Question about cruises?
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion Archive: Archive September 2005:
Question about cruises?
If you could cruise any month you wanted, which month would you choose? I am thinking May? Is that a good month or not?
Which cruise lines are the best in your opinion?
Do only certain companies sail to the Southern Carribbean? (st. thomas, barbados, aruba...)
Is it cheaper to go thru a TA or should I book online? Or do I just have to shop around online take those prices in to my TA and see if they can beat the online deals?
I am thinking about a Mommy Retreat... me alone with no kids and no dh for 7 nights. I am trying to talk my friend and my sister into going. May is my bday AND mothers day so it seems like a good excuse to go then. lol I did the math and I have been alone (no dh / no kids) 4 times in the last 13 yrs... Those were 3 day weekends too. That just aint right now is it? lol
Well, keep in mind HURRICANE season is June 1 thru Nov. 30!!!!! LOL
Almost all go to the Caribbean, check the different websites. I prefer Celebrity to Carnival, I'd love to sail on Princess too. There are sites where you can get several quotes, DH did it - basically get a bunch of quotes, then, what we do, is call the travel agent we used for our very first cruise, give her the quote and go with her. The reason for this, rather than booking online, is you have a HUMAN to talk to if something goes wrong.
I would highly recommend doing some reading on CruiseCritic or CruiseAddicts.
I like CruiseCritic - you can read about specific cruise lines or destination, there are tips on which are the best or worst cabins, how to get them. If you read about a particular cabin, or decide you DON'T want a cabin in a particular area, go to the cruiseline's website, check out the deck plans. You want to avoid getting a cabin that is directly underneath the pool decks, or underneath or over a lounge, etc. due to the noise factor. Also, nearer midships is more stable if you are worried about seasickness.
May is a good month for the Caribbean normally. It stays hot there all the time, the water temps cool down in the *winter* months, but we've snorkeled there in December. If you are thinking Bermuda, you definitely need to go in the summer - preferably May or June, again due to hurricane season, because the water temp will be too cold if you go in the fall. If you want a *true* southern Caribbean cruise you probably need to fly to San Juan and cruise out of there. Western Caribbean usually includes the Caymans, Cozumel and Jamaica. Eastern will include places like St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Tortola, Nassau, San Juan. I want to do a *real* southern Caribbean cruise, I want to go to Curacao and Belize. We are booked on an *ultimate* Caribbean cruise in 2006, it spends two days in Aruba!
If you book early enough, you may even get a cabin upgrade by the time you sail.
Read the messageboards, decide what you want out of a cruise, where you want to go, and which cruiseline best suits you. Then decide what type of cabin you want, and go from there. I also recommend getting the travel insurance, that way *if* something happens and you can't go, you are refunded.
If you have other questions, my DH is a wealth of information on this subject!
I prefer the months where is it cold where I am but hot on the itinerary!
It is hot in may in caribbean. If you are used to the heat than it is fine.
Yea, I was thinking about that earlier. We usually go in the fall - you avoid hurricane season but it's till HOT. I've never actually cruised in the summer, and don't plan to. May isn't as hot as say, July, but it will be HOT, so if you like hot weather, you'll be fine.
We cruised in February and it was wonderful to leave the cold to put on a bathing suit and grab a frosty drink!
In fact, as soon as this baby is born we are booking another cruise for 2007.
Eve, where are you planning to go in 2007?????
BTW-Read, read, read the reviews! It completely depends on what you are looking for as to what cruise line you go with. We had a WONDERFUL experience with Carnival. My sister was shocked (She had been on 3 other cruise!) as to how much bigger the rooms on the Carnival ship were and how good the food was. It does get a bad rep sometimes, but if you go on a longer cruise, you'll find lots of families and couples. We didn't see a single drunk college person or any kids running around. It was very clean, upscale with great service. And the price....we couldn't beat it!
We went through Carnival directly and they were wonderful! My planner kept calling me back to say she saved me more money! I did read a lot of reviews though....lots of research, so I knew it would be great! Good luck! Happy planning!
Karen-J would like to go to the Eastern Caribbean this time. I think we'll pack up the kids and Grammy again just like last time. We're hooked! LOL Wanna come?
Eve, which Carnival ship did you cruise on? Feb. is alot sooner than May. I could go for that! lol
Thanks ladies for all the info!! I am sure I will have more questions before its all said and done. lol Cant think of any right now tho.
I did see a cruise that I may be interested in that leaves out of Puerto Rico. Cruising to St Thomas, Barbados (i have wanted to go there for YEARS!!!), and Aruba. 7 nights. I'll have to research it some more.
Thanks again!
We like cruising in October but our next cruise is in December. We make sure to book when there is NOT school breaks so the ship is not overrun with children.
We prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival but would gladly sail any ship just to be on a cruise
Cruise critic has been a valuable resource to us when we have researched and selected each new cruise. We book online through buycruises.com and they have always saved us money. They continue to look for price drops AFTER you book and if the price drops they get you the lower price and they credit your account.
Enjoy whatever you choose!
The one we have booked is in November 2006, we booked an aft, verandah cabin, my first time with a balcony and I can't wait:
On the Celebrity Constellation - 11 night ultimate Caribbean.
It spends more than one day in Aruba, so we are going to rent a jeep or something and do the island, find good beaches and snorkeling.
The itinerary is:
Day 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL
Day 2 at sea
Day 3 Georgetown, Grand Cayman (BT - the snorkeling was great!)
Day 4 at sea
Day 5 Aruba
Day 6 Aruba
Day 7 Colon, Panama
Day 8 Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
Day 9 at sea
Day 10 Cozumel, Mexico (BT too, but I was very sick and we didn't do much)
Day 11 at sea
Day 12 Fort Lauderdale, FL
There are plenty of staterooms left. Hint Hint!
ohhh that sounds so nice, Karen! Hey - my dh is in Costa Rica right now. He gets 4 days to mess around before coming home. He and his buddy are doing a jungle tour thing today. He keeps calling telling me about all this great food and yummy fruity drinks. grrrrr... while I sit here with a sinus infection and screaming biccering, whining kids. lol Yes, I do feel sorry for myself. ;)--
Yvonne, I will look up the sites. Thanks!
Karen--Be warned once you go balcony it is almost impossible to go back. LOL. We booked a balcony a few cruises ago and loved it--now it is balcony always. There is nothing like watching the sea go by sitting on your balcony!
We booked our first suite next year. I am looking forward to NOT having my kids on top of me (the smaller rooms with 4 people can be a bit tight).
|
Members
