# My first cruise - advice sought! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435 "2013-12-16T02:55:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/61 "2013-12-17T11:42:57Z")
Dramamine is benadryl with a stimulant. If benadryl makes you very drowsy, it may be worth checking out other options. > [@Voyager](#): > > I’ve been on five and have only gotten sick once - but that was from Greece in the cold rain, nothing from the ship. Except, of course, that we all know cold rain can’t make you sick. Even cold Greek rain. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/62 "2013-12-17T12:22:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > So…what might your total outlay in out-of-pocket tipping wind up being, in the case where it’s not added to the bill? (Ballpark-- min/max estimate) This is a little dated. > **[Cruise Tip Calculator - Your automated guide to Cruise Tips](https://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/)** > > This JavaScript web page will allow you to pick a cruise line, enter the number of days on your cruise and the number of people on your cruise and will provide you with the correct recommended tip amounts and give you the total amount of your tip,... The longer answer, it will DEFINATELY depend on the length of cruise, probably depend on the line. It will be per person. Its a tip, so its possible to skip out on it, or pay less - or pay more - but its pretty much “room, board, and tips” for the staff, so its bad form to not tip. If you were to sail in a suite, you’d have more people to tip, but as I remember, we tipped on room steward, dining room host, head waiter and assistant waiter. Some lines now just add tips to your room bill, you must talk to them to have them changed (or add money in an envelope - cash is always welcome). But a 7 night Royal Carribean Cruise will add about $80 per person in tips. Plus you’ll tip baggage handlers, bartenders, waitstaff at the pool or on the beach, taxi drivers, excursion staff. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/63 "2013-12-17T12:38:53Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > We discovered that there were so many walkie talkies that it was fairly useless, lots of people on every frequency - and since we cruised with Disney, lots of kids who took it upon themselves to make sure that you couldn’t talk. We gave up - but it might have been our cruise > > Disney gives you room phones - wave phones - now to call each other. I think a few lines do this. They are short range “cell” phones. Two per room are standard, more can be rented. Once again, experience trumps hear-say evidence! I never tried walkie-talkies myself, I only saw the suggestion on the above-mentioned Cruise Critic forum. The cruises I’ve done have been with one or two other people so we never really split up, we pretty much did everything together. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/64 "2013-12-17T13:38:23Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > The last cruise ended last July and ran for 53 days.Tips were not included. We gave the cabin steward $250 and gave $150 each to our table waiters. So that works out at $10.53 per day. We thought they did a terrific job and made the cruise a lot more enjoyable, so we don’t really care about a few dollars here or there. > [@Dangerosa](#): > > This is a little dated. > > [http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/](http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/) > > The longer answer, it will DEFINATELY depend on the length of cruise, probably depend on the line. It will be per person. Its a tip, so its possible to skip out on it, or pay less - or pay more - but its pretty much “room, board, and tips” for the staff, so its bad form to not tip. If you were to sail in a suite, you’d have more people to tip, but as I remember, we tipped on room steward, dining room host, head waiter and assistant waiter. Some lines now just add tips to your room bill, you must talk to them to have them changed (or add money in an envelope - cash is always welcome). But a 7 night Royal Carribean Cruise will add about $80 per person in tips. > > Plus you’ll tip baggage handlers, bartenders, waitstaff at the pool or on the beach, taxi drivers, excursion staff. This is helpful. But how MANY people do you end up tipping? For example, you tip “each of your waiters.” Is that two? Ten? And how much does “$80 per person” wind up being for a 7-day cruise? IOW how many people? I’m not begrudging the staff their tips, just curious how much extra $$ this adds up to. I realize it depends on the length of the cruise. On a 53-day trip, that could really add up, but then, presumably you’ve already spent thousands. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/65 "2013-12-17T14:21:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > This is helpful. But how MANY people do you end up tipping? For example, you tip “each of your waiters.” Is that two? Ten? > > And how much does “$80 per person” wind up being for a 7-day cruise? IOW how many people? > > I’m not begrudging the staff their tips, just curious how much extra $$ this adds up to. I realize it depends on the length of the cruise. On a 53-day trip, that could really add up, but then, presumably you’ve already spent thousands. Again, it depends on the line. Usually its two waiters and a room attendant at a minimum - those are the people you will see. There may be some other tipped people (like a dining room host) that you’d only work directly with if you had an issue, but the line asks that they be tipped regardless of if you work with them - because they are working for you whether you know it or not. If you were to book a suite, their might be more than one stateroom attendant you would need to tip. $80 would be all tips required for all nights for all people (i.e. your total per person tip cost) on RC. So if you are tipping for two - plan on $160 added cost in minimum tips for a seven day cruise. (If you follow the link, and pick a random line, number of days and people, this will make more sense). When you book, the cruise line will communicate their own guidelines and how this happens. Or the travel agent will know pre-cruise for the specific line. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/66 "2013-12-17T14:41:56Z")
