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#1
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early
October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born over 7 years ago. My preference for a vacation is actually hiking in the wilderness for a week or so, but my wife wasn't interested in that. I find that when I'm around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. I tend to recharge when I have time to reflect in nature, in my garden, or similar activities. Probably has something to do with growing up in the country, out on a farm. Anyway, details: we can take a 7 day cruise, with up to a day allowed for travel on both ends. In other words, we can be gone a grand total of about 9 days, and wouldn't want to push it past that. Due to a "Disney on Ice" show that various folks in the family want to see, we can leave either October 1, 2, 3 or 4. Sort of wish there was a website that could also lump in airfare - I'm trying to do it separately. (from Dayton, Ohio) I think we will focus on the Caribbean 7 day trips. I'm most interested in buffets, magic shows, and perhaps 40's/50's/60's type nostalgia music shows, or just some variety shows. I'm not very interested in formal dining, because by the time you've waited to be seated, waited to order, waited to get your food, and waited for the bill - I find myself thinking, "gee, I could have fixed something like that in half the time". I am looking forward to having time to relax and read as well, rather than change diapers, get kids ready for school, etc. I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory & Liberty. Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for balcony, so that is one possibility. I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I think I heard that it has Blue Man Group show, which I've always wanted to see - and was trying to decide if it was worth the extra cost. (and smaller room, most likely) If anyone has advice or suggestions, I'm very interested in benefiting from your experience to hopefully improve the quality of the trip. Thanks! |
#2
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
"Ohioguy" wrote in message ... It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born over 7 years ago. My preference for a vacation is actually hiking in the wilderness for a week or so, but my wife wasn't interested in that. I find that when I'm around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. I tend to recharge when I have time to reflect in nature, in my garden, or similar activities. Probably has something to do with growing up in the country, out on a farm. Anyway, details: we can take a 7 day cruise, with up to a day allowed for travel on both ends. In other words, we can be gone a grand total of about 9 days, and wouldn't want to push it past that. Due to a "Disney on Ice" show that various folks in the family want to see, we can leave either October 1, 2, 3 or 4. Sort of wish there was a website that could also lump in airfare - I'm trying to do it separately. (from Dayton, Ohio) I think we will focus on the Caribbean 7 day trips. I'm most interested in buffets, magic shows, and perhaps 40's/50's/60's type nostalgia music shows, or just some variety shows. I'm not very interested in formal dining, because by the time you've waited to be seated, waited to order, waited to get your food, and waited for the bill - I find myself thinking, "gee, I could have fixed something like that in half the time". I am looking forward to having time to relax and read as well, rather than change diapers, get kids ready for school, etc. I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory & Liberty. Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for balcony, so that is one possibility. I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I think I heard that it has Blue Man Group show, which I've always wanted to see - and was trying to decide if it was worth the extra cost. (and smaller room, most likely) If anyone has advice or suggestions, I'm very interested in benefiting from your experience to hopefully improve the quality of the trip. Thanks! While the Carnival from Tampa may not have all you desire the price is good and one thing you won't have to worry about that I see in the post is "waited for the bill" as food is included in the cruise fare. The only thing you may have to wait for is if you ordered in one of their specialty restaurants or alcohol at the table in which case the wine steward or the waiter should produce your check to sign before you finish your desert. Most cruise lines have meals down to a science and you can either eat leisurely or speed up the meal (especially if you have a table for two.) Waiting to be seated is normally only an issue the first night because you need to find your assigned table at the appropriate time (fixed dining restaurants) or if you have some form of anytime dining you can arrange with the maitre 'de to have a particular table at a particular time every night. You may want to relax on a cruise and I have found that this is really easy. If you want excitement that can be had also. A cruise is only what you make it combined with the expectations of service and friendship from the staff. |
#3
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
hope you will enjoy your first cruise,you can do as much as you wish or
just lounge around,we have taken 49 cruises and still just like to sit on the deck and relax watching the ocean. If you do the caribbean the tours of the islands are quite good. The ships we like the most are princess,holland america, celebrity,and royal caribbean. We tend to stay away from the extra huge ships(EPIC ETC.) do not like the idea of 5 to 6 thousand people on a ship. Always like the smaller ships.,much more cozy. Will not sail carnival or n.c.l. letus know what you decide,with all the children you have you need a quiet vacation. cruise lover(~~~~~) .. |
#4
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
I'm glad to see you are focused on the ship and not specific ports.
