HAVE FUN!!!

Thank you ladies! Definitely being proactive for motion sickness just in case! Thanks for the nightlight tip - I saw that on a you tube video as well. And yes, lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer for me lol!

I did a Disney cruise with my son and mom like 10 years ago. It's still my son's favorite vacation we have done. I will also say to take Dramamine. I let mine wear off one day cause I wanted to drink & I feel weird mixing alcohol and medications. I spend the entire next day feeling seasick. Do not let it wear off, take it the entire time, just in case. Also feeling like you are still rocking when you get on land is real. I tried to run a 5k on the Disney island and it was the hardest one of my life. Felt like the ground was rocking the whole time I was running, I ended up walking part of it. lol

Oh how fun!! I'm sure there will be tons of memories in the making (and some good photos for scrapping!)

We've been on 4 cruises, have the 5th one scheduled for September (from NYC into Canada), I agree with taking something for motion sickness (although it's never bothered us ...) and hand washing!

There are usually not too many people hanging around the ship when it's docked at a port - so if you're into doing a spa day, a port day is a great time to do it - the spas are pretty empty on those days.

I'd also say, scope out some You Tube videos about the ship you'll be sailing on. We've learned a lot about the ship from the videos we've watched ... from restaurants to other "best kept secrets".

Have fun and enjoy! Can't wait to hear all about it!! :wub:

I've been on several Disney Cruises and one Royal Caribbean Med cruise. Take the stairs if your knees can hack it. It will help with all that yummy food you're going to be eating. :)

I've been on one cruise and since neither of us like buffets, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining rooms. The atmosphere was calm, the food exceptional and the service 5 star. Enjoy your cruise and most importantly, have fun!

I hope you have the best time!

I've been on two cruises and hated them both. I think I might not be a cruise person haha :D Disney Cruise in 1999 (yikes...I'm old) and Carnival with the fam when the kids were little. They were just not my scene at all!

That said... I still have a pretty big bucket list want to do a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of their mega-ships with all of the bells and whistles because the ship itself looks sooo cool! Which ship will you be on?

That sounds like so much fun, Lori! I hope you have a blast. I've only been on one short cruise ages ago, so I don't really have any advice. I get seasick and just the 3-day cruise we did was torture for me.

Ooh! Have a wonderful time! We just booked our 2nd Disney Cruise for next year May!

Tips- take dramamine, and use seabands (you can use them together). We learned that when you are closer to or approaching land that is when you feel the most movement. Don't worry about eating a ton! Enjoy the new food options and trying new things! Pounds don't count when you are on vacation! Purchase a good coverup and some slipon sandals/flipflops. Buy new, good sunscreen (sunscreen expires, so check dates on ones you already own). Don't feel you have to do it all! There is always so much to see and do on a Cruise, just think of it as, if you missed something, it was because you were doing something else! And finally, start stocking up on Cruise kits- beach, cruise/ship, food, dining, hotels, travel There are a ton of good ones in the store!

It's been a few years since I've been on a cruise, but at that time a lanyard was helpful for carrying around your key card to your room. With smartphones they may not issue those anymore.... Also, take a tote bag with you that you can take around the ship with you especially to the pool, etc. Those were the two specific things to the cruise that were helpful. Have a good time!

Thanks everyone!

Jill, I'm wondering if your cruise is going to have a stop in Maine? We see cruise ships here a lot in the summer and early fall. Also, I've been watching lots of you tube videos this week while on vaca! :) Great advice!

Steph, I've seen that advice about the stairs, and I'll definitely be doing it as much as possible. :) Whether cruise calories count or not... ;)

Robin... hahaha! I hope I don't feel the same way you do about cruises after this one! We are on the Wonder of the Seas, which is the 2nd largest now that Icon has sailed. I'm sure it's going to be overwhelming to see how big it actually is.

