Jayhoaps

I see people in all sorts of attire.  A casual t-shirt and sandals will fancy.

Hello everyone, will be attending my first cruise on November 12, really excited but at the same time overwhelmed. There's so many things to do on the ship, restaurants, shows, activities, attractions, bars, etc. etc. I have this feeling of fear of missing out on anything. To my expert cruisers out there, any advice on how to properly prepare and plan for the cruise. Do you guys take a day or two to map it out, and plan what you will do daily. OR do you take things daily, look at the cruise compass and plan it and be more spontaneous. Any advice or feedback or tips on how you plan your cruise to make it the best cruise experience ever would be greatly appreciated. Many thank you's in advance. 

Hi, I used the 3 day dining package back in June.  Yes, you have to pick either Day 1 or Day 2. But once you are on board, either go to the nearest specialty restaurant or dining kiosk.  There you can switch your courtesy booking to any day plus reserve your other 2 meals.  Since I had an 11 am boarding time, I was able to get everything I wanted. But go prepared - knowing which restaurants and what days/times you want along with a plan B, plan C, and a plan Z.

Hello everyone, just wanted to inquire about breakfast and lunch in the Main dining room. Do you need to make reservations for this or do you just show up at the main dining for breakfast or lunch and be seated. Any guidance or insight on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

We plan in relax time every day and a nap before dinner.

I equate it to a Disney vacation, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to experience every single thing without multiple visits or a very long trip.  Just do what appeals to you and if you don't like it, just get up and move to the next thing.  I am not one to sit around and just be idle with my own thoughts (i.e. day at the beach or all day at the pool) but on a cruise, I am in such a relaxed state of mind, I don't feel like I am searching out the items of enrichment I do on land (I am a strong believer that everyone can learn something new each and every day and take advantage of the time we live in with the world's information at our fingertips).
Just enjoy it!  Have fun!  Take some pictures to make others jealous 😄 and look to when you are going to book the next one!

Thank you all for your wonderful replies, I read all of them and it definitely has eased my anxiety and worries. Thanks again, I will definitely enjoy my cruise now! 

Thank you all for your wonderful replies, I read all of them and it definitely has eased my anxiety and worries. Thanks again, I will definitely enjoy my cruise now! 

Thank you all for your wonderful replies, I read all of them and it definitely has eased my anxiety and worries. Thanks again, I will definitely enjoy my cruise now! 

That does JP8!
I did get the boys the refreshment package.  I can see them enjoying shakes and trying frozen mocktails of all sorts.

Hi. I was on the Oasis in July and got the milkshake 3x to go. No issues. Hope that helps.

I've seen more posts and comments saying that you can,In fact, just go get the milkshake with the package and not have to order anything else. 

^^ Exactly this!

This is really good advice.  It's your vacation, you should be doing exactly what you want - sometimes it's an activity, sometimes it's just relaxing by the pool.

I say don't sweat it. Sure, you should make reservations if there are shows you want to see that require it, and if you need to make dining reservations you can do that too.
This site is an outstanding resource for first time cruisers, so read up.....but....don't try to do everything because you'll be stressed out and disappointed.  You can always take another cruise if there are things you didn't get a chance to do on your first.
We had no idea what we were doing on our first cruise.  We did no precruise research and just flew down to Miami and went aboard the ship.  When we boarded we asked one of the crew members at the gangway what we could do.  She replied something like "whatever you want" then told us about the complementary options for lunch along with info about when our cabins would be ready. She also made sure we knew how to find the interactive maps by every elevator.  After lunch, we wandered around until our cabin was ready then found our way up top so we could look around.  I remember thinking I would get in trouble for bringing a cup of coffee up to the sundeck with me. 😄
The best advice we've gotten has always been from other guests we've met on board, usually at dinner.  We enjoy sitting with strangers and have never met anyone who has been unpleasant, even when there has been a language barrier.
On our first ever night in a Main Dining room, we were seated with three other couples who were all Diamond level or higher (none of the couples knew each other before sitting for dinner).  Their unanimous advice to us was to explore the ship by going everywhere we were allowed to access.  They all said to respect the signage, but otherwise go where ever we could to get a feel for the ship.  The other excellent advice was to understand that we would not be able to do everything, and to accept that fact.
We booked another cruise onboard before the first one was over.
After 11 cruises (rookie number compared to many here), we still learn something every cruise.  It's become part of the fun for us.

I am a HUGH planner.  But my last cruise, I had planned TOO MUCH! I never had a chance to sit back and relax by a pool or hot tub.  So my advice, plan on what you really want to hit - if that is a shore excursion, a show, or a specialty dining.  Then save several hours in a day relaxing your way. Have fun.  Don't stress.  There is so much on a cruise ship that it is impossible to hit it all at once.  Bring back wonderful memories. 

