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Newbies with questions


GizaGaza

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The wfiey and I are going on our first ever cruise on the LOS in May of '20.  Everyone that we have talked to that have been on cruises tell us we will love it and become hooked from the get go.  Wifey is sure of this, I am... well... optimistically hopeful ?.

So we decided to go "big" ish for our first (which will also be on our 25th anniversary) and booked a Grand Suite, will probably do the UDP and DBP... cause we will never know if we don't try, right?

All that being said we have a couple questions:

  • Our LOS itinerary includes Falmouth.  We probably aren't going to do any excursions there but just kind of freestyle it.  We have read that it is really unsafe to leave the port on your own and we have read that it is fine.  Thoughts?

 

  • Being that we are virgins, what do you wish you would have done or knew before going on your first?  Any absolutely must or must not do items?

 

  • Being that we're giving this whole cruising thing a whirl we have decided to book an Alaska cruise for '21.  So... What time of the season would you go to Alaska?  I know this is a super subjective question but are there any significant pros/cons of going early (May-June) vs. later (August-September)... mid June through early August isn't a possibility.  Royal or Celebrity?  We are leaning towards Royal but...

Thanks in advance for any helpful thoughts and insight you might be able to give us desert dwelling cruise virgins.

 

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Welcome to the addiction!

While I have never felt unsafe in town in Falmouth, it’s just not a particularly relaxing and enjoyable place to wander around. If you are on an organized excursion, it’s fine (although many Falmouth excursions are a fair distance from the port (1 hour, for the most part)) but immediately outside of the compound in Falmouth isn’t a cheery place to walk about, IMO.

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@GizaGaza  Hi and welcome to the RCB forums!

I am jealous!  Your plan sounds great.  My wife and I will be at our 25th in two years.  I am hoping for a British Isles cruise, but we will see...

As for Falmouth, I think getting off and walking around is OK.  Sure be cautious.  Are you sailing with anyone else you know?  If so, you would probably be safer walking as a bigger group.  Sign up for the FB group for your cruise and add your cruise info to the master cruise list on this forum so you can see who else from here might be on your sailing.  Maybe you can meet people who would like to stroll around with you.

I would try to book all of your shows in advanced on the Cruise Planner if you can.  Then as soon as you get on the ship, book all of your dining (UDP) around your show choices.  This will firm up your evening schedule pretty quick and will hopefully eliminate any scheduling conflicts.

We go to Alaska the first week of July.  We think it is best.  We were in Juno on the 4th of July once which was awesome to see their parade.

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On the Liberty you cannot book the shows, not one of the Mega ships. You will love the ship and be sure to explore everything on board. Falmouth is not a bad port but I would not wander out on your own. We have a cruise coming up in October stopping there and we booked the Blue Water Beach Escape which we have done before. It is close to the port (10 minutes) and offers the big B3 combination that the wife likes (Beach, Booze and Buffet) and is not costly. At the port you can find all the shops for local artisans as well as the normal established what I call big box jewelers and stores. Congrats on the anniversary!

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27 minutes ago, DebAtSea said:

I went in June. It was utterly gorgeous. The weather was perfect. The thing I both loved and hated was this. There was no night, just twilight. I would love to go in September and hope to see the Northern Lights. 

I was on the Ovation early September. We had to turn back on the way to Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier because of the fog.  @firebuck was on the same itinerary two weeks later, the same thing happened to them.  

My waiter told me it often happens during the shoulder season.  He said June-July were the best times.

On the Northern Lights, some guests saw them at around 1-2 AM.  I missed them because I fell asleep. I had someone Airdrop this picture to my phone.

 

IMG_8745.thumb.JPG.ee7c275b1f0237d600d246ddbae93f54.JPG

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43 minutes ago, GizaGaza said:

The wfiey and I are going on our first ever cruise on the LOS in May of '20.  Everyone that we have talked to that have been on cruises tell us we will love it and become hooked from the get go.  Wifey is sure of this, I am... well... optimistically hopeful ?.

So we decided to go "big" ish for our first (which will also be on our 25th anniversary) and booked a Grand Suite, will probably do the UDP and DBP... cause we will never know if we don't try, right?

All that being said we have a couple questions:

  • Our LOS itinerary includes Falmouth.  We probably aren't going to do any excursions there but just kind of freestyle it.  We have read that it is really unsafe to leave the port on your own and we have read that it is fine.  Thoughts?

 

  • Being that we are virgins, what do you wish you would have done or knew before going on your first?  Any absolutely must or must not do items?

 

  • Being that we're giving this whole cruising thing a whirl we have decided to book an Alaska cruise for '21.  So... What time of the season would you go to Alaska?  I know this is a super subjective question but are there any significant pros/cons of going early (May-June) vs. later (August-September)... mid June through early August isn't a possibility.  Royal or Celebrity?  We are leaning towards Royal but...

Thanks in advance for any helpful thoughts and insight you might be able to give us desert dwelling cruise virgins.

 

I agree with @CrznTxn  that in Jamaica you can shop at the port -- in the past we've purchased some nice wood carvings.  If you want the beach or an adventure, book an excursion.

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My advice for first time cruisers is to get to the port early. You do not have to follow your suggested check-in time. I find that they usually start the security and check-in process around 10am. Also, definitely plan to see the ice skating show and arrive early. Seats tend to fill up.

Not sure if you are arriving to ports in the afternoon, but if you do, prepare for lines because everyone is trying to get off the ship at the same time. In the morning, the crowds are more scattered.

In regards to Alaska, I have sailed to Alaska twice and both were on Celebrity. I went last year and for about the same price as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity made an extra port of call in Ketchikan. Explorer of the Seas and Celebrity Solstice both left the same day from Seattle, but Celebrity had that extra Alaska stop (in addition to Skagway and Juneau). Something to consider.

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