Stacie's Cruising Tips

On my last two cruises, My behavior and mannerisms seemed to attract many first-time cruisers, looking for assistance, not including the man on my last cruise, behind me in the lunch line, who voiced his concerns about my internet package lol. I decided to write a blog post, for first-timers, who cruise. I also picked up a few new things on my last cruise, I noticed others was doing. It was like, why didn't I think of this before.


Photos ( I can't figure out how to embed from Google Photos).

• Book Early. Pay it off early. Budget for any deposits. Budget for monthly payments to pay off the cruise before the deadline. Stalk the websites for good sales, such as reduced deposit or BOGO. 
• Prepay for anything you can. This includes gratuities; internet packages; drink packages; water; soda, etc. Prices go up, once you board. 
• Complete the on-board check in before you board. You can complete the form online for all your guests. 
• Don't forget your identification and sail and sign card, when leaving the ship for port days. 
• Bring a pen or highligher to highlight things, you want to do on the Fun times or other cruise material. Carnival also has the Carnival Hub, where you can favorite things, you want to do. You also can chat with others, roomed with you. You device will get notifications when it's time for the event to start. The app also has a map, if you have a tendency to get lost, like Stacie. You can also grab a paper map at customer service. 
• Bring a lanyard (and hole punch) to hold your id and sail and sign card. You can also get your card, hole punched, at customer service. You can clip your sail and sign to your keys, for example, or a lanyard. 
• Turn off your data once you board. Put your phone and other devices in airplane mode to avoid roaming charges. Even though the ship has not moved yet, it is easier to remember when you board, rather than forget later, after the ship is in international waters. 
• After you cruise, sign up for the VIFP program. You earn points with every cruise. As you level up, you earn perks. 
• Get a water package. Carnival water, for example, is the only water, you can take on and of the ship. My mama and I got two jumbo bottles of water, in the room, but we also order 12 packs of water to drink. 
• Please attend the Muster Drill. The drill will show everyone, what to do, in case of an emergency, such as how to use your life jacket and where the life boats are. 
• If you need to communicate with people, back home, get an internet package. I used Facebook, Twitter, and Marco Polo to communicate with niece (who was watching my kids) and to show a friend of mine, who never cruised before, around the ship. I also went live during a few shows to share the experience with others. I prefer the premium package to make sure everything works. I also want to stream my music and movies, at night. I watched a lot of HGTV in the room, when we was there. 
• Bring a refillable cup for drinks around the ship. If you take it off the boat, you may have to dump out contents, when returning on ship. 
• Fill out the room service card for breakfast each morning and put it your door slot stuff holder, if you want breakfast delivered versus going to lido or formal dining.
• If you want a free facial, go to the spa wellness event. They showed everyone how to use the elemis products and passed around the products, for people to use. 
• If you want a free pendant, the fun shops offer a free pendant for everyone. Prepare to wait in a long line. 
• If you want free glass of wine, attend the art auction.
• You can say no to the professional photographers. I been on multiple cruises. Sometimes I get the nice photos. Sometimes, I don't. If they are taking photos of people at dinner, you can say no. 
• You can order as many free appetizers, entrees, and desserts, for formal dinner. This is the tip, which helped many people, who sat at the table with me, on the last two cruises. If you want a melting cake and a cheese plate, feel free. 
• Go to Guys and get the fries. They are so good. You can even ask for the toppings on just the fries, versus the burger. The burger is good, but those fries.. Amazing. 
• New tip: bring along hair clips or any clips, to clip towels to chairs, to keep the towels from moving. 
• New tip: When going through the Lido deck for food, use a napkin to cover your food. It is open air and bugs are flying. I had a massive bug fly into my breakfast taco at Blue Iguana, after the server, handed me my plate. 
• New tip: Take photos of your crew members' name tag. Their salary depends on customer surveys, after the tip ends. Using their names helps them achieve recognition and a raise. 
  
  
  
  

