Our one and only cruise experience was in 1985...does that count?
It was on a Carnival ship, ports of call St. Maarten (had to bypass), St. Thomas, and Nassau. Some of the things I remember which might help, I'll try to list. Others can correct if some of these tidbits have changed.
Can you say suncreen? I don't know if you've been that far south before, but the sun gets pretty intense. Very intense.
As soon as you walk on the ship, you will be asked about every five seconds by a small army of waiters if you want a drink. Problem is, the only drinks that are free are milk, coffee, and tea (and possibly fruit juice). Any sodas or alcoholic drinks cost money (and that includes your main meal seatings).
Make sure you budget for tips. This may have been covered in your brochures. At the very least, expect to tip your cabin boy/girl, waiter/waitress, and bus boy. Our cabin boy was so good, the room was immaculate all the time, and we never saw him until the last day when he was collecting tips. He earned every penny. And about the tips, everyone we had to wait on us went 110% to make us happy. My wife made a nice comment about a potato dish at dinner one night, our bus boy overheard her, and he brought three servings for her!
There's a lot of acitivities on the ship each day you're at sea. Enjoy them. I won a trophy at a trivia contest (a very small trophy). My wife and I went to a basic class for ballroom dancing. We had a great time!
Did you know they use filtered sea water for the pools on cruise ships? At least ours did.
If your ship has massages, sign up as soon as possible if you want one (they cost extra). The list usually fills fast.
That's all I can think of right now. Like I said, this was in 1985, and on a Carnival line ship. Things may have changed since then. Have fun!
