new to cruising...some questions

[dawson21]

this is our first cruise. we are sailing out of new york on june 12th on carnival miracle. being about 50 and hearing that carnival might be for the younger crowd, we are a bit nervous. will we fit in ok? this is an eastern caribbean cruise. what might we want to see/do? what is proper dress for on deck and excursions? anything interesting within walking distance of the pier in san juan? what's important to pack besides meds? i could go on but don't want to drive you all "crazy" . looking forward to hearing what we can expect.

thanks for your help,

carla

[elfed]

Hi dawson21,

My wife and I (52 and 63) have taken 5 cruises on Carnival in the past 4 years, We have not sailed on the Miracle but on the Legend out of NY. Carnival is great value for money with what you get. This includes pretty good meals,wonderful main lounge entertainment, friendly crews, lots of deck chair space, reasonably priced drinks, free ice cream(wonderful) and terrific 24 hour free pizza etc etc. Your cabin will be of a most generous size regardless which you choose with, in our opinion, the most comfortable beds at sea.

The passenger mix is good. From infants to 80 year olds-all seem to have a good time. As far as shore excursions go, they too are reasonably priced. Go to Carnival's web site to read more about them.

You cannot go wrong with Carnival as long as you don't expect the earth are not overly critical of the little things such as the occasional line up at meal times at the buffet or the very rare obnoxious rude passenger you may encounter. I'm sure you will read others on this site. They too will offer more info for you. Hope this has been helpful.

Regards, James.

[KeithnRita]

Carla, welcome to

You will be just fine on the Carnival Miracle. There will be plenty of others in your age group. The proper dress for ports/excursions are what ever makes you comfortable in warm and hot weather.

Old San Juan is in walking distance of the pier and it makes for great site seeing.

As far as packing, CruiseCrazies has a great packing list located on the side bar on the left side of the screen.

Enjoy youe cruise and if you have specific questions just ask away. We love new members!

[Chucksta63]

Hello Carla

Welcome

You will be just fine! I have several groups & most of us start in our 40t's & go thru to our 70t's We all have a great time! I just took my parents & they are in their 70t's. They had more fun I think than us younger ones...lol

Casual dress for the decks....shorts & hawaiian shirts are great!

You will have a great time!

[Brady121291]

No worries, you'lkl be just fine, nowadays most mainstream cruises are designed for youth, but you'll be fine, in fact most activities are older, and btw congrats on your firts cruise

You'll have a blast!

[JoeyandDavid]

Hi Carla .... ditto to all the above.. and Welcome To CruiseCrazies!!

[dawson21]

just wanted to say "THANKS" to everyone who has posted to my questions. you've been very helpful and friendly! i was looking at the pix attached to keith's post.....those were beautiful and helpful also! i will continue to check back often and ask as the questions come to mind. i'm learning how to navigate the site so hopefully i won't repeat anything. if i do, please forgive me....i'll learn in time.

[hazelson]

Carla - We are in our 50's too and Carnival is our favourite. You can wear whatever you want - the only restrictions are in the dining rooms - no shorts etc.

Take a power strip for the room (few outlets to plug into), and I find the dining rooms and theatres are quite cool so take a shawl or sweater with you.

And welcome to Cruisecrazies!

[JohnG]

By the way, the average age of passengers on Carnival today is 47 years old. The myth about the frat boy party ships is a 15 year old image that Carnival has not done well is changing because they still refer it themselves as Fun Ships. But that doesn't mean all day/night party.

[Gregswife]

Welcome Carla. I will be 50 next month. we are booked on our 11th cruise on Carnival and I love them - have never felt out of place. You will see a myriad of age groups but yours will probably be in the majority, so please put your mind at ease. I am sure you will have a fabulous time - how could you not when on a cruise??? Hope to see you posting often....