Fun first time cruiser experiences
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- When I think back to my first cruise, I can’t help but to recall the newness of the experience. Now, I'm the "planning type", so thought I pretty much knew what to expect, but there were a few things that caught me a little off guard. It’s fun to think about these things, so I thought I’d share a couple with you, and hopefully it will inspire you to share your "rookie cruise" experiences with us in the comments below. I’m feeling particularly wacky today, so I’m going to do 7 of these, and let’s go completely crazy and do them in reverse order.
Starting with #7 - Being treated like kings and queens.
I think there’s an expectation of luxury on a cruise, but on my first cruise I felt like royalty. I mean, come on, staying in a hotel is nice and all, but on a cruise vacation, someone cleans your room multiple times a day, greets you in the hall by name, and sometimes, even leaves chocolates on your pillow. And I’m relatively certain the Queen of England doesn’t get towel animals every night. Of course, there will always be exceptions, but we’ve typically sailed with friendly crew that have gone out of their way to make us feel royal. Now if I could just get my crown to fit in my carry-on.
#6- Food, glorious food.
Speaking of kings and queens...on my first cruise, I was totally astounded by the fact that I could order anything I wanted. Two appetizers? No problem! Lobster AND steak- sure! It’s hard to break out of the “I’m in a restaurant” feeling. You know, when you make a bad choice you pay for it … literally. Cruising is a fun way to try new food, like escargot, or a vegetarian dish. And it’s always fun for me to ask the crew “What do you recommend?”. Be bold, and spread your culinary wings!
#5- Now, on the topic of food, there's a common misconception that there is nothing to do on cruises except eat. As a first time cruiser, I was surprised to find the opposite to be true. I was amazed at how many activities filled the daily newsletter. There were so many things to do that I almost didn’t have time to eat … almost. Yeah, I found time. It’s surprising how portable cruise ship pizza can be.
#4- Yah, the ship moves.
Okay, I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but nothing can really prepare a new cruiser for the way it feels when the ship moves. You walk into this giant thing that feels like a luxury hotel, you get settled in, and whoa, this thing is moving. Of course, this varies a LOT with the ship's size, weather conditions, and stabilizers, but it’s just an odd sensation. I dunno, maybe it’s just me. Actually, it’s not - most cruisers report that the movement of the ship really took them by surprise! So yeah, get ready for that.
#3 - Wacky wind tunnels.
Here’s the deal. If you have a balcony, open the balcony door and then have someone else open the cabin door. Surprise! Your cabin comes with complimentary gale force winds. This one’s just plain fun, but make sure you don’t have any important papers lying around.
#2- Overhead announcements.
I must admit, it was a little strange to suddenly hear the booming voice of the captain or cruise director making announcements like on omnipresent divinity. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are 20 miles off the coast of Cuba and the bellyflop contest starts in 5 minutes on the lido deck".
This takes some getting used to.
#1- Those crazy toilets!
Um, yah, why don't people warn cruisers that your first flush on a cruise is going to scare the … wits out of you! The first time I flushed one of those little powerhouses, it sounded like something between a industrial vacuum and a jet engine in a can.
Don't even THINK about sitting on that toilet while you flush.... To this day, my son still plugs his ears and RUNS every time he flushes!
Well, that’s all for today’s wacky newbie cruiser discoveries. We can’t wait to hear about YOURS in the comments below!
Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and until next time, we’ll see you on the high seas!
We have a good one... we planned our honeymoon cruise, a 12 day Caribbean out of Baltimore. We had no idea it was a seniors cruise... we were 2 of 47 people out of 2750-ish that were under 65. Having said that, it was a blast. We did learn to not get in people's way when they were on their way to bingo.
That is classic! What cruise line was this with?
Totally awesome video, you talked about things here that I have not seen mentioned anywhere else (toilets, announcements) and I have been doing A LOT of research in anticipation of our first cruise. Going on Carnival Freedom in October 2017 as a long delayed honeymoon trip (19 years, lol) and I am so excited. My daughter counts down daily to when her braces come off, I'm counting down to cruise day!!!
Happy anniversary!
Bahaaaaaa the flush got us too . Oh and the horn when the ship leaves port almost gave me a second heart attack.
Sheri ❤, you should do a “Flashback Tuesday” where you republish some of these adorable videos. It would allow some us to reminisce fondly the beautiful early days of cruising! “What do you miss? (ex. the overall feeling of formality/royalty and consistent 5 ⭐️ service … with a SMILE! ; Buffet trays! ) What don’t you miss? (ex. in person Muster!)”
Love your videos, thanks. We are going in our first cruise next week, and I'm watching all your videos about first-time cruisers.
+Deivys H that's awesome! Bon voyage!!
Here is my first time cruise story I like to share. It was a Carnival ship in the Eastern Caribbean.
