Cruise Vacations

[KTorak]

My family is looking on possibly going on a cruise during December or next summer. Id like to know about other peoples experiences with cruises. Were the prices on board reasonable? Where did you go? When did you go? What was the price total? Is it worth a cheaper price ($100-$150 or so) to go in December with cooler temperatures than going in say July?

As of now, my family is looking at cruises that go to the Bahamas for around $300/person (minus flights) for a 3-4 night cruise. We're looking to go right before Christmas.

[sanddrag]

I've never been on a cruise and I'm not sure that I ever want to but from everthing I've seen on the news, avoid Carnival at all costs.

[Swampdude]

Originally Posted by KTorak

My family is looking on possibly going on a cruise during December or next summer. Id like to know about other peoples experiences with cruises. Were the prices on board reasonable? Where did you go? When did you go? What was the price total? Is it worth a cheaper price ($100-$150 or so) to go in December with cooler temperatures than going in say July?

I'm about to go on my 3rd Royal Carribean cruise this July. We've done 2 Western Carribeans and this will be an Eastern Carribean. I've always heard Royal Carribean was one of the best and Carnival was the worst. As far as prices on board, well you don't pay for anything, except sodas and alcohol, and of coarse merchandise. But food and other drinks are free. Plus anything you do like shows and entertainment etc is included in the ticket price.
Since our first cruise we've been hooked. It's the best travel experience my wife and I have had. Everything is taken care of, and you just show up to whatever you want to do. But the best part is the food. Don't forget the stretchy pants!
December is cheaper, but September is also. It's not that cold in the Carribean yet in December so I wouldn't worry about that ruining your trip. Nothing Michigan folks can't handle anyway. Bon Voyage!

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I've never been on a cruise and I'm not sure that I ever want to but from everthing I've seen on the news, avoid Carnival at all costs.

We're going on a Carnival Cruise next weekend because we wanted to see what a sea cruise would be like and a nice three day cruise on the July 4th weekend seemed like a better bet than a $4000 a piece one week Alaskan cruise.

[sanddrag]

Koko Ed, statistically, you have high chances of having a really great time despite the few majorly publicised Carnival mishaps. Enjoy your trip!

However, I would like to note one memorable Carnival incident from the past though just because I think it is quite hilarious. So, a fire breaks out on the ship. All the people onboard have video cameras, so of course they whip those out and start filming. And guess what gets caught on tape. As soon as they get word there is a fire, carnival employees start running around the ship installing fire extinguishers, escape route signs, and painting markings for fire/safety equipment. LOL!

[Ryan Albright]

I am going on my first cruise a week from Monday i am excited. Its a 5 day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. WE are stopping in Key West, Cozemel, and Cosimia (sorry dont know how to spell those names and neither doest spell check) I will post pictures when i get back

[Cory]

I went on a week long cruise to Alaska from Seattle in the summer of 2003 with Princess. It was incredibly awesome, and I can't wait to go on another.

It can seem expensive, but when you think about it, you're probably getting a pretty good deal--All your food is included unless you decide to eat in one of the special restaurants with a cover fee, you're visiting a bunch of different places, there's tons of free entertainment, etc, etc.

[evulish]

Cruises are a great value. I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise two years ago, I think. It's nice because most things are free on the boat (besides whatever was previously mentioned + gambling.) Once you get off the boat, stuff can get expensive quick because people are there waiting off the dock to take your money. Problem is, if the weather turns bad, you might not reach all your destinations.. I know on the cruise I went on, we missed one out of the three stops so we had to just spend a day on the boat. It's a fun experience, but not the best. It's also fine to go in December. My family usually vacationed over our Thanksgiving break in high school or some time over winter break for college. It'll be comfortably hot at that time.

I'm sending myself on my own vacation to Europe once I get my bonus, I hope. Going to try and do as many non-touristy things I can.

