taking the family on our first cruise, hoping to get some good inside info.
anyone “smuggle” their own bottle onboard?
shore excursions…sign up now? etc etc.
anything you did after your first cruise that made you change up the way you did it next?
Its a Carnival out of Jax.
thanks
Always bring your own liquor,wine, ETC because once under way they will nickle and dime you for everything. A $5 beer will end up costing around 22.50 once “taxes” are put in place.
Reel-Man or Boy
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Did the one out of Chas a few years ago. I took a six pack of Aquafina bottles in the plastic six pack thing with the handle in the middle. Filled all of them with vodka. Then took several Apple Juice bottles filled with Bourbon. I carried on the six pack, just walked through the gate with it in hand, not in a bag or anything and no one ever said anything. Had some buddies empty out shampoo bottles and filled them, but they got caught. They took it away but give it back the last night… he tried it and it tasted like soap, he’s an idiot. Anyway, you can pay fifty bucks for all the non-alcoholic drinks (softdrinks, juices, etc.) you want, just get the girls to keep a small water bottle with them and mix your own drinks… never bought a liguour drink the whole time. Other guys ran up huge tabs b/c they didn’t have a choice. Guess it just depends on how much you’ll drink, we were in college then so it was a lot. They won’t do anything to you if your caught, just take it away and give it back at the end of the trip… so worth a shot I guess.
If you do buy the ships premium priced adult beverages, make sure you check the bill. Most of the time, the gratuity has already been added in. No need to double tip.
GW 205
F200 Yam
Most of the shore excursions are a waste of money, too, so choose wisely. We went on a RC out of Pt Canaveral a few years back and it was great for the kids because they had a program for them every day and some nights up until 9 or 10 pm if you wanted.
Dave
Go Tigers!!!
Where ya going?
Took the family on our first cruise earlier this month (Oct 9 to Oct 13. It was 4 days over to the Bahamas. Sailed out of Jacksonville aboard Carnival ship Fascination.
Impression:
Boat decor was a little outdated. Boat was very clean. There was a guy outside our room. If he wasn’t servicing the rooms, he was vacuuming, wiping hand rails, or wiping down the walls.
Amenities for kids (pool, waterslide) were OK. Water balloon fight station was patroled by Carnival SS troops. Handed the kids one balloon after they waited 5 minutes in line. Balloons were tightly controlled by Carnival people. Brought the balloons out for 15 minutes every 2 hours. Gee, thanks. Waterslide was controlled too. My 5 yr old is about 46" tall. Height limit is 48". He’s an awesome swimmer. We had to beg in order so he could go down the slide one time the entire cruise. Pool water was skanky by Sunday. It’s filled with ocean water. Did not see why the couldn’t drain it and refill with fresher ocean water.
Kids camp was a disappointment. My kids are 5, 6, and 8. Groups are broken out by age (1-2 yrs old, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, etc). My 5 yr old could not move up into the 6-8 yr old group and hang out with his siblings. My 8 yr old could not move up into the 9-11 yr old group to hang out with a 9 yr old friend she made. No exceptions. Silly if you ask me.
Food was OK, not great.
Shore Excursions
Went to Atlantis in Nassau. That place is awesome for kids and adults. Would definitely go back.
We were supposed to go to a beach party in Freeport. That was cancelled because not enought people signed up. We found that out the night before. No opportunity to sign up for a different excursion. We ended up taking a taxi over to a beach. Freeport is a shat-hole. Rum drinks were very good at the beach. Might’ve been better off just staying on the boat since so many people had gone on other shore excursions.
Tips
Smuggle your booze on board. I just threw four pint bottles in one of our suitcases. They were still
mouth wash:smiley:
looks just like Crown Royal
wal-mart has it in big bottles and I was able to open it without breaking the protective wrap.
just make sure you was it out good
There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the bank like an idiot!!
http://www.bluewaterpest.com
also offering a GREEN pest control program
Only a drunk would come up wit dat!
Three-fourths of the Earth’s surface is water, and one-fourth is land.
It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the
amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn.</font id=“maroon”>
GO STEELERS!!!
Two questions
Will they let ya drive?
How big are the outriggers on the ship? 
Russ Broward
“Kill em and Grill em!”
quote:
Only a drunk would come up wit dat!
drunk?
try Professional!
There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the bank like an idiot!!
http://www.bluewaterpest.com
also offering a GREEN pest control program
The wife and I did a spring time cruise a few years back. The first mistake was traveling to Florida during spring break. Traffic was terrible on I-95. Second mistake was traveling on a cruise ship on spring break. It felt too crowded with inconsiderate people from the north east. I am not going into specifics, but every southerner we met were very nice. We traveled with Princess Cruises. Remember the Love Boat. The best part about it was the dining. It was just like going to a restuarant. We did not have to eat at a big table with people we did not know or at a certain time. The best night was French night. One thing we learned was to take a carry on bag with a change of clothes and a swim suit. We boarded early and was able to walk the entire ship to check out everything without the crowd. Did not do the balcony room, but met some people that had one and visited with them. Spend the extra money on the balcony room. It will be worth it. Oh one more thing, two weeks before traveling we got a phone call to update our package for the same price, but we had to change cruise ships. We decided against it. Talked to some neighbors about it and they said that the cruise ships want to fill up completly and make great deals before departure. Cruises are the best family vacations in my opinion, just travel during non peak vacation times like spring break.
quote:
Originally posted by reddrum
mouth wash:smiley:
looks just like Crown Royal
wal-mart has it in big bottles and I was able to open it without breaking the protective wrap.just make sure you was it out good
THATS A PRO-TIP!!!
I love the extra small showers. You can literally soap the sides of the shower, spin around twice and you’re done. Oh, our bathroom was so small, you could brush your teeth in the sink while sitting on the john. I didn’t, but could have.
GW 205
F200 Yam
Come on guys cruises arent that bad. Ive been on quite a few, and have never had a really bad time or enough to complain about.
Went last Thanksgiving out of Tampa, did Belieze,Cozumel,Caymans and Honduras.
Pro tip, search the web there is plenty of sites where you can read about the destinations you are going, dont book through the cruise line for excursions, do it yourself. Read what the common folk has to say about said adventure not the cruiselines web blog.
You will save half or even more in price per person, when you do it own your own. Heres an example we did the rainforest tubing in Belieze company was called Butts up, $50.00 per person, cruiseline wanted $115.00, it was a great time, the staff on the bus were great they opened 8 bottles of Cashew wine as we all passed it around on our way to our destination. Good times, they stayed with our group as we watched the other groups get lost down the river from the trip they booked through the ship. We stopped at a lunch shack and chilled for a while, drank 1.00 beers and food wrapped in banana leafs, for 25 dollars you could rent an atv for 30 minutes and cruise through the forest, my kids loved that the best.
Beers on the ship were 3.75 and the mixed drinks were 5.00, always found out what the special of the day is. Also just about everyday on the ship, they are offering free boozes, just gotta listen up on where thats happening.
You may wear long sleeves,but you should always roll ’ em up past the elbows.
The most important lesson I learned from my first cruise was not to go on the second cruise…which I have not done in 19 years.
reelly…
I tell ya the move they get you with. As you board the boat they hand you a drink and say welcome abord the (name of the ship)then they ask what cabin are you staying. and they direct you to the cabin. As you are paying all your tabs at the end of the cruise you will notice those 2 drinks you thought were complementary actually cost you $25.00…