The thing that I will always remember was what the Cruise Director said to the audience in an introductory speech on day one of my cruise. He said that all passengers who are cruising should just relax and be like “Hakuna Matata (meaning ‘no worry’)” from the “Lion King”, and let all the worrying be done by the cruise staff. He actually used an example if one is working like me on vacation, I should be “Hakuna Matata” and not think about work. My entire first time Carnival
cruise experience was so pleasant that I would say to any potential first time cruisers that I not once think about work, I did not even think once about home.
+EmperorWildManChan this is such a beautiful example. Would you mind if I shared it someday on a vlog?
No problem, use my story as your will. My regret is that I discover cruising as a vacation option late in life.
Thanks for the tips that I have not seen but will make a big difference to know about such as the boat moving and the Joliet flushing... I enjoy all of your videos...
love the videos all very helpful with planning or showing others what time on board can be like.
Thank u!
All your videos are great. Informative and to the point and you obviously love to cruise.
I can't narrow my first cruise experience to one item. I thought it was amazing how attentive and friendly all the staff members were. The room attendant knew our first name by the first day and called us by it every time we saw him. I am not sure how many rooms they have to take care of but It has to be quite a few and to remember every person is amazing.
Even though the rooms are smaller than your average hotel the fact that they take care of it multiple times every day puts cruises way above hotels.
Growing up and living in rural areas all my life when going to a movie or dinner is at least a half hour drive most of the time to be able to walk a short distance to do what ever you were doing at that time of the day was awesome.
Another superb video! Loving the combination of relaxed vlog style vids and these more formal vids! Keep up the great work :)
Thank you so much! We're having a lot of fun with both these days.
I been watching your videos and they are very informative and I'm learning first time cruiser here in June yay I'm excited but also scared but keep up the good work
Don't be scared - cruising is exciting!
I just loved how carefree you were in this video. I was smiling all the way through. I have not yet boarded my fist cruise - I will be 51 and my hubby 62 by the time we set foot on our first cruise. We both grew up in the Caribbean and I on St. Vincent & the Grenadines. I have been on sail boats, passenger ship, trawlers but not a cruise. My hubby has been on all those and he even worked on ships as a young lad. We are so excited to do this we can hardly keep still - okay that's me.....I am 7 months out and I am reading and watching everything and think this may be the way I travel into my weaning years. We will see
Your videos are outstanding, informative and entertaining. Have learned so much more about cruising from watching your channel than I thought I ever would. I used to cruise a lot with mom and now hubby but we stopped cruising about 3 years ago. My oh my how things have changed in such a short period of times. So many different itineraries and lines to choose from. I am always eager to see where you'll be next. Keep up the good work!
+Ken-Mar Rescue thank you for the kind words. You made my day. Hope to see you back on the high seas one day.
I love y’alls videos! So informative. My boyfriend and I are going on our first cruise. Well my first cruise. His second one. I love being prepared for adventures and vacations such as this. Y’all have helped me so much such a Godsend!
Thank you 🙏🏻
My first cruise will be on the Allure of the Seas, February 2017. Totally excited!!!!! :)
I love this!!! lol 33 days till my first cruise and all your tips are coming in handy!! Boy! This potty tip is the best one yet! lol Better share with my cabin mate or maybe I won't. hehehe Thanks again for all your helpful hits and tips! I know I'm gonna have a great cruise with your help! Happy Cruising!
+Cheryl Reynaud thanks, as always! You are getting soooo close!!! Happy packing.
Awesome, and so funny. Your videos never disappoint.
Thank u!
You're welcome. :)
Great video, makes me wish I were back on the high seas! Something I was surprised by is how much ALL the staff get to know you, not just your cabin steward. I know its tied to your being treated like royalty but I was amazed how after 1 day our wait staff remembered all of our names, beverage of choice, seating locations, and how sister in law loved having a particular desert as an appetizer. We were a group of 13 also which is no easy feat.
+jimjaz01 Isn't it amazing? I never get used to it!
Mine was this past June.. went on the harmony of the seas.. great experience. the food was out of this world.. felt like i was dining at the keg every night... seeing France,Spain and Italy all within a week got to make pizza in Naples!!! had the time of my life. and quest!!!.. booked next years cruise on the Jewel of the seas going to Santorini,Athens,Mykonos, and Olympia out of Rome. Can't wait!!!
I love it! Dining around the world, one ship at a time!
When we went in June on liberty of the seas I was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of cultures all the workers were from.
+Fox 1 I love that too! It's one of our favorite things about cruising.
First cruise coming up in 97 days. San Pedro to Ensenada! Very excited and thanks for the great tips on your channel.
Nice! Are you sailing on Imagination or Inspiration? Have you seen our vlogs on those ships? Full ship tour coming soon to show the Imagination refurb.
we are sailing on the Ruby Princess. I have watched a ton of your vlogs and tips videos. Very well done.
