Just booked my first cruise!

[swankybeth]

Just booked a cruise for DH and I. We are sailing on the Norwegian Dawn on May 13th. It leaves from NYC and goes to Bermuda and the Bahamas. I'm so excited! I've never been on a cruise before, any tips or advice?

 

[EthansMom]

Enjoy your cruise! We'll be sailing on the Dawn next week to the Caribbean.

For specific advice, check out http://www.cruisecritic.com. There's message boards much like the DIS over there, including a board dedicated to Norwegian Cruise Lines and a Roll Call Board where you can communicate with others going on the same sailing.

Have fun!

 

[wdwmom2]

Congratulations!!!! I just booked my 2nd. Best tips are never try to do everything, there just isn't enough time. That just leaves things to do for your future cruises. Pack half the clothes that you think you will need. It is sooo easy to over pack. Relax and don't stress over the little things. In the big picture, small imperfections really don't matter. Try food that you never have had before. I ate snails, boy they were good!!! Not really much taste to them, but they were a great vehicle to get the garlic and butter into your mouth!!!!

Search "best tips" on the cruise board. You will find ideas that you never dreamed of. Have a great cruise!!!

 

[Laz]

Bring pants with expandable waistlines! You walk on as passengers and roll out as cargo

As a past cruiser (9times), I can tell you that you will have a blast. If you are interested in shore excursions, book them early on the NCL website www.ncl.com. Half the fun is planning! Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

 

[minniecarousel]

Oh - you're gonna love NCL's "freestyle dining"! You choose where to eat and when. (no assigned tables/tablemates) There are several speciality restaurants that have an additional charge - and they are well worth it! Their two regular restaurants are excellent too. You'll get wonderful advise over at cruise critic - best hint: make your specialty restaurant reservations on your first day!

 

[simba928]

How exciting! I've been on 2 cruises. One was Carnival to the Bahamas. That one was with my parents and brother. The second one was on Royal Carribean to Bermuda. It was beautiful. My whole extend family went on that one. We had somewhere in the area of 16 people whose ages ranged from 2 to I think 83. We had a blast!

 

[Mishetta]

Well, since this thread is about cruises ~ I'd like to add that we're going on our first cruise too! We're sailing on the Disney Magic on May 20th. A one week Western Carribean cruise, with some dear Florida family.

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous because not only do I think "Titanic" when I think of cruising but I still get car sick, let alone what will probably happen on a ship but my family is so excited that I can't help be excited.

My kids just received postcards (one from Stitch & one from Mickey) welcoming them on our upcoming cruise (thanks to some wonderful DIS Board members). There was so much excitement, screaming, jumping up & down when the postcards arrived & my boys were pretty excited too!

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[simba928]

Well, since this thread is about cruises ~ I'd like to add that we're going on our first cruise too! We're sailing on the Disney Magic on May 20th. A one week Western Carribean cruise, with some dear Florida family.

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous because not only do I think "Titanic" when I think of cruising but I still get car sick, let alone what will probably happen on a ship but my family is so excited that I can't help be excited.

My kids just received postcards (one from Stitch & one from Mickey) welcoming them on our upcoming cruise (thanks to some wonderful DIS Board members). There was so much excitement, screaming, jumping up & down when the postcards arrived & my boys were pretty excited too!

Have a wonderful cruise!

How exciting for you too! just one thing I thought I'd mention. The ship is so big that you don't even feel it moving. One night on my second cruise was bad, but noone in my group got sick. Just don't worry about it and you'll be fine.

 

[Micca]

Cruises are a great vacation. Have a super time

 

[Kitty 34]

Enjoy your cruise and the port stops!!

 

[4nana]

You're going to have the trip of a lifetime ! Cruise ships are like a floating resort that magically transforms you into another world. Enjoy the wonderful service, delicious food 24-7, fabulous shows, spas, great entertainment, port tours and activities, meeting new friends, the big beautiful aqua blue ocean, and the romance of it all with your DH . As someone already mentioed, Cruise Critic brd has some great info and you can do a search for your particular cruise and fellow cruisers.

Our very first cruise was for our 35 Annv., we were sold, and have done one every year since ! I surprised DH with a cruise to Bermuda for his BD in Nov. We had a wonderful time on RCI and the beautiful island. We docked at Kings Wharf, then DH and I took a ferry to the opposite end of island and travel by bus the entire 20+ mile island, stopping to site see here and there making many special memories . Happy sailing!

This shot is near Kings Wharf where ship docked

 

[Just2554]

I sailed on the NCL Dawn last June down to Florida and the Bahamas. The boat and the trip were both beautiful. I've sailed on the four major cruise lines, and aside from Disney (of course), Norwegian would be my next pick in a heartbeat.

Btw, make sure you check out the French restaurant while on board. Even if you don't eat in it (its one of those that you have to pay extra to eat in), make sure you ask the person at the door to let you walk through. The restaurant contains authentic paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Mattise. They are not to be missed; it's an amazing feeling seeing them up close!!

 

[marybet]

Have a wonderful trip! We are going on our 4th cruise in Nov. The sites already mentioned will give you a lot of great tips. The best one is to take a power strip (an extension cord with 4 or 5 outlets), most cabins only have one electrical outlet. It is the one thing that we used the most and will always be in my suitcase.

 

[Seahunt]

You will have a great time! My DH & I haven't been on an NCL cruise for a long time (before their "Freestyle" cruising), but we really enjoyed the cruises we went on with them. We have tried Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Princess, and have loved them all!

Besides the cruisecritic website, I also look at:

http://www.cruisemates.com/
http://www.cruise-addicts.com/forums/index.php
http://cruiseclues.com/
http://www.cruisereviews.com/
http://www.cruisestateroom.com/

I have read a lot about "upsells" on NCL (upgrades close to sailing date for great prices). For example, this post on cruisecritic was about doing this :

We upgraded! Ok, a couple of weeks ago, As background, our cabin will have 2 adults and 2 kids under 7 on the June 11th (six day Spirit to Florida/Bahamas cruise). Our original booking had us on level 5 inside.

For fun, I checked the availability on the NCL site of cabins on deck 9. Bingo, a stateroom, midship was available. As I check from time to time, this particular room interested me because it was midship rather than the front of the ship. First, I called my TA and inquired about upgrading to that stateroom. After they contacted NCl, they came back with a fee of $618 for the upgrade. I asked about "upsells" and the TA (after going back to NCl) said that upsells are offered by NCl to the TA and not inquired by the TA. I politely said, "thank you" and hung up.

Immediately, I dialed 800-625-4309, the NCl upsell desk. I clarified what I wanted to do. The NCl rep noted that (i) they are suppose to talk to the TA directly and (ii) they normally do not upgrade from inside (lower) to inside (upper); they seem to do inside to outside, but we are limited since we have 4 to the cabin. Nonetheless, she was very polite and offered to help. After reviewing my request, she said that she could upgrade me for $80 (yes, $80, or $518 less than the TA proposed). She and I agreed to move forward where she would contact the TA next.

Five minutes later, my TA called and graciously offered me $80 for an upgrade if I was interested. Obviously, the TA had no idea what was going on, so after chuckling I happily accepted the great deal.

So for a family of 4 we were upgraded from level 5 to level 9. I am happy with that. Am I disappointed with my TA? Yes, kinda. Am I happy with CC? Absolutely! I planned my attack based on other boards.

I thought I'd share this with you if you wish to upgrade. Start with your TA but don't give up. Call the upsell number. If you are patient, you will probably be able to get what you want as NCl panics to fill the ship.
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The next time we sail NCL, I might try this!