untateve Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 On 12/11, my and family and I are going on a week long cruise. Friends of ours have been asking us to go with them for a few years and this year it happens. (as an aside, for the first time since 1995, I will NOT be visiting the cold and forbidding northeast during the holidays. as such, I really don't care if the ship sinks because we're not going to be in the northeast.) What do I need to know? What should I bring? How best to smuggle in alcohol? We've never been on a cruise, so be gentle with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Just curious is this with Carnival I think you're doing it the best way ie with a family/a group, so no or minimal worries about being sat down with strangers who in hindisght you wish you hadn't been. Bringing wise, pretty much what you would on any vacation. Don't even need dramamine (sp) - I get seasick easy and it was so smooth I barely ever noticed we were moving. Alcohol, can't say. Mine was unlimited booze included so N/A. Where are you going on this cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Just don't forget to unbutton your pants and loosen the belt a notch or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted December 4, 2010 Author Share Posted December 4, 2010 (edited) Just curious is this with Carnival I think you're doing it the best way ie with a family/a group, so no or minimal worries about being sat down with strangers who in hindisght you wish you hadn't been. Bringing wise, pretty much what you would on any vacation. Don't even need dramamine (sp) - I get seasick easy and it was so smooth I barely ever noticed we were moving. Alcohol, can't say. Mine was unlimited booze included so N/A. Where are you going on this cruise? Ports of call are puerto rico, st. marten, st thomas. edti: yes, it's with carnival. Edited December 4, 2010 by untateve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 those Carnival toilets are super loud, scared my wife take a sweatshirt for on deck at night if it's windy and yer not drunk enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 On 12/11, my and family and I are going on a week long cruise. Friends of ours have been asking us to go with them for a few years and this year it happens. (as an aside, for the first time since 1995, I will NOT be visiting the cold and forbidding northeast during the holidays. as such, I really don't care if the ship sinks because we're not going to be in the northeast.) What do I need to know? What should I bring? How best to smuggle in alcohol? We've never been on a cruise, so be gentle with me. If you're gonna bring booze on board, put it in the check-in luggage. Some cruise lines are more aggressive than others w/ booze, but I think Carnival is one of the more lenient ones. Norwegian x-rayed every bag/purse/camera bag every time we got back on the ship. If you buy some in a port there's a good chance they may confiscate it, but you'll get it back at the end of the cruise. Kids going to? If so, the daily "Soda Pass" will be worth it (wish they had one for booze). All they can drink for a modest daily fee. YUP...they charge for every beverage other than water, coffee/tea, and some juices. Sea sickness...everyone is different. I never got sick/took preventatives to prevent same. The wife was fine on our Alaska cruise, but got pretty sick on both of our North Atlantic cruises. She wore the patch on all three. If you wear the patch and at the end of the cruise there is still a day or more left on it, DON'T TAKE IT OFF UNTIL IT EXPIRES! I guarantee you will get sick. Be prepared for a fairly early departure from the ship, as most cruise lines want it empty by 10:00am. Also be prepared to either take your own luggage w/ you or have it outside your cabin by ~midnite the night before disembarkation. Both ways are kinda of a pain. Get to the ship early and you should get free Mimosas and Hors d'œuvres. I hope you got a room w/ balcony. I won't go w/o one. If not you maybe able to upgrade once on the ship. Well worth the extra $$$. Go to the Carnival website and look for the hints/Q&A section. Lot of good info there. Maybe more later. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 You will gain about one pound of useless body weight for each day of your cruise. You will see at least one homeless person on your ship that you have no idea how they could afford to go cruising. You will be tempted to do things you have never done. Don't do them. It's no use trying to smuggle booze (or Cuban cigars) back onto the ship. You will be caught and the booze will be confiscated (it will be returned when you reach your home port). You will be allowed to smoke your cigars the last night of the cruise but not allowed to bring them into the country. Get to know your room steward. Leave them a nice tip. (We generally leave between $20-50 depending on the length of the cruise). DO NOT order room service. Get your lardass out of the room and go get your own damn food. You will need the exercise. Have a nice time. PS- And DO NOT miss the boat at the different ports. They WILL leave you behind. Every place you go someone will miss the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankf Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Just be ready to eat, eat, and eat some more. The food was definitely the best part of our cruise. We go somewhat bored while on the actual ship itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Ports of call are puerto rico, st. marten, st thomas. edti: yes, it's with carnival. Never been to others but St Martin was great. If you have the time/ability/inclination go to the north part of the island where they have the nice Frenchie restaurants - not cheap but great. I personally recommend "Le Cottage" - awesome food and they treated us like royalty. What a great place to go in Dec - I'm jealous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 Never been to others but St Martin was great. If you have the time/ability/inclination go to the north part of the island where they have the nice Frenchie restaurants - not cheap but great. I personally recommend "Le Cottage" - awesome food and they treated us like royalty. What a great place to go in Dec - I'm jealous It'll be good to be warm again. Today, it only made up to the low 70s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 (edited) have fun and put in some Young's double chocolate stout into the bag. You'll thank me later. Edited December 5, 2010 by loaf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenzal rhomb Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Ive been on abunch of royal caribbean cruises - they are tough to smuggle in booze so plan to pay for drinks. Best buy is the 24 oz. foster cans as you pay one and a half the amount for two beers if you are on a budget. Tips for bartenders are usually already included when you buy the drink. Spend the money for the picture they take of you and your wife on formal night - its worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljbrun Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 ...PS- And DO NOT miss the boat at the different ports. They WILL leave you behind. Every place you go someone will miss the boat. Also, be aware that on many cruise ships, "ship time" will be the same as the time zone of the home port, not the local port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Take those boys snorkeling. We just got back from a cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday and everything that RR said is right on. I don't think that you are going to be succesful smuggling booze. They do exray it all. Snorkeling was amazing and I would recomend it to anyone. Other than that grow a fat belly like mine and join the belly smacker contest. I won. