Cruising for Vacation
 

We've booked a cruise on Holland America Line's Veendam for our honeymoon in February/March of 07. I've never cruised before and am really looking forward to the experience. Our itinerary takes us to Key West, Belize, Guatamala, and Mexico.

Has anyone taken a similar cruise? Any pointers on what to pack, what not to pack, what to look for excursion-wise?

I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. And anxiously awaiting my passport to arrive!

Kellie

Heh, G. Gordon Liddy's favorite ship.

Cruises can be a lot of fun. Bring clothes that you can wear with a very full belly. Bring your camera. Bring a fair bit of cash, because everyone gets tips (at the end of the cruise, not every step of the way, happily, so remember to put aside your tip money beforehand). Bring any little things that could decrease your chances of having to buy things on the ship, like headache and seasickness medicine, a few spare hats for when the wind gets yours, sunscreen, sunglasses, and pen/paper/postage.

HM gives good advice - take on board rather than buy on board. Even if money isn't tight, it's always better to spend it on things you choose, rather than stumping up for overpriced goods you didn't think you'd need.

Cabins tend to be small. There won't be much distance between the bathroom and the bed. Take scented candles if you get my drift, it will help maintain a honeymoon atmosphere.

Don't be embarrassed to take some snacks, or buy them in port. There will be some evenings you want to just chill and chat in your cabin, and it's not like in a hotel where you can pop out to buy olives, crisps (chips to you), pretzels etc.

BOOKS! I'd probably read while I was queuing to get into hell, but even slow readers seem to get into books more if there's no land in sight. If you don't usually read much then just take 2 and figure you'll swap once you get to know people.

Lip balm (and cold sore lotion if you're prone) For both of you. Sun and sea spray will affect you much more than a normal beach holiday - look after those kissing cherries! My ex had lips like a condemned building after about 3 days. Luckily I had an ungirly selection for him to choose from.

Read up on what's available/ scheduled on board. Some cruises have themed evenings with prizes for best dressed etc, or special sports events. It being your honeymoon you might not be interested ;) but it's worth being aware before you go.

Finally - enjoy! What a wonderful honeymoon, have the time of your life.

The Mayan ruins in Belize & Guatemala are very cool. A trip out to Ambergris Cay (Belize) is the haps, too -- coral reefs for snorkeling, diving-type stuff.

I never have, but my in-laws went on several, and they said Holland America was the best--so enjoy!

Remember to reserve enough folding money for the last day of the cruise, when it is customary to tip your steward, waiter, you sommelier, favorite bartender, and anyone else who has rendered noteworthy service. As honeymooners, you'll probably be treated like royalty. If you figure it all out beforehand you don't have to sweat about it at the last moment.

What are the appropriate tips for those people? It isn't like a restaurant where you can go by the tab. :confused:

If you want to go snorkling, make sure to pick a place that hasn't been hit by a hurricane any time in the past few years. Went on a cruise in September, snorkled in Cozamel, which had suffered a direct hit two years ago. Nothing to look at.
The tipping policy was that $10 a day was charged to everyone ove the age of two. It was mandatory, not voluntary, but well worth it.

I went on a 14-day Holland America cruise through Alaska some years back - both ship and service were excellent. Only remotely bad part of the experience was one day of severe severe severe weather. Bring seasick pills if you think you'll have problems.

All great advice so far. It could get chilly at night if you're at sea (most likely - boat usually travels at night and docks during the day), so bring a jacket/sweater.

And get ready to EAT. The food on HA was unbelievably good.

A tip on the meals: if you want to try more than one thing, just ask your waiter. They have to prepare more meals than there are people, in case one dish turns out to be more popular than the others. We were at a table of honeymooners, and we'd all order whatever we wanted, and then about halfway through the meal when they knew what they had extras of, our waiter would just bring a couple of extra entrees to the table. Every single meal was so incredibly delicious, it was nice not to have to decide between them. :)

Thanks for all your tips - The Dude has cruised before - so I'm the only newbie between us :) But I'm still excited about everything! We leave tomorrow for PA - the Wedding is Friday evening - and head home to NC on Saturday. We fly out at the butt crack of dawn on Sunday for Tampa - board ship and set sail around 5pm on Sunday afternoon.

To say I'm excited would be a HUGE understatement.

There will be lots of pictures and detailed descriptions of the trip posted to my blog on our return. (Just the trip....not the honeymoon activities *G*)