It’s really not a boogeyman (as that video posted proves) but most of the time people miss the boat not because of excursions but because they’re drinking at a local bar or shopping and lose time.
This. I love Oyster Pond. If I could buy Hope Cottage as my retirement home I would. http://www.vrbo.com/377759
Regards,
-Bouncer-
FWIW - I am not much of a gambler, and therefore I would not go on a cruise that offered gambling (if I could avoid it). They tended to under-schedule things during the day to push us to gamble instead of anything else. In contrast to that was the Disney cruise we went on. That was a blast - tons of stuff to do 24/7, for kids and adults.
IME it doesn’t matter how big your cabin is - we didn’t do much in it except sleep, and the rest of the time we were out doing stuff, including cool things I didn’t expect like cooking classes and drawing classes (I learned how to draw Mickey Mouse) and I don’t know what-all.
It was a lot of fun. I envy you. Let us know how it went!
Regards,
Shodan
We’re counting the days! We booked through a discount service and only found out our room assignment today. We’re going to be in an aft-facing room, one deck under the dining room. We’ve booked a stingray encounter as our big splurge item. We were looking at massages but they seem waaaay overpriced, even on port days.
Last night I ordered a prescription snorkel mask. I love to swim but I’ve always hated not being able to see while at the beach or the pool. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I could have been wearing a prescription mask all these years! The fact that I will be able to see while swimming for the first time since I was in grade school makes the price worth it.
Thanks for all of the advice, everybody. I’ll be posting all about our adventures when we get back.
Depends on which cruise you go on.
It would be hard to find a ship for adults without a casino these days. In the last one you had to walk through it in many case to get from one end of the ship to the other, and it was fairly empty during sea days. Never noticed any lack of activities. It was easy for me to avoid, since I figure the payout is set low because it is a bit hard to walk out the door to the next casino.
I’ve looked at river cruises, and they to not have fees - but they are also very expensive. Which lines don’t have fees these days? 25 years ago they were much fewer.
If you are doing any beach excursions, watch for locals offering aloe massages. Benefit the local economy whenever you can! Plus, a massage on the beach is heavenly.
Which line? I’ve never had anyone look for an additional tip.
We sailed on the Victory about 10 years ago. Probably a bit different now…
Alcohol - ships have rules about bringing your own. You can probably smuggle some in your luggage at the start, but not add any from the stops. But only really needed if you’re a big drinker. Don’t be surprised if they try to take/confiscate it if they find it. There are security checked re-boarding and customs issues with buying alcohol outside the country. If they find alcohol when re-boarding from a stop or island, they will “hold” it for you and you will have to declare it at customs when you get back to the US.
Beverages (non-alcohol) - if you’re a soda drinker, then the flat rate unlimited soda deal they offer is probably worth it. But it doesn’t include bottled water.
Tipping - no tipping (generally) until the end of the cruise and most lines now automatically add a gratuity onto your bill. BUT - when you’re off the ship, bring small bills for tipping at the stops (meals, tour guides, etc.). We got to our first stop once and only had $20 and $100 bills.
The deck chair reserving thing… you’ll go up on deck mid-morning to noon and 30% of deck chairs have people in them with the rest (hundreds of them) “saved” with a towel, book, or sunglasses on them. I swear half the ship gets up at sunrise, puts a pair of sunglasses on a chair, then goes back to bed until 2. But as someone already said, no reserving chairs. Just move whatever off to the side and sit wherever. Half the time you’ll never even see the person who tried to save it.
When you board, check the Purser’s desk for cabin upgrades (unless the ship is full). You can get discounted upgrades at departure if there are cabins sitting empty.
They have prescription swim goggles, too – on-line swim stuff places often have them on clearance at as little as ten bucks. Much better than a mask for recreational and lap swimming.
I did this on my first cruise and found that most of the places that you would get a soda are the bars who of course expect a tip. So you basically end up with half price sodas. I brought a 12 pack of 500ml bottles of my favorite in my luggage for the second. I only drank a couple a day so it lasts. I bought another 6 pack of the same size bottles at another stop and they did not care about me bringing it on board.
Royal C. just has Coke Freestyle machines throughout the ship that you would help yourself to.
Or buy some soda in port.
Or do what I did. Angry about overpriced soft drinks, I restricted my drinking to vodka.
Or don’t drink either. I’ll occasionally have a glass of wine or a Scotch, but water, coffee, and tea are what I drink during the day on a cruise. You can buy a bottle of wine and they’ll keep it for you between meals if you don’t want to pay the per-glass rate.
Also, if you do buy a beverage and charge it to your card, please check your receipt carefully. Ours already had an 18% gratuity included and then encouraged you to add an additional tip.
The last one I was on had half price margaritas during happy hour (pre-dinner) at the Mexican restaurant. If you went to the tapa bar and bought a Sangria you got to eat tapas for free.
I was happy with ice tea at meals. I’ve learned to turn off my soda craving when going to Europe where wine is cheaper than Coke. And my German son-in-law still has a hard time with the concept of free coffee refills. It’s like magic to him.
Alcohol is pretty much a non-issue with us. I only like a few kinds and he’s on heart meds so he can’t drink any. Not that I’d turn down a good sangria, though. Or a Long Island Iced Tea.
Plan ahead for your on-island purchases…
Many tourist-oriented shops, restaurants in Caribbean cruise ports will accept US dollars. But they might not provide change in US currency. Bring small bills. Fortunately for the OPs itinerary the Turks and Caicos use the US dollar as their official currency.
Many tourist oriented shops will accept major credit cards. But your credit card issuer may tack on a foreign transaction fee that may apply even if the transaction is processed in US dollars. Capital One is known for offering cards that do not have this fee and are friendlier for those in international travel.