Cruising on the Carnival Triumph -- What should I expect?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

In October, I’m taking a cruise for the very first time (squeee!), and I want to know what I should expect.

It’s on the Carnival Triumph, and we depart from Miami for a 7-day cruise of the eastern Caribbean. Miami - Half Moon Cay (Carnival’s island) - St Thomas - San Juan - Grand Turk - Miami.

So, to my questions:

[ul][li]What should I pack? What sort of clothing is normal during the dining? I know it says “formal”, but what does that mean?[/li][li]What should I do while in port? Each port has some things you can reserve through Carnival – which ones might be worth it? What else can you do in port for 7 hours?[/li][li]What’s good to do while on ship? I know there’s food basically around the clock, but what else?[/li][li]And, finally, what else can anyone tell me about the cruising experience?[/ul][/li]
I’m so excited to be going, and I want to make the most of it.

Thanks in advance for answers.

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check out www.cruisecritic.com for a whole bunch of good info

especially --read the “members reviews”. lots of details, both good and bad, from honest people.

3

I’d second the vote for cruisecritic.com. Additionally, they have a message board that you can use to get answers from experienced cruisers.

As a general rule (I’ve cruised once…Carnival Liberty) pack half the clothing you think you’ll need, and bring twice the money.

Dress is resort casual for the most part. Die hard cruisers will tell you that formal means formal and you’ll see a significant number wearing formal-wear (tuxedos and floor lenght gowns). You’ll also see a small number ignoring the dress code altogether (which may or may not keep them from entering the dining room for dinner). If you dress as you would to attend a wedding or a funeral, no one will look askance at you.

Enjoy.

4

I’ve cruised with Carnival before, so I’ll give my three cents!

-Carnival is not grandly formal. You’ll need one really dressy outfit and the rest can be just nice - dress pants, skirts/dresses. Have some casual clothes for shore trips.

-All of the shore excursions will be entertaining. Book as many as you can comfortably afford!

-You can shop, sunbathe, go to the spa, get drunk, or eat. Also there will be entertainment in the evenings. Usually there is a casino as well.

-Get a prescription for the anti-seasickness patch before you go and apply at the first sign of barfiness (I am not generally affected by such things but was seasick as heck by the first day. The patch made it all better.) Other than that I had a wonderful trip!

Cruising = good food, many chances to meet other people, shopping at fun ports, and a few chances to explore new places and learn things. A reminder - many things will cost extra on the ship (Soft drinks, booze, bottled water, etc.,) so be prepared (you’ll charge them to your account and pay it all in the end.)

5

I have only cruised once on Celebrity. My advice is to bring some booze if you want to have a regular drink, as the prices on board are very high. You can ask about sneaking booze onboard at cruisecritic, or order booze (full bottles) to your cabin through bon voyage. This is much cheaper than buying individual drinks.

6

I thought squeeeee was just for kittens.

I’m an old salt who’s cruised twice, so here’s my $.02.

First, if you are at all sensitive to cigarette smoke, you probably want to avoid the casino, as there usually tend to be smokers there.

Second, what kind of cabin did you book? If at all possible, upgrade to a balcony room if you don’t already have one. For us, on our last cruise, it added to our enjoyment by about 200%; it’s like having your own private area of the ship complete with deck. If you have booked a non-balcony ocean view room, and you haven’t been on a cruise before, they may upgrade you to a balcony at no charge. This is part of their nefarious plot to ensure that, next time, you will spend the extra money at booking to have a balcony. You can never go back.

Watch out if you do smuggle your own booze aboard. In some cases you can be put off the ship at the next port if you are caught.

7

Not a sea lawyer, but the customs & excise laws of the the US and the ports they visit may be the main factor in the booze issue - it’s not just the cruise line’s desire to sell you high-priced drinks.

8

What should I pack? What sort of clothing is normal during the dining? I know it says “formal”, but what does that mean? I love love love dressing up, so I went as formal as I could get, although people showed up in sundresses and shorts. My husband wore a suit and tie and I wore a floor-length gown. I was mobbed by little old ladies in the ladies room, complimented until my head spun over my matching shoes and clutch, my stole, hair, makeup and fabulous dress. The other nights, I wore party dresses and heels, but I was on vacation and love to dress up.
What should I do while in port? Each port has some things you can reserve through Carnival – which ones might be worth it? What else can you do in port for 7 hours? Anything with a time limitation is worth booking through Carnival, otherwise, they DO NOT wait for you if you’re late. You can preview the shore excursions on the Carnival website.

What’s good to do while on ship? I know there’s food basically around the clock, but what else? We’ve had a blast at the onboard dance lessons, trivia contests and adult scavenger hunts. Go to the comedy shows. Go to the art auctions.
And, finally, what else can anyone tell me about the cruising experience? Don’t try to do it all. Hang out by the pool. Lounge in the deck chairs. Get in the hot tubs. By day 2, most people are friendly and chatty. I love to cruise–you unpack once but visit different ports–it’s like the hotel moves!
Have a great time!

9

All the answers so far have been excellent. I’ll just add the crazy footnote that you’ll be on the same ship doing the same destinations as my family just booked for a week or so before…

10

I have never sailed with Carnival, but I have cruised twice with Royal Caribbean, and loved it.