I presume with the itinerary the OP is sailing on Royal Caribbean and they have now moved to adding the standard tips to your ship account. Works out to between 12 and 15/ person/day depending on the accomodation and covers everyone from dining attendants in all venues to the stateroom attendants. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/67 "2013-12-17T14:55:33Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > I presume with the itinerary the OP is sailing on Royal Caribbean and they have now moved to adding the standard tips to your ship account. Works out to between 12 and 15/ person/day depending on the accomodation and covers everyone from dining attendants in all venues to the stateroom attendants. ThelmaLou isn’t the OP though. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/68 "2013-12-17T16:23:52Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > ThelmaLou isn’t the OP though. Yeah, the OP didn’t ask about tipping. I just butted in with the question. But, as it’s the OP’s first cruise, he’ll probably want to know about tipping. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/69 "2013-12-17T17:51:37Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > I presume with the itinerary the OP is sailing on Royal Caribbean and they have now moved to adding the standard tips to your ship account. Works out to between 12 and 15/ person/day depending on the accomodation and covers everyone from dining attendants in all venues to the stateroom attendants. NCL does this also. Dealing with tipping automatically relieves a lot of stress on passengers, especially first time ones. In fact I’ve heard ads which offer covered tipping as an incentive, along with drink packages and stateroom upgrades. Bottom line is that lots of people worry, so the cruise lines make it easy. And you can tip more for exceptional service, of course. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/70 "2013-12-17T18:30:04Z")
> [@saramamalana](#): > > In a few weeks I will be going on my first cruise. It leaves from Baltimore and stops in Florida and the Bahamas. I am traveling with friends that have been on cruises before, but not in the wintertime. A few other things to consider, 1: most typical ship staterooms have 1 electrical plug…bring a small plug bar so you can charge your phone and use your curling iron. 2: I am not a drinker so liquor issues were pretty much non existent. One of my friends has die hard methods for bringing liquor aboard, if you just must have free booze PM me and I will share his methods, its work, but you could easily end up with several bottles worth of booze on board 3: Your cabin steward even in the deepest darkest corners of the boat has access to tons of services that can often be done very quickly. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask, and toss him a couple cash tips, your trip WILL be much nicer. Your stuff will always be ready, beds turned down/rearranged if needed. Ask for an extra pillow and it will be there by bedtime. You have not cruised until you have done so with a good cabin steward, its kinda what makes the whole thing feel special to me. 4: I found that I did not have any problems bringing a 6 pack of 20oz bottles of soda on board but it has been a few years. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/71 "2013-12-17T18:36:05Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Yes, late returners from the cruise line-endorsed excursions. NOT Joe Blow who was bad with time management and is late back to the ship. They will leave without you. You need to be at least in line to get aboard by sailing time. From what I was told on RC cruises, if you are late from an excursion that you scheduled through RC, they will do what it takes to get you back on-board even if that means flying you to the next port. However if you are late for any other reason, it’s your problem. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/72 "2013-12-17T22:17:04Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Its a tip, so its possible to skip out on it, or pay less - or pay more - but its pretty much “room, board, and tips” for the staff, so its bad form to not tip. The staff that work for tips get ONLY tips. Technically, they have a minimum floor in their contract, but that’s incredibly low…like, $500 a year. I want to be clear about this - if you don’t tip them, they don’t make any money. You’re taking their paycheck, not their bonus. The flipside is if you _do_ add an extra buck, or whatever, they’re your best friend and will do whatever you ask. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/73 "2013-12-19T19:48:58Z")
