Cruises revisited *again* LOL
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive January 2008:
Cruises revisited *again* LOL
I am looking at cruises and I have some questions.
August- is it too hot to go in August?
Ships- do you prefer Royal C. over Carnival?
Port Cities- if you leave out of Florida, how do you find cheap flights?? Is it cheaper to buy a pkg w/cruise / flights?
Payment plans- if you buy thru the cruise line directly, do they offer a pymt plan?? lol
I am pretty clueless, have never cruied before.
Thanks for your help!
August---Yes it IS hot! Too hot? Up to you. I live in Florida and never vacation in August. I prefer October.
Ships---Royal Caribbean for us.
Port cities--- Sorry no info, we live here so it is easy to drive to the port.
Payment---Regardless of booking through a travel agent or directly through cruiseline, you pay a deposit and then the balance is due 90 days before the cruise.
We use buycruises.com to book all our cruises.
Ive been on two cruises, and both times were in August. We are going on our 3rd cruise in August. Yes, it is hot, but its a vacation and it doesnt really bother us.
We have been on RC and Carnival. I prefer RC, and we will go on RC in August.
The first two cruises were out of Miami, and we flew.
This August, we are leaving from Norfolk VA, and we live in Va Beach, next town over. They are finally bringing more ships and options out this way, it will be nice.
I have to add that August is more expensive as well. But,we go when the kids are out of school as my oldest does not like to miss that much school. I know its cheaper to cruise other times of the year. Plus August is a busy time for us with birhtdays and our anniversary. My birthday, and two of my childrens birthdays and our anniv is in August, so its like a big celebration for us.
Our biggest reason for not traveling during the summer.....we have NO desire to be on a ship with a lot of kids. Summer/school breaks there are a lot more kids onboard and there tends to be more issues.
We travel in October and there are enough kids to keep my kids company but not so many that they cannot enjoy the kids programs.
The last cruise we were on was Carnival in Aug 2006. At the time my kids were 12 and 7 and 2. The 12 yr old program was disappointing. There were tons of kids on board,but nobody ever showed up to the events for the older kids. My son was so disappointed. The first night they had the welcome party thing in the kids area. That night maybe 5 kids were there. Everytime my son picked an activity to go too, nobody ever showed up..My then 7 yr old had the best time, they were not over crowded up there either. Faith had the roughest time, she liked it the first 2 times. Then she would cry each time we left her, and they would call us on the cell phone(they provide cell phones or beepers for the younger ones). Most nights after dinner, my 7 yr old would go to the program, and the rest of us would see the show. My oldest and my youngest were normally at the show with us. I could never leave my crying 2 yr old up there. It wasnt their fault. Its that we dont do babysitters, and she just wasnt use to be left like that.
I'm a very frequent cruiser....at least one a year. I don't like Carnival at all. RC isn't high on my list either.
Fly into Jacksonville and rent a car. It's much cheaper than flying into Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
Price your own flights and compare. It's usually cheaper to find them on your own.
Factor in cab fare to the port from the airport if you book your own flight. If the cruise line does it, they will provide transport from the airport.
Don't go to Grand Cayman if you do not like being in the water. The land tours are BORING.
We don't cruise in the summer. It's not the heat...It's the kids. I