The only port in common with your itinerary is St. Thomas, which is absofuckinglutely beautiful!. We did an excursion, but we also walked around the town near the dock a little, and just didn’t want to leave! I highly HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Turtle Cove snorkeling tour, especially if you can get on board the Doubloon (the pirate ship, rather than the catamarans). The excursion company is www.doubloon.com and the guys that sail that ship are totally insane and a lot of fun. They keep you filled with fruit punch on the way out to the turtle island, and filled with rum with a bit of punch mixed in on the way back. They give you fake tattoos in inappropriate places (boobs for the girls, top of the head for the bald guys, the odd forehead and one buttcheek!) and sell some pretty cool t-shirts, complete with fashion show if “Brittney” (aka Chris) is on board. Oh, and the turtles are nice too!

If Carnivals’ private island is anything like RC’s Labadee or Coco Cay, then there isn’t much to do there other than soak in some sun. There probably is some snorkeling, kayaking and other “beachy” stuff, as well as a market place, but there aren’t any towns or anything like that to see or do.

One more thing about St Thomas… since it’s part of the US Virgin Islands, you have to go through US customs to get onto the island. Again, I don’t know if Carnival does things the same way (I suspect they might though) but RC takes your passport when you board so they can clear you through customs in the various ports, but the US insists that each and every damn passenger carry their own, so the ship must give them back to you by having you pick them up in the dining room on the morning of your visit to St Thomas. There were 3200 passengers on my last cruise… it took FOREVER! Seeing as you are American, you are even more screwed, because the majority of passengers are from the US, so the lines are REALLY REALLY LONG! It took some people over 2 hours to get them. Either get up very very early, or go late, because it sucks to have to wait! As a Canadian, though… well, it took us 10 minutes! It was even faster than the other non-Americans… Canadians got their own line and customs officials barely looked at the passports.

You will be given a key card, which will unlock the door to your room and serve as your method of payment and identification on board the ship. It will be linked to a credit card of yours, so don’t lose it.

We booked a balcony both times… we would never do otherwise! Especially if you can book the ones that are on the corners, aft. Well, on the RC Voyager class ships anyways… HUGE balconies!

Take the time the first day to get settled into your room, then go pass muster for the safety drill, and then explore the ship! Ask a million questions, take every passage way and staircase that isn’t marked employees only, and figure out what is where. You don’t want to be three days into your cruise and not know where things are or how things work! These ships are HUGE and there is a lot to see, and it is easy to get turned around in them.

We ended up sailing twice on the same ship (due to costs the second time, it wasn’t something we set out to do) and the second time around was so much more fun because we got into it right away. You will be hooked, no doubt about it!

Buy the motion sickness meds if you think you might need them… when the seas are calm, you do feel a slight sway back and forth, but I found it very soothing (i’m an insomniac… I have never slept as well as I did on a cruise ship!) Our last day of our second cruise was very rocky, and we had trouble walking in a straight line down hallways, but I had no problems with it… I actually really liked it! These ships are big, but not big enough to not be affected by the waves!

I hope you enjoy your cruise!

11

I have another cruise question. (I’m the OP’s cruising companion.)
I never carry cash unless I have to. So…will I need it? I’m guessing I could use my credit/debit card on the ship, but will need cash for the islands and shore excursions and such. What’s the story?

Also, October can’t get here quickly enough.

12

I don’t recall spending a dime on board (except at the casino), but we definitely spent some cash out and about in the ports. Souvenirs, taxis, and food. If you go on a cruise-sponsored excursion, you may have some food provided, but there were times where we just went ashore to look around and needed some cash. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think there was anywhere we went that didn’t take US dollars.

I also second the balcony comments. Well worth the extra expense. I’d never do a cruise without one.

13

We’ve cruised twice with Disney. Disney is a little different (you don’t need to smuggle your booze on board, for one - they just let you bring it - and the honorary captain is a five and a half foot tall mouse). But there are some things that I think are fairly normal for cruising.

There will probably be a formal night. Some people will go formal (tuxes, long gowns). Others will wear “nice church clothes.” Still others will ignore the whole thing. Generally, if you pack a few pairs of khaki pants and a few golf shirts or tropical shirts, you are fine for dining.

Ports - don’t expect much - the cruise ships dock and dump tens of thousands of tourists out each day for a few hours. The natives do what you’d expect - some tropical combination of a flea market and outlet mall. Cruise excursions are expensive - you can book your own cheaper. I’d check out cruise critic. Do be aware that you don’t want to book an excursion on your own with a tight timeframe. The ship does leave and won’t wait for you (if you book your excursions through the ship and get a flat tire on the bus, they will hold the ship - one of the benefits of paying the book through the cruiseline surcharge). Some people get off the ship briefly in each port and get back on the ship and enjoy empty pools.

Things to do - they’ll have a nightly show - a bunch of them worth going to. Its a great time to read and relax. There will be a schedule of activities you can participate in. There will be gambling. Movies. Dancing at night. And drinking, of course. There will be a spa and a workout room. Some ships have rockclimbing walls, ice skating rinks and bowling alleys.

You may get seasick. You can go the bonine route or you can do Ginger tablets or so something else. If you are prone to motion sickness, I’d pack something (maybe several somethings) just in case (Mythbusters found ginger does work).

Ships are very concerned about illness. If you do get anything that looks like a stomach virus, you’ll be quarentined to your room. For this reason alone (plus the whole “you are cruising in hurricane season” “the boat could leave port without you”) I’d recommend travel insurance. We don’t bother on land - at sea there are too many “It can go wrongs.”

Best advice, just take it as it comes and enjoy yourself.