[Ian Curtis]

I went on a Disney Cruise a few years ago. I had a really great time with all the free food and soda was relatively cheap (buy a cup for $10, get as much soda as you want). It wasn't nearly as commercialized as say Disney World and I had a great time and wanted to go back for the week cruise instead of the three day one I went on.

[Kims Robot]

We have been on two cruises... Carnival (4 nights to the Bahamas) and Royal Carribean (7 nights to the Southern Carribean). We had a great time on both, but both cruises were very different.

Here are my takes on the two lines:

Carnival:
Less expensive, more all inclusive, cool little things like a free sushi bar, a younger crowd(but more children), more casual atmosphere, great shore excursions, cheaper onboard extras (spa, etc), more fun evening activities

Royal Carribean:
More expensive, much more elaborate ship, more sports onboard, less all-inclusive (we had to pay for soda, extra food places, etc), more couple/40-something crowd (fewer families), more elegant atmosphere, great shore excursions, more expensive onboard extras (spa, etc).

Those are my two takes. If you enjoy staying on the boat more, and dont mind spending the cash, Royal Carribean has nicer ships, but if you want a more fun atmosphere and better evening entertainment, go for Carnival. Personally I think my next cruise would be Carnival. Its a hard comparison, but after wandering around for 7 nights on the RC boat trying to find a place to go dancing, or some good entertainment, we were a bit disappointed.

[Carol]

Other expenses you may encounter. You are expected to tip most everyone at the end of the cruise. Some lines include a standard tip in your bill, which you can modify, other "highly" suggest certain levels. There are also shore excursions, such as snorkeling trips or tours. Unless all you do is get off and walk around the port you will have to pay. If for nothing else a taxi ride to the local beach. The cruise will gladly sell you excursions which you will know are reliable - and if there is a problem they will probably wait until your group is back before they leave port. You can also book at the port which is cheaper but you don't always know what you're getting.

The cruise line will also have shopping leactures as to where to buy certain types of items in port. I found these not that helpful except for general information as to what is available. The stores they push are usually the more expensive ones and I bet give a kickback to the cruise lines.

It is a great vacation though - make sure you take your sunscreen even in December! We went on a Western Caribbean cruise last Dec. and the weather was warm but not stifling. It did rain one day but not badly. And I still got sunburned.

[Koko Ed]

Originally I wanted to do a cruise of Alaska but unfortunately the $4000 price tag was a big issue for my wife. So we settled on this for a beginner cruise.Outside of the mile long lines to get in and out of the ship (damned immigration!) the trip was quite nice.

We tallied up a bigger bill on the boat than we did paying for the vacation. Most of it was due to the spa. My wife talked me into getting a massage which cost $300 and I ended up getting covered in seaweed and wrapped in tinfoil and I looked like a baked potato but it was very nice and ultimately worth it. My wife absolutely loved the spa gals (particularly the five South African gals) and wanted to take them home with her. I think they'd like life on the boat better.

We ate really well on the boat but the fancy dinners weren't really for me. They were more concerned with presentation than portions (I think they were having broccoli rations) and I like to eat so it wasn't really for me.

The Bahamas itself were OK. The tent market was very annoying. I don't need a hundred people yelling at me to sell me the same thing everybody else was selling and it was too hot and crowded in there. If I didn't have to go for the massage I would have spent More time there. We should have done what our table partners did and stayed at Atlantis. It would have been cooler.

One thing about the trip was some sort of convention for all these Indian folks. They made up 75% of the passengers. It was interesting. They had a big Mas ala celebration on the Lido deck the last night. It was really cool watching all of them flow and move as one (it was some sort of traditional dance I was told.

We arrived back in Miami and of course there was a big line to get off but at least it wasn't so bad at the airport (they have separate baggage screening for the ships passengers so they won't clog up the airport. Because we got through so fast it enabled us to get an earlier flight and return home 4 hours earlier). I will definitely do another cruise soon.