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Never been on a cruise!

Knottie1251661 Knottie1251661 member
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in Honeymoon Discussions
My FI and I have never been on a cruise, so we decided to go on one for the honeymoon. We decided to go with Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas departing from Miami. The cruise ship is Carnival Fantasy and the ports are Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

Can anyone offer tips/suggestions? :)
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Re: Never been on a cruise!

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    CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited May 2016
    Read the sticky I wrote at the top of this board.

    Unless you are total sun worshipers, reserve a clamshell for resting in the shade at Half Moon Cay.  They will be sold out by the time you sail.  There is no shade on the beach.
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    beachyone15beachyone15 member
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    Exciting! I have only been on one cruise so far (also Carnival) but I can't wait for more!
    If you look on Carnival's website there are tons of forums where people give great advice, down to the specific ports you are going to.

    Just a few things based on my personal experience:
    • Take the stairs on the ship as much as you can. There will be a LOT of food available and it made me feel better to walk when I could.
    • Take dramamine with you (just in case). Works great.
    • Drinks are expensive. They offer a package you can purchase, but it's only worth it if you're going to be drinking A LOT. You are allowed to bring an unopened bottle of wine (or two) on the ship though!
    • The water on the ship is perfectly safe to drink, so don't worry about that. I brought an empty water bottle with me to fill up and carry around onboard which was convenient.
    HAVE FUN!!!



    Daisypath Anniversary tickers



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    CharmedPamCharmedPam member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its

    Knottie, I'm in the same boat (boat....see what I did there?) as you! We just booked our first cruise for our honeymoon as well. Carnival Sunshine. Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Freeport.  Going to follow the advise of @CMGragain and get the clamshell if we do the beach thing.

    I also have been scoping the advice on various websites too. One thing that was brought up was staying on the deck level right below the restaurants. You can hear chairs scraping all. day. long. apparently?  We happen to be on the deck below a restaurant. Should we move that to be on the deck below the cabins?


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    CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    The biggest problem with being directly below the dining room is that you can hear noise early in the morning when they are setting it up.  During the day it isn't a problem since it will only be open certain hours.  In the evening you won't be in your cabin, so it won't affect you.
    I would request a move.
    The biggest noise issue we had was when we were directly over the door that opens for loading and unloading.  They would work late into the night and early in the morning, and it disturbed our sleep.  The dining room won't affect you except when they are setting up for breakfast.
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    jenna8984jenna8984 member
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    You'll have so much fun. A good tip- we are all about hydration, we could never go on an island in the sun all day without drinks. Some beaches offer drinks for ripoff prices and some of the more private beaches don't offer anything. So our first night on board, we purchased those big, study, plastic Nalgene bottles from the gift shop. They were only $10 each (or you could pack empty ones from home) and each morning before we left the ship, we'd fill them with lemonade and water from the buffet. Was also nice to have at night in the cabin when you just want something to drink before bed without paying extra to open the mini bar.

    @charmedpam we were one deck below the buffet and it was never too noisy. Not sure if the actual dining room is worse. We were in the very back though and the engine movement could be major at times, like thrusting in and out of port. I'd stay more in the center next time.

                                                                     

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    CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited June 2016
    If you haven't checked it already, go to http://www.cruisecritic.com and register on the roll call for your specific cruise.  You can chat with other people who will be on your ship.  There is also excellent advice for general questions about your cruise line on the general members forum.  You can ask them any questions, and - like the Knot - you will get answers.
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    kvrunskvruns member
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    jenna8984 said:

    You'll have so much fun. A good tip- we are all about hydration, we could never go on an island in the sun all day without drinks. Some beaches offer drinks for ripoff prices and some of the more private beaches don't offer anything. So our first night on board, we purchased those big, study, plastic Nalgene bottles from the gift shop. They were only $10 each (or you could pack empty ones from home) and each morning before we left the ship, we'd fill them with lemonade and water from the buffet. Was also nice to have at night in the cabin when you just want something to drink before bed without paying extra to open the mini bar.  

    We always bring those 32oz insulated Bubba cups on vacation. For AIs it's nice because you can get a larger drink in it and it stays cold but I used mine more for filling with ice/water for sitting out on the beach or pool it is perfect. Like you I'm big on hydration and always have something with me so I'd go broke if I had to buy drinks on islands each time!
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    CharmedPamCharmedPam member
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    Thank you!  This advise is great everyone.  I skimmed the message boards specific to the ship, and not only switched levels, but got the aft extended balcony due to the good reviews.  I'd love the aft premium room, but it was $430 more!  to me, that's the cost of 2 good excursions, where I'd rather put my money towards.

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    CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    CharmedPam said:
    Thank you!  This advise is great everyone.  I skimmed the message boards specific to the ship, and not only switched levels, but got the aft extended balcony due to the good reviews.  I'd love the aft premium room, but it was $430 more!  to me, that's the cost of 2 good excursions, where I'd rather put my money towards.
    It sounds like you have a great travel agent! ;)
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
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