Since you're sailing in hurricane season you can't always be guaranteed of being in a specific port. Too many people forget that and blame the cruise line. Anyway, cruising can be the most relaxing vacation depending on how you approach it. You don't have to take part in all the on board activities. You can lay by the pool. If you get a veranda cabin you can relax in privacy and watch the waves, just as relaxing as watching nature in a park. I haven't sailed any of those ships as we stick with Holland America (more our age group) or Princess with is a mix. But they are all owned by Carnival. Our only experience with NCL was good except for the ship having very small cabins (NCL Sky). I'd stay away from Royal Caribbean as they are more active and crowded and big. Even when your ship has formal nights you don't have to eat in the dining room on those nights. You can go to the buffet instead. Yes, you are required to dress appropriately in dining rooms. But other than formal nights it's slacks (no jeans or shorts) and a nice shirt. For the port calls you can find nature experiences in almost any port. -- Barbara Brown http://www.bapcentral.com Pet, Family, and Cruising Information http://www.babrown.com Training Games & Authorware Programming On 6/4/2010 3:41 PM, Ohioguy wrote: It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born over 7 years ago. My preference for a vacation is actually hiking in the wilderness for a week or so, but my wife wasn't interested in that. I find that when I'm around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. I tend to recharge when I have time to reflect in nature, in my garden, or similar activities. Probably has something to do with growing up in the country, out on a farm. Anyway, details: we can take a 7 day cruise, with up to a day allowed for travel on both ends. In other words, we can be gone a grand total of about 9 days, and wouldn't want to push it past that. Due to a "Disney on Ice" show that various folks in the family want to see, we can leave either October 1, 2, 3 or 4. Sort of wish there was a website that could also lump in airfare - I'm trying to do it separately. (from Dayton, Ohio) I think we will focus on the Caribbean 7 day trips. I'm most interested in buffets, magic shows, and perhaps 40's/50's/60's type nostalgia music shows, or just some variety shows. I'm not very interested in formal dining, because by the time you've waited to be seated, waited to order, waited to get your food, and waited for the bill - I find myself thinking, "gee, I could have fixed something like that in half the time". I am looking forward to having time to relax and read as well, rather than change diapers, get kids ready for school, etc. I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory & Liberty. Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for balcony, so that is one possibility. I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I think I heard that it has Blue Man Group show, which I've always wanted to see - and was trying to decide if it was worth the extra cost. (and smaller room, most likely) If anyone has advice or suggestions, I'm very interested in benefiting from your experience to hopefully improve the quality of the trip. Thanks! |
#5
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
I forgot to mention, you can get air from the cruise line. I'm not sure
if they have prices online but you can ask your travel agent to quote you the air and then compare it to shopping yourself. We usually use frequent flier miles but the one or two times we've paid for air, we've used the cruise line as they were cheaper. -- Barbara |
#6
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
On Jun 4, 4:41*pm, Ohioguy wrote:
snip * * find that when I'm around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. * snip * *I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some possibilities. *They are all Carnival ships snip * *I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I'm sure I'm going to take a lot of flak for saying this, but I don't think a cruise is for you. I doubt you'll be happy. This is especially true if you are considering Carnival, NCL, or any of the other mass-market lines. You will need to cope with crowds - huge crowds. You might be happy if you are willing to spend a LOT more money and book a cruise line with small ships. The fares for these types of cruises are in the thousands of dollars per week per person - not hundreds. Warren |
#7
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
I forgot to mention, you can get air from the cruise line. I'm not sure
if they have prices online but you can ask your travel agent to quote That's another thing I wanted to ask - I've never used a travel agent. Normally I've just taken a train, bus or car to wherever I was going, then camped, stayed in a hotel, or something along those lines. I always thought that the travel agents simply made money by adding on a couple of hundred dollars to the cheapest thing out there, and folks figured it was ok because of the convenience of them doing most all the work of getting scheduling and everything to work out. You're saying it is not like that? If so, I might have to check out a local travel agency before buying the tickets myself. |
#8
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
Ohioguy conferred with the ghost of Faye Wray and said On 6/4/2010 4:41
PM: It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born over 7 years ago. My preference for a vacation is actually hiking in the wilderness for a week or so, but my wife wasn't interested in that. I find that when I'm around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. I tend to recharge when I have time to reflect in nature, in my garden, or similar activities. Probably has something to do with growing up in the country, out on a farm. Anyway, details: we can take a 7 day cruise, with up to a day allowed for travel on both ends. In other words, we can be gone a grand total of about 9 days, and wouldn't want to push it past that. Due to a "Disney on Ice" show that various folks in the family want to see, we can leave either October 1, 2, 3 or 4. Sort of wish there was a website that could also lump in airfare - I'm trying to do it separately. (from Dayton, Ohio) I think we will focus on the Caribbean 7 day trips. I'm most interested in buffets, magic shows, and perhaps 40's/50's/60's type nostalgia music shows, or just some variety shows. I'm not very interested in formal dining, because by the time you've waited to be seated, waited to order, waited to get your food, and waited for the bill - I find myself thinking, "gee, I could have fixed something like that in half the time". I am looking forward to having time to relax and read as well, rather than change diapers, get kids ready for school, etc. I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory & Liberty. Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for balcony, so that is one possibility. I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I think I heard that it has Blue Man Group show, which I've always wanted to see - and was trying to decide if it was worth the extra cost. (and smaller room, most likely) If anyone has advice or suggestions, I'm very interested in benefiting from your experience to hopefully improve the quality of the trip. Thanks! I would suggest that you see a travel agent, (not an internet site) where you can discuss your needs. A seasoned travel agent specializing in cruises can help you book a cruise a lot better then doing so by yourself. While it's true that many cruise lines offer air/cruise packages, they tend to low ball you for the cruise and hit you up for the air. A travel agent can put together for you an air/cruise package tailored to your specific preferences. He or she can do this offering more options plus unadvertised fares and cruise rates you can't find on your own. After you have some experience with cruises, you can go it alone. If you don't like crowds, I agree with the advice to stay away from the large Carnival ships plus Royal Caribbean's Monstrosity of The Seas, I mean Oasis of The Seas. It's so big they could just drop anchor and call it an island city. Staying within your budget, don't just shop price. Go to the various cruise line web pages and learn about the ships and the itineraries that are offered. Depending on the cruise line a Western Caribbean will give you a nice mix of islands, plus a stop at their "private island". For the get away to nature enthusiast, St. Thomas (Eastern Caribbean) offers excellent snorkeling or scuba diving in a natural park. A Southern Caribbean cruise might include Dominica, often called the garden island. It offers a nice mix of walking nature tours and beaches. It is a volcanic island peppered with geothermal springs, and waterfalls. Trafalgar falls is a must-see. Perhaps on this island your wife and you might choose to split up. She can do an excursion to her tastes and you can do the day long (actually 4 hour hike plus transport) to the Boiling Lake, an active caldera. Have you considered as an alternative taking a land vacation at an All Inclusive resort (AI)? You may find a small scale AI with a more intimate feel to your liking. An AI in Costa Rica may be just right for you. Many of them are small in scale in surroundings that offer the best beaches, nightlife and adventure in the rain forest. Again, for the first time around consider using a travel agent. He or she can put together an air/AI package that meets your needs and fits your budget. Some travel agents will charge you a booking fee, while others don't and derive their commission from the tour operator, hotel, or cruise line. Shop for a good agent and let them do all the work, providing you with different options that fit your budget. -- ________ To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address. Brian M. Kochera "The poor dog is the firmest of friends, the first to welcome the foremost to defend" - Lord Byron View My Web Pages: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951 My Shutterfly Page http://photosbybrianmk.shutterfly.com/ |
#9
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
Ohioguy conferred with the ghost of Faye Wray and said On 6/4/2010 8:11
PM: I forgot to mention, you can get air from the cruise line. I'm not sure if they have prices online but you can ask your travel agent to quote That's another thing I wanted to ask - I've never used a travel agent. Normally I've just taken a train, bus or car to wherever I was going, then camped, stayed in a hotel, or something along those lines. I always thought that the travel agents simply made money by adding on a couple of hundred dollars to the cheapest thing out there, and folks figured it was ok because of the convenience of them doing most all the work of getting scheduling and everything to work out. You're saying it is not like that? If so, I might have to check out a local travel agency before buying the tickets myself. There are good agents who will listen to what you want from a vacation, Then the agent will suggest various options that fit your budget and are tailored to your interests and needs. There are also those which my sister calls "ticket mills", these are only concerned with making money. A good agent will want to have you happy with your vacation. Repeat customers as with any other business is their key to success. If they sell you an inflated piece of crap, you aren't going to come back. My sister Karen, lives in Minnesota (too far for you) and is a travel agent. At the agency where she works, there are no added booking fees. Karen gets her commission from the cruise line, hotel, tour operator...etc. I would classify her as a good agent, not because she's my sister, but because she goes the extra mile for her clients. Karen is always updating her travel information. She attends seminars, and classes offered by cruise lines. Often even when not agency sponsored she will take cruises or All Inclusive resort vacations. Her attitude is "How can I expect my clients to book this travel if I haven't experience a similar one myself?". Since you will be traveling in October, previously mentioned as during hurricane season, you may want to consider trip cancellation insurance. I'll let some of our resident agents explain trip cancellation insurance for you as I think they'll do a better job of it. If you budget allows you might also consider traveling to the cruise port city the day before embarkation. That way if the flight gets canceled or there's some other problem, you'll have a little wiggle room so you don't miss your cruise. When I cruise with Karen, we always fly to the cruise port city the day before. It's less of a hassle if you have to cancel a hotel reservation because the airline messed up then missing the cruise because they didn't get you there on time. There are participants of this newsgroup who are agents, you might consider asking Frank or Susette for help. Many of the folks here at rec.travel.cruises have used them in the past and were quite satisfied. -- ________ To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address. Brian M. Kochera "The poor dog is the firmest of friends, the first to welcome the foremost to defend" - Lord Byron View My Web Pages: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951 My Shutterfly Page http://photosbybrianmk.shutterfly.com/ |
#10
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First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
Is it true that you get some perks if you book your cruise with an
American Express credit card, or is this just some sort of Urban Myth? |
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