I suppose that once the question has been answered the why not move on to other advice?
We were at a fairly standard 8 person round table, the other options were 2 person or 4 person and we wanted to meet people. There was one really fancy extra charge place, 3 or 4 things like Johnny Rocket [a retro burger place with killer milk shakes and fries] and then about 8 or 9 bars, and the central promenade had a bunch of more sidewalk cafe sort of places. The sidewalk cafe sort of places [a coffee house, an ice cream store, a deli and I really can’t remember the others as I didn’t use them] were free. The Johnny Rocket place ran about what a McDonalds would, bars were bar pricing, and so forth. You can probably find menus and prices on Cruise Critics for all the different places.
I forget who but there was a response about how to dress on the cruise. Either that, or I happened to read a suggestion going over reviews on Cruise Critic. Either way, the ongoing advice and suggestions are all great!
If anyone is interested, I am traveling on a Carnival ship.
Did anybody mention getting a door back shoe caddy and using it to store small stuff so you can find it easier? I don’t want to go back and reread the thread looking to see …
Most stuff seems to be covered but I thought it worthwhile to add a little about gratuities.
To be ‘gratuities’ they must be optional. Most (all?) lines encourage passengers to sign up for auto-grats. That is, a fixed amount per passenger (not per cabin) will be added your account each day. If you opt out, you are expected to tip the staff at the end of the cruise.
Auto-grats are put in a pool which is divided up among most of the crew, including many you never see, like laundry workers and cooks. Tips paid at the end are also added to the pool and any crew member caught cheating will probably be fired. The exception is for people who pay automatically and choose to give a member of staff a little extra. Those tips they can keep.
You should be aware that the staff apparently know who is paying automatically and who is not. Read what you like into that.
My advice - pay automatically, and additionally tip anyone who goes above and beyond… They work hard, long hours, and their basic wage is low.
I got the patch from my doctor and it turned out to be the smartest thing I ever did since we had high winds for a couple of says.
Also, I find that Bonine works better for me than Dramamine if I need to be awake. Dramamine just knocks me out and then I’m groggy.
Is SCAdian saying that after the main question has been answered, the thread should be locked. Surely not.
Anyway, the people giving additional advice were doing it specifically for your amusement, and they are now happy. Win-win.
Agreed it should not be locked … why start another thread over something so interesting.
I read every post and stored all of that information for my cruise someday …
if anyone, including the op person, is on a cruise could you please check in for us stay at home dopers and let us know how you are enjoying your trip.
many thanks 
I pre-pay the gratuities and don’t tip any more unless there is something special. On a Carnival Cruise there was a person in the main dining room that took my orders for allergy specific items each day. I tipped her on the last day.
Thought I’d report back on the outcome of my cruise! Short answer… I had a lot of fun, there were plenty of activities on the ship and the staff were all very friendly and attentive. I felt a little icky the first night as I got used to the sensation of being on the ship, but I was fine the rest of the time. However the last sea day we hit really rough waters and the ship was rocking hard and I needed the motion sickness medication.
Smuggling booze on board was very useful, I only bought myself one drink on the last night. If someone takes a cruise and enjoys a steak house, I highly recommend making use of the one on board - absolutely worth the price! Food is included on the ship but you pay $35 for the steakhouse, which includes starter, appetizer, main course, two sides and dessert.
As for clothing… I overpacked on formal stuff since New Year’s Eve coincided with the elegant dining night. First port was chilly and rainy, and third port was canceled due to poor docking conditions, so I ended up with warm weather clothing I didn’t use but I couldn’t have predicted that. On board I mostly wore jeans, tee shirt, flip flops and a zip up light sweatshirt if I was cold. I will have a better idea what I need or don’t for next time.
I’m glad you had fun.
Cruising is a sort of risky vacation - some people are miserable no matter what they do - and spending a lot of money to feel sick the whole time is no ones idea of vacation. I had a friend who had three years of mal de débarquement after her last cruise - there will never be another one. And, as you discovered, stops get cancelled, itineraries get changed - it can be a great way to see an area if you stop, but you risk spending a week on the boat under conditions that don’t make docking possible.
But, for those that enjoy cruising - it really is an awesome vacation.
THANKS! I haven’t done a cruise yet, but I’m saving your post for when I do.