In just a few days, I will be crossing off a few things from my bucket list. Traveling internationally…check. Taking a cruise…check. Swimming with dolphins…check. It is quite an exciting time!
Almost a year ago, I boarded my first cruise ship, the Carnival Elation, and took a tour of the new Fun Ship 2.0 Improvements. Even though the cruise didn’t leave the port, I was hooked. A few months later, I was invited back to tour the Carnival Conquest and I participated in a social media scavenger hunt.
Guess what?
I won.
I will be enjoying my prize in the upcoming days by setting sail with my family on the Carnival Conquest (don’t get any ideas, I have house sitters and an attack guinea pig). I am starting to pack my bags but I need to hear your tips for first time cruisers. Should I take Dramamine or Bonine? Do I bring casual or fancy clothes? What are the “do not forget” items? Anything special to consider when traveling with kids? Help!
I say bring all the anti-nausea medicine you can find, but I am a special case!LOL I would not forget bottled water and sunscreen. Have fun!!
Hey B! We went on our first cruise in June and I’m ready to go again. Would I fit in your suitcase?
#1 Pack light. Bring clothes that don’t wrinkle easily. Mix & match tops and bottoms if possible.
Daytime is super-casual. You’ll probably spend most of the day poolside.
Nighttime is ‘supposed’ to be dressier, but it isn’t strictly enforced. The elegant night was a blast! We saw
some couples in evening gowns & tuxes….others in walking shorts & 3-button shirts.
#2 An ocean view room is a MUST HAVE. I saw the interior rooms & they were pitch black unless the light was on.
#3 Bring nausea medicine and the basic stuff like Tylenol & bandaids. That stuff is EXPENSIVE on the ship.
We ended up not needing to use any of it, but had it just in case.
#4 Bring an extra rolling suitcase for breakable souvenirs. You can keep it with you for debarkation, so no
worrying about stuff getting broken. The bed is high enough to store big suitcases underneath. (brilliant!)
#5 No matter how full you are after dinner, order a dessert. Carnival has some of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted.
The Chocolate Melting Cake is divine. DH & I would order different desserts so we could taste both.
#6 Ask for early seating for dinner. We were assigned late seating & felt like we missed too much. Thankfully,
the Maitre’d changed us to early seating on the 3rd night. (We just asked.)
#7 Go down the water slide! It’s my one regret from our cruise. We kept saying, “We need to do that.” but never did. boo!
#8 It’s seriously humid, so if you’re a curly girl, just roll with it.
I tried straightening my hair one evening….*shudder*.
#9 The kids clubs had some late night stuff, so afternoon naps are a good idea…for Mom & Dad too!
#10 You can pack those kool-aid mix ins & stir them into glasses of water. We saved a lot of money doing that.
I’m sure you’ll have a blast! Carnival is great!!
Great tips! Keep ’em coming!
Take 2 Meclizine(Travel Sickness) pills the night before you set sail. Chew one and swallow the other. Then for the next night or so take 1 pill before you go to bed. Usually by day 3, you will notice you won’t need to take any more. But the most important thing to remember on a cruise besides to have fun: Whenever you see a hand sanitizer station, USE IT! Especially before walking into any dining area. It doesn’t help to take little individual packets you can use. After you hand the menu back to your server and before you unwrap your utensils, eat any food or open your straw, sanitize again.