Matt Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 I'm interested to know what is ONE thing you wish you knew before you took your first cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose City Cruiser Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 Re-pricing prior to final payment. mdgwow and Kathleen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 That There Was A Flowrider On A Ship!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJones Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 Pre-purchasing shore excursions. A relative always booked our reservations, so never had access to the cruise planner site. We always booked excursions on the ship - so at full price. Wasn't until cruise #3 when I booked on my own and found out about the cruise planner and sales Mr. Candyman and Kathleen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisegirl1976 Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 How much weight I would gain.. lol WesKinetic, WannaCruise, Rose City Cruiser and 7 others 1 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 How addictive it is. It's like a drug, cant never get enough. JLMoran, SpeedNoodles, WannaCruise and 10 others 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 I wish I had known what things were already included with price of the cruise. (Food, activities, etc.) There were so many things we thought incurred an additional cost until about day 3 of a 5- night cruise. (This was before the days of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 That you could make special requests in the MDR, and that you could have more than one serving of anything! 4ensic and MelKaps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 I wish I would've known about the benefits of booking your next cruise on board.... at the time, the lower deposits to go along with the OBC. Big Tule, Kathleen, Srp431 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 Just how much FUN it really is...wish I hadn't waited so long to start cruising! SpeedNoodles, RWDW1204, Big Tule and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 How to take full advantage of the cruise planner, including the benefits of booking activities and shows on the Oasis and Quantam Class, sales on drink and internet packages, as well as making reservations in advance for excursions. The convenience of booking excursions in advance, even if they are not on sale, saves mere time waiting to talk to and book an excursion as the sales center on board. As I have cruised these last few times, I have really understood more and more the advantages of all of this offered on Cruise Planner. I credit a lot of this to this blog as well a one or two other sites I have found helpful. These sites work because the tips are all coming from fellow cruisers who learned from other fellow cruisers that came before them. Thankful for that!!! ChessE4, YOLO, Vwjo and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Laker Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 RC Blog Smokeater639, Jack_Lime, Matt and 2 others 2 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrznTxn Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 Not knowing about the Cruise Planner and WAY over packing. Srp431 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotleyCruiser Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 That 7 days is just not enough. I felt 10 would have been perfect. #DisneyMagic ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddmcruiser Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 That it takes a while to get your bearings and figure out your way around the ship. Should have done more exploring on embarkation day. That your room won't be ready as soon as you get on board. Sorry - that was two things. ChessE4 and Dalewood 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 Not to trust all "official" online overviews of a specific ship as current. I let that color my choice of first ship to sail and missed a chance to do an ABC islands itinerary! The Cruise Junkie and PRebecca 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, Matt said: I'm interested to know what is ONE thing you wish you knew before you took your first cruise? I wish I knew more about the dining options on the ship before my first cruise. Basically, I was totally ignorant about cruising (2004) and didn't prepare at all for the trip. So when we had an issue with the MDR on Day 1 because muster messed up our reservations, I didn't know what to do and got a little frustrated (along with a crowd of other passengers). Now I know you just can't go hungry, and there are plenty of other options. My dining concern was part of the broader question of expectations -- I did not know what to expect on my first cruise. Your videos, which help manage expectations, are a godsend. WAAAYTOOO and PRebecca 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillainsGin Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, Cruisegirl1976 said: How much weight I would gain.. lol I've been doing my best to get on a diet before my Jan, 2020 sail date. I got about 3 months or so to lose 40 lbs ideally. It would be great for pictures and stuffing my face haha Cruisegirl1976 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillainsGin Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said: That you could make special requests in the MDR, and that you could have more than one serving of anything! When you say special request what does that mean? Could I order something off the menu but also isn't so far-fetched? For example if they did not have burger, hotdog, or pasta on the menu could I still tell them exactly how I want it made? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Clear Laker said: RC Blog One more vote for this! StephanieH and Smokeater639 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_Lime Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Clear Laker said: RC Blog I am so glad I found this blog before my upcoming cruise. SO MANY questions answered here, little things that I should not have been stressing over, already handled and squared away. Cruisegirl1976, Matt and WAAAYTOOO 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ensic Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 If you're on a smaller ship, to bring a bottle of Meclizine (very inexpensive on Amazon) and take it before you get sick if there are a lot of waves. I always thought it was a cliche that people turned green when seasick. A friend's wife was a combination of ghostly white and very light green. She lost 2 days being seasick. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalewood Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 That the buffet was open at boarding time. My friend and I saw hamburgers after boarding and gobbled one down apiece. We then walked 40 feet aft and saw the feast in the buffet Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 MDR on a sea day has best salad bar (Tutti Fruiti). Pookie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srp431 Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, CrznTxn said: Not knowing about the Cruise Planner and WAY over packing. Bringing too much clothes, have to reminder wife, that she can wear clothes twice and no one will even notice. RWDW1204, Pookie and StephanieH 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted October 7, 2019 Report Share Posted October 7, 2019 35 minutes ago, Srp431 said: Bringing too much clothes, have to reminder wife, that she can wear clothes twice and no one will even notice. Even if they do .. who cares? You won't be seeing those people again! KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srp431 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 6 hours ago, Cruisegirl1976 said: How much weight I would gain.. lol 100% true unfortunately Cruisegirl1976 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srp431 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 Completely agree, however my better half, refuses to wear anything that may be a bit dirty or wrinkled. Two suitcases are her minimum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brobbins246 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 That no matter how much you pre-plan (and erroneously rely on the RC app if you have it for your trip), you still need to check the paper Cruise Compas onboard, every day of your trip. I had everything planned in advance, including activities I found on the app with dates & times, so I didn't pay any attention to the Cruise Compas in our room. The app had been wrong about when ice skating was open (shocking!!), and we missed being able to do this because I didn't check the Cruise Compas. My kids were pretty bummed after planning for 6 months to ice skate in the Carribean. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 58 minutes ago, Srp431 said: Completely agree, however my better half, refuses to wear anything that may be a bit dirty or wrinkled. Two suitcases are her minimum It’s the Mars vs Venus kind of thing Srp431 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srp431 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 29 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said: It’s the Mars vs Venus kind of thing so true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vwjo Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 Wish I knew I could get motion sickness pills for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pima1988 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 FREE continental breakfast room service to enjoy on our balcony Vwjo and RWDW1204 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 How much fun it was...should have started sooner PRebecca, RWDW1204, ddmcruiser and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisegirl1976 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 14 hours ago, TJ! said: I've been doing my best to get on a diet before my Jan, 2020 sail date. I got about 3 months or so to lose 40 lbs ideally. It would be great for pictures and stuffing my face haha lol.. my cruise is in Feb 2020.. and I need to lose 15lbs... but we know we can do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisegirl1976 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 14 hours ago, 4ensic said: If you're on a smaller ship, to bring a bottle of Meclizine (very inexpensive on Amazon) and take it before you get sick if there are a lot of waves. I always thought it was a cliche that people turned green when seasick. A friend's wife was a combination of ghostly white and very light green. She lost 2 days being seasick. That was me on my 1st cruise.. I was seated in the MDR getting ready to eat my steak when the ship began to rock.. and man did I have to run to the bathroom..lol.. and then I got back looking pale white just in time for the photo.. .. and I have that photo.. lol 4ensic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 ...What exactly is included in my cruise fare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanBrian Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 That I could order as many items as I wished off the menus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeater639 Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 That I didn't have to wait until the 1:30 boarding time to get to the port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesKinetic Posted October 8, 2019 Report Share Posted October 8, 2019 I wish I had done more research on the variety of offerings and everything to do. The first time I went, I truly didn't want to go--I thought I'd be bored staring at the water for a week. I have never been more wrong about anything in my life. I was blown away with how much there was to do and, because I hadn't done any research, it was almost overwhelming. Now whenever anyone asks, I tell them a cruise is the perfect vacation. If you want to party 24/7 you can. If you want to do nothing but lay in a deck chair for week, you can. It is a choose your own adventure vacation. PRebecca and TheRoyalOs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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