First Time Cruise Advice

Check out the boards on CruiseCritic.com. You can find information specific to your cruise line, ship and itinerary. I've found it a terrific resource when planning my cruise vacations.

Which cruise line? If it's Royal Caribbean, I have lots of suggestions!

There will be Photographers on the ship will take many "formal" pictures of you and your family (at the dinner table, waiting to meet the captain, etc.) At some point, usually toward the end of the cruise, you'll be invited to view all the photos and purchase as many as you want (they may be printed-out in 8"x10" size). These photos are expensive! Have a budget in mind before you go for photo expenses -- it may be tempting to buy them all.

We took our first cruise 10 months ago and there were things we LOVED and things we hated. First, you'll read and hear people say that you cannot feel the boat move at all- WRONG. If weather is bad or sees are just choppy, you can feel everything. You can sit at your table at dinner and watch the water slosh around in your glass. When laying in bed you rock back and forth. My nephews were very ill. We used an over the counter med called Bonine for my 2 kids, 4 and 1 at the time, and they did ok. I cut the pills in half and it helps with motion sickness.

The commercials are extremely appealing, but the truth is you make it as good as you want it to be. There are a number of things to do and children are entertained for sure, but it isn't the party to see on commercials. There are drunk people who are loud and obnoxious, and the pools and hot tubs will be completely packed the whole time you;'re there. You'll be lucky to get one foot into a hot tub. There will be 25 children under the age of 12 in the hot tubs at all times (there not even allowed to be, but no one cares).

Do not book a single excursion prior to going!!! You will save tons if you get off the boat and walk up to the area where "vendors" are. One will tell you one price, and just walk by him, because the person behind him will give it to you for less! Our favorite parts of the cruise was when we got off in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel. We had a great time on the beaches, and it felt like a real vacation. Are you going to Cozumel by chance? If so , you must go to Chankanaab National park. It was the coolest place I have ever seen. Tons of things to do. Google it!

Awesome food and ice cream, more food that you will ever need in a years time. The food on the lido deck will be lots better than in the dining room! Cute activities like trivia games, limbo parties, dance parties, generally tons of entertainment for free.

I just went on my first Carnival Splendor cruise to Mexico this Septermber with my guy....I left my 4 yr old at home. Carnival is known as the fun ship so you will have plenty to do with your kids on the ship. They had a couple of kids club's according to their age, and a play room. On one side of the ship they have "kids" swimming pools with a waterslide which is really fun.

It was our first cruise like I said so we did get a little sea sick due to the motion so consult with your doctor for motion sickness medicine that only he can prescribe. We bought over the counter "Sea Band" wristlets and they did not work very well. We ended having to buy meds on the ship for about $4. Other than that enjoy your vacation with your family and eat everything! the food is GREAT!!!

We went on a cruise a couple years ago. Best vacation I have ever had. Here are some tips we found.

you will be offered the option of paying something like $15 for a drink card which pays for soda's and iced tea the whole trip. Buy it. you can get sodas all day long or pay separately for them at like $3 each and you more than pay for the card the first day.

skip the cruise offered excursions. when you get off the ship at each port there will be taxi drivers lined up a hundred deep. we paid $75 total and got a tour of Mexico where we stopped at many places to take photos and the cab driver gave us a better tour than anyone i have had since.

skip souvenirs in the gift show get them at the market places that you stop at.

check out the little newspaper they slip under your door each day. it will tell you what is going on so you can plan the day. definitly plan some activities without your children. and plan the cost of that into your budget. most ships offer a daycare / camp type option so that adults can do some adult stuff.

there are many different food options on the ship. formal dining and then also buffets and by the pool there are always grill type places for a hotdog or burger. plan lunch in those type places so you can find food the kids like but plan dinners in the formal places. bring sweaters for dinner time. the air is always on in there and its cold.

How fun! Are you leaving out of Galveston? Carnival is the first parking lot and Princess is the second(unless it changed). Pay to park in their lots. You do not want people breaking in or stealing your vehicle. It was under $20 a day years ago. It is gated with a security guard.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOUR PROPER DOCUMENTATION. A couple with two kids was denied boarding because hubby forgot the baby's paperwork. They did NOT get a refund from Princess, but they probally gave them a credit on a later cruise.

Take your cell phone. It works in port and some miles out, though I would use it for emergencies only. Get a prepaid visa if you plan on buying something locally and having it shipped via UPS to your home. That way no one steals your number while you are onboard. Also, you can call Visa and tell them where you will be using your card so it does not put a fraud stop on your card because charges are out of the country.

Take your stroller. There is a long way to walk from the ship to the dock where the stores and things are. If you stay in the area the cruise ship owns, you can eat or drink anything. I would check any bottled water to make sure it is not bottled in Mexico, even if the label looks American.

You CAN take your own food and drinks on ship, except alcohol which they confiscate until the end of the cruise. Take snacks your kids will eat. I was surprised the cruise ships I was on(Princess and NCL) don't have mac and cheese and hotdogs in the fancy dining room. You may have to get creative and carry snacks with you or be bold and ask the waiter to have someone go get your child something from another area IF that is a problem. Carnival may be better suited for kids.

You check in at the docking place and they take your luggage and everything on board to your room so you could take a folding cart or use the stroller if you didn't want to pack an extra suitcase for cans of coke, etc... On cruise ships, they charge for sodas, but not tea, coffee, and water. I think it is $3 a can with required tip so we take water bottles for in town and cokes for in our cabin.

If babysitting must be scheduled, schedule it first thing. When you are in port, you can't gamble or see shows onboard but they give massages at 50% off. Take enough diapers if needed.

They drained the pools at dinnertime on the ships I was on. This is strange to me. You have to swim before then. Swimming is my child's #1 thing to do.

Take some familiar toys to play with during down times. They do have tv, but it is limited. If you had a small dvr with dvds, I would pack it. A boat can be boring.