FuzzyMutt
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,644 
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Post by FuzzyMutt on Feb 21, 2020 22:00:07 GMT
I told him I'd worn it 2 days prior he literally couldn't remember. LOL  that's funny  Which cruise line did you end up choosing? We had to go with Carnival because the others have strict rules about teens (even 18yos) being in their own cabin, they would have had to be adjoining for one line and like super close for another. At the time we were deciding we (dh & I) were the only set of parents going. We now have 4 sets of parents total and the rooms are pretty close so we might have been able to make it work on another line but it would have been more expensive and some wouldn't have been able to join.....dh would have preferred any line but Carnival (he's never been on a cruise....just the reputation he dislikes) but it is what it is. Hopefully he'll like enough that we can take another cruise alone  That's so awesome! Honestly, I have loved Carnival and it never felt like a concession to me. You guys will have a blast! It's fantastic, too, that you'll be part of such a big group! Have you considered getting t-shirts made? Or door signs? Tons of fun! |
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Feb 21, 2020 22:14:34 GMT
that's funny We had to go with Carnival because the others have strict rules about teens (even 18yos) being in their own cabin, they would have had to be adjoining for one line and like super close for another. At the time we were deciding we (dh & I) were the only set of parents going. We now have 4 sets of parents total and the rooms are pretty close so we might have been able to make it work on another line but it would have been more expensive and some wouldn't have been able to join.....dh would have preferred any line but Carnival (he's never been on a cruise....just the reputation he dislikes) but it is what it is. Hopefully he'll like enough that we can take another cruise alone That's so awesome! Honestly, I have loved Carnival and it never felt like a concession to me. You guys will have a blast! It's fantastic, too, that you'll be part of such a big group! Have you considered getting t-shirts made? Or door signs? Tons of fun! I’ve considered making door signs but I’m so busy right now I just don’t have the time. Maybe once things slow down in a couple weeks. It’s primarily a group of boys so I highly doubt they’d wear matching tshirts, they’d think I’d lost my mind if I suggested it) but maybe door signs. |
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Post by myboysnme on Feb 21, 2020 22:22:29 GMT
I wish I knew how much money I would need for tipping everyone.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Feb 21, 2020 23:06:23 GMT
I wish I booked my excursions through the cruise line. They seemed better run, well marked directions,etc. I also recommend researching the excursions from a safety standpoint. One we took required us to drive beefed-up golf carts across a pretty busy road and through an area with steep drop offs, could have ended in a disaster with inexperienced drivers (no license required).
I was disappointed to learn on our Alaska cruise that Holland America owned a few of the stores they were promoting on the ship, and the special gemologists that gave presentations on the ship as “entertainment “ worked at the stores. It was just one big racket in each port.
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Post by fuji on Feb 21, 2020 23:07:59 GMT
Such good info! We're hoping to go on an Alaskan cruise next year.
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,876
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Feb 22, 2020 0:57:48 GMT
Thank you a million times over!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 22, 2020 5:20:36 GMT
I’ll second bringing Dramamine, enough for each person to make it through every day of the cruise and then just take it whether you think you need it or not. I didn’t have it on my first cruise and ended up getting seasick. It’s better to just take it and never get sick than to take that chance of spending a bunch of time puking your guts out. Oh, and start taking it BEFORE you get to the ship, as it takes a bit to kick in.
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TankTop
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1,871
Posts: 4,876
Location: On the couch...
Jun 28, 2014 1:52:46 GMT
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Post by TankTop on Feb 23, 2020 13:30:58 GMT
I have been told to mark our suitcases so they are easy to spot.
Any suggestions?
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Post by candygurl on Feb 23, 2020 14:01:35 GMT
Thought of a few more!
Don’t wait and do laundry on the last day! Crazy busy! And if you do, make sure you get your clothes out right away or people will take them out and put them in a big pile on the shelf. Some people did not like that lol!