Dawn, I didn't know that you could use the meds and sea bands together - I'll definitely do that. The last thing I want is to be sick. I've got new sunscreen (I figured out a couple of years ago that it expires... how did I not know this before?) and I've been stocking up on cruise kits since I booked last year lol!

Corey - thank you! I have both of those things after seeing that advice on you tube as well. :)

Have fun, we are also leaving on a cruise in a few days (south america). I'd recommend bringing a deck of cards or a game to play on sea days (if you like doing that). We always bring dice for a few dice games and a card game. This cruise we're bringing Wizards and 5 crowns. Bring comfy shoes to wear around the ship. I bring a long sweater that I can wear as a sweater and also doubles as my housecoat. I roll up most clothes rather than folding to fit more in the suitcase. Leave some space in a suitcase for purchases you'll bring home. In case you are seasick, bring some ginger tea and gravol. They usually have green apples in the buffet which is also good for seasickness.

Oh wow Rae.. have so much fun! Cards and dice are a great idea! I am in the habit of rolling my clothes even at home, so I'll definitely do that. I saw that tip about green apples and I already have some ginger candies. Thank you!

We are doing our first cruise on Disney Wish next oct.
First 9 days WDW.

It's been a few years since we cruised, but one foodie tip we were told (and took advantage of once or twice) is if there's something you really love in the dining room - say, an amazing appetizer or dessert, you may be able to ask for an additional one.
On days that we got into port early in the morning, we got room service for breakfast so we could be snacking/munching in our room while getting ready and be able to head right out to explore the port city or get to our excursion.
We also made it a point to go to the nightly entertainment whether it was a song and dance show, ventriloquist or clarinet solo. It's included in your trip so why not? We liked something about every show.
Watch for lectures on the schedule. They often have an expert do an hour or so talk on the history or geography or other highlights of some of the places you'll be visiting. My brother in law's sister had a sweet gig doing that for some line in the Carribean/Central America area. What a dream job - lecture an hour a day, get paid and cruise for free!

That will be here before you know it! :)

Thanks for the ideas! I'm in a fb group specific to our cruise, and people have been asking about the room service. Apparently some things are no cost but the hot foods you have to pay a service fee. Good to know.
I already signed us up for some entertainment options. Can't wait!
That is a sweet gig..... lucky her!

Following! We booked our first cruise since 2006 for August. We tried in 2020, but we all know how that went. This will be the kids first time. I mean Keira went in 2006, but she was 18 months old.

We're doing a 5 day to the Bahamas.

Let's forget about 2020 lol... I had a trip to the Grand Canyon booked. Still haven't made it there.....

Bahamas cruise sounds awesome!

Returned from my cruise on Monday (after flight cancellations on Sunday... ugh!) and had an absolute blast! Thank you so much to everyone who offered suggestions and helpful advice!
We had perfect weather and delicious food, and I got better sleep than I've had in weeks lol. I can't wait to do another cruise! I had no issues whatsoever with seasickness, but had the patches from my doctor just in case. I never even opened them. Our excursions were decent, but really nothing to write home about.
We were limited somewhat because of my sister's mobility, but we still had an amazing trip! I felt bad for her because I know it wasn't easy for her to walk distances. I honestly had no idea how much difficulty she would have - her knees and hips are worse than I realized.
Now I'm trying to convince my sons that we should do a cruise over the holidays next year - even a shorter one. I think they would love it!

I loved seeing your trip on social media. I can't wait to see your layouts!
I'm really happy you had a good time!
That's a bummer about your sister's mobility. My best friend has issues due to scoliosis, so she rents a motorized scooter on most trips. If that's not available, her husband pushes her in a wheelchair. It makes things easier for everyone - she doesn't have to feel guilty about holding everyone up, and everyone gets to do the fun things they want to. Maybe an option for your sister next time?

Yeah!! Glad you had a great trip!!

Welcome home! I'm so happy to hear that you had a wonderful time on your cruise!! It's definitely not a "one and done" in my opinion either!! Can't wait to see your scrapbook pages about your adventures!!