Caribbean Cruise Questions...

[Anathema]

One more tip. If you have a tenancy to get sea sick, I would ask my doctor for a prescription for some Scopolamine Transdermal patches. Believe me, spending most of your time on ship throwing up while your cruise mates are out eating and drinking is torture. The patches work a lot better than Dramamine/

Thanks. I might do that. Never been onboard a boat that large or long. Never had an issue on small boats out fishing, but I might look to bring something just in case.

 

[Anathema]

What is not to enjoy about sitting on a beach on a tropical island with Chrystal blue waters ?

Nothing, if that’s your thing. It’s not always my thing. Especially in places where I don’t necessarily feel safe and secure.

 

[depotoo]

What is not to enjoy about sitting on a beach on a tropical island with Chrystal blue waters ?

Nothing, if that’s your thing. It’s not always my thing. Especially in places where I don’t necessarily feel safe and secure.

St Thomas you should feel safe and secure, also the Bahamas, where the ship docks.

 

[Natural Citizen]

What is not to enjoy about sitting on a beach on a tropical island with Chrystal blue waters ?

Nothing, if that’s your thing. It’s not always my thing. Especially in places where I don’t necessarily feel safe and secure.

Be sure to use hand sanitizer. And boost your immune system before you leave, eat good in the days or weeks prior to the trip. Trust me, Anathema. Just do it.

 

[Flopper]

What is not to enjoy about sitting on a beach on a tropical island with Chrystal blue waters ?

Nothing, if that’s your thing. It’s not always my thing. Especially in places where I don’t necessarily feel safe and secure.

Crime is high on a number of islands but tourist are rarely targeted. Cruise ship day trippers are safer than in most US large cities. I doubt you're going be immersing yourself in the culture so you should be just fine. Cruise ship lines bypass ports where there is any real danger which is a huge economic impact on the community and usually brings swift action by the police. Princess and Holland American both dropped Mazatlan on the Mexican west coast due to crime. I think they have since added it back to their itinerary.

 

[OldLady]

One more tip. If you have a tenancy to get sea sick, I would ask my doctor for a prescription for some Scopolamine Transdermal patches. Believe me, spending most of your time on ship throwing up while your cruise mates are out eating and drinking is torture. The patches work a lot better than Dramamine/

Thanks. I might do that. Never been onboard a boat that large or long. Never had an issue on small boats out fishing, but I might look to bring something just in case.

Yes, do it. I insisted on the patch and I slapped it right on as soon as I got on board, even though the doctor INSISTED I would not need it and probably I didn't. There was only one morning I could even feel the ship rolling.

It was my once in a lifetime chance to see a bit of the world and I was not taking any chances. The patch doesn't make you groggy like the pills. I completely forgot I had it on. Wear it for insurance.

 

[Flopper]

One more tip. If you have a tenancy to get sea sick, I would ask my doctor for a prescription for some Scopolamine Transdermal patches. Believe me, spending most of your time on ship throwing up while your cruise mates are out eating and drinking is torture. The patches work a lot better than Dramamine/

Thanks. I might do that. Never been onboard a boat that large or long. Never had an issue on small boats out fishing, but I might look to bring something just in case.

Yes, do it. I insisted on the patch and I slapped it right on as soon as I got on board, even though the doctor INSISTED I would not need it and probably I didn't. There was only one morning I could even feel the ship rolling.

It was my once in a lifetime chance to see a bit of the world and I was not taking any chances. The patch doesn't make you groggy like the pills. I completely forgot I had it on. Wear it for insurance.

I have used them on every cruise because on a 7 day or longer cruise, it's impossible to predict the seas accurately. And believe me, being sea sick for a week or longer is miserable and you will wish you were home a thousand times.

 

[OldLady]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

 

[Flopper]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

 

[OldLady]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

I won.

 

[rightwinger]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

I won.

I've been on ten cruises and never won at the casino
It just a question of how quickly they take my money

 

[Flopper]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

I won.

I've been on ten cruises and never won at the casino
It just a question of how quickly they take my money

They say casinos love a winner, so they must hate me. Never once have I walked out of a ship casino with more than I entered.

 

[rightwinger]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

I won.

I've been on ten cruises and never won at the casino
It just a question of how quickly they take my money

They say casinos love a winner, so they must hate me. Never once have I walked out of a ship casino with more than I entered.

I have won at land based casinos

But I walk away as soon as I get ahead

 

[Flopper]

When I went on my cruise, I was curious about the casino--I had never been in one. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen in movies--one armed bandits and roulette wheels. So I get in the ship's casino and all the slots are electronic like an arcade game and you have to buy an EBT card to play it. I tried asking a casino attendant how to use the machine, because it has a bunch of buttons and I was pretty confused. He was a young kid, gave me a dirty look, spent about 25 very impatient seconds showing me how to get started and then he bolted.

So I played along for awhile; put in $20 to start. I thought I was getting the hang of it but had no idea if I was winning or losing, so I hit this button to see my balance and instead all of these frickin tokens started pouring out of the bottom of the machine and I had nothing to put them in and they were spilling onto the floor and they kept on coming...
Someone playing near me took pity and brought me a plastic container and pointed to where I was supposed to take them to cash them in. I won $80.

It would have been a lot more fun if I'd KNOWN I was winning $80, though.

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Ship casinos have a captive audience and they certainly take advantage of it. They are usually only open when you are well out to sea. If you have absolutely nothing to do and don't mind losing some money they can be fun just don't expect to win.

I won.

I've been on ten cruises and never won at the casino
It just a question of how quickly they take my money

They say casinos love a winner, so they must hate me. Never once have I walked out of a ship casino with more than I entered.

I have won at land based casinos

But I walk away as soon as I get ahead

That's a different ballgame. They have competition.

 

[OldLady]

On our cruise, the push to buy jewelry was huge. They had seminars about it every day and showed where you could buy this and that type of gemstones where we were docking. I wasn't in the market, but in Cozumel, they also had duty free shops where we stopped and I could buy booze and chocolate cheap. The ship had a rule about not bringing booze on board, and they really do check your bags when you come back on, so I didn't buy any liquor, but I got some good Godiva.

Our ship didn't make a single stop where Anathema is stopping, so I can't be much help in talking him off the boat. Seems a shame to waste the opportunity, though.

 

[Andylusion]

Stay home.

Not an option. Tickets are already paid for and non-refundable. Had to pay for a passport too. Ugh.

You are making a cruise sounds like the worst thing ever. I sure hope that G-d forbid I get married, that my spouse doesn't talk like this about something I want to do.

I wish you the best. Hope it works out.... 0.o
(I've never said that about a cruise before)

 

[Anathema]

St Thomas you should feel safe and secure, also the Bahamas, where the ship docks.

St Thomas maybe, since it’s a US Territory but anywhere that the US Constitution isn’t in effect will be a hard “NO”. I’m sure it’s fine but I don’t take chances if I do t have to.

 

[Anathema]

Be sure to use hand sanitizer. And boost your immune system before you leave, eat good in the days or weeks prior to the trip. Trust me, Anathema. Just do it.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Anathema]

MCrime is high on a number of islands but tourist are rarely targeted. Cruise ship day trippers are safer than in most US large cities. I doubt you're going be immersing yourself in the culture so you should be just fine...

I’m actually more concerned about having to instruct others in my culture and socuety rather than the other way around.

 

[Anathema]

Moral of the story: If you've never been to a casino before, have a friend take you to one BEFORE going on the ship.

Not an issue... My grandfather taught me about gambling... Anybtine I think of doing it, I take out a $5 bill, light it on fire and thst cures my desire to gamble.