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Activities to skip on board


nrgMike

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Hi.

I realize this will be a really subjective question but which activities on board would you skip? Going on my first cruise on Navigator of the Seas in October 2019 for four nights. Just wondering what activities you feel weren't worth your time after having done them. 

 

Thank You,

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1 minute ago, nrgMike said:

Hi.

I realize this will be a really subjective question but which activities on board would you skip? Going on my first cruise on Navigator of the Seas in October 2019 for four nights. Just wondering what activities you feel weren't worth your time after having done them. 

 

Thank You,

Of the things that I did on Mariner, I'd skip the spa tour. The woman was pushy, touchy-feely, and I felt overall violated, lol

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14 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Of the things that I did on Mariner, I'd skip the spa tour. The woman was pushy, touchy-feely, and I felt overall violated, lol

Is there any benefit in doing the Spa tour outside of a walkthrough? I know on Carnival if you do the Spa tour you get put into a few raffles for Cash on the ship.

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23 minutes ago, ReyRod said:

Is there any benefit in doing the Spa tour outside of a walkthrough? I know on Carnival if you do the Spa tour you get put into a few raffles for Cash on the ship.

You can just tell them "I've already done it" and they'll just give you the raffle tickets in my experience... ?

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1 hour ago, coneyraven said:

Then, in '17, we took the Sushi Making Class ... talk about an opposite experience..... it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

I love to cook and I always feel like the sushi class looks amazing - but I also hate to give up valuable Caribbean sun time on the outside decks. Such a conflict! 

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51 minutes ago, b_resh_uh said:

Tanzanite jewelry seminars are the timeshare presentations of the high seas. You can skip those...

All the jewelry/watch shows, are them trying to get you in the door and hope they peak an interest so you will stay and buy something.

Unless you really are interested in learning something about a specific stone or watch brand I wouldn't go.

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I'd skip the art auction personally.  I'm not in the market for fine art and if I was, I'm not sure a cruise ship would be where I'd want to purchase the art.  I like looking at the gallery, that's fun.  But the art auction, not even the free champagne can get me to be interested in buying art.  

Skip the spa tour unless you're honestly interested in getting spa services.  This goes for the "complimentary" 5 minute massages as well.  The spa tour in my opinion is too pushy, and this is across almost every cruise line out there.  This goes for the free acupuncture consultations, free collagen under eye treatments, free tooth whitening consultations, free hair consultations, etc.  In my experience they've all been high pressure to sell products not even the services.  Because their biggest profit margin isnt on the spa services themselves, but on the addon products.  Also dont do tooth whitening on a cruise.  1.  your teeth after a whitening are super sensitive, I dont like associating pain with margaritas!  2. After whitening teeth tend to stain quicker (just from my experience, I'm no dentist) so foods and drinks that are highly colored (more fun beverage restrictions!) will stain your freshly whitened teeth.  3.  Its ungodly expensive for something that costs far less even from your dentist, much less some crest whitestrips.  

Skip the jewelry and purses and watches events.  These are sales pitches.  Unless you want to buy jewelry, watches and purses on a cruise, you can always browse the shop on your own time without someone trying to make a hard sell pitch at you.  I'd do the same with the "liquor tasting".  This is more sales.  Unless you're planning on buying duty free booze, give this one a pass as well.  They claim there are free samples but you're not walking away from these events buzzed, drunk, or even mildly amused.  

You'll see the most of these sales pitches on embarkation and your first sea day.  That's when you have the most money and free time.  They know this.  If you have the disposable income or its in your budget to buy a purse or booze (that you cant drink on the ship) or overpriced skincare, by all means, attend.  But if you have no intention on buying these items on land, just dont bother going.  

 

Instead, head to the pool deck or solarium and enjoy a tasty cocktail (even if its 14 bucks, its less than you'd spend on skincare and teeth whitening)

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2 hours ago, b_resh_uh said:

Tanzanite jewelry seminars are the timeshare presentations of the high seas. You can skip those...

ABSOLUTELY the truth, I know they say that you get free stuff but the quality of things that you will get for free are on par with things that you get out of a bubble gum machine....not worth the time that you spend in there! 

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3 hours ago, b_resh_uh said:

Tanzanite jewelry seminars are the timeshare presentations of the high seas. You can skip those...

I'm pretty sure I've seen like three different types of "color changing gemstones" featured in those shows in the cruise planner ?

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Just now, bhageerah said:

ABSOLUTELY the truth, I know they say that you get free stuff but the quality of things that you will get for free are on par with things that you get out of a bubble gum machine....not worth the time that you spend in there! 

