First time cruiser

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amyvt98

Guest
My husband and I are going on the 7 day Grand Princess Western Caribbean in August. We're complete novices to cruising, so I wanted to get any feedback about what do do, what to avoid or any other general advice.

Right now, we're trying to decide what to do for our port days. We want to do two excursions, probably one at Costa Maya (a biking and kayaking trip) and one at Cozumel (snorkeling). We're active types, and like exploring, although we're not really in to ruins. Has anyone had experiences with these trips?

Our other stops are at Princess Cays and Grand Cayman. We figured for those, we could just hit the beach and relax.

Another question we have is about dress. We're in our mid 20s and will be travelling with some family friends. Is it advisable to bring more than one formal outfit? How formal are the formal nights? My husband doesn't like wearing tuxedos, so he's thinking about bringing a dark colored suit instead.

Thanks everybody!
 
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CruiseAholic

Guest
I've been on the Grand Princess 5 times, I don't think you will have any problem finding things to do.

As for the formal nights, a dark suit is perfectly acceptable for your husband. I'd just take 2 different tie/shirt combinations to make them look slightly different. Same for a formal dress, to save packing room, is there a way that you can take the same dress and accessorize it differently so that it looks different? Such as scarves, etc.
 
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AnnW

Guest
I've not been to the Caribean, so can't help with that..

but for the dressing up. A couple of things to keep in mind. You're never going to see those folks again (and your friends won't really care, will they?)

so whether you "look different" on each formal night or not...who's going to notice..and who's going to care? So, you get home, and some strangers -- who don't know you anyway -- are gossiping to their friends that (gasp!!) you wore the SAME THING!!!! HORRORS!!!

See how silly it is?

Just dress nicely, enjoy yourself, and people will be more paying attention to YOU than what you're wearing! A dark suit for your husband will be just fine. And nobody will notice if he has a different color tie or not.

Have a wonderful time! I've not been on the Grand, but on another Princess ship, and I think you'll really love it.
 
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Sunshine

Guest
When you are in Cozumel, try Chankanaab Park. We have been there twice and we LOVE it. It is a $10 cab ride fro the pier, and there is a park entrance fee of $10 per person. The snorkeling at Chankanaab is incredible. The water is crystal clear and the fish are just gorgeous colors. You can rent snorkeling equipment there, or you can bring your own. There is lots of other things to do at Chankanaab as well.

In Grand Cayman, I would strongly recommend taking a Stingray City excursion (especially Captain Marvin.) This is the most amazing experience to have these humongous stingrays swimiing all around and over you. You can touch them, feed them, pick them up, etc. It truly is incredible. You also get to snorkel at one or two other beautiful sites (depending the length of the excuraion you take).
 
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robertew

Guest
We've been on 8 cruises and must say that I, and I imagine most guys, could not tell if another guy at our table wore the same tie twice or not!!! I think wives pay more attention to dress however. I have worn a dark grey suit a few times and was quite comfortable. I have since graduated to a tux but I do change shirts, one's white and the other is a powder blue. (Next will be the white dinner jacket.)

Princess, IMHO, does have a higher percentage of formal dress than does some other lines. Formal nights are what we look forward to each cruise.

Princess Cays is definately a beach day. Beach is somewhat rocky though but a nice place to relax . Enjoy your trip, it will probably be only the 1st of many!!!

Bob "Island Princess 10/07/03"



Post Edited (06-27-03 20:15)
 
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stargazerm31

Guest
Sting ray city at Grand Cayman is better than the two you are looking at along with the barrier reef snorkel on Captain Marvin's.

Do what you want. There are no wrong or right answers. Just don't feel like you have to do it all. It is a cruise and it is suppose to be relaxing.

I recommend that you read through the reviews. They don't have to be for the Grand, but find the ones that deal with the Western Caribbean and you will get a great idea what to do and not do.

JMHO

Have a wonderful time.

Remember, you are on a cruise so just go with the flow.
 
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2B@C

Guest
We just sailed on the Grand 2 weeks ago, and I was a first-timer as well. For formal nights, the vast majority of men wore dark suits or even sport coats. Tuxedos were pretty much the minority, but it really didn't seem to matter. I wore a black suit with different shirts and ties, and was fine. Everyone looked nice and it was really quite enjoyable.

We did the eastern Carribean itinerary, so I can't help with ports except Princess Cays. You can go left or right when you get off the tender. Right is less crowded, more quiet but more rocky too. Left has better snorkeling and more going on, but a lot more people to contend with.

Beyond that, the ship is wonderful, you definitely won't be bored. The crab legs were great, but they don't know how to make a margarita. Hope you have a wonderful trip, we sure did. Feel free to email if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.

Lee
 
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kimmy

Guest
For me, one of the joys of cruising os dressing up so I pack something for each night that is different and that makes me feel great. You don't have to lug your luggage so that is not a problem and I always look forward to looking and feeling special so its worth the extra effort for me.

I think I am in the minority on this one and I always try to choose ships and lines where people do tend to dress more for dinner.

As for GC, I think Seven Mile beach is one of the Caribbean's best so I usually hit the beach. Also, the diving is great and there are reputable dive shops everywhere.
 
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amyvt98

Guest
Thanks everybody for all of your advice! I'm getting really excited about our trip, and my husband will be relieved that he doesn't have to wear a tux!
 
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melissa_bel

Guest
Hi Amy!
You are in for a blast! I did both Eastern and Western itineraries on the Grand and it was great (altough I prefered the Eastern itinerary). You seems to have a pretty good idea of what you are going to do but I would also recommend going to Chankanaab if you have the time. I didn't go but fellow passengers raved about it. And Grand Cayman is great to relax. You can drop by the Stingray City or the Turtles farm too.

Now... formal... it's not what it used to be so don't worry. A dark colored suit for your husband will be just fine. The firt time I went on a cruise, I had two gowns. Big mistake though. It was taking precious room in my suitcase. After seeing how formal night was, for my second cruise, I packed a gown (for the1st formal night) and a light cocktail dress (for the Captain's Gala Dinner) so I saved space, and was not wearing the same thing twice. You can drop by my site if you want some more information.
Happy cruising!
 
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Mary Ann

Guest
We love to dress up, so we have lots of formal clothes. But we have to attend Prom every year, so that explains why.

However, I saw some great advice one year to help reduce what you have to pack. They suggested that you get a fancy black skirt (maybe a chiffon) and just get two fancy tops to go with it. I love beads and sequins, so I have several like that. Then all you have to pack is one skirt and two tops and it will be two completely different looks.

But everyone is right; there is a huge variety of dress on formal nights. We always like to get photos on formal night, so I like to have two different looks for that also.
 
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sarasotasteve

Guest
In Cozumel you can rent a jeep for as little as $35 including insurance and then go exploring you can stop wherever and whenever and just have a blast. Do your snorkeling in Grand Cayman. Steve
 
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