Throwback Thursday Post!
I went on my first cruise in July of 2007, which opened me up to a new way of traveling. It was a Carnival Cruise for my Senior Graduation Trip with my brother, mother, and grandparents. We went through the Caribbean stopping at Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica.
Here are 5 things I wish I knew before my first Carnival Cruise:
1. WEAR A GOOD AMOUNT OF SUNSCREEN
– I did not and fell asleep on top of the ship. Needless to say I became as red as a lobster. Luckily the friendly Jamaican women happened to have an aloe plant and took good care of me!
2. YOU CAN EAT ALL YOU WANT AT THE “FANCY” DINNER
Food, food, everywhere! It’s obvious that the various buffets and restaurants have an ongoing supply of food, but many do not know that at the “fancy” dinner you can order as much as you want on the menu. Want to try something new but afraid you might not like it? I ordered Escargot and a steak thinking I was not going to like it. I was right, and I was extremely thankful I had the steak to fall back on after tasting the slimy snail. (Some restaurants have closing times but room service and a few select restaurants are 247.
3. HAGGLE IN YOUR PORTS OF CALL
You can get some amazing deals by haggling. Never pay full price. There will be more merchants with the same or similar products, so shop around to find the best price then haggle to lower it even more. We bought some sombreros for a great price! As we walked by the merchant drastically jumped down in price the farther we got away until we turned around to purchase them.
4. DO NOT BE SHY
With the friendly staff, and happy fellow vacationers you become a giant family in very short time. Go to the game shows and volunteer to go on stage! They may embarrass you a little bit but you can win great prizes! I won a renowned 24 carat gold plastic ship on a stick!
5. DO NOT WORRY
Many people think of cruises and immediately think of the sinking like the titanic, or getting seasick. I have been on 3 cruises now and no one I went with got seasick at all. Do not let peoples worries or paranoia stop you from taking a cruise! It can be an amazing adventure to take with your family and it is well worth the costs!