Another thing … Is it 5 days or 5 nights? In general on the first day you get aboard in the mid-late afternoon & aren’t really settled into recreating mode much before sundown. On the last day it’s wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, grab your carryon luggage, and walk ashore for good.
So a 5-day cruise may only have 3 complete days, whereas a 5-nighter will have 4.
Another advantage to early arrival (besides shorter lines) is that you can go to the buffet and have a meal before the ship even sails.
Wash your hands often. Viruses and colds spread like wildfire on cruise ships.
When you leave the boat at stops, be cognizant of the time (which the boat normally sticks to embarkation time regardless of where you port). Make sure you get back to the boat…they do not wait for all passengers to return and will leave you. Cruise line sponsored excursions reduce this risk.
Be social…meet new people…have fun!
Wash your hands frequently! I work with the medical units of the cruise lines and this is what they most want cruisers to do. Hand sanitizer is everywhere and people are pretty good about using it, but it is no substitute for washing with soap and water. Carnival has hand washing stations all over the ship. Use them.
In the interests of fighting ignorance (I’m truly not intending to thread-shit), cruising may not be a great choice of vacation if you have an environmental conscience. Cursory Googling will bring up many instances of poor regulation and detrimental impacts, ranging from dumping food and minimally treated sewage offshore, to social justice issues of international crew members working in unregulated conditions. I worked for six months on a cruise liner and was horrified by the wastefulness inherent in providing the perceived luxury experience of cruising.
Again, sorry to insert my potentially unpopular opinion here, but I want to make sure we’re fighting ignorance.
Cruise lines forbid “saving” deck chairs.
It’s only occupied if it’s occupied by an actual passenger. If you want a spot, put the towel, paperback, etc, under the chair. If the occupant shows up, relinquish the chair. If not, when you leave, you can hand in the stuff to “lost and found”, which is what the deck stewards will have done if they are on a “no reserving” enforcement binge.
Same principles apply to saving seats at popular venues and holding places in line. Only those actually there are entitled. Enabling those who hog what are supposed to be shared resources rewards anti-social conduct.
Grand Turk has fabulous snorkeling; you can book independently in advance or on arrival. The Bahamas has history; read up a little and walk around. Sample itinerary for Nassau:
Book your room in the middle decks in the middle of the ship (try for a balcony if available), you’ll have the least “ocean motion” (yawing and pitching). It’s basically the most stable area of the boat, and you can get forward or aft a bit easier starting form the middle.
Do NOT buy on the cruises “Duty Free!” jewelry store. First, it’s usually more expensive than in-port stores, regardless of their “sale” prices. Second, and more importantly, the cruise ships keep a detailed list of everything you buy (especially duty free) and transfer it electronically to US Customs & Border Patrol upon return.
Duty free has limits, generally around a thousand bucks. Anything over that is subject to tariffs. You buy that Rolex or diamond earrings onboard, you ARE going to pay a tariff for it when you return to the US based eactly on what you paid for it. If you buy it in a foreign port, then it’s up to your honesty as to whether you declare it or not and at what value.
I once had to sit at CBP (because of a problem with the ex’s passport) for a good two hours in the special search area. They kept asking this young lady if she had anything to declare and she was all “Nope” and they just kept tearing her luggage more and more apart searching. Finally they SHOWED her the duty free item list from the ship and made her take off what she was wearing for comparison. That’s how I learned about the electronic transfer of info to CBP. I saw it first hand.
We got out of there (finally) when they decided that I hadn’t switched out my ex for some other woman. :rolleyes: Come to think of it… would not have been a bad idea! 
Regards,
-Bouncer-
My experience in the main dining room:
You are not limited to one salad, one entree, etc. You can order several different items and/or multiples of the same item. This is good to know if you’re having trouble choosing between the beef and the chicken, or if you have a hearty appetite. The portions are modest by American restaurant standards. However, order them all at once – while they’ll accomodate an order for a second entree after you’ve finished the first one, it throws a monkey wrench into their system and causes a significant delay.
Five cruises so far.
As you saw, internet service is expensive. It is also slow. This is a great opportunity to get away from being connected.
