General Questions About Cruises

[BigWill]

First let me say that i have gone over alot of mes. on this page, and i hope that my questions are ansered as well as alll the others.

Me and my wife are first time cruisers. We are so excited, We will be leaving out of Miami on april 29, on carnival imagination. I just have a few ? that i need to get out.

1. The ship departs at 4, what is the earlyest that i can board?
2. Do they hace poker tables in the casino (ie. texas holdum)?
3. Is it smart to try and sneak liquor onboard, for consumtion in our room. And if so what is the best way to get in on?
4. What kind of dress will be requered, do i need a tux?
5. We are not heavey heavy drinkers but how much cash should we plan on (just a ball park)
6. Do we need to book excursion before we go?
7. when is the best dinning seletion?
8. How can we make an appoint ment for the spa on board and how much?

Sorry about all the questions, i am sure that everyone has the same mind frame when they are preparing for there first cruise.

PS. Thank You ion advance for any info you can offer.

[peachcrek]

hi I know all these answers are here already on board in previous posts, so I will ry to keep it short
1. you will probably be able to board by 1 pm depending on how quickly the return debarkation takes, maybe sooner.

2. they do have poker on board they did have texas hold um on the miracle as they had a tournament going one night so I am sure the other ships follow through

3 I have cruised 7 times and have put liquer in our CHECKED lugguge I have done the small airplane bottles, the pints and also liters and had no problems we bubble wrapped the larger bottles to prevent breakage and the airplanes we stuffed in every one shoes or boots in the Checked luggage this last cruise I bought wine on board we like sangria an in is sold in a convieniet bok of 3 litres and it was easy to pack in Checked luggage.

4 you do not need to bring a tux. a nice suit that is comforable will do just fine if you choose to dress formal at the capt. dinners and for pho sessions

5 it is hard to say what you will spen on board for drinking as you know your drinking habits do you buy drinks for others and vic versa, beers are sold in buckets coors light for example 4 bottles or cans 13.00 mixed drinks are 3.50 and up if you forgo the fancy cups it is cheaper and they also have happy hours in different location you will read in the daily caper left in your room every night.

6 you can book on line on carnivals site now or wait till you get on board or you can book online through private sites as they are alot less then carnival it depends on what you feel comfortable spending on ship is always More $$$

7 best Dining is a matter of preverence the entertainment on board usually starts about 8 pm so we have aways try to do second seating we did late on 2 cruise and we would always miss the early show and I myself would be to tired for the late show and the midnite show it depends on your sleeping and your eating habits

8 you can make appointment in spa after you board they have a table set up with the girls to give you information and they run specials thruout the week and give away a 500.00 spa pkg at the spa in a drawing again advertised in the capers you will recieve all kids of propaganda in your capers every day with all kind of flyers about all the specials on board for the day, hope this helps you can put my name in the search box up on top and it will bring up over 200 post I have made about all these subjects if you need more information.

Have a great cruise Fran (peachcrek)

[NancyN]

Hi Big Will,
Welcome to Cruise-Chat. I will try to help with some of your questions.

1. The ship departs at 4, what is the earlyest that i can board?

Usually, you can get onboard about noon, sometimes a bit sooner. It really depends on the time it took to debark all passengers from the previous cruise.


3. Is it smart to try and sneak liquor onboard, for consumtion in our room. And if so what is the best way to get in on?

I am not going to tell you it is "smart" to try and sneak liquor onboard, but with that said - I always have. I transfer it into plastic bottles (colorless liquor in water bottles, amber colored into ginger ale bottles) and pack it in my checked luggage.

4. What kind of dress will be requered, do i need a tux?

While there will be some passengers in a tux - they are definitely not necessary. A suit and tie works just as well. But, cruise ships are becoming much more relaxed in their dress codes, so you will even see gentlemen in sports shirts and slacks on formal night.

5. We are not heavey heavy drinkers but how much cash should we plan on (just a ball park)

While onboard the ship you will not use cash - everything (including all drinks purchased) will be charged to your onboard account which you have secured with a credit card before sailing.

6. Do we need to book excursion before we go?

Depends on what you want to do. There are a few excursions that are quite popular and sell out before saiing. Also, again depending on what you want to do - you can often book excursions on your own in the ports. What ports will you be visiting and what are you interested in doing?

7. when is the best dinning seletion?

That is totally a matter of personal preference - I prefer late seating, but I like to spend as many hours on deck in the sun as possible, then rest ahwile before showering and getting ready for the evening. I HATE to feel rushed.

8. How can we make an appoint ment for the spa on board and how much?

As soon as you get onboard, there will be Spa personnel greeting you and delivering flyers with specials that are being offered. They always have an open house before the ship sets sail and many people make their spa appointments then. As for prices - they are expensive. As examples - a 50 min. Swedish massage or Facial will cost about $110, a 75 min. Aroma Stone Therapy will cost about $175.

I am sure others will offer their advice as well. Hope that helps.
Nancy

[NancyN]

TeeHee - Hi Peachcrek - Guess we are the board at the same time answering the question. Well, I guess 2 answers are certainly better than one - let's just hope we are in relative agreement.

Nancy

[peachcrek]

lol well at least between the 2 of us we should cover all the bases lolol