My wife and I recently returned from our first cruise on the MS Celebration (a Carnival ship). We had a great time. However, it wasn't very clear to us what to expect so I wanted to document our experiences (sort of a Carnival Cruise FAQ). Of course, if you are traveling on a different line -- or maybe even a different ship -- you may find some differences between your trip and ours. I'll assume you are a US citizen. Also, things change. Our voyage was in September 2003 -- we took the four day excursion leaving Galveston on a Thursday afternoon, arriving in Cozumel on a Saturday, and returning to Galveston early Monday morning.
Note: I will be adding pictures to this article as we have them developed.
Before you Leave
When you get your tickets, review them carefully. There are several spots you have to fill out. In particular, the line wants to know how you will return home (by car for us), some basic identification data, and a credit card for your onboard credit card. You want to have all of this filled out before you show up at the cruise terminal. When you board you will get a plastic credit card that you use instead of money on the ship. At the end of the trip, you get a statement and your credit card is charged that amount. You can also leave a cash deposit if you prefer. This card is also how you get on and off the ship, as you'll read later. Be sure you have the credit card you want to use with you as they will want to see it. Because of this credit card, you need very little actual cash on board (there are a few places you'll want cash, though -- I'll explain that later). You'll also want cash when you are in Mexico. You don't need Mexican money, by the way. Need a credit card? Check out this link:
I got a copy of Cruise Vacations for Dummies. This is a good book and will answer most of your questions. However, there were a few things the book didn't prepare us for -- either because it is a very general book, or because things change.
By the way, if you haven't got tickets yet, here's some advice. We got an inside cabin (no window) on the main deck. You could get the same class of cabin one deck below for a bit less. If I had to do it again, I'd get the cheaper cabin. We checked them out and they were identical. Everything you want to do on the ship is on the top decks anyway so either way you are on the elevator or stairs all the time. You won't spend much time in your cabin.
When you get to the cruise terminal, you'll see a lot of people milling around outside filling in their tickets. You don't have to be one of them. Fill out the forms at home. You'll also find colored tags for your luggage. Even if you already have luggage tags, fill these out and put them on all of your luggage. If you need more, call the line. The color tells the crew where your bags will wind up, so be sure to use these. Leave them on, because they also control picking up your luggage at the end.
You'll also want to pack. Don't take too many clothes! You don't need many clothes. Let me repeat that (ladies) YOU DON'T NEED MANY CLOTHES. Dress on board is very informal. There is one formal night in the dining room. Even then, many people aren't dressed up like you see on TV or the movies. I wore a normal enough suit. One guy at our table had Dockers, a button down shirt, and no tie (this is what nearly everyone had on in the dining room for ordinary dinners). Lunch and breakfast in the dining room is much more relaxed (shorts or whatever). For the buffet lines and everything else, most people are wearing swimwear with a cover up, or shorts. I saw a woman in pajamas at one of the shows!
If you really don't like to dress up, there is always some other place to eat onboard. However, the dining rooms on the Celebration are amazing -- we tried not to miss a meal and that's what I'd suggest to you also. I'll probably say it again before I am through, but the food onboard was easily the best part of the entire trip!
You do want to take sun screen. Make sure you have enough room to take home all the things you will buy in Mexico. Your shower has liquid soap and shampoo (along with a little bar of hotel soap). You can't use irons and other heating appliances onboard (although apparently they will let you use a curling iron if you insist and promise to be careful to unplug it -- no one wants a fire at sea).
You'll want comfortable shoes. You'll also want one pair of shoes for the dining room. You might want to bring a book to read on deck. The ship has a small library. The library will loan books and games (like Scrabble, for example) if you get bored (not likely).
You also need to make sure you have your travel documents. A passport is best. If you don't have one (we didn't), then have a driver's license and an official birth certificate (you can order these from the State you were born in). If your names don't match exactly, be prepared to explain that. For example, a married woman needs her birth certificate, a driver's license, and a marriage license to show the name change. They didn't look at my wife's marriage license, but better to have it just in case.
Pack one or two carry on bags that have the absolute essentials in them. Your documents, cash, tickets, maybe some clean underwear! You won't check these bags.
Are you worried about seasickness? We got the patches (they are prescription) and put them on before we left. However, they made my wife very drowsy and foggy-headed, so we took hers off. I took mine off later and had no trouble. Plenty of people had them, though. The ship was very quiet -- you could feel the motion (especially when in bed) but it was very subtle and gentle. If you are very prone to motion sickness, you might look into these.
OK, it is time to go. Go on the next page to find out more.