My first cruise is in February - Carnival Conquest

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Mellie

Guest
I am getting married 2/14 and we are going on a honeymoon cruise aboard the Conquest 2/16. Neither of us has ever been on a cruise before, so I am wondering if anyone can give us any helpful information.

What kind of clothes should we pack? How warm is it in the Carribean this time of year? And how dressy do we have to be on the ship for dinner and such?

I am worried about being seasick.... I get motion sickness occasionally. Any suggestions?

We are both excited about our upcoming trip. If there is any suggestions or advice for first time cruisers that might help us, I'd appreciate it!!

Melanie , Louisiana
 
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Rosie

Guest
Congratulations, Mellie. I was married 4 years ago on Feb. 7th on the Carnival Paradise. You are going to have a wonderful honeymoon. On a 7 day cruise there will be two formal nights. For formal nights men wear either a tuxedo or a dark suit with tie. On formal nights the ladies dress up in anything from gowns, to cocktail dresses. If you are sailing out of New Orleans, the weather can be cool, but once you get to the islands it will be warm and sunny. Pack your swimsuit - you should have perfect swimming weather. You'll need shorts for sea days and to wear on excursions. I get motion sickness, also, but have never had a problem on the large ships. Just to be safe, I wear wrist sea bands on the first day out to sea (you can purchase them at any drug store) - they also come in handy on excursions that involve small boats, catamarans and tenders. Have fun!
 
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anna

Guest
For seasickness, Bonine seems to work for me. It's a pill you can chew without water, only 1 needed per day and you can drink alcohol with it. It's over the counter ususlly with the belly ache medicines. Enjoy your wedding, honeymoon and especially enyoy your cruise.
 
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Andrea A

Guest
I would love to hear any info about the wedding on the ship. I am getting married in August on the Victory. Never been to or heard anything about cruise ship weddings, I just knew that was the way we wanted to do it. How was the reception, photographer.. etc. Any input would help!! Thanks, Andrea.
 
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jazzlover

Guest
Mel,

CONGRATS!!!We did the same thing only 12 years ago. That started all this. Hope it's as dreamy as ours was. We are on Conquest in March and can't wait. Make sure you snorkel in Cozumel. IT'S INCREDIBLE!!

Big Red Boat 5/89
Premier 6/90
Disney Magic 06/99
R.C.C.L. Voyager if the Seas 3/00
Carnival Conquest on March 30, 2003 ( 79 days and counting)
 
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lainie

Guest
Hi, Mellie!
First of all CONGRATULATIONS! In February we sail on the Spirit, this will be our 4th Carnival Cruise. Are you already near the cruiseport or are you flying in from somewhere? I recommend flying in a day early and staying over night if you can, just in case of bad weather causing any flight delays, plus this means less stress and running around. On our first cruise a whole group of people from Philly missed the ship due to weather and flight delays and they had to pay to fly to Grand Cayman and get on the ship there. OUCH! You can usually find a hotel with an airport shuttle that can take you back to the airport's baggage claim the next day to meet the Carnival bus to the criuse terminal. I agree about Bonine. I, too, can get motion sick once in a while. I have more trouble with flying, though. I take Bonine 1-2 hours before take-off, then another the next day just before the ship leaves the port, then one more on the first full day of the cruise and then I don't need any for the rest of the cruise. I travel with a big package of it though, just in case. Bonine doesn't make me drowsy like Dramamine does, and I can still enjoy those fruity cocktails! Cruising in the Western Carribbean is great because the water is relatively calm, especially this time of year-- we're out of hurricane season. The Carribbean is somewhat protected by all of the islands, going out into the Atlantic can be more bumpy, but you'll be fine. This is basically a big floating hotel, it's not like the time your Uncle Jo took you out on his 2 man sailboat if you know what I mean. Pack lots of stuff, mostly warm weather stuff. Bring a few sweatshirts along and a sweater, sometimes it can be windy / cool in the evenings, sometimes the air conditioning in the public rooms is quite cool. On 2 of our cruises I found our cabin got really cool in spite of closing the AC vent, so I was glad I brought along nice pj's! Don't sweat the little things, you're going to have a great time!
 
