Cruises

As far as vacations go, cruises seem fairly cheap but isn't it more like a floating hotel where you can't leave the grounds? To me it seems like you're stranded on the boat.

 

I few years ago I took a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity Cruises, which is actually under the same umbrella as Royal Caribbean. It was my first cruise so I don't have much to compare it to, but I had a great time. It was quite upscale for a cruise, and the boat that I was on, The Summit, was great. Everything was clean, the rooms and service were great. I'd recommend looking into them for your next trip. I've also heard great things about Royal Caribbean itself.

In the end, you can't really go wrong with either of these two.

 

Just for giggles {since I have all the time in the world now} what would a 10 day cruise cost? Does it vary significantly upon where the ship travels? If I get tired of the hub bub, can I fly home at the next port? I can't see it being more than 6 or 7 thousand US dollars.

Are the cabins roomy?

When you say "shore trips" do you mean, some stay close to shore and head to ports often where others may not land on a dock at all?

 

The problem with wanting to fly home is that on a trip from, say, Alaska to Vancouver, there are really only airports on either end, unless you want to shell out majorly for a prop-flight to a bigger airport.

Shore trips refer to trips, "excursions", that are farther inland. The ship docks at all the ports, at some of them you can simply get off and walk around the town, or in other places, you can book helicopter trips, kayaking trips, hiking trips, etc...

Everything, from check in to check out is streamlined, making the entire process easy and hassle-free.

 

Good to know, thanks.

Except for think sinking part.

 

Peter you are a great man. But I hate customers like you. You guys want everything perfect and complaint about everything. Sometimes you gotta just slide things. Why did you write 4 page essay about how you missed your main course. You missed it your self, no one forced you. While everyone got ready to go, you decided not too. Now all of a sudden, at mid night you want the same service everyone else had to get a few hours earlier. On top of that, after being satisfied and getting your bottles you are still slandering the company and saying your next cruise will be with someone else. Pathetic my friend, that's more like abusing the system.

 

cruising , literally, is the only way to travel. even on the mass carriers like carnival you can't beat it. to really experience cruising you need to take a long cruise 14 days or more. as for being stuck on the boat; they now have ships that are so large you'll never be able to see it all in a week. rock climbing, surfing the shipborne activites are quite entertaining. on some cruise ships the destinations are secondary. when we were cruising we would take a 28 day transatlantic jaunt every year. sailing from greece to florida. check out seabourne cruises. they're pricey but the level of service in unbelievable. as i'm getting on in years my kids have found that it's cheaper to put me on a cruise ship rather than in a nursing home. i can't wait.

 

I would have complained too. If I was told it was open to midnight then the whole thing should be open and stocked until midnight. If the doors are open to go in and get food then everything should be there.

 

No man, it can't be. Cruises have these main meal times and they are strict about it. They all have different timing and depending on where you sleep, you go at that designated time or you miss your meal. You get all sorts of notifications about it even before going on the actual cruise. I can't possibly think, one would imagine they restaurant is open 24/7. Even with the breakfast, they do have the buffet that's open 24/7 and has pizza and ice cream at all time.

 

But the point is Peter was told the buffet would be open until Midnight. He went to it before it closed and there was hardly any food. If it is open it should be stocked. It doesn't matter if it is on a ship or a regular buffet on land.

 

Price depends on cruise line, destinations, seasons, whether the ship is full or not. Alaska is usually more expensive than the Carrib. Hurricane season in the Carrib is cheaper. Luxury lines like Cunard, Seabourn, Crystal, et al are more expensive than mainstream lines like Royal Carrib, Princess, Carnival. If the ship has a lot of vacancies they will usually have sales. Like the airlines, the guy next to you might have paid more/less than you. However, if you notice a price drop some lines will give you the lower rate if you ask.

Cabin size depends on whether you have an inside, outside (with window), outside with balcony, mini or full suites. Even with the same cruise line size can vary depending on location, model or age of the ship. My experience with the standard rooms are that they are comfy for two. I've seen 3/4 crowded into the same space (some rooms have upper berths). The balconies are great, you get a semi-private area to sit and enjoy the scenery without fighting people for chairs/rail space on the upper decks. I don't think I'll ever do another inside or outside room again. Almost upgraded to a mini on my next trip, afraid I might get spoiled by the extra space.

I would guestimate $500-600/day for two would usually give you a decent balcony cabin from the mainstream lines. I looked at a 10-day cruise from LA to HI and back on Princess for that range. Decided to go back to Alaska for a 7-night cruise in Sept (low/end of season) that will run me about $550. Plus airfare.

Theres an old law in the US (passenger services act) that prevents a passenger from leaving mid-cruise at a US port. So if you took the LA-HI-LA cruise, and you jump ship in HI, you and the cruise line will have to pay penalties. I believe it applies to citizens and foreigners alike. Not sure if it applies if jumping ship at a foreign port

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Services_Act

I agree with Peter that a longer cruise is better. 7 days you are just beginning to relax. I did a 10 day cruise that was heaven.

You should try cruising. It's a blast, unless you are prone to motion sickness. If you are not sure if you will like it, try a 3/4 day cruise to test the waters.

