<p>When I was fourteen, I had an amazing opportunity- to go on a weeklong cruise in the Caribbean with my parents and little brother. There were some things that turned out great, but some that weren't so awesome. Be glad you are reading this, because the Trip Goddess is here, and ready to share all kinds of tidbits with you to make your cruise in the Caribbean turns out as nice as you want it to.</p> <p>All right, I hope you're ready because this may jump around a lot. Just go with it, though, because what I'm going to tell you is some great information.</p> <p>If you bring kids on your trip, buy them a pop card right when you get there. They run about twenty dollars, but let your kids have unlimited pop during the entire cruise.</p> <p>Also, I would invest in lanyards with a pocket for a card in them. That way you can put your room and pop cards in the pocket and just wear the lanyard around your neck, no need to worry about stuffing them in awkward places under your sundress. Believe me; everyone will like it better that way.</p> <p>Another thing I would advise you on is to get maps! When you get off the ship on some random island, you will probably see some shops and a beach, but you could be missing something truly amazing that is only a short walk away. Ask the attendants on the ship for maps and books to help you get around. One book they gave us on our cruise was full of all kinds of coupons, but they were even better than the buy-one-get-one-free variety we usually see in the states. I got a cute charm necklace with three or four charms on it that was completely free. There was a different coupon for each location of a Caribbean jewelry chain, and at each stop I got a different free part of the charm bracelet.</p> <p>Along the line of buying stuff while you're on vacation, I say bring a lot of money! Don't think of it as an expensive vacation, though; think of it as cheap shopping. Buy some nice things you would buy anyway and you can get them for a lot cheaper. I got an amazing designer perfume for thirty-five dollars on my cruise that goes for around seventy in the states.--nextpage--</p> <p>Also, when you are buying things, do not be afraid of haggling. The prices on items at almost every shop are high prices that the sellers do not expect to receive. It's fairly easy to talk most sellers down at least a little bit.</p> <p>Now back to best part of the cruise, the ship. Thirteen, maybe fourteen floors of exquisite amazingness. You can ice skate, swim in salt water, lay out, watch a theater production, shop, and so much more all in one place. Make sure you check out everything the ship has to offer- hey, you're paying good money for all these activities!</p> <p>Kids, definitely go to the kid and teen programs on the ship. I made friends with nine or ten people my own age, and I still talk to a few of them today. It was a blast having new friends to hang out with and explore the ship. And, the parents get to do their own thing without wondering if you're okay (like maybe salsa classes?)</p> <p>One more thing I'm going to share: room service! It's free, so indulge, indulge, indulge! Every night when I went back to my room around midnight or one o'clock, I ordered something from room service. A few times I got a hot chocolate and a slice of cheesecake. It was free except for a couple dollars I would use to tip the nice person who brought it to me. The servers and workers on the ship were all so nice. I still remember my waiter's name, and that he was from Trinidad and Tobago. He had THE coolest accent ever, and he gave me a dollar from his country.</p> <p>Get to know these people if you have the opportunity, some of them have some great stories. The maid who cleaned my room every morning folded towels into animals and would put my sunglasses on them. She told me all about how her son attended college in the United States.</p> <p>Take this time out of our country to get to know people different from you, for sure.</p> Haley Otman 2007-07-09T00:00:00Z F 2004-11-20 false 547 586 Scholarship 2007-07-09T00:00:00Z 556 active 3 2010-02-09T15:40:33Z 6547