paoberle

I was not prepared for the amount of tipping that was expected the first time I went on a cruise. It seems as though you are expected to tip just about every ship employee you come in contact with.

Jakers1

I took a cruise and left a tip at the end to cover everyone. If you book an excursion from a third party before the cruise, the ship does not have to wait for you. I booked a tour on the ship and ead not happy, it was s helicopter ride of 14 minutes, for $99.00. I complained and got a partial refund, which I would not have gotten otherwise.

SSStitches

There are good suggestions posted. We did a few. I brought a formal for the one night; our friend only brought a simple black dress and that was enough. There is a suggested daily$ amount for the tip that you can pay at the end that covers all. Be careful with a tour not through the ship- saw people that missed the boat when we left dock. On our last trip, our tour bus broke down, we were 2 hours late getting back to the boat. It was a ship planned tour so they waited for us. Most important - relax and enjoy the ride!

AZ Jane

The joy of cruising, you do not have to leave the ship, usually have activities going all the time. Very inexpensive to window shop. The main reason for over spending to doing the side trips, extra activities off ship. Everything on ship is free, except the on-board shops. Sometimes it is less expensive if you plan activates yourself VS thru the cruise lines. But be aware, if you activity runs long, the ship will not wait. MOSTLY, relax and have fun!!!! It's not a race to see and do everything!!

OneBusyGranny

one thing they don't tell you, in your cabin,they will have bottled water and cokes.$1.50 for each one.My first cruise I went with a friend that had went many times.Attendents come back to your room later(to make your beds) and charge your account if you've used any. we opted out for the free @ the snack bars, etc.

Wanabee Quiltin

I've been on many cruises and love them. Go to thrift stores and buy dressy clothes, you won't regret it. Wifi, gambling, alcohol and soft drinks and port trips cost $$$. I loved eating with others and have maintained a relationship with a woman I met over 15 years ago on a cruise. I really enjoyed the entertainment each day and evening. Read the daily bulletin every day to not miss anything you really want to do. Have fun and don't try to do everything, it's great to just rest too

Fastpedal

The clothes you need for the cruise can be what you ordinarily wear. Went to Alaska last June with our two grandchildren. Formal was as formal as you wished. Take a pair of nice black pants and a dressy top. Will do for both dress up nights if you want. (If you want something dressy visit a thrift shop or a consignment shop) I will never see these people again and didn't feel that I needed to impress anyone. The biggest expense for a cruise is the on-land excursions. They can cost more than the cruise. However, you will want to pick those trips when you book your cruise. If you wait until you are on board the ones you are interested in may/will be sold out. On our cruise the tips were automatically figures in our final bill so we didn't have to figure them out ourselves. (Like that idea so the employees don't get cheated. Years ago the dining room tips were left on the table after the final meal. When my d & sin were on their honeymoon cruise a couple at their table who had asked for extra food the whole week did not come to the final dinner so they would not have to leave a tip. My d & sin felt terrible for the waiter.)

sash

Great tips all. Thanks. You can keep them coming. Yes, we are going to pay our tips up front.

tranum

I would not book any activity, like tours, due to additional cost and not good value. We went horseback riding, my horse had a limp, Poor old thing should've been retired. Toured "Banana Plantation". Such a rough road, I felt like my fillings were going to fall out! LOL. I'd spend the day at the beach and enjoy the area instead. I took mostly black and white clothes so I could mix and match (from thrift stores, mostly). Food is very good, I enjoyed dressing for dinner, great experience. We tipped our wait staff and cabin boys just once at the end. Didn't go the bars, so didn't get involved in tipping bartenders.

QuiltnLady1

You can pretty much walk Cozamel -- the town is not that big but the beach was nice. We were there several years ago we went to see the ruins -- since we had never seen Mayan ruins it was a real treat. We were there the end of Sept to first part of Oct and it was pretty hot and the mosquitos were VERY thick so be sure to bring a good mosquito spray (the ones they sold at the ruins back then had DDT.

The cruise we were on included tips as part of the cruise and said no tipping was necessary. Most ships have fancy restaurants that are an extra charge (we never bothered since the included food was fine with us). Most of the places the ship docs had an arrangement that they would take American dollars and American checks -- we only paid in cash for the stuff we bought.