I’m a slow eater … will the cruise ship allow you to take food back to your room to finish it later, like in a Styrofoam container from say the buffet? I know they have room service and on Princess cruises you can order menu items from sun up till 10pm that are free and of course tea, milk and sodas are free, but that takes time, plus the tip I don’t mind, but the waiting plays on my mind. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/74 "2013-12-19T20:14:04Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > I’m a slow eater … will the cruise ship allow you to take food back to your room to finish it later, like in a Styrofoam container from say the buffet? > > I know they have room service and on Princess cruises you can order menu items from sun up till 10pm that are free and of course tea, milk and sodas are free, but that takes time, plus the tip I don’t mind, but the waiting plays on my mind. No stryofoam, but there is nothing to stop you from piling up a plate and bringing it back to your room. Except that you have no microwave, and the cabins are very small, so old foo dlying around get really gross really fast. If you are a slow eater you can sit at a table all day if you wish at the buffet or by the pool. It is only the main dining rooms that have seating times. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/75 "2013-12-19T20:36:58Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If you are a slow eater you can sit at a table all day if you wish at the buffet or by the pool. It is only the main dining rooms that have seating times. The main dining rooms on the last few I went on did not have seating times, except in the sense that dinner was served over a certain interval. Over the years things have moved from table (and seating) assignments for lunch and dinner to a standard restaurant format - come in any time, and your party gets seated by yourselves. Kind of too bad, since I enjoyed sitting with a group over the entire cruise. ETA: And I’ve never felt pressured to eat fast and leave, though I’m a fast eater in any case and there is always stuff to do. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/76 "2013-12-19T21:55:30Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The main dining rooms on the last few I went on did not have seating times, except in the sense that dinner was served over a certain interval. > Over the years things have moved from table (and seating) assignments for lunch and dinner to a standard restaurant format - come in any time, and your party gets seated by yourselves. Kind of too bad, since I enjoyed sitting with a group over the entire cruise. > ETA: And I’ve never felt pressured to eat fast and leave, though I’m a fast eater in any case and there is always stuff to do. On Royal Caribbean the Main Dining is reserved seating, for either early or late, and you stay at the same table, with the same people. I liked that because we got to know our servers and the people at our table. Lunch was more freeform and they had a killer good salad bar set up in the main dining room that I preferred to the buffet. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/77 "2013-12-19T21:57:14Z")
> [@saramamalana](#): > > In a few weeks I will be going on my first cruise. It leaves from Baltimore and stops in Florida and the Bahamas. I am traveling with friends that have been on cruises before, but not in the wintertime. **What I’m struggling with is how to prepare to dress on the boat while it’s at sea, before we hit the warm weather. Do I want to bring sweaters as if it’s cold outside, or am I likely to be comfortable in a tee shirt since I don’t imagine I’ll go on deck in those first two travel days? I am an anxious packer as it is, and I need guidance!** Thanks in advance! What I find amusing is that of the first 74 responses, only five actually addressed the question in the OP… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/78 "2013-12-19T23:23:07Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > On Royal Caribbean the Main Dining is reserved seating, for either early or late, and you stay at the same table, with the same people. I liked that because we got to know our servers and the people at our table. Lunch was more freeform and they had a killer good salad bar set up in the main dining room that I preferred to the buffet. Did they have lots of extra charge restaurants? NCL does, and I can see how they could screw up a seating arrangement because some people would never or only sometimes show up. Back in 1980 part of booking for the QE2 was selecting table size. I agree that it is a better system. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/79 "2013-12-20T00:51:50Z")
Most every scenario has been covered by the other posters. My only advice is that if you feel the need to buy something expensive on the trip that has to be shipped back, which is bulky, consider using your dirty clothes as packing materials when you mail it back to yourself. It doesn’t apply to you for this cruise, but if you find yourself traveling in Europe for a cruise, they have significant weight restrictions on luggage when flying back that don’t apply on the way there from the U.S. They love to nail Americans in Italy with this. We had been warned about this when we did a cruise from Athens, Greece to Venice, Italy. When we stopped on the island of Greek island of Corfu, which was a totally forgettable stop, lots of Americans got off the boat, bought boxes, packed up their soveigners and dirty clothes, and mailed them back for just this reason. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435/80 "2013-12-20T02:42:31Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Yeah, if you’ve got no smuggling skills. > > Fill an empty Listerine bottle with gin or vodka and add a few drops of blue and green food coloring. They are not going to quaff your mouth wash. Or fill a camelbak and keep it in your backpack/purse when you board - preferably in a hard to find pouch, in a stuffed bag, with loose tampons next to it. This isn’t SDMB-banned criminal advice; you’re breaking policy, not law. The staff is concerned with weapons and hard drugs. Worst case scenario, you’ve lost a fifth of something. The Love Boat is not going to keelhaul your ass. It’s like a high school field trip all over again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-cruise-advice-sought/676435.md?page=5)