I need Help..Info about Cruises

[reformedrepub]

Ok heres the deal. We are taking a cruise from NYC to Canada. This is our first cruise and we are taking two children. What do I need to know? What about motion sickness? Things to do/not do. Help me out here....

[Biscottiii]

1. I can't get it to open for me at the moment, but the best place to check

is "Cruise Critics" message board. messages.cruisecritic.com/

They have threads for every conceivable question or you can start a thread for your newer question, and just fun reading. We just took a cruise to Alaska last summer, 1st timers. CC folks were really generous with advice, they came from all walks of life.

Per advice there and at another message board, we just took along 'over the counter' Bonnine from Walgreens - same time each day, and started the morning BEFORE we got on the boat. Never even thought about seasickness.
"folks I know who get terribly seasick have had better luck with Bonnine than Dramamine"

One thing we learned the expensive way. We were buying bottled water, like everyone else, fairly pricey. Halfway through the trip (DUH?) we tried the water in the cabin bathroom. Just as sweet as Seattle water. After that we just kept refilling our empty bottles in the cabin. At $2.25/tiny to $4.25/larger per bottle, it adds up quickly!

Another thing we discovered the hard way, is there were no ATM bank machines on board. One can get $$ via the purser, that's tacked onto the credit card bill at the end. Just so that you're aware.

[RebelOne]

2. Be prepared to gain weight.

I remember one cruise I was on, I gained 7 pounds. There are meals served around the clock. Also, usually sea-sick pills are handed out free. Fortunately, I never get sea sick.

[AirmensMom]

3. Been on three.

Be careful with your drinks. They can add up fast. It's been a while, but if I remember correctly, soft drinks, coffee, and tea were free. Choose your shore excursions carefully, too. That is ... if money is a concern.

If you don't like what you ordered for a meal, don't be shy about asking for something else. Cruise ship food is really fun -- all sorts of things you probably have never had before. Oh, and we learned something last time. They're so busy making fancy things that they don't seem to have simple favorites like chocolate chip cookies! Not to worry. Even though they don't advertise them, ask your server and he/she will find some freshly baked ones. It's hard to believe, but sometimes you crave a cookie in the midst of all that fancy fare.

Go to the shows. You will not be disappointed.

The cruise ships have stabilizers, so you might not have a problem with motion sickness. We took the acupressure bands just in case. They work instantly and you don't have to take medicine unnecessarily. (We tried them once on a very rough sailboat ride -- the kids were able to read books below deck with them on. I almost tossed my cookies but then put a pair on and got relieve within a minute.)

Take something for the kids to do while you're waiting to get off the ship. That is the least enjoyable part of the cruise unless you've planned for it.

Most of all, enjoy it. I think cruises are the best vacation deals around. If you like a lot of excitement, you can do the group things. We don't go for that, so we were happy staying on the ship while everyone else went on the shore excursions or did other things. It's fun to explore the ship when it's not so crowded.

That's about all I can think of. I'm jealous, by the way. :P

[applegrove]

4. Sounds like fun.

[Shakespeare]

5. Spend a lot of time reading the boards at this site:

You'll probably find out everything you want to know, and a whole lot more you didn't know you needed to know. ;-)

The individual ship reviews are really good, too (so you can get a feel for what to expect on your specific cruise).

http://www.cruisemates.com/

[lost-in-nj]

6. I agree about cruisecritics....

used them a lot on my last 2 cruises and expect to use them for the next one coming up in July!!


be prepared to get pampered....
omg you will want to bring them ALL home!!


What cruise line???

HAVE A BLAST!!!!



lost

[greenbriar]

7. Going on my 5th Saturday

Unless you are very prone to motion sickness..you will not notice the movement on the boat


BEST vacation EVER

involve your kids on the on board activites. They are almost always planned out well

[ironflange]

8. we crossed a stormy north sea once

we were on a baltic cruise

i rather liked the gentle rocking motion but you should have seen all the seasick people
the ship ran out of those wristbands

i have no motion sickness problem whatsoever

we are heading out on our second cruise this july
two week alaska cruise on the tahitian princess
a smaller ship
its gonna be a hoot

[flvegan]

9. Don't get on a boat with a flag from Norway nor Iceland.

Whaling shits.

That's really all I have.

[minnesota_liberal]

10. So you're trying to decide between Tom and Katie?

Tom's a bit nutty so I'd take Katie.