As for tipping, we got envelopes and made sure to tip the cleaning staff but also our favorite waiters. On the cruises we’ve been, you have the same wait staff so they get to know you and your preferences. We loved ours! Make sure you get to know them too. They are away from their families for months at a time, can’t imagine how hard that is for them.
We also made door signs, super easy..just laminate and add magnets. We went on a Disney cruise, might just be a Disney thing but it was helpeful especially for the kids.
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Post by SockMonkey on Feb 23, 2020 14:29:08 GMT
I bring a baggie of bleach wipes and wipe the whole room down as soon as we get in. Yes, they clean the rooms, but this is the one thing that makes me feel like I have some control over not getting sick. I also hand sanitize frequently.
Unless you enjoy overpacking and getting dressed up, don't stress about "formal night." Most of the folks in there are not that dressed up. I wear a maxi dress or sundress or nice top and linen pants and keep it moving. It's not that serious.
Each adult can usually bring 1-2 bottles of wine on board. If you like to have a drink in your room/on your balcony/without paying $12-$16, take advantage of that.
Power strip.
Research excursions on Trip Advisor; you don't need to pay for the ones through the ship (but sometimes we do, depending on the port/trip. Like Russia.) Do plan something, though. Typically the cruise port area is just full of cruise company owned stores and all the same in every port. Get away from the port area for a better experience, unless you enjoy chain restaurants, Crocs stores, and Diamonds International.
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Post by SockMonkey on Feb 23, 2020 14:31:17 GMT
I was disappointed to learn on our Alaska cruise that Holland America owned a few of the stores they were promoting on the ship, and the special gemologists that gave presentations on the ship as “entertainment “ worked at the stores. It was just one big racket in each port. Almost all the shops near cruise ports are cruiseline owned. It is difficult to find locally owned shops right near a port. In Alaska, we did find some that had specific signs in the window that said "locally owned" or "indigenous owned" and made it a point to shop there (since it is difficult to get away from the cruise ports in AK). All of the "shopping" talks on cruises are specifically designed to get you to spend more money at shops they own. It's intentional. |
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Post by SockMonkey on Feb 23, 2020 14:32:43 GMT
I have been told to mark our suitcases so they are easy to spot. Any suggestions? Easy to spot where? When you get off at the end? If you are able bodied, you can carry your own luggage off the ship when you disembark. If you don't, they will take your luggage off and it should be organized by deck/room area so it should be easier to find at the end. Some people tie ribbons or use neon tags or stuff like that. It's no worse than finding your luggage on the conveyor after a flight, in my experience. |
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Post by SockMonkey on Feb 23, 2020 14:34:00 GMT
Such good info! We're hoping to go on an Alaskan cruise next year. My favorite cruise! I have lots of excursion recommendations if you're adventuresome! |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:52:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2020 22:19:19 GMT
If this is your first cruise and it's for a week or less, try not to panic when the minute you get on board they start giving you instructions for debarkation. Heeheehee. But true.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 23, 2020 22:27:41 GMT
You can get clear little luggage tags that hold the room number on them. I went into a hallway on our ship and there had to be 100 suitcases with no room number on them. They were unclaimed long after the ship had set sail. Anyone could have grabbed them.
We also found that a lanyard with a clear name tag holder was great for when you got off the boat (or on). It held your driver's license and boat ID.
