Bob_KY

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

My first cruise was 2007 but my first Royal cruise was in 2016. It was not my favorite cruise by far but I did have a lot of fun. We were in Barbados and decided to walk from the ship to the Boatyard. It was hot but I remember liking the walk. We had a few drinks at the bar after finding a good spot to lay our stuff then swam. The water was the most beautiful I'd ever seen, the scenery was gorgeous, the people I was with were all gelling - it was a perfect day.

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

Our first cruise was on Majesty of the Seas in 1992...she was brandy-new and the supership of the time.  We loved everything about that trip, including our trek up Dunn River Falls.  Could've done without all locals selling us drugs at every turn in Jamaica though...LOL  We haven't been back to Ocho Rios since.  

Fortunately this is first ROYAL cruise so it was our honeymoon on "Viking Serenade" in September of '90 (car ferry conversion came later for her). Alaska was great and 29 years later still married....BUT she hates cruising and many folks refer to her as the "phantom wife" since I do cruise solo-not single ;>)

My first Royal Cruise was 11 years ago.
Three weeks before my x decided to become my x.
The cruise was awful. Why? Because all I remember from that cruise was him being drunk, a jerk, and not wanting to do anything at all. His drink of choice was "Grey Goose Martini with Six *&^%$ olives". Six. Never understood why SIX? To this day.... if I hear anyone say "Grey Goose Martini..." I cringe and hear in my head "with six olives".
This December marks 10 years free of my x. I wanted to celebrate with a "do over" and in 217 days, I board the Grandeur of the Seas (same ship) and I will indulge in all the cruise ship vacation fun and experiences that I wanted to do all those years ago but instead listened to a drunk jerk complain for seven days.
I am going to go do all the things and take excursions and dance and see the shows EVERY night! I am going to have so much fun and I am going to do it right this time!
?

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

One of my most favourite memories from our first cruise was how “in awe” I was of the Royal Promenade. At the time, I could not wrap my head around how something like that could even be on a ship!  
To this day, on embarkation day, I still walk onto every ship and take a moment to take in that feeling. 
This was the Royal Promenade on Adventure back in 2002. She was Royal’s biggest, newest, and brightest at the time. ❤️
 

Over a decade ago my wife and I decided to cruise.  Liberty of the Seas best fit our schedule.  We were entirely ignorant.  We picked one excursion.   
Jamaica excursion:  Blue Mtn Coffee-Dunn River Falls-Snorkling with all the rum "kool-aid" U could drink.  We decided that we would not snorkle and enjoy the boat.  Again, first cruise...  we did not remember the excursion details, and dressed for hiking along the "banks of Dunn River."  Well.. My wife was dressed very fashionably with pants and shirt.  
Loved the Blue Mtn Coffee.  Then, we were organized into groups to go hand in hand, not on the banks but IN THE RIVER.  My wife was a trooper and stuck with it - still not realizing the depth (she is less 5 feet tall) by the time we got to the top she was soaked.  We end up buying at the top of the falls, from the vendors, short gym shorts and a tee shirt.  She changed in the restroom and walked out.  The shorts were lime green with florescent yellow piping with JAMAICA (the bright yellow) across the back of the shorts.  We laughed so hard and bought the video.  As most were snorkling, we drank koolaid.  Yes, my wife lead the Conga line dance before we ended the excursion.   
I still have photo at the start as a screen saver.  
What is your first cruise memory?

My first cruise was to Alaska (Vancouver, closed loop) on Vision of the Seas in 1999.  Our most memorable thing from that sailing came on the last sea day.  We're basically out at open sea (no longer in the Inside Passage) and we're enjoying lunch in the MDR.  Someone on the starboard side yelled "Dolphins!"  The entire MDR started moving towards the windows.  Everything in the dining room STOPPED.  EVERY waiter, headwaiter, assistant waiter, and a few people from the kitchen came out to look.  Because it wasn't a few dolphins.  It was hundreds and hundreds of dolphins, moving in the same direction of the ship, nearly at ship speed, for as far as the eye could see.  Staff were commenting on how they'd NEVER seen such a sight while working in Alaska (including the captain).  I have a crappy memory for things, but I"ll NEVER forget that day.