But don't you know???!!! The Tanzanite mines are running out of gems! Gotta get it while it's still around!!

I've been hearing that since 2003.

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4 hours ago, Matt said:

Art auction, port shopping info events, and bingo.  I know some love bingo, but I'd only play bingo if it's the one where there is a guaranteed winner. Most of the time, that is not the case.

Oh that's good to know, I was thinking I would play bingo but I didn't know they don't all have winners. It shows you how much I play bingo.

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On 2/27/2019 at 2:05 PM, ThyriC said:

I'd skip the art auction personally.  I'm not in the market for fine art and if I was, I'm not sure a cruise ship would be where I'd want to purchase the art.  I like looking at the gallery, that's fun.  But the art auction, not even the free champagne can get me to be interested in buying art.  

 

My SIL and BIL have bough SO MUCH art on the many cruises they have gone on, and then my BIL brags about how many thousands of dollars they have spent on the stuff. And they have totally bought into how much they will be worth, etc. And my husband and I are like, WTF? who spends that much money on cruise ship art? They are not buying art from dealers at home, so it's not like they are collectors. I just don't get it. To each his own, really, it's not like it's unattractive art, but it's a lot of money.  Like $25k on a sculpture. He just wants us to know that they have that kind of money to spend, but I'm not impressed.

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There is a whole lot of activities on-board that I don't understand why anyone would do them.  Not judging or criticizing, but for example, almost anyone can play bingo in their home towns, why waste precious cruise time staring at bingo boards?

I would take a past cruise compass......look at what's offered and make two lists...one of activities you could just as easily do at home, and the other activities that are unique to being on the ship (for example, many of us do NOT have easy access to pools, slides, and loungers!),  Then look at that second list for activities you think you would enjoy.

Agree with others...skip ALL the lectures about shopping, watches, art, jewelry etc....they are elaborate sales pitches.  Finally, they will CONSTANTLY have watches for sale...feel free to look and sure, if you see one you like and have access cash go ahead and buy it BUT if money is a bit tight....document the watch you like and look for it on-line when you get home.  I can almost guarantee you will find it for the same or better price.  Thats what happened to me.  Saw Invictas and fell in love but was skeptical that the prices they were showing were a rip-off..  Got home and did my research.  Turns out their prices were completely fair.......and the same price everywhere else.  In researching, I actually found an Invicta they didn't have on the ship and bought it instead.

 

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On 2/27/2019 at 12:05 PM, KLA said:

I love to cook and I always feel like the sushi class looks amazing - but I also hate to give up valuable Caribbean sun time on the outside decks. Such a conflict! 

My wife and daughter did the sushi class on Harmony on a sea day. They both loved it and it’s normally fairly early in the day. They did theirs at 10:30am. They were very accommodating when we mentioned that raw fish wasn’t in the plans for our 8 year old. They brought out other pieces of fish and she still talks about it all the time. 

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4 hours ago, jce2 said:

There is a whole lot of activities on-board that I don't understand why anyone would do them.  Not judging or criticizing, but for example, almost anyone can play bingo in their home towns, why waste precious cruise time staring at bingo boards?

I would take a past cruise compass......look at what's offered and make two lists...one of activities you could just as easily do at home, and the other activities that are unique to being on the ship (for example, many of us do NOT have easy access to pools, slides, and loungers!),  

I think it all has to do with personal preference.  We have a nice pool at home season passes to the water park in our city.  Sitting out at the pool has 0 appeal to me.  I would rather sit on our balcony and watch the ocean than in the sun at the pool.  Sitting around is not why I go on vacation.  I’ve already written down stuff that I want to do every day from the Royal App schedule.  

Some of the things I think sound fun are line dancing, family karaoke, martini tasting, family feud, scavenger hunts, whiskey seminar, towel folding, and a diff show every night.

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Anything that seems like it will lead to a sales pitch is a waste of time unless you are there for a coupon or discount on that service or product.  These also include the shore talks so that the cruise ship can direct you to the shops that give them a kickback.  I do go to the t-shirt sale to buy gifts for those left at home including our employees.  Most of the "pitch" items have been mentioned above.  Free tours are usually always a sales pitch. 

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10 hours ago, Matt said:

Art auction, port shopping info events, and bingo.  I know some love bingo, but I'd only play bingo if it's the one where there is a guaranteed winner. Most of the time, that is not the case.

On her first ever cruise in 2002, my mom played “Win a Cruise BINGO” on the very first night onboard Adventure of the Seas...and she WON! She took us w/ the next year on her sister ship, Explorer. 

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