We took both cruise tours and tours on our own. Book early if you really want to take a cruise tour. They sell out. We went to Barbados and were there 12 hours. We took a cruise tour and then came back for lunch and found a taxi driver who drove us around and showed us lots of places on the island. Stopped at the beach also. It was a 4-5 hour ride (had a van) and he charged us 25 bucks a person. It was a good deal for us.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 23, 2020 22:29:04 GMT
I wish I knew how much money I would need for tipping everyone. We were allowed to change our fee. I cut ours in half and then gave money directly to the few people who really went out of their way to help us. |
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 23, 2020 22:30:58 GMT
I have been told to mark our suitcases so they are easy to spot. Any suggestions? Easy to spot where? When you get off at the end? If you are able bodied, you can carry your own luggage off the ship when you disembark. If you don't, they will take your luggage off and it should be organized by deck/room area so it should be easier to find at the end. Some people tie ribbons or use neon tags or stuff like that. It's no worse than finding your luggage on the conveyor after a flight, in my experience. We put colorful duct tape on several sides of the suitcase. Out storage area was like an empty furniture warehouse and people were struggling to find some of their luggage. We pulled ours off the morning of since we didn't want to send it away at 11 pm the night prior. |
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Feb 23, 2020 22:41:12 GMT
You can get clear little luggage tags that hold the room number on them. Because I'm cheap (and this cruise may be our first and last) I printed out our luggage tags, laminated them with packing tape, punched a hole near each end and am packing zip ties. Once we get off the plane we'll zip tie a tag to each bag. No worries about the airline removing the tags, less chance of them ripping/falling off, and no need to pack a stapler. |
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 23, 2020 23:06:07 GMT
You can get clear little luggage tags that hold the room number on them. Because I'm cheap (and this cruise may be our first and last) I printed out our luggage tags, laminated them with packing tape, punched a hole near each end and am packing zip ties. Once we get off the plane we'll zip tie a tag to each bag. No worries about the airline removing the tags, less chance of them ripping/falling off, and no need to pack a stapler. Good idea. We went with previous cruisers and they brought them to share with us. |
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Post by fuji on Feb 24, 2020 1:03:09 GMT
Such good info! We're hoping to go on an Alaskan cruise next year. My favorite cruise! I have lots of excursion recommendations if you're adventuresome! I would love that! |
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Post by rahnee on Feb 24, 2020 5:46:17 GMT
Depending on your cruise, the drink package can be fantastic value. We paid $48USD last year on Allure of the Seas. With a couple of specialty coffees a day, bottled water that we were able to take on excursions with us, 3 drinks and we were breaking even. It's definitely not just for big drinkers.
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Post by SockMonkey on Feb 25, 2020 0:02:40 GMT
My favorite cruise! I have lots of excursion recommendations if you're adventuresome! I would love that! This was our whole itinerary. We sailed on Royal Caribbean. Here's what we did: DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 - TRAVEL DAY DAY 2 - THURSDAY, JUNE 14 - VANCOUVER DAY Granville Island - Take Ferry & sightsee/shop - Lots of cool little artsy shops and nice food market. Stanley Park - Rent bikes, ride seawall, photo ops - This was AWESOME! We had a great time in Stanley park. Return to Hotel Dinner - Queen Elizabeth Park - Seasons Vancouver 6PM - Great restaurant, not cheap, but delicious and lovely view. DAY 3 - CRUISE DAY Board cruise ship DAY 4 - INSIDE PASSAGE - CRUISING DAY DAY 5 - KETCHIKAN - ARRIVE 6AM, DEPART 4PM 8:45AM - 12:30PM - Misty Fjords Float/Boat Wilderness Adventure - This was a boat ride out to the fjords that was super cool. Saw lots of wildlife and some sea life (otters, sea stars, jellies). Then