First Time Cruiser and I have Questions :)!

[taylor1293]

I have decided that once the 2005 dates come out, I am going to book a cruise for my youngest DD's 5th b-day.

I have a lot of questions! There will be 4 of us, myself, DH, DD who will turn 5 during the cruise, and DD who will be 11 at the time of the cruise.

1) Should we do a 4 night cruise or a 7 night cruise for our first trip? If we do a 4 night, then we will spend 3 nights at WDW, if we do a 7 night, it means no time at WDW. What do you all suggest? Other than more time on the ship and more ports, are there any other benefits of taking the 7 day cruise?

2) I get severely motion sick. I have already read to avoid the front part of the ship as far as cabins go. Will I be okay anywhere else in the ship? Are there certain decks that are better than others as far as movement goes?

3) Inside cabin? Oceanview Cabin? Cabin with a Verandah? How do you choose? Money is of course an issue. Will we even be in our cabin much?

4) How much deposit do you have to put down at the time of booking? And when do you have to pay the balance?

Thanks!

Teresa

 

[my3kids]

For the 7 night, the deposit is $250 per person. The shorter cruises are still $200, I think. I would vote for the 7 night. I think anything less is just too little time to really relax and enjoy the cruise. But, that said, everyone who does the shorter trips love them. I am actually looking for a longer trip on another line...7 nights isn't even quite enough! The balance is due 60 days prior to sailing. Until the 60 day mark, all deposits are fully refundable.

You might be surprised about motion sickness. The ship is so large and so stable, it really is more like walkng around a hotel than walking on a motor boat. My daughter felt a little funny the first night, just as I'd read here might happen crossing the gulf stream, then she was totally fine.

Cabin choice is really a personal decision. Most would probably love verandah, but they are more expensive and I've never read a single report of someone hating the cruise because they were in an inside cabin. There are so many fun and wonderful things to see and do throughout the ship that time in the room is fairly limited. The porthole rooms offer a good mix...no open air, but you can watch the water as you sail. Category 9 rooms aren't too terribly much more than the interior rooms.

Make sure you tell at the reservation time that it is your son's birthday. They will bring him a cake and sing at no additional charge.

 

[AnnMorin]

1) Should we do a 4 night cruise or a 7 night cruise for our first trip? If we do a 4 night, then we will spend 3 nights at WDW, if we do a 7 night, it means no time at WDW. What do you all suggest? Other than more time on the ship and more ports, are there any other benefits of taking the 7 day cruise?

Have your children ever been to WDW? IF not than you may want to do the shorter cruise so they can go. Personally I prefer the longer cruises, more time to "escape at sea"

2) I get severely motion sick. I have already read to avoid the front part of the ship as far as cabins go. Will I be okay anywhere else in the ship? Are there certain decks that are better than others as far as movement goes?
some people swear by the lower decks. We have been on decks,7,6 and 5 and I never noticed a difference. My son gets terribly car sick but does not have a problem on the ship because of the stabilizers. You may find that you will have no problem at all


3) Inside cabin? Oceanview Cabin? Cabin with a Verandah? How do you choose? Money is of course an issue. Will we even be in our cabin much?
We always get a veranda, for us it is well worth the money especially on the seven day cruise. I am a homebody type of person so I spend a great deal of time on it. If you are concerned about being sea sick I would recommend one just to be able to get some fresh air.


4) How much deposit do you have to put down at the time of booking? And when do you have to pay the balance?

I believe it is $250.00 per person at booking and the balance due 60days out.

 

[Tesabat]

We haven't cruised yet - going soon! The closest we've been is the mini-cruise/car ferry from Maine to Nova Scotia....on which, my DH became motion sick. So, for this cruise, we really debated 4 day vs. 7 day (went with the 7 for lots of reasons - we'll know soon if it was a mistake!), and I quizzed the TA on what would be the best place for us. In her opinion...mid-ship near the stabilizers. We priced both a stateroom with a porthole and one with a verandah...and decided on the verandah because we know that sometimes being outside in the air, staring at the horizon can help, and those factors together put us on Deck 6. Yep - you can go on deck to get fresh air, but according to my DH, when you are motion sick...you don't feel like being near a lot of people when your stomach is queasy. So, for us, the additional cost of the verandah is hopefully a little "insurance" that might help us if it's a little bit rocky out there. And, I'm a "balcony" kind of person - give me a good book and a glass of wine, with the ocean spread out before me - now THAT's my idea of relaxation!

 

[taylor1293]

my3kids- thanks for the deposit information and the tip about letting them know about the b-day . I think I have decided on a 7 day. Hopefully motion sickness will be no problem for me!

AnnMorin- Yes, we've been to WDW before. We will be taking our 3rd trip in January. Due to this, I think I have decided to go ahead and do the 7 night trip. Thanks for letting me know your son has no problems. I get motion sick in the oddest places, hopefully it won't be a problem. I have been looking at the price difference between verandah's and oceanview. I think for the extra money, it would be worth it. Hopefully DH agree .

Tesabat - I agree with your idea of relaxation! Sounds ideal to me! I know how your DH feels. The last time I got on anything on water was about 6 years ago. We were on this ferry boat outside of Panama City Fl. We took it out to some little island, and I was sooooo sick, it was awful . Midship sounds like a good place for us.

Thanks!

Teresa

 

[CRenze]

I'm going on my first cruise in November with my SIL and 2 DNephews. It's actually everyone's first cruise. When we were trying to decide my SIL suggested the 3 or 4 day..I voted for the 7 day with thoughts of me being sick for at least 2 or 3 days. If I did the 3 or 4 day that wouldn't allow much "fun" time so we went for the 7 day! I've been on my BIL's big boat on a big lake during rough weather and got sick. But don't get car sick so I'm thinking I'll be fine. But will pack the Bonnien just in case.

GO FOR IT...THINK 7 DAY!!

Cindy

 

[TnRobin]

As a past sufferer of seasickness, let me give you a piece of advise. An ounce of prevention is worth GOLD when it comes to seasickness.

While I do not suffer motion sickness, I do get vertigo on certain types of reality rides. I can ride any rollercoaster made and not get sick. Put me in the back seat of a car with a book and I am sick. Also put me on Body Wars or another type of similator, I am also sick.

I got sick on my first cruise and it took almost a day for the medication to kick in. It hit so fast and so hard, I just had to sit down on the floor where I was at. Now I take a Meclizine tablet (OTC-Bonine) before each cruise and once a day during the cruise and I am A-Okay.

As for room locations, I have had forward cabins, midship and aft cabins. I noticed no difference. I have been on Decks 2, 5, 6 and 8. Still no difference. I think that has to do with the stabilizers that Ann mentioned.

 

[taylor1293]

CRenze - I hope you don't get sick either! Have a great first cruise!

TnRobin - Thank you for the tips! I am exactly like you. I get sick reading in a car and can't ride any type of motion rides . Which really stinks because I love them!

Was it a Disney cruise that you were sick on? I'll definitely bring my Meclizine on the cruise and start taking it before we board.

Thanks!

Teresa