• Cheers is worth it. I love liquor. I want coffee. I want milk shakes. If you can afford it, get it. I can't get it when Im cruising with just my mama (she does not drink. Everyone over 21, in the room, has to purchase it), but when it is me and my kids to a room, yep Cheers is worth it. 
• Faster to the fun: If you got kids, especially special needs kids. Book early. Get FTTF. It gives you priority embarkation and debarkation. You get to use the customer service line for diamond and platinum people. 
• Camp Carnival: If your kids are young enough, sign them up for Camp Carnival. My kids loved it. I have no idea what to do with Brad, now that he 18. The next family cruise with him, is undecided, unless I do Autism on the Seas, but AOTS is expensive. They offer respite though. When sign ups for camp open, go there asap. I received a phone because I am a special needs parent, so camp can communicate with me. Camp does not change diapers or dispense medication. 
• Anytime Dining: If you book early enough, you can dine anytime versus early or late dining. Great for when the kids are acting up and you can't make it to a set time. Lido is always open 24 hours for pizza, ice cream, and a few other places. 
• It is ok to ask for help when debarking. Brad has a hard time, getting off the boat, even with FTTF. The first family cruise, I was frustrated. The hallways and some elevators was blocked off for crew. I could not find my way to the gangway to save my life. I asked for help. I was put in a wheel chair, with Kalen in my lap, and rolled to the debarkation area. The next cruise, he went into meltdown mode. We was going to the debarkation area for FTTF people. Brad saw my mama and wanted to be with her. I asked for help. I was walked to the front of the line. They let me off the dang boat, without showing any form of identication because of Brad's behavior
• Cash is King. Bring cash for your spending money on boat. You can load the cash at customer service or one of the many kiosks, around the boat. If you use a credit card, there is a $100 dollar hold. It may take a few days, after you come back home, for the hold to clear. 
• You don't have to bring money on a cruise. I didn't really bring money until I started bringing the kids. My first cruise, we had $500 in room credit because our original destination was changed because of a hurricane. I prefer to build up room credit with price matching versus bringing cash or a credit card. Call your cruise line a few times a week, after you pay off the cruise, to see if prices are lower. Room credit. 
• Customs rules have changed. Attend the session for debarkation so you can know what to claim and not to claim. 
• There is clean family shows and there are adult shows. Pick your poison carefully. The last adult comedy show, I attended, was making jokes about celebrities, who committed suicide. Adult karaoke is nice though. Great to facebook live lol. There are the good singers and there are those, who know they sing bad, and will get there anyway. 
• You can never go wrong with extra undies. Anything can happen. 
• Roll your clothes. I love travel organizers for this purpose. You can hold more stuff, but don't overpack too much. You have to carry this stuff on and off, if you don't place your luggage out for staff. 
• Don't forget your soap, deodorant, diapers, wipes, mattress pads, body wash, tooth brush, medications, power strip, feminine supplies. You do not want to buy them in the shops. The ship's bathroom body wash is nice, but nothing like your own stuff. 
• Bring a power strip, not a surge protector. My last cruise, had 1 USA outlet and 1 European outlet. I have to charge phone, laptop, and kindle. My mama also had to charge her phone. 
• Charge your power banks for your devices before you board and during down times. 
• Bring along a few extra plastic bags for wet and soiled clothing. 
• Download a few movies and music to your devices , before you board, to calm down your kids, especially when it is late at night and you don't want to take them out anymore lol. 
• Don't run away with the cruise ship's stuff. Don't take the robes. Don't take the blue, Serenity towels. Don't take any towels.Leave the sheets and blankets alone.  You will be charged. The stuff is for sale online and in the fun shops. 
• If you don't like smoke, stay away from the Casino. 
• Settle your account, each night, if you have a cash account, if you went over. You don't want to be in the long line of people, removing tips, on the last night, if you are not FTTF. If you have a credit card, your card will be charged for transactions, on the boat. 
• You will hear The Theme to Titantic, multiple times, during formal dinner and other places on the boat. Get used to it lol .

• Well these are all my tips, I can think of. Share any other tips in the comments section on the blog or the social media posts. Thank you for reading. 

Back to the Bahamas Part 1

Back to the Bahamas Part 1: Carnival Ecstasy August 22^nd to 25^th

Port: Miami, Florida to Nassau Bahamas and Paradise Island (boat trip)

In August, I went back to the Bahamas with my mother again. We also brought along a bunch of first timers: my kids, annoying sisters, nieces, nephew, and great-niece. 9 people total and I will never do this again.

(Note: I was working on the multimedia portion of my thesis, while in the car, and finished up as soon as I got on the boat. $25 dollars of cruise credit to get my project turned in on time. I had limited internet from Louisiana to Florida. I was revising text and creating audio transcripts of the videos, on top of dealing with annoying relatives.)

My plan was to go on a 4-day trip to Mexico, Honduras, and Belize from Galveston. Get a past guest discount for my mother and myself, plus a Texas resident discount. The trip was reasonably priced-4 islands, 4 days.

The drive to Galveston is not that far either, but that was not good enough for some of my heathen family. Some of my relatives don’t like Hispanics, especially Mexicans. They refused to spend 24 hours in Mexico, so after some cussing and discussion, we decided to go to Miami to the Bahamas.

I already knew this trip would not be fun. At first, I had 3 people in my room and my mother had five. My other sister was supposed to go to Africa this summer. Then, she decided to bring my nephew. My mother removed my nephew from the cruise.

