First time cruise questions

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craftkook

Guest
Hi,
My husband and I are planning a cruise for our 25 anniversay and to welcome him home from Afghanistan.This is our very first cruise. I'm planning this very last minute, we want to go March 1. So far the one that works best for us is Carnival Glory, to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Marten. ANY hints you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Is there transportation from the Orlando airport to the port? What kind of excursions do you reccommend. Because he is military we got an upgrade from 4 A to 4C,is that good?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
 
S

singjenn

Guest
Hello! Congratulations on your Anniversary, and give my thanks to your husband for what he does for our Country.

You made a great choice to cruise! I am sure you will love it. I love crusing and Carnival is the BEST way to go. My parents went on that same cruise/ship just 4 weeks ago. They LOVED it!

Excurions:
That's always the hardest part for me. I can't ever decide if I want to get wet or stay dry. I LOVE snorkeling and could do it in every port, but I want to see other things too. Plus, I'm a photographer and I can't carry my good camera with me when I get in the water. It really all depends on what type of thing you like......water, sight seeing, shopping, adventure...the list goes on. Determine that first and it will proably be easier. On the Carnival site you can see all the excrusions listed for each port. Then from a drop down menu you can select what type and it will narrow it down. I would start there.

Ports:
I was in Nassau this past July. I didn't really care for it too much, altough I enjoyed our excursion. it's filled with touristy shopping right off the ship. I am not really into that because they seem to have it at every port. We did take a horse and buggy ride and loved it! You can do that too....it's right at the gate across from hard Rock Cafe. They practiaclly knock you down asking if yuo want a ride, so I'm sure you won't miss it. It only takes about 25 minutes and you get to see quite a bit. On our excuriosn we booked thorugh Carnival at the last minute, otherwise i owuld have booked through someone off the island. We went to Blackbeard's Island. The ride was 30 minutes away but the island was only a few miles. They had to go slow because of the waves the boat would cause. I loved the little island, but if I ever go back there I won't go to that one. It wasn't very secluded and the water was so choppy from the boats and jet skis.

I haven't been to the other ports you are going to. the best thingd to do is read all the posts on those places you can. There are lots of tips on here from fellow cruisers.

TRANSPORTATION:
The airports have taxis and things that will take you to the port. I'm not sure how far it is, but it shouldn't be too far, so it shouldn't cost a whole lot.

I hope ya'll have a fabulous trip and take lots of pictures! That's the best way to remember your vacation.
 
J

JDSKIDSTEER

Guest
My wife and I are celebrating our 25th on same ship same ports Feb. 2nd. Also our first.
 
M

Mbandy

Guest
Ahoy matey and =welcome to cruise @ddicts!

As for transportation to the port from orlando; it is about 45 minutes so a cab would be kind of spendy. Lots of @ddicts recommend Art's Shuttle. Here's a link. http://www.artsshuttle.com/

Nassau is fun. The famous Straw Market is walking distance from the ship. The horse and buggy ride is popular too. We have done the day trip to Breezes a couple of times and snorkeling is one of our favorite things.

Lots to do in St. Thomas too. Last time we took the ferry over to St. John.

One of our favorite excursions was in St. Maarten. It was sailing aboard the Brigentine Schooner Lord Sheffield (which you can't book on the ship). Here's a link for that.

http://www.stmaarten-shoretrips.com/lordsheffield/piratecruise.html

If you decide on the Lord Sheffield be sure to book it in advance.

I never book excursions through the cruise line. They are way too crowded for my taste. For a list of excursions in all ports here's a link to shore trips dot com. I have booked through shore trips many times.

http://www.shoretrips.com/

Have fun planning your cruise and post any questions you might have.

Do thank your husband for his service. :pride
 
K

Kadeycat

Guest
First, give your husband a great big hug for all of us.

We were on the Sovereign out of Port Canaveral. Its a very easy port to navigate. We rented from Thrifty, picked up at the airport and dropped off just a few blocks from the cruise ship dock. They will shuttle you over to the port. We stayed at La Quinta which is a little further south on A1a in Cocoa Beach but very easy to find. Very clean and free breakfast included.
We did the dolphin swim in Nassau. We booked privately and took a cab to the ferry. This should be booked in advance.
St Thomas has great beaches (Coki Beach for quiet calm snorkeling) Paradise Beach is nice also but rougher water the day we visited. St. Thomas is also easy to take public transport and tours. The paradise point tram is very close to the ship and has wonderful scenic views at the top.
St. Maarten has a water taxi that you can take over tho the beach area with unlimited all day rides. Maho beach also has a unique feature of jets landing on the runway right across the road. Definitely interesting but not a quiet beach day.
Have fun researching.
 
D

danyaroshsr

Guest
you picked a great ship, and thanks to your hubby for being there for us,we in the states appreciate him.
Sailed the glory last year during super bowl sunday,and we are leaving on Jan 19th 2008, both trips same iterniary as yours.(musta been good to do it twice)

nassau,if your not into history, black beards beach party or atlantis.

st thomas, we toured he island by bus, it was good but i felt like i was missing a chunk of paradise. see if he wants to swim in the bluest water in the world and go to magens bay.

st martin, had land and see tour(drunken bus and boat ride FUN!!) this time going jimmy buffet on the macarana bus.
remember the ships the destination, the islands are just a BONUS. dan
 
M

MoJo2Rusty

Guest
Paradise point in St Thomas is a must. The view is amazing.
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We go up there each time were there just for the view. We also liked Sapphire Beach in St Thomas. We were there in 2005 but didn't make it there this time. We had heard that it had changed hands and had run down some but we have since heard that it is back in good shape again. If you like to shop the shopping in St Thomas is good also.
I also enjoy St Maarten. We had booked the Lord Sheffield tour in 05 but due to issues with the ship we were unable to take that tour. We may look into it again if we get back to St Maarten
Enjoy your Cruise.
 
K

karobis

Guest
Room location

We've gone on 4 cruises and have been in different locations on the ship. I was just wondering where most feel is the best place on the ship to get a room. Back, middle, front?
 
C

Cruizer

Guest
Re: Room location

[quote karobis]We've gone on 4 cruises and have been in different locations on the ship. I was just wondering where most feel is the best place on the ship to get a room. Back, middle, front?[/quote]

Best for what?

You would likely get more answers to your question if you started a new thread with this question.

If you want the least amount of movement, the low and middle is the best. If you want the best view coming into port, front facing is best. However, there are very few ships with front facing balconies (though there are several with front facing windows). Many (including myself) like the rear facing balconies (see photos below for why). Still having been in one rear facing balcony and one side facing balcony, my sister likes the side better (I didn't ask why).

Some people like to be up high because it gets them closer to the pool deck. Others like to be down low because of less movement. Some like low and front because then can see the bow cutting through the waves.

I am sure if you ask enough people, you will find ever location has someone who likes it.

So again, when you say best, I have to ask, best for what?

Any why is are the rear facing balconies so popular? Here is why ...



 
L

lookinforsun

Guest
I just made reservations tonight for a car rental from Orlando airport to cape Canaveral (they shuttle you to the port nearby.) We fly in the day before sailing and have most of the day to spend on the way home. I paid 45 one way and 40 the other way. This was a better price than the cheapest shuttle I could find which was $60 for the two of us one - way. I looked on line for promo codes for the various rental agencies.
 
S

seauonboard

Guest
Have a great time for an Army vet and wife of a 20 year Navy man. Be looking for a PM
 
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