CRUISING

A cruise is the most easiest and economical vacation you will ever take. Especially, if you have children. Have you ever taken your kids to theme parks or traveled with them? With kids, you constantly have to entertain them, or feed them. Theme parks are hot, crowded, and have long lines everywhere. Cruising with kids is a breeze. You can just drop them off at camp all day and go do whatever you want to. My first cruise with my kids, they cried when I went to pick them up from camp. Seriously.. the camp workers do a great job keeping the kiddos entertained. And if you're worried about safety, in the event of an emergency all the kids where bracelets the whole cruise so they can be easily directed to their emergency buffer stations. Parents are instructed to go to their station and not search for their children, because the workers can easily tell where kids go by the color of their bracelet.

FIRST CRUISE 2012

So what is there to do on a cruise ship? Of course, there is an unlimited amount of food. Every night the ship has some sort of show, their are comedy shows, the casinos, movies on the Lido, BINGO, Karaoke, and so much more. If you feel that you will be bored... let me tell you right now, that there will be more than enough things to keep you entertained. But, I think the best thing about a cruise is you have the power to choose just how much you want to do or not do everyday. If your desire is to lay in the bed all day and order room service, then you can do that. Whether you want to turn down or turn up, depends on you. 

5 THINGS I WISH I WOULD'VE KNOWN BEFORE MY 1ST CRUISE

1. Embarkation and safety briefings- Bring some patience and wear comfy shoes on day 1. Standing in long lines to get checked unto the ship is pretty common. Also, it is required by Maritime Law for all cruise ships to perform a safety briefing prior to sailing. Pay attention to this. Even though, I can't remember what is said, I'm sure the information is important. This safety briefing reminds me of what the flight attendants do before each flight.

2. Bring a light jacket or shawl- IT IS FREEZING COLD ON THE SHIP LIKE A HOSPITAL! My first cruise all I had for my family was shorts and sundresses. Every night for dinner we were uncomfortably cold. Also, the theatre room feels like Alaska. Don't make the same mistake we made, bring something to cover up at night.

3. Gratuities- These are recommended by the ship. The waitstaff and your cabin steward will provide you with the very best customer service so they deserve something. However, how much you leave is up to you. If you need to make an adjustment to what is charged, just visit Guest services while aboard. Normally... my husband and I pay the recommended gratuity, but we don't pay the entire recommended amount for the kids all the time. 

4. Read your ships daily mail. It has very important info for you. On some sea days, certain restaurants might be open for free during lunch where for dinner it would require a reservation and a fee. On port days, take the mail with you in your bag so that in the event of an emergency you know who to call. All emergency contacts are located on the mail for the day.

5. TRY NEW FOODS! You just never know. But all the food is free, and when will you ever have the opportunity to try a food that you wont have to pay for if you don't like it... oh well.... One time, my son tried snail on fancy formal night. It did not sit well with his stomach and he threw up all over the place. We laugh about it now, but now he knows to never buy snail. If you are eating dinner and you taste something you love, don't be ashamed to ask for seconds. Its FREE remember! Get as much as you like. The first time we had a lobster aboard, we had no idea we could've ordered another one. How cool is that?