Now we have my kids and myself in my room and the rest in the other room. 3 doors down from each other.

Fast forward, sister and nephew decide not to go to Africa and want to be added back. My mother still has a five person room-so nephew went to her room. My room already paid for and I had to relocate my room wayyyyy down the hallway for a 4 person, 4 bed room, when all I need is 2 beds. One for me and Kalen and one for Brad.

I also had to chip in monies for my sister’s fare because my mother did not have enough. She also got part of my cruise credits, I been earning. Whoopee. Over 100 dollars and I have to share when my room was fully paid for months in advance.

Sister planned on crashing in one of the beds in my mother room. 5 beds. Niece and Great niece in same bed; nephew; other annoying sister; and mother, in other 4 beds.

I kept bumping my head into that darn upper bed. I kept the big bed for myself and let Brad climb up. I wanted a no pee zone.

By the first day, the sisters had a fight and the younger sister got a new room, which is what she should have done in the first place with her son. She wanted her cruise credit transferred to her new room. Problem was she only earned $10 dollars after she was added to my room and she was upset. Love Carnival. Leave my credits alone.

The rest of the trip on the boat, was special needs hell.

I couldn't get my kids to stay in Camp Carnival. I ended up with 2 hours free without my kids over 3 days. When they did go, all they did was sleep Went to Super Star Karaoke and Karaoke. Didn’t attempt to sing because I kept staring at the Camp’s phone.


Brad peed in the bed. Instead of just changing the sheets or the mattresses, the steward cleaned the carpet (which needed cleaning due to Brownies and Cake), and put a carpet smeller puller outer in the room. I went back to my room later and saw that noisy device, when my kids needed to sleep. Turned it off. Then I got a knock on the door from the assistant housekeeping woman saying if my kids make a mess in the bed, take them to medical. Told her, I have two SPED kids, who wet the bed, and accidents do happen. She didn’t not understand at all and I didn’t care. One kid was sleepy and needed his medication.

Brad had a major meltdown after Kalen went to Camp Carnival for the first time. Took over an hour to calm him down. It was time to give him his meds anyway plus Mr.. Melatonin. We was heading to formal dinner and by the time, I got him calm and went back to Windsong, the line was longer. We got a pager saying it will be a 30 minute wait, but as soon as we walked away, the pager went off. By the time, the food arrived, the pager went off and I had to go get Kalen. Youngest sister sat with Brad, while I ran to the Verandah deck (11 from deck 8).

Kalen refused to walk in the Bahamas. His feet broke out a few weeks ago. I forgot to bring socks. After going to multiple stores, looking for socks, I learned most of them don’t accept credit cards. I finally had to go to an ATM (Thank you Blogher for the payment a few days before) to get some Bahamian money to buy the boy some socks, and he still did not want to walk.

We took a water ferry to Paradise Island to see Atlantis. Took some convincing to get Brad on the boat. The tour guide let Brad sit up front with the captain.

While we was in Louisiana, we stopped at a gas station/McDonalds station to eat and go potty. I took Brad to change his diaper and pants. On the way out, we passed through the gas station part because I didn't have McDonalds money. He wanted some M &Ms. He took some M& Ms and walked out the door. The cashier stopped him and I gave them back. He got angry and pushed the main door so hard, it fell off the hinges.

I had a major panic attack on the last day of the cruise. I packed up all the non-essentials and set it outside the room. I packed the kids bags with their diapers, wipes, and extra clothes; cleaned out my purse for extra room, if I needed it; and re-organized the bag of chargers. I had 5 bags: my purse, Kalen bag, Brad bag, the laptop, and bag of chargers for the devices.

Simple enough. I carry three bags. Brad carries his bag and Kalen carries his bag. EXCEPT Kalen did not want to walk and moved extra slow. I had to carry his bag so he would move faster and he did not.

We walked one way to head to the Sapphire Lounge for Faster to the Fun people, but it was blocked off. Walked another way and the police was having a situation with a woman. I couldn’t move anymore. My cycle on. I got 4 bags in one arm. I am sweating, hurting, and struggling with Kalen. I sat there until the police moved.

Finally got to Sapphire, sat down, and it was time to move again. Can’t find my phone. Went back in. Kids acting up again. I broke down crying. Couldn’t take it anymore.

Asked for help multiple times since I have SPED kids. Finally someone told me I can get a wheelchair and I could carry Kalen in my lap. I was eventually wheeled down to customs, while Brad walked and someone held Kalen’s hand. I just wanted off the boat and in my bed at home. I wanted to be left alone. Of course that was not the case..

To be continued..............

(Working on Karaoke video; Life on the ship video; and boat trip video)