You were talking about the ship moving. Many years ago i served an an aircraft carrier and I wonder how it compares. The only time I really felt it was in storms and the huge swells in the Indian Ocean. I hope to go on my first "civilian" cruise sometime in the next year and half. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! The newer, larger ship have such advanced stabilizers, you hardly feel a thing. But, we often sail on the older ships, and their smaller size really shows the difference.
I went on the Carnival Ectacy for my first cruise. It is such a small ship that it rocked like crazy😂 i would walk through a long hall and just end up running into the walls😂😂 and the toilets scared me so bad. I'm going on that same ship in 19 days!
+Madison Worstell LOL! Have a great cruise! Bon voyage!
Does that wind tunnel effect help air out the musty air?
You're the only one who mentioned the turbo toilets!
Thanks for they tips. I'm going on my first cruise in August to Alaska with Princess. I'm trying to plan my shore excursions but i'm a little confused on the port times. It says in Ketchikan we are there from "Arrive 7:00am Depart 1:15pm". So does that mean we can get off the ship right at 7am? Or the ship is docking and tying ropes at 7am? And does 1:15pm mean we have to be on board at 12:45 to ensure we don't get left behind? Or can I push the limits and plan to be on board by 1:10pm and the ship starts preparing for departure at 1:15pm? I'm just a bit confused on how exactly to plan and how much time I should allot for getting on the ship.
+Sam ___ I will answer this in Saturday's livestream at noon PDT
All of your points, plus that aweful post-cruise depression!
+thejokerspeaks Oh yes, PCD is real! Antidote? Book another cruise?
Very true. I find that the more excited I am about the next cruise, the less PCD I have too. On top of growing the business and needing to prepare for Christmas, I postponed the Halloween Inspiration cruise because it seemed overshadowed by our last Bermuda cruise, and the 2 week Pride repo in February. They were just too close anyways.
Just wanted your expert opinion - generally, every time I cruise, I book shore excursions thru the cruise line - have always been happy with my experiences. This year a friend of mine went on her first cruise (booked with my travel agent, 10 day Alaska, round trip San Fran). She and her husband loved the cruise - Grand Princess, and she did book her shore tours thru Princess (actually had to change some of her tours because her hubby injured his back before cruise - had to go with the easier tours). Just heard from her and she said that she spoke with many other passengers who told her to book the tours at each pier/ not from the cruise line - they are less expensive, and she heard that they were as good, or better than the cruise ship excursions. She liked cruising Alaska so much, she's planning for next summer - and to go to Denali too, but wants to book tours when she gets to the ports??? I have tried that a few times in the Caribbean - not great experiences!! What do you think??
Bonnie, I'll try to address this on the vlog.
We flew from Adelaide to Sydney Australia. We where met at Sydney by a Carnival Cruise Person asked if we where going on Carnival Cruise? She Took our names, then she said follow me please, what happened next was unbelievable she took off like a Russian Race House, everyone was having trouble keeping up with her. I gave up at the end and said to myself "well self if we miss the bus we will just find a nice piece of soft floor in the airport til Monday". I finely got to the Carnival booked in I had 20 minutes to catch my breath before boarding the bus to the dock. Ok time to sit back and see a few sights of Sydney, well no such luck as the bus was a big bus (about the size of a Greyhound Interstate bus) needless to say the driver had to make wide turns left or right, anyway we where sitting in the front seats. I just so happened to be looking down and this idiot in a small car tries to pass the bus on the left while the bus was making a left turn I think he had a death wish. Anyway we got to the dock, after a heap of left and right turns and mad cab drivers. Chris and I had to sit in the sun, outside. We checked in no problems our checked bays where taken and we where left with our carry on bags. we go through security I get questioned "Did you know there is a knife in your bag (Really, news to me) Did you pack this bay? (Yes) So you know what is inside (Yes) Can we have a look in your bag (if you must) I set the Xray wand off I had to lift my sweater up so they could see what set the thing off. I said to Chris as we are walking up the gang blank to the ship. " Well we are off to a good start, if the next 3 days are anything like today, you can shove cruising where the sun don't shine, you can go I'm going on a road trip."
I can't wait til my 1st cruise. I'm still trying to get my fiance on bored with going.
Haha! Keep me posted...I bet you can convince your fiance!
I’ve never been on a cruise ship but are the muster drills weird and scary?
Not at all! I would say if anything, they are kind of boring!
very funny about the toilets.
+rayhuntermusic We thought so too.
Hey can you tell me what is a carnival cruise like
I would love to! Stay tuned for our next vlog and I'll answer there.
We going on a cruise may 2017 7 days
Yay!
i wish she wasn't so seductive.