 

Earlier this year I also did the 4 day cruise on the Paradise. I've always liked going to the buffet before bed to top off the cruising pigfest before bedtime. The Paradise s**ked for late night munchies. Although I did love the 24-hour soft serve ice cream. WHEN the machine worked, OR cones available.

The Maitre 'D went out of his way to accomodate you. The cooks & servers already work long hours, and you may have deprived them some rest. The letter to the captain may have been overkill, I hope you praised the Maitre 'D & staff.

I'm not sure I'll cruise Carnival again. They were OK, but I enjoyed Royal Carrib & Princess more. I love Princess right now since they implemented 'anytime dining'. Go to the dining room on your schedule during dining hours, no set seating.

 

Thanks for the info, 5 - 6 hundred a day is a good deal... are food and drinks included or do you get some sore of a cruise ship debit card for that?

I live in a port city where a lot of cruise ships come through, is it possible to jump aboard there or is there only one starting point for each cruise? A.K.A. It's not a bus.

I'll have to check this out.

Thanks guys.

 

Most food is included. Room service is free, except you should tip the delivery person. Some ships have 'specialty' restaurants that charge extra. Drinks, that's part of the nickle &diming. Booze & soda's cost extra. There are usually a couple of events, like the Captains welcome aboard party, where the booze is free. Some of the upscale cruise lines include booze in the fare, but will charge you for items off their 'standard' list, like a rare wine or expensive bubbly.

Cash is not used on board except in the casino. When you board they scan your credit/debit card. Then your room key doubles as a 'charge' card for everything. On the final night they slip a final bill under your door, and unless you have a dispute that's what they charge to your credit/debit card. You should examine it closely, on my last cruise I didn't notice a charge (~$10) for drinks from a dining room I wasn't assigned to. But the fine print says you have to correct all errors before leaving the ship. Oh well, hope they enjoyed their drinks. On the cruise forums they recommend you check your acct every couple of days. The pursers desk will print out a copy for you.

Usually there is a port that everyone starts from, and a port (same or different) that you end your cruise. I know Princess has (had?) an itinerary in the Carrib where some people started/ended in Fl, and others started/ended in Puerto Rico.

There is one line, I believe it's EasyCruise, where you can jump on/off at the ports you desire and pay for just that segment. My understanding is it's a no-frills line, simple cabins, and you have to pay for meals.

 

I'm not a fan of cruises, I don't like being surrounded by Mr and Mrs Middle America x 5000. I prefer to leave crowds behind when I vacation. However, I can see that it's a great way to travel for some. You unpack one time and get to see a lot of different things.

I was in St Thomas last week the day a Carnival ship came in. I was driving with my family through Charlotte Amalie (the port city) and after seeing the huge boat, we started discussing cruise vacations with the kids. As you can imagine, with thousands of cruisers descending on the small city, parking and driving was a nightmare. As we talked about it, it became very obvious which of the pedestrians were from the cruise ships. The fat guy with black socks and sandals. The wanna be rapper wearing flourescent orange under his mountain of gold chains. The wide-body lady wearing horizontal stripes, carrying so many bags I thought she'd tip over. My kids got into the game, calling out 'cruise shipper!' at every corner.

 

We took a western Med two week cruise a few years back. (started in Barcelona, did several islands - Corsica, Majorca, Malta, etc..., & Marseille, Monte Carlo, also several cities in Italy.) It was just about the last cruise for this ageing ship (Nordham, Royal Dutch) but I enjoyed it a lot. With a new port just about every day, you never really felt like you were trapped on board.

One of the great things about it was not having to wrassle your baggage in and out of the hotels and onto the public transportation every day.

I am not so sure about those new really super-size floating hotel type ships, though...and I keep hearing all those "ship caught on fire", "salmonella outbreak", "man overboard", etc. news stories...makes you wonder if they are kind of becoming like the airlines these days.

 

I highly recommend Windjammer cruises...you go to smaller islands where big cruise ships don't go, you get to stay on each island longer, most of the time from ~8am to midnight, the activities are more fun IMHO...no casino crap, and the food it wonderful...my wife and I have been on 7 so far and will go again soon ... in fact, we will never go on another floating hotel cruise again! www.windjammer.com

 

Speaking from personal experience???? I do like the analogy.

 

If I want a casino, I go to Vegas. If I want to go to the Caribbean, I rent a villa, charter a boat or take a Windjammer. If you've never been on a Windjammer, you have missed an adventure...they really are a wonderful way to see the Caribbean without the hassle of chartering your own boat. I've been on several of the floating hotel cruise ships before...they seem to always be packed with old farts or families with loud children and only stay in port for 1/2 day or less because they want you back on the ship as soon as possible to spend your money there rather than ashore. On a Windjammer you get a great Captain that knows the islands and will even party with you on-board and ashore. The people who go are young adventurous people for the most part from all over the world...the PPP party each Thursday is a hoot. (PPP= pimps, prostitutes and pirates) And, if you really must have a casino, pick an itinerary that goes to an island that has them...such as St Kitts...