Ever Been On A Cruise?

[Martha]

i have been on two and they were both Carnival Cruise Line ships...one was the fascination and the other I can't remember...one from Miami and one from Galvestion.

 

To me the Carnival ships are a little dated, but I really have nothing to compare them to. I have only been on a 5 day cruise.

 

Also, I get really bad seasick normally, but not on the cruise ships because they are so stabalized.

[cougs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessicaLovesBrian Brian and I have been interested on going on a cruise ever since we were in St Thomas and kept seeing all the cruise ships pull up to port. Neither he nor I have ever been on one. There's so many cruise lines, I'm not sure where to start. We'd prefer a cruise for a younger crowd, but by younger crowd I don't really want it to be like a spring break type of crowd (ie. no hoochie mamas running around or frat type boys acting like drunk fools). We also want to start out with something short, like a 3 day cruise because I'm not sure how long I can hack being on a cruise ship. So yeah, please tell me about what cruises you've been on, what you did and didn't like, etc. Thanks!

i've only been on one cruise (carnival, 7-night-southern-caribbean, out of san juan). i absolutely LOVED it, and am considering a cruise wedding.

i thought the food was outstanding (at the sit-downs ... buffet food was good but not spectacular), and you could order as much as you wanted (even two different entrees if you couldn't decide or wanted a little of each).

the crowd wasn't spring-breaky or hoochie (haha), but the cruise was in august, so that might be a factor. there were quite a few children but there is plenty for them do to and there was a separate adult pool area.

my fiance loves being on the ship itself (there's always tons to do) during the days at sea, but i preferred our many stops. i think that's the beauty of a cruise ... you get a sampling of so many different beautiful places (ours was puerto rico, st. thomas, dominica, barbados, and aruba).

in talking with other cruisers, many had been on several cruises and it was split pretty evenly between those who preferred royal caribbean and those who preferred carnival. however, almost across the board, people recommended that i didn't do a cruise out of the northeast ports (ny, bayonne, philly) because the waters of the atlantic are significantly rougher and more people get seasick. sure, it saves you airfare, but you will also have less ports to visit, and more days stuck at sea.

my fiance (who does get motion sickness normally) was fine on the ship with the exception of one night that it got a little rocky (it always seemed to do that on captain's night when you're drunk and wearing heels, haha)! that night we were following behind a tropical storm tho.

when considering the price, keep in mind that shore excursions can cost you $40-$200pp each. we carefully picked the ones we thought were worthwhile. other costs are your bar bill (it can really add up!), and tipping your waitstaff/housekeeping/etc. all at the end. the whole trip can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.

we booked only 4 days before the cruise left, ended up in the bottom/back of the boat/inside room but paid about $500 LESS than our families who had booked months earlier and had outside rooms on the next floor (i don't understand the big deal about a window if you can't open it anyway). also, because we booked so late, we ended up being given a handicapped room, which was twice the size everyone else's (especially the bathroom)! we met another couple on their honeymoon, and they had a room with a private balcony, which i think is definitely worthwhile if you can afford it--so nice sitting out there in the fresh air.

i've rambled long enough ... i hope this helps!

[cougs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessicaLovesBrian Brian and I have been interested on going on a cruise ever since we were in St Thomas and kept seeing all the cruise ships pull up to port. Neither he nor I have ever been on one. There's so many cruise lines, I'm not sure where to start. We'd prefer a cruise for a younger crowd, but by younger crowd I don't really want it to be like a spring break type of crowd (ie. no hoochie mamas running around or frat type boys acting like drunk fools). We also want to start out with something short, like a 3 day cruise because I'm not sure how long I can hack being on a cruise ship. So yeah, please tell me about what cruises you've been on, what you did and didn't like, etc. Thanks!

i've only been on one cruise (carnival, 7-night-southern-caribbean, out of san juan). i absolutely LOVED it, and am considering a cruise wedding.

i thought the food was outstanding (at the sit-downs ... buffet food was good but not spectacular), and you could order as much as you wanted (even two different entrees if you couldn't decide or wanted a little of each).

the crowd wasn't spring-breaky or hoochie (haha), but the cruise was in august, so that might be a factor. there were quite a few children but there is plenty for them do to and there was a separate adult pool area.

my fiance loves being on the ship itself (there's always tons to do) during the days at sea, but i preferred our many stops. i think that's the beauty of a cruise ... you get a sampling of so many different beautiful places (ours was puerto rico, st. thomas, dominica, barbados, and aruba).

in talking with other cruisers, many had been on several cruises and it was split pretty evenly between those who preferred royal caribbean and those who preferred carnival. however, almost across the board, people recommended that i didn't do a cruise out of the northeast ports (ny, bayonne, philly) because the waters of the atlantic are significantly rougher and more people get seasick. sure, it saves you airfare, but you will also have less ports to visit, and more days stuck at sea.

my fiance (who does get motion sickness normally) was fine on the ship with the exception of one night that it got a little rocky (it always seemed to do that on captain's night when you're drunk and wearing heels, haha)! that night we were following behind a tropical storm tho.

when considering the price, keep in mind that shore excursions can cost you $40-$200. we carefully picked the ones we thought were worthwhile. other costs are your bar bill (it can really add up!), and tipping your waitstaff/housekeeping/etc. all at the end. the whole trip can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.

we booked only 4 days before the cruise left, ended up in the bottom/back of the boat/inside room but paid about $500 LESS than our families who had booked months earlier and had outside rooms on the next floor (i don't understand the big deal about a window if you can't open it anyway). also, because we booked so late, we ended up being given a handicapped room, which was twice the size everyone else's (especially the bathroom)!

i've rambled long enough ... i hope this helps!

[Jen_S]

I have taken two 2 cruises both with Carnival. They are a lot of fun and you will meet a lot of great people. The only thing I did not like is the schedule you only have so much time at a port so most days at port you have to get up early. For me I like to sleep/lay aournd on my vacation. Good times though!

[beachbride09]

I'm going on my first cruise in January 2009, and I'm getting married during the cruise! Double fun for me.

 

FI has been on a cruise before, once (Disney - with his ex).

[*JillD*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsShelley I have been on 2. One on Royal Carribean and one on Carnival. I liked them both, probably the Royal Carribean a little better. The only thing about cruises is, they become really expensive if you are drinkers, because drinks are all added to your tab at the end of the week. You really have no idea how much you are drinking until you see your bill!

I've never gone on a cruise and this is one of the reasons. I've done a lot of all inclusives and I really enjoy not having to pay for food or drinks. When we're on vacation we like to enjoy lots of drinks and I think our bill at the end of the week would kill us, lol!

But you girls make them sound so good, I really would like to try one out, we'd probably have to do a short one to keep our bill down, lol!

[beachbride09]

Our cruise line has a casino and FH is an amazing roulette player... so I am hoping he'll win a lot money at the casino to pay for our 'extras'.