Any advice welcome

[ngvcooper]

Well we have done it, never cruised before but for our 25th Anniversary us and another couple have booked a cruise on the new Celebrity Equinox (was very impressed with pictures of the Solstice). We are sailing on the 15th Feb doing the Ultimate Caribbean Cruise for 11 nights, have booked Aqua class and will be staying on the Penthouse Deck cabins 1594/1598?(unsure of the other cabin number) they are next to one another.

Any advice tips would be appreciated, we are really excited and hope that it will be an anniversary to remember.

Thanks

Viv

 

[BSeabob]

Welcome..my only advice at this time is my usual bit that I pass on to first timers. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I can tell you though that should your experiences be anywhere similar to mine that you will be sorry that you didn't celebrate your.... say 20th on a cruise somewhere.

Have a look around our "Home" here on the net. Check out the ship review Button up above. I did a Solstice and at the end of my review there is a link to several of my buddies who have had more experiences and great pictures.

Reading those reviews and perhaps others would be my real advice to getting started. You will see that everyone including my good friends get a very different experience out of the same cruise. It really is what you make it.

Am very envious of your first being 11 days and on a brand new ship .... wow.

Don't hesitate to ask any specific questions that you may be wondering about.

 

[Ted_D]

Viv,

Welcome to these boards and to cruising. You are going to have a fabulous time.

I would advise you to do a couple of things that will help you make the most of your first cruise:

1. Get a passport now if you do not already have one. Unfortunately, the rules change often,
and there simply is no substitute for a passport.

2. Purchase insurance with your cruise if you have not already done so. Like having fire
insurance on your home, you certainly hope that nothing will happen on your cruise, and that
the premium will go to waste. But I know from personal experience that things can and do happen,
and the insurance is cheap compared to what your loss could be.

3. Get a good book from the public library or from a decent bookstore on Caribbean cruising. It
will help you learn the ropes before you even get on the ship on many topics that will make your
cruise more enjoyful and its preparation less stressful. It will help you understand how tipping
works on board, give you ideas about what to pack, and what to do on each port stop you make.

4. Take less clothes than you think you will need. Almost without exception, new cruisers take
way, way too much "stuff" with them.

5. Think about getting to your embarcation port the day prior to your cruise. It will take a lot of
stress out of the trip, and depending on where you are traveling from in February, delays due to
weather can cause you to miss your ship.

Ask many questions here as they occur to you.

Ted