Research your ports before deciding to take the ship’s excursion. Sometimes it is really good, sometimes it is unnecessary.
They’ll tell you all about great places to shop. The cruise line gets kickbacks for that. They are probably the worst places you can go. Look for more unbiased information.
Cruise critic is a great resource, but there are definitely people there who have done this a 100 times and have their own special guides. I agree that using the cruise ones for exotic trips is good the first time. When you are more experienced you can use local people, and preferably read reviews of them and reserve in advance.
The shows on cruises may not be Broadway quality but are surprisingly good. Great fun to see a juggler operate while the ship is rocking.
I’ve never had problems with seasickness - cabins are reasonably close to the water where there is less movement. On our first cruise we went to a party in the cabin of the Chief Engineer of the QE2 which was way up on top. It moved a lot more up there than in your cabin.
And I’ll echo the warning to look out for fees. Cruise lines have cut their base prices and have made up for it by nickel and diming you. Play card. lay on deck, swim, and eat. The best thing is no chores to do, and you don’t have to shlep your luggage from place to place.
Quick story on that. While getting our luggage aboard they wanted an extra tip for those carriers saying our regular tips didnt pay for this service and HIGHLY suggested I toss some dough into a jar. I didnt and lo and behold, we had a bag show up missing. I was ticked off at their little game so I went down, identified it, and made this crewman carry it to my room (I said I had a bad back). He wasnt happy but I wasnt either getting jacked for more money.
When doing an excursion, make absolute certain you are back at the ship when they say to be back. The ship will not wait for you. For your amusement here are some people who didn’t quite make it 
I am also probably going on my first cruse next March/April
It is a board game cruise, so I have plans for the sea days (though won’t be doing that 100% of the time)
Brian
Nah, splurge and get the drink passes. Pay a flat amount per day and drink all you want. We did this on Royal C. this summer and would never do it any differently.
They’ll wait for you if it’s an “official” excursion through the cruising but if you go independent to save some bucks they absolutely will leave without you. You have to get yourself to the next port. There’s a whole cottage industry built up around getting late people to their next port.
You know now that you owe us a recap of how your cruise went.
BTW, watch for the Baked Alaska.
A little research goes a long way in saving money on shore excursions.
I live in a Caribbean cruise port and am AMAZED that cruisers pay for shore excursions that they could do on their own for only nominal cost. I’m talking about shore snorkeling or scuba excursions that you can walk to from the port, shopping excursions to locations right in front of you as you come ashore, or tours of the port that offer little more than could be had wandering around on your own.
Don’t fall for the “you’ll miss the ship” boogeyman. In all my years here the only people who missed the ship were because something seriously went wrong medically… being on a ship’s excursion wouldn’t have made a bit of difference. Find a reliable local company and deal with them for a better shore excursion at a much cheaper price than the ship’s offerings.
Also, keep in mind that the port city is not necessarily representative of the entire island. We vacation in St Martin; Phillipsburg is where the ships dock. In all the years we’ve been going to the island, we’ve stopped in P-burg twice to do some shopping. Not a cool place, and often all that cruise people see of an otherwise fantastic locale.
Re: “missing the boat boogeyman” - If I had been on an “unauthorized” shore trip, I’d have missed the boat. In Belize, our shore tour for horseback riding was two hours late getting back to the ship. The tour was wonderful - involving a river cruise, horseback ride, etc. - but it was about 90 minutes from the port city. On our return trip, the bus was forced to stop by the police. Much arguing and gesticulating, and finally the bus turned around and drove an hour back to the ranch to pick up a passenger they’d left behind. Oooops. The ship waited for the 12 of us on the tour (as we thanked God for the guarantee). We were given multiple free drink coupons to pass out to other passengers, along with badges that said “Ask me about it - I’m the one you were waiting for” (or something like that). It was a great time.
Marigot, yo!
Speaking of not waiting, the ship will also not wait for you if you get to the point of embarkation late. When we took our Alaska cruise, the flight from Oakland to Vancouver hours late. It was fine for us since we had scheduled a few days there to tour, but the people who were supposed to be meeting the boat that day were freaking out, and I think missed it. You can get on later but it is a pain and expensive. It pays to fly in a day early just in case.