a very small plane ride back to the boat dock. Loved it! DAY 6 - ICY STRAIT POINT (HOONAH) - Arrive 9AM, Depart 6PM 9:30AM - 2:00PM - Whale Watching & Zip Rider - First we did a whale watching tour and saw tons of humpback whales. Small boat, so it was awesome. Then we did the mile long zip line at Icy Strait Point. All of that cruise port area is owned by indigenous people, which is super cool. The small shopping areas have a few good restaurants and it's a great place to buy souvenirs crafted by actual indigenous people and not mass produced in China. DAY 7 - JUNEAU - ARRIVE 7AM, DEPART 9:30PM 10:15AM - 1:00PM - Dog Sledding/Helicopter - THE COOLEST THING EVER. We took a helicopter up to the glacier where we got to do a quick dog sled loop and play with sled dog puppies! We had the BEST TIME. Super amazing. $$$ but one of the best things I've ever done on vacation. The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau (easy walk from dock) is campy and fun. www.reddogsaloon.com/DAY 8 - SKAGWAY - ARRIVE 7AM, DEPART 4:30PM Kroschel Wildlife Refuge 7:30AM - ? Okay, this was weird as shit. My husband liked it but I thought it was just weird and freaky. The dude is into all this wild holistic medicine and seemed super nuts. But, you do get to see wildlife up close. But...WEIRD. www.kroschelfilms.com/ DAY 9 - CRUISING - HUBBARD GLACIER DAY 10 - ARRIVE SEWARD AK, Train to Anchorage - We took a glass ceiling/big window train from Seward to Anchorage where we were flying out. Very scenic and nice. Easy. www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60880-d105991-r119154663-Alaska_Railroad-Anchorage_Alaska.html |
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Post by fuji on Feb 26, 2020 1:15:08 GMT
This was our whole itinerary. We sailed on Royal Caribbean. Here's what we did: DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 - TRAVEL DAY DAY 2 - THURSDAY, JUNE 14 - VANCOUVER DAY Granville Island - Take Ferry & sightsee/shop - Lots of cool little artsy shops and nice food market. Stanley Park - Rent bikes, ride seawall, photo ops - This was AWESOME! We had a great time in Stanley park. Return to Hotel Dinner - Queen Elizabeth Park - Seasons Vancouver 6PM - Great restaurant, not cheap, but delicious and lovely view. DAY 3 - CRUISE DAY Board cruise ship DAY 4 - INSIDE PASSAGE - CRUISING DAY DAY 5 - KETCHIKAN - ARRIVE 6AM, DEPART 4PM 8:45AM - 12:30PM - Misty Fjords Float/Boat Wilderness Adventure - This was a boat ride out to the fjords that was super cool. Saw lots of wildlife and some sea life (otters, sea stars, jellies). Then a very small plane ride back to the boat dock. Loved it! DAY 6 - ICY STRAIT POINT (HOONAH) - Arrive 9AM, Depart 6PM 9:30AM - 2:00PM - Whale Watching & Zip Rider - First we did a whale watching tour and saw tons of humpback whales. Small boat, so it was awesome. Then we did the mile long zip line at Icy Strait Point. All of that cruise port area is owned by indigenous people, which is super cool. The small shopping areas have a few good restaurants and it's a great place to buy souvenirs crafted by actual indigenous people and not mass produced in China. DAY 7 - JUNEAU - ARRIVE 7AM, DEPART 9:30PM 10:15AM - 1:00PM - Dog Sledding/Helicopter - THE COOLEST THING EVER. We took a helicopter up to the glacier where we got to do a quick dog sled loop and play with sled dog puppies! We had the BEST TIME. Super amazing. $$$ but one of the best things I've ever done on vacation. The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau (easy walk from dock) is campy and fun. www.reddogsaloon.com/DAY 8 - SKAGWAY - ARRIVE 7AM, DEPART 4:30PM Kroschel Wildlife Refuge 7:30AM - ? Okay, this was weird as shit. My husband liked it but I thought it was just weird and freaky. The dude is into all this wild holistic medicine and seemed super nuts. But, you do get to see wildlife up close. But...WEIRD. www.kroschelfilms.com/ DAY 9 - CRUISING - HUBBARD GLACIER DAY 10 - ARRIVE SEWARD AK, Train to Anchorage - We took a glass ceiling/big window train from Seward to Anchorage where we were flying out. Very scenic and nice. Easy. www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60880-d105991-r119154663-Alaska_Railroad-Anchorage_Alaska.htmlThis is AWESOME! Pretty sure I would like to follow this exactly! Thank you so much! |
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