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 Take those boys snorkeling. We just got back from a cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday and everything that RR said is right on. I don't think that you are going to be succesful smuggling booze. They do exray it all. Snorkeling was amazing and I would recomend it to anyone. Other than that grow a fat belly like mine and join the belly smacker contest. I won. We have already scheduled a snorkeling trip in St. Marten and a snuba trip in St. Thoms (yes--snuba, not scuba). When I first board the ship down in Miami, I thought I would pack liquor in my suitcase. Is that a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 We have already scheduled a snorkeling trip in St. Marten and a snuba trip in St. Thoms (yes--snuba, not scuba). When I first board the ship down in Miami, I thought I would pack liquor in my suitcase. Is that a problem? Check-in only! NOT your carry-on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 (edited) Snuba:tup: RR - are you very confident that those checked bags get past the xrays? I am certain the carry-on would not work but wonder if you have experince with the checked bags? Steve - you are getting on this ship pretty close to home right? I would take a case or two of bottled water. I saw people bringing water like that and wish I would have thought of it. Go on the safe side and get the patch for everyone. IMHO. Edited December 5, 2010 by Skippy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 I went on a Carinval cruise this past summer. Some things: - They confiscate all alcohol when you return from any port of call. It is returned to your cabin on the day you leave. - It takes a long time to get onto the boat with a Disneyland-esque never ending line that you can never see the end of because it winds through rooms. - IMO a room with a balcony is well worth it. An inner room is like being in a vault. - Most of the food served on the upper deck was okay but mostly institutional. - The food for your sit down dinners is actually very good for the most part. - You have to pay extra for soft drinks. You get free lemonade and tea but if your or your kids want a coke, it costs. It is probably worth the $ for a soft drink card where you pay X and then just have it taken off your card. - the shows on board were lame IMO but my inlaws seemed to like them. - think cattle call. Everything has a line. Some are very long. - comedy show at night was pretty good. - cruise line goal is to get you to spend as much in extra charges as the original ticket cost. - be nice to the people who clean your room. - I never saw any worker there who was an american or even english-first language. Most were Philipino on my ship. They are all VERY nice considering what they have to do. They really did try hard to make it a good trip, particularly our waiters at dinner. -If you want to do stuff at any port of call, sign up early. Some things are very popular and fill very quickly. - Do not assume every place has the same sales tax. In Jamaica, I think it was 18%. - accept that you will wait in many lines and it takes time to do anything. - do not book excursions via your room TV because if you make a mistake it is a nightmare. Trust me. - if you are in a big group, make your reservation for dinner seating as early as you can to get all together. You will sit the same place every night. Consider a later dinner time that gives you more time off the boat without worrying about getting back in time for dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Snuba:tup: RR - are you very confident that those checked bags get past the xrays? I am certain the carry-on would not work but wonder if you have experince with the checked bags? Steve - you are getting on this ship pretty close to home right? I would take a case or two of bottled water. I saw people bringing water like that and wish I would have thought of it. Go on the safe side and get the patch for everyone. IMHO. Pretty confident. I know for a fact the carry-on is the worst by a long shot. I have never lost a bottle in my check-in. My cuz who cruises a lot always bring 2+ bottles of wine and has never lost any either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 never have been on a cruise, just wanted to wish you a good trip.. have fun amigo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 I went on a 2 week cruise over New Years to the carribean last year on Princess cruise line and it was a great experience. - Never been on Carnival Cruise lines - We didn't book any excursions from the ship. We did everything on our own after we left the ship and saved a ton of money. - If you're going to St. Thomas go to Megans Bay beach. Incredibly beautiful. - Spend a little extra and get the biggest room you can afford. - Get formal pictures. Great reminder of the trip. - The shows on Princess were outstanding, especially the comedy shows - spend as much time as you can poolside relaxing .... 7 days will go by quickly! - play roulette in the casino ..... I won $900.00 the 2nd night on the trip, which almost paid for my wife's alcohol for the trip! Have a great time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 (edited) We didn't book any excursions from the ship. We did everything on our own after we left the ship and saved a ton of money. Very true, we've done both, but just make sure you get back to the boat on time or they will leave w/o you. The Ship's excursions are guaranteed, but you pay a premium for that. Cabbie gets a flat tire and time is running short...you are Foked. ETA: One comment on the roulette comment. House game big time (+5% to the house), but anyone can get lucky. I try to avoid luck only bets. Edited December 6, 2010 by rocknrobn26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulzale Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Carnival allows 1-2 bottles of wine brought aboard from original port. We didn't smuggle this summer, but many do. I prefer beer and that is too difficult, but for hard liquor a rum runner works well. Rum Runner Flask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I haven't the slightest inclination to go on a cruise. I'm interested in reading your report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 ETA:One comment on the roulette comment. House game big time (+5% to the house), but anyone can get lucky. I try to avoid luck only bets. I find it hard to resist the 35:1 payoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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