Some of us will be honest and say we anticipate and plan for months prior to a cruise!! But really, that is to kill time when we are bored.  As long as you pre-book what you need to before the cruise (perhaps excursions, Voom, beverage or a special show), you don't need to schedule day 1 like it was a work conference.
We plan a few months out on port excursions, if we want them.  Otherwise, we locate maps online and watch videos on how to walk around on our own.
The cruise compass will change frequently, but day 1 you just need to board and get muster drill taken care of.  Your rooms will be ready between 1 or 2 PM, and when your luggage arrives, you'll unpack.  Otherwise, a swimsuit in your carryon will enable you to chill out in the pool/solarium while everyone is walking around the ship.  Folks with specialty dining do have the extra task of trying to schedule their dinners or lunches, but we've avoided that, for the most part.
Don't be afraid of missing out.  You will miss "a" when you select "b", so just do what you want. Last cruise we listened to music by performers, but ended up missing the special theme parties -- our choice of the venue we wanted to experience at that moment in time.
Some of us are planners, and some are more spontaneous.  When you get older, a lot depends upon your energy level or aches/pains.  When you are younger, not so much.  Have a great trip, enjoy moments of downtime, and pick something fun to do each day.

Our approach is to generally know what we'd like to do each day and I get immense satisfaction from reading my cruise compass before going to bed each night thinking about the next day.   Something along these lines for a general daily plan with lots of hours to fill in on the spontaneous side: 
Day 1 = get familiar with ship, dinner main dining room, show
Day 2 = X excursion, dinner main dining room, Schooner bar, show (if up for it)
Day 3 sea day = would be nice to hit the pool at some point, bingo at 3pm, dinner at chops, show
A general outline of the day, but aside from paid excursions and dining reservations, we easily adjust as wanted/needed.  

You can’t do it all. After boarding, I schedule my shows for the week…those that require reservations. I make sure I don’t have any conflicts with specialty dining reservations on the show days so I don’t have to rush through a meal. Booking the shows is important as they fill up quickly and I don’t want to wait in the standby line at the door. Other than that…I pretty much just check the Cruise Compass each day…or the night before…to get an idea of what’s happening. If something interests me I’ll just keep it in mind and, if available, I’ll go. But, the most important thing for me is the relaxation and not having to be anywhere but where I am. How Zen-like!…but it’s true. Don’t feel like you need to be doing something other than enjoying the vacation experience. Rest, relax, repeat! Enjoy!😎

It will take you several cruises to fully enjoy EVERYTHING on a particular ship.  My advice is for you to look at all the events, activities, and venues on the daily planner.  They should appear on the app as your sail date approaches.  Make a list of what you would like to prioritize when you sail, then plan to do them at a leisurely pace.  Try not to be taken in by the frenzy of it all.  If you miss anything, you can always book again.

Last month, Lyft from the airport motel (embassy Suites) to the port was a breeze and ran us $18 + cash tip.  We had a noon check in time.
Leaving to port for the airport, not so good.  We headed off the ship at 9; got rescheduled / assigned different driver three times, each stating a 12-15 minute wait.  Got to the taxi line and was in a yellow cab in under 5 minutes, but it ran us $40 with tip.  (it was raining, so some traffic delays)

I wish port cities would expand this to include other pick up and drop off points.  When I visited Madrid some years ago, taxi fares to and from the airport were at a fixed rate, $20 (or Euro?) I think.  I've forgotten all the caveats but it was very stress relieving.

Hopefully things have changed, but we had a lot of difficulties using Lyft XL back in February in Miami.   Four people with one piece of luggage each seemed to upset drivers.   Between the ride from the airport to hotel, hotel to ship, and ship to airport we had four XL drivers refuse to take us because they said didn’t have room. 
 
Interesting side note….I drove for Lyft and Uber for a few years.  My Toyota 4Runner wouldn’t qualify for XL trips…..but all the drivers that came for us, including the ones that actually took us, had vehicles the same size or smaller.  
 
I’m not sure if the vehicle standards were lowered because of a lack of drivers, but it was very frustrating. Especially when we were being yelled at in Spanish by one of the drivers.
 
…..and yes, I requested XL rides, and XL rides are more expensive. 

The Uber app will recognize your current location. Double check it to make sure it has the right location for you. It will be specific to the terminal and location. The airport should have a designated rideshare waiting area once you exit the terminal.
You will put in the address you want it to take you to which will be Terminal A Port of Miami.  The app tells the driver and gives them directions to whatever you input into the app once they pick you up.

Taxi fares between Miami Airport and the cruise port are fixed at $27.
Uber/Lyft rates will vary depending on time and demand.