FIRST TIMER - RANDOM QUESTIONS

[Paul]

Leaving for first crusie in two weeks and I have some random questions. Any help would be much appreciated:

-Can I stash bottles of wine in my bag or is that a big time no-no. I know ai can buy them at the port but was thinking of sticking a bottle or two in my bag before I leave home

-Water on the ship - should I be drinking bottled water on the boat or is it OK to drink water from the tap

-shore days - how active is the boat on a day when we are at a new port? Meaning, will there be things to do ont he boat if I don;t want to get off?

That's it for now...may have more later. Thanks to whoever for your help!

[Paul]

Leaving for first crusie in two weeks and I have some random questions. Any help would be much appreciated:

-Can I stash bottles of wine in my bag or is that a big time no-no. I know ai can buy them at the port but was thinking of sticking a bottle or two in my bag before I leave home

-Water on the ship - should I be drinking bottled water on the boat or is it OK to drink water from the tap

-shore days - how active is the boat on a day when we are at a new port? Meaning, will there be things to do ont he boat if I don;t want to get off?

That's it for now...may have more later. Thanks to whoever for your help!

[Raoul Fiebig]

Hi Paul,

first of all "Welcome aboard".

Concerning your questions:

On many cruise lines, bringing wine our other alcoholic drinks on board might indeed be a problem. However, this depends on which line you're sailing with. Also, please keep in mind that many cruise lines charge a "corkage fee" for your wine if you would like to have it with dinner.

The water onboard is of a very high quality. However, on some ships it is fairly heavily chlorinated, so it might not taste as your water at home. If you don't like that chlorinated water taste, bring your own or bring a water filter. If you don't care about this, you should be fine drinking the ship's water.

There are usually lots of activities onboard even on port days. However, there are often fewer people, so the ship might feel much more spacious. The casino and the ship's shops are closed in port.

Enjoy your cruise!

Best regards,

Raoul Fiebig
Das Ruderhaus

[Paul]

hey thanks a lot fo the info.

Here's another random question: beach towels - should I plan to bring my own, both for on boat and off boat activities, or will the boat provide them? I know these are dumb, practical questions...any thoughts would be helpful!

[Raoul Fiebig]

Hi Paul,

first of all, there are no dumb questions. We all were "cruise rookies" at one point.

Beach towels are available onboard. Some cruise lines will require you to sign a receipt for them when they are handed out because they don't like passengers to "forget to return them", if you know what I mean.

Best regards,

Raoul Fiebig
Das Ruderhaus

Just came back from Princess Sun.
They did "take care of" liquor if you brought it to the ship although you could drink wine with a corkage fee of 10 dollars-the wine on-board is 20 upwards.
This line did provide towels which you did not have to sign for.
Enjoy your cruise

[cruznboy41]

We were on CCL and HAL last year and both times we took Vodka and a case of bottled water on board in a suitcase. Didn't have problem with it. And we also took on a couple bottles of wine...not a problem.

Cruz

I also have a newbie question... If it says we arrive at a port at 9:00 am, how long does it take to get off the ship? Is there any order in which you have to disembark? I was thinking of taking an excursion I booked myself and need to know so I can schedule my excursion.

[PEB]

KK once a ship is in port it will take anywhere from a half hour to an hour before they will let passengers off depending on the local officaials giving permission. If the ship comes in early to port it will still take about that much time. Many times I have seen the ships get into port a little early.

As far as getting off the ship once it is allowed if you are pier side there is no priority list. If you must tender to shore those with ship excursions will be let off first and they will have a place to pick tender passes for the rest. Read the daily paper and it will tell you if you are tendering and where to pick up any passes to get off first. The tender passes will be used until the majority of passengers get off the ship, after that it the tenders will leave at regular intervals and you get on when there is a spot available.

[Karen Knowlton]

Since you may need to schedule a shore excursion before you sail, you should be able to find out whether your ship tenders or docks in the ports from your travel agent. If you have booked your cruise directly with the cruise line, then you may be able to get that info from a brochure or from the cruise line. PEB's advice is on target as far as timing goes.