my first cruise

[ellenbliz]

My husband and I are looking to book a cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary on Holland America to Eastern Carribbean.

This is my first cruise and I was wondering if anyone could give me any pointers such as:

what clothes to bring

what is included

has anyone been on Holland America

or any other words of wisdom.

[Lisa63]

Hi ellenbliz, and welcome to CruiseCrazies! And congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. :smiley:

As this will be your first cruise, I highly suggest that you use a travel agent. Make sure that the agent is certified by CLIA (that's the Cruise Line International Association) to help ensure that he/she has very strong knowledge and expertise in the industry.

To answer some of your questions:

What clothes to bring -- For daytime in the Caribbean, I usually bring sundresses (great when you're touring ashore), swimsuits, hat for sun protection, comfortable walking shoes. For the evenings, HAL usually has 2 formal nights (gowns or cocktail dresses), 1 "informal" (dress or nice pantsuit), and 4 "casual" (think "business casual") on a 7-night cruise.

What is included -- Less and less these days. All meals in the main dining room and buffet are included, as are certain beverages such as iced tea, water (not bottled), and coffee/tea (in the restaurants and buffet area). Tips are automatically charged to your account. Expect to pay extra for bar drinks (including soft drinks), specialty restaurant, shore excursions, to name a few.

I'll find out more for you when I'm on HAL next week.

[KeithnRita]

Congratulations on your upcoming 30th anniversary and your first cruise. Lisa, as usual, gave you some very good answers. We have been on five HAL cruises, with number six booked. In our opinion there is no better way to celebrate an anniversary then being on the ocean on a romantic cruise! If you have specific questions about the ship or your eastern Caribbean itinerary just ask away. There are many friendly folks here like Lisa that will be more than happy to answer your questions. Also,

[Jaxson]

Congratulations on your anniversary and have a wonderful first cruise!

[Jaxson]

Congratulations on your anniversary and have a wonderful first cruise!

[zima]

I went on my first cruise for my honeymoon! And we have gone on one every year since! Here's to you on a happy anniversary!

Go to www.cruisesnyou.com and click on the first timers page. This may help a lot!

[zima]

I went on my first cruise for my honeymoon! And we have gone on one every year since! Here's to you on a happy anniversary!

Go to www.cruisesnyou.com and click on the first timers page. This may help a lot!

[Shari2]

Welcome to Cruise Crazies ellenbliz!!...congratulations on your wedding anniversary and on your first cruise!

Lisa gave you some great advice! Another good idea is to mix and match your outfits to cut down on luggage, such as bringing clothes of similar colors and tops and slacks that you can interchange and rewear.

Shorts are great for daytime, and sundresses are great for day or casual evenings, and regular resort wear is good for casual days and evenings, also.

On informal nights, I usually wear dressy black slacks with a silk tank top and sheer blouse, and some nice jewelry, and on formal nights a long formal gown or very dressy black slacks with a sparkly top. This is just an idea of what some wear. Hope it helps you.

If you have any specific questions, be sure to ask. I hope you have a great cruise!

[Shari2]

Welcome to Cruise Crazies ellenbliz!!...congratulations on your wedding anniversary and on your first cruise!

Lisa gave you some great advice! Another good idea is to mix and match your outfits to cut down on luggage, such as bringing clothes of similar colors and tops and slacks that you can interchange and rewear.

Shorts are great for daytime, and sundresses are great for day or casual evenings, and regular resort wear is good for casual days and evenings, also.

On informal nights, I usually wear dressy black slacks with a silk tank top and sheer blouse, and some nice jewelry, and on formal nights a long formal gown or very dressy black slacks with a sparkly top. This is just an idea of what some wear. Hope it helps you.

If you have any specific questions, be sure to ask. I hope you have a great cruise!

[GottaCruz]

Ellenbliz, Welcome to our CruiseCrazies family.We;re so glad to have you aboard and we hope to get to know you. Please feel free to post your upcoming cruise as well as your anniversary date to our CruiseCrazies calendar. Please don't hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have.