Sailing on the 4th too.  Have a great cruise.  We are on the Harmony and are excited about the ship and itinerary.  Oops.  
We sail on the 5th.

I sail just right after New years on Jan 4th. Giving us enough time to bring in the New Year and sailing off days after.
Extremely excited first time sailing on a cruise ever. Slowly becoming desensitize with the pricing but it was overwhelming at first.
We thought "if it's our first time sailing might as well make it amazing" so I booked a OVB cabin and currently hawking cruise planner for deals.
So many things we want to add like couples massage, cococay waterpark pass, deluxe drink package, the key, and some onboard activities including sushi class haha.
I totaled it out and almost died lol

Great advice from all.  I would take advantage of getting familiar with the ship's routine.   Review previous Cruise Compasses at this site.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass | Royal Caribbean Blog
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=281

Here's a benefit from MEI. I canceled my June 2020 cruise for the inaugural November 2020 and all I had to do is email @michelle from MEI. She did all of the fun canceling and re booking. I would not have had the patience for all of that.

Me at 110 days.

I always sleep really well....but maybe the Deluxe Drink Package helps with that!  LOL

When I read this thread title, I thought someone was husband-hunting. LOL

Hi @morgan94, welcome to the forums!
If you're looking to fly on Jet Blue, I would recommend buying the tickets now rather than waiting, especially when you'll be traveling on Spring Break week. Others here have correctly noted that prices often take a dip in the 90-120 days from departure range, but Spring Break week doesn't tend to follow this rule; at least not based on what those of us here have observed over the last couple of years.
In addition, Jet Blue tends to sell out quickly and have prices steadily rise as available seats sell out. It's not as low-cost a "low cost carrier" as, say, Southwest; but it's still in that low-cost carrier bracket and doesn't follow the price dips of the big airlines.
I haven't sailed on Adventure (yet), so can't give any ship-specific tips. But having been a first-time cruiser just last year, I can give you some general tips that I found really helpful.
As others noted, for sure you want to arrive in FLL at least one day before cruise departure. A freak storm or other issue that delays your flight is not something you want to deal with on embarkation day On embarkation day, try to arrive at the port around 10:30 so you can board as early as possible; any "assigned" boarding time is just a suggestion and not required Make sure to bring small bills to give tips for the porters (both embarking and disembarking) and, if you wish, for the bartenders; a dollar or two wrapped around the Sea Pass card when you hand it over is much appreciated by them, and you'll get better drinks / better service Take the first day to just explore the ship, find the features you're interested in (e.g., the spa), and get familiar with her Be ready to be amazed at the sheer size of Adventure when you first see her Bring a highlighter or pen to mark items in the daily Cruise Compass that you think you want to take part in the next day; then expect to have some conflicts. ? This kind of conflicts with the prior tip, but... If you're an "alpha planner" like many of us here are ("Hi, I'm Joe, and I'm a spreadsheet addict."), be OK with having no plans on a sea day and just winging it; I'm still trying to get this one down solid, but figured I'd relay it ?

The few extra perks are nice but what we enjoyed the most was the extra space. Being able to move around the cabin without having to move out of the way or stay on the bed. Also having both a couch and chair and a little bigger balcony was nice.

It's why we call them them the CC police. It's as if I committed a capital crime. Nasty comments. I'm sorry but I'm not buying a soda package for a 4 year old. Now he is 6 and we are on Anthem next month and I did get him a soda package which I'm still questioning. I got it for him and my wife. I am drinking free water this cruise. I have lost 73 pounds and have up all soda and only drink water. I'm gonna bring 10 bottles of water, carry them on and then drink ship water the rest of the way. 
It's gonna be nice to cruise and not be fat! Just as a side note. ?

Agreed. I think there’s nothing wrong with a reminder of the devastation that families and communities are suffering from right now, but it’s also possible to be concerned about multiple things at the same time. Worrying and wondering about vacation plans isn’t mutually exclusive from being concerned about the effect this storm has on people both in the United States and abroad. I appreciate that for the most part this board is keeping things positive and not jumping at throats as much as CC. Who needs that much negativity??? Too stressful.