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joT.

Guest
1- You don't have to wear a tux to dinner. There is no need and you will feel over dressed. She will be comfortable in a pantsuit or a prom dress. Doesn't matter.

2- If you get the chance to take a snorkeling/ booze cruise, do it. Drinks are free and is a great experiance.

3- Pack an overnight bag. My luggage got lost and didn't get it until the first port. It was horrible.

4- You will end up wearing your swim suit 80% of the time but it gets very chilly at night. Bring a pair of jeans and a sweater.

5- Don't buy a beach tour. You can take a cab there and it will cost you almost nothing.

Congrats and have a wonderful time.
 
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Mellie

Guest
wow thanks to everyone for the info!!!! we are so excited. :)

and thank you rick and kelly for sharing your pictures!!!!!!!!!


I thought of another question.... all we need is ID and a certified copy of our birth certificate right??
 
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rodeogirl

Guest
And don't forget to catch a couple of parades while in New Orleans, it'll be Mardi Gras time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Andrea A

Guest
Rosie, I am getting married on the Carnival Victory in August, but don't really know what to expect. Any details or suggestions from your experience would be extremely helpful!!!!!!! Thanks.
 
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Rosie

Guest
Andrea, I'm glad I checked this posting again; I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. I was really in the dark about cruises and had a hard time finding a travel agent who could help me out. Once I was in contact with the Carnival wedding consultants, it was a breeze. They were able to answer all my questions. They will mail you all the info you need about the ceremony. I am assuming they still do it that way - it's been 4years since we were married. I was able to choose the wording, music and other details of the ceremony itself. Since we were married in the port of Miami, we had to allow for enough time to get our marriage license from Florida by mail (the timing made me nervous). We were the first to board the ship. We only had a few guests, so we didn't have a formal reception. Our guests were able to tour the ship before the ceremony . We did have a wedding cake (which we were able to share with our table mates later in the cruise) and a champagne toast. A big perk was having a wonderful ship photographer who took fantastic pictures of the ceremony, the cake cutting, the toast, formal portraits of us and our guests and also some fun shots on deck. Oh, one more thing - the consultants should be able to give you info on the timing. We were the only couple being married at that port. We were given an hour to get ready. Roy's tuxedo was in the cabin when we boarded - I was carrying my dress. I ordered our flowers ahead of time through the consultants. It couldn't have bee easier. I wish you happiness!
 
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truluv

Guest
You've gotten some great advice! I usually pack a small baggie of other misc. medicines, like some cold pills, band-aids, Imodium, Pepto-bismal, benydryl for bug bites). (I only needed to use the medicine baggie once, but it saved us a lot of money.) On formal nights, there will be photographer stations set up around the ship. Go ahead -- get in line for portraits! You may not want to buy many of the pictures when they're put out for display the next day, but you never know which one will turn out great. Your favorite might be the one with the wierdest background. I met one couple that gets an "Atrium Lobby" portrait from each cruise they go on to remember the ship. If you love the portrait, the photo desk can make wallet size or 5 X 7" reprints for you for your family members. If you like the black & white one but wanted it in color, they'll colorize it for you! I get my film developed on board for only a dollar or two more than our local photo-finishers since I have no patience. Watch out for the guys selling big frosty drinks in the Lido casual dining or by the pool, unless you want to pay extra for the souvinir (sp) glass. The drinks look SOOOOO good and the servers are so friendly, that I always end up doing that. Our last few cruises we noticed that more women were wearing capris and pants at night -- when we started cruising in 1994, women wore a nice work-type dress for dinner, and then would go back into shorts. Now we see more nice capri/pants sets for casual dinners and women stay in them all night. A sweater or hoodie is a good idea for chilly nights and air-conditioned dining rooms/theatres. Have a wonderful, romantic time!!!!! Imagine all the anniversary cruises you'll get to take in the future.
 
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llquinny

Guest
hi, Congratulations! We are also sailing on the Conquest on the 16t, hope we see you.
 
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Mellie

Guest
Just a few more days!!!

Thanks everyone for the advice. Now if only I could shake this pre-wedding anxiety, I just might be able to get really excited about the cruise!!
 
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