Just booked first ever cruise. What can I expect and any tips

[Fuelman]

Hi Guys

Just found this forum and am sure you all get asked these question from new people  

After a few weeks of dithering we have bit the bullet and booked our first ever cruise. It’s going to be on the enchantment of the seas in Nov. 

Any tips or does and donts would be very helpful. 

[rjac]

2 hours ago, Fuelman said:

Hi Guys

Just found this forum and am sure you all get asked these question from new people  

After a few weeks of dithering we have bit the bullet and booked our first ever cruise. It’s going to be on the enchantment of the seas in Nov. 

Any tips or does and donts would be very helpful. 

Welcome aboard Fuelman! Feel free to ask any questions you may have, there's a wealth of knowledge here that folks are willing to share. Let us know what your itinerary is, which port the Enchantment will be sailing from and how many will be in your group. That way folks can offer better tips/suggestions. 

One tip I can offer right now is plan to get to the port the day before you sail and find a decent hotel for the night. Too many problems can pop up if you try to get to the port the same day you sail, especially if you are driving. You can usually get on board the ship before noon on day of embarkation and start your start your sail away party early! 

[Fuelman]

Thanks Rjac Will do.

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best  

Its only a 3 night cruise as that way we will see if it’s right for us when I say us I mean just myself and my lovely wife. 

We stop off at Nassau and CocoCay, so any tips on these places would be appreciated. Also, should we book a drink package now or wait to see if a deal comes up.

If we like cruising after this we will look at booking a longer one. 

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from. 

[rjac]

24 minutes ago, Fuelman said:

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best  

Can't recommend a hotel near Port Canaveral as we have never cruised from there.

25 minutes ago, Fuelman said:

should we book a drink package now or wait to see if a deal comes up

Considering that you will be in port (Nassau & Coco Cay) days and no cruise days, a drink package might not be the way to go. I'm sure someone else will also comment on this as well as what to do/see in Nassau & Coco Cay.

 

29 minutes ago, Fuelman said:

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from

We have been cruising with Royal since 2006 with no regrets. We did a cruise with Celebrity once and have never even thought about another with that cruise line!

[JohnK6404]

Welcome Fuelman!

My wife and I did the same thing back in 2004 for our honeymoon. Neither one of us had ever gone on a cruise at that time, so we elected to try the Disney "Land & Sea" option (3 nights on the Disney Wonder & 4 nights at the Polynesian Resort in Disney World) to see if we liked cruising. Our 3-night itinerary was very similar to yours... we departed from Port Canaveral and stopped in Nassau and Castaway Cay (Disney's island).

Needless to say, we are absolutely hooked on cruising now! Due to the usual stuff (work schedules, finances, etc.) we cannot go nearly as often as we'd like, but I see many cruises in our future! Our Disney cruise set the bar very, very high, but I can honestly say that we've never been disappointed with an RC cruise. We believe that RC gives us the best bang for the buck (Disney charges 50%-100% more than RC for the same itinerary & cabin class).

We've had the opportunity to try a few different classes of ship with RC (we've sailed on Majesty of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas) since 2010. Every ship has it's own charm and we've been nothing but completely satisfied on every cruise to date. Our next cruise is next May with friends on Allure of the Seas out of Ft. Lauderdale and we are also looking at Harmony and Anthem (so convenient for us here in New York) as possibly the next couple of cruises. Until then, we can live vicariously though all of the great blogs and posts on this awesome forum.

I love the fact that Royal prides itself on building the newest, largest and most innovative ships. I believe they have the largest fleet in the industry (and Celebrity is a sister cruise line) which gives us so many options. I've seen the charm of the smaller ships, but we're personally hungry for the newer, larger ships right now.

Have an amazing time on your first cruise! I have no doubt you will! Please keep us updated. I think the 7-night cruises are the sweet spot once you've made your decision on cruising. Long enough to completely relax, explore the ship and enjoy the ports.

[Matt]

Welcome!

Check out our Getting Started section.  It provides some good jumping off points for info for new cruisers.

[Lovetocruise2002]

On 4/28/2018 at 8:31 AM, Fuelman said:

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best  

We have sailed out of Port Canaveral 3 times and all 3 times, we have stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando International Airport.  I love that it is so convenient.  You walk off the plane, get your luggage and the hotel is right there.  No need for a cab or to even walk outside of the airport.  Then, in the morning, we catch a ride to Port Canaveral.  Most airport restaurants are terrible but the Hyatt at MCO has a restaurant called McCoy's that is wonderful.  Fresh, healthy, even organic menu.  We eat there every time. 

Normally, I never pay for transfers to and from the pier, but Port Canaveral is my exception.  Being Canadian, Uber/Lyft is not as convenient and I don't like the idea of taking a cab all the way to PC so we do pay for transfers.  It's so easy, we wake up, walk our way down to baggage claim and ground transportation and meet the transfer.  Very stress free.  Are there cheaper ways to do it? Probably.  But with two kids in tow and luggage, I'm all about being as stress free as possible while on vacation.

On 4/28/2018 at 8:31 AM, Fuelman said:

If we like cruising after this we will look at booking a longer one. 

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from. 

That is a great strategy.  We did that with our kids too.  Booked a short cruise with them to see how they would like it.

I love the RC product.  We've been cruising since 2002 and have tried several different lines.  Some are cheaper in price, but the product is not as good.  Some are way more expensive and your money goes further on RCI.  I totally agree with what @JohnK6404 said above.

[tiny260]

On 4/28/2018 at 7:31 AM, Fuelman said:

Thanks Rjac Will do.

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best  

Its only a 3 night cruise as that way we will see if it’s right for us when I say us I mean just myself and my lovely wife. 

We stop off at Nassau and CocoCay, so any tips on these places would be appreciated. Also, should we book a drink package now or wait to see if a deal comes up.

If we like cruising after this we will look at booking a longer one. 

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from. 

See if @Ray has any insight.

I have cruised many different cruise lines, started cruising in 1995, as @Lovetocruise2002 says, I think that Royal gives me the best value for my dollar.

[Fuelman]

Wow !!  What a great bunch,  Thanks for all the info Guys, its really appreciated.

Lovetocruise2002, thanks for the tip on Hotel, need to get that priced up.

Johnk6404   Thanks for your comments as I we hope we will too.

 I have now had the chance to look at the rest of this Forum and have spotted the "Getting Started" bit  so going to fill up on all the info on there, so thanks Matt

Thanks again

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, Fuelman said:

 

Lovetocruise2002, thanks for the tip on Hotel, need to get that priced up.

 

It's likely going to be a bit more than others in the area but you are paying for the convenience of not having to leave the airport.  It works for us.  Prices fluctuate there.  The last time we stayed there (December 2017), it was sitting at over $300USD/night.  We kept checking and eventually it went down to $215/night.  The time before that, we stayed for $169/night.

[Matt]

@Fuelman Once you digest some of the great resources recommended to you, you should always feel free to post specific questions on the message boards!

[Floski]

I've never sailed less than 7 days, so I'm not sure about getting a drink package on a 3-dayer.  

 

It looks like you'll leave at 4pm and arrive Nassau the next morning.  If you're in Nassau all day, that's pretty much a whole day you'll miss on the package.

The next day is Coco Cay, but the drinks will be covered by the package.  then you return to Canaveral at 7 in the morning.

Unless you have a high tolerance, or can really toss 'em back, I'd probably not go with the package (although I don't know how much the package costs).

 

Regardless, you will have a lovely time!   I'm just mad because I was in my 50s before I found cruising!

[Ray]

3 hours ago, tiny260 said:

See if @Ray has any insight.

I have cruised many different cruise lines, started cruising in 1995, as @Lovetocruise2002 says, I think that Royal gives me the best value for my dollar.

 see l get tagged when it's about drink lol 

On 4/28/2018 at 1:31 PM, Fuelman said:

Thanks Rjac Will do.

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best 

Personally i find Airport hotels boring, in my opinion best to be near cruiseport so you dont have to worry about travel time in the morning.

Its only a 3 night cruise as that way we will see if it’s right for us when I say us I mean just myself and my lovely wife. 

We stop off at Nassau and CocoCay, so any tips on these places would be appreciated. Also, should we book a drink package now or wait to see if a deal comes up.

You're obviously not from Scotland because a scot would have the drinks package in the basket first lol best idea is to work out how much alcohol, tea, coffee etc you would consume during a day ( remember a day is 24hrs  ) then check out the prices if you were to purchase as pay as you go. Work out whats best for you, for me it was a no brainer as my wife drinks like a fish lol

If we like cruising after this we will look at booking a longer one. 

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from. 

I havent cruised yet but  having read up on various sites regarding various cruiseline companies i believe RC is one of the better ones. 

 

[tiny260]

1 hour ago, Ray said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Ray said:

see l get tagged when it's about drink lol 

I tagged you because he said he was flying in from Scotland, but the drink part makes sense now that you brought it up, lol...

[Ray]

Just now, tiny260 said:

 

I tagged you because he said he was flying in from Scotland, but the drink part makes sense now that you brought it up, lol...

Oh yeah  never noticed the scotland part just the drink lol 

[DunkelBierJay]

On 4/28/2018 at 7:31 AM, Fuelman said:

Thanks Rjac Will do.

Flying in from Scotland to Orlando on the 1st Nov so to catch the ship at Port  Canaveral the next day. So at least I got that right  not sure if it’s best to get Hotel at airport or at the port.  Our flight doesn’t arrive until 9pm so we thought staying near the airport might be best  

Its only a 3 night cruise as that way we will see if it’s right for us when I say us I mean just myself and my lovely wife. 

We stop off at Nassau and CocoCay, so any tips on these places would be appreciated. Also, should we book a drink package now or wait to see if a deal comes up.

If we like cruising after this we will look at booking a longer one. 

Have we made the right choice going with Royal Caribbean, there are so many cruise companies to choose from. 

There is a nice hotel contained within the airport at Orlando...it is a Hyatt Regency, so if you want to check in a few minutes after getting your bags, you can't beat that. If you don't mind driving 45 minutes east from Orlando, I have stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott which is close enough to see the ships docked, and it was fine. There are lots of hotels there to choose from and there are two car rental companies within a couple miles of the port that can shuttle you to the cruise terminal. If it were me...after a long flight from the UK arriving in a new country at 9 pm when your body clock is at 2 or 3 am, I wouldn't do it unless I was familiar with driving in the US. There's no way I would do it going into the UK that way. I would do it with some rest in the daylight though since it is almost all motorway.

Nassau is a mixed bag...if you want a cheap beach experience, there is Junkanoo Beach which is very close to the port...a 10 minute walk. If you want something a little nicer, there is the British Colonial Hilton, also a 10 minute walk from the ship with food credit, and bookable on resortforaday.com. You can go to Atlantis which is expensive, or take a taxi or bus to Baha Mar Resort which I have heard is good. You could also walk to the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle to see some sights, or book a tour (I booked a tour and would not do it again). Walking around Nassau is an ok experience.

Coco Cay is great...just look through shore excursions on the cruise planner to see what might appeal to you. You could also lounge around on the beach and go to the floating bar. The food is included.

I would definitely do the drink package on a three nighter, btw...just check the cruise planner for a sale.

Enchantment was our first ship with Royal, and it was great! This ship has the best pool deck on the fleet as well as the best bar by a pool in the fleet. It's actually the biggest pool deck of any Royal ship because of the stretching they did to her a few years ago. You wouldn't go wrong in Nassau getting off to walk around a bit and then go back to the ship to be at the pool deck all day.