- Park at Lighthouse Parking instead of the cruise terminal. You save a few bucks plus the drivers and the other members of your party do not have to separate when the driver parks the car. Make an advance reservation at: http://www.lighthouseparking.org/

- Take along a pair of the two way radios to keep in touch with the kids. You can buy them at Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, etc. You can keep in touch with kids without missing "check-ins".

- Take along plenty of $1, 5 and 10 in US dollars for shopping in port at Cozumel and or Progresso.

- The Ecstasy is a smaller 70 ton ship and I feel more motion on her than the larger ships..recommend taking the non-drowsy Dramamine before the trip starts just in case.

- If your booking shore excursions through Carnival, book early for those in Progresso. They fill up quick. This is a developing port with less things to do than in Cozumel.

- Limit your carry on luggage. Rooms are usually not ready until 1:30 pm or after and you have to manage your carry on luggage with everyone else milling around waiting to get into their rooms as well.

- Take along a power strip..there is usually only one power outlet in the room.

- Take along a night light..rooms are wicked dark

- if you letting the kids stay in a room w/o an adult, go to the purser’s office and get a door only card for this kids room. My teen and tween like to sleep in and it is hard to get them up on port days!

- Have the kids check out the club carnival…my girls come and go if there is something worth while going on.

- Make sure to pack anything you need before midnight in your carry on luggage. It can take several hours to get your checked luggage to your cabin.

Have a good time.
References :

1. Get active in the activities. Attend the shows after dinner, watch the game shows on the deck during the day. It will make it a lot more fun than just sitting around waiting to get into port and such.
2. They will have "port of call" sessions talking about interesting things at each port. This will be helpful if you are interested in finding deals at the ports, and they usually give away some free stuff, so it is a good idea for someone to attend.
3. Try different things at dinner. They might have some dishes that sound a little iffy to you (quail, escargot,etc…) but this is a vacation on a resort ship, so you have nothing to lose by trying new food!
4. Book excursions the first day on board. The most exciting excursions will fill up quickly, so if you can afford to do excursions at the ports of call, definitely try to book them as soon as you can. Your room television usually allows you to book from the room, so it should be easy.
5. Relax. Seriously. The staff on board is extremely kind and will be willing to help you have the best vacation possible, so if something isn’t right let them know (nicely) and they will take care of it. I have never had a problem with staff on board, but I have had problems with angry fellow passengers.

I hope you have a great trip. If you have any further questions, you can contact me via Yahoo! Answers.
References :
10 cruises including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Celebrity.

I have been on four cruise lines, RC, NCL, Princess, and Celebrity and they all now use the automatic debit and voucher system. The problem that I have with NCL, and to an extent Princess also because their "Personal Choice" cruising dinner option is very similar to NCL’s "Freestyle"; since you have a different table and waiter each day for dinner, how does the cruise line know who to give the gratuity to. And more disturbing, how do we know who gets it, how much, or whether they get it at all.?????

I am taking another NCL cruise this year, only because I like the itinerary and its on a new ship, but I stay away from them because I don’t like the "freestyle" dining particularly when it comes time for giving gratuities.
References :
experienced NCL cruiser