The tiered Lido and Promenade decks of the Carnival Valor. -- Photos by Matthew and Tracy DeJong

As we crossed the Lido deck of Carnival's Valor for the last time, we couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy.

The aquatic playground sprawled before us, complete with salt-water pools and an ascending array of hotubs, would soon be enjoyed by more than 3,000 new guests within a few hours. They would be served by our waiter, pampered by our steward and toast our wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling private window as the sun drifts behind the Miami palm trees.

But such envy isn't what you'd expect. Sure, we would like to re-explore Paradise Island in the Bahamas, or have another chance to relax behind a Cuban in the cigar lounge until 3:00 a.m. However, the source of our yearning is this: we now know what we didn't before.

As first time cruisers aboard one of the largest ships in its class, the experience was almost overwhelming. We would love to go back in time and provide ourselves with some much-needed advice for our adventure at sea.

YOUR CRUISE BEGINS WITH THE PLANE

Like no other vacation, your first voyage can be sidelined by a change in schedule.

Heeding advice from experienced cruisers, we flew the day before embarkation and booked a hotel in Miami, hoping for a leisurely morning before boarding the ship.

However, a slight delay at the Buffalo airport made our one-hour stopover in Atlanta an all-night affair.

As we hailed a hotel shuttle sometime after 1:00 a.m., with our three-year-old and five-month-old neurotic and red-eyed, we tried to take comfort in the fact that the airline attendant mumbled they would do their best to get us on the first flight at 10:30 a.m. the next morning, weather permitting.

Of course, our luggage experienced privileged status as it was already on its way to Florida.

We learned a valuable footnote to the rule of flying the day before: if possible, take a direct flight. On any other vacation, a flight delay might cost you an afternoon on the beach and a lost garment bag might prove a simple over-night inconvenience. But cruising is high stakes.

If you miss first sail, you must negotiate your way on a flight to one of the ports of call... again, weather permitting. Additionally, your misplaced luggage might have to greet you at the end of your vacation, forcing you to buy novelty underwear from the gift shop, as well as several more $5.00 T-shirts than you wanted to purchase.

BRING MORE NECESSITIES, THEN SPLIT THEM

If you have those pills you can't do without, inhalers for asthmatics or an ointment to prevent that rash from spreading, make sure you bring greater quantities than you need, then store it in more than one place.

Over three thousand guests board one of the largest cruise ships in its class