first time cruiser, advice or comments welcome

[cruiserwanabees]

hello all, most stories I have read on here have sounded great and fun, but i am a first time cruiser and any help with advice on cruises for best deals or experiences i should try. Me and my wife would love to hear any comments and suggestions before we plan to much. We are planning to go to west carribean in march 2007 all comments are welcomed. thank you

[Gregswife]

Cruiserwannabes, first, let me say welcome to the best forum afloat. We started cruising when the kids were younger, and after much checking, we landed on a Carnival ship. They offered the best pricing. We enjoyed it so much that even though they are grown and gone from the house, we still sail strictly Carnival. I am sure all cruise lines offer something wonderful, but on Carnival, we can get a balcony stateroom for an unbelieveably good price, especially by booking early. We recently booked our Nov. 2007 cruise, so it is never too early. If you would like the number of a great agent at Carnival, just pm me. I got her name from Maria here on the forum and I am loving working with her.

[Tigerdadky]

I agree with gregswife, cant beat carnival. I havent traveled on any other cruise line and dont care too. For the buck you cant beat carnival. Book a cruise and u will become cruise crazy too. Good luck

[rogue]

Tell us a little about yourselves, like where you live,would you cruise alone or with kids, are you laid back or people who like to jump right in, etc. That would help lots. One thing I should warn you is that once you take a cruise, there is a great chance of getting addicted to it. :grin:

[cruiserwanabees]

Thank you all for your comments, me and my wife have 5 children oldest 15,youngest 3. we live in utah, we have talked about a cruise for years we finally are going to do it and i kind of always thought from what i heard from other cruisers, that i would be addicted after we went which is fine with me. once again thanks for the comment and still any info you would like to share with me on experiences we should have or something we should try on our first cruise i would love to hear and if you see this gregswife i would love her number at carnival. thanks all

[JoeyandDavid]

welcome cruiserwanabees, Cruising is very addictive you guys are gonna love it... :grin:

Joey

[cruiserwanabees]

p.s. no i would not take my kids.

[JoeyandDavid]

if its just the two of you and you want romance I would think Princess HAL or celebrity

[DaCruzNut]

The best advice I can give to a first-time cruiser is;

1) Remember, most of your fellow-passengers are first-timers, too! Only about 10% to 15% of the passengers, on any given cruise, are repeat passengers.

2) Almost everything you need to know about cruising, you learn on your first cruise. After that, you're a "seasoned cruiser."

[Suzila]

Welcome to our group, it's nice to have you join us. You're in the right place...we'll answer all your questions, and by the time you're ready to go, you'll be an expert, even if it is your first cruise.

My suggestion to you would be, for your first time, to allow the cruise lines to make your airline reservations for you. You are flying from Utah (where in Utah? We used to live in Cedar City), and need to get to the east coast. If you book through the cruise line, you will be assured of getting on the ship, even if there is a flight delay. Depending upon when your flight arrives, you may need to book a hotel room the day before the cruise.

I would suggest taking an excursion of the city you are leaving from on the last day of your cruise. This will allow you to disenbark early, and after the excursion they will take you directly to the airport. However, you will probably have to have a flight some time after 2:00pm.

My last suggestion to you...with 5 kids at home, get yourself some trip insurance. You never know what emergencies may pop up. Buy the insurance through an independant company, i.e.: insuremytrip.com or something like...NOT through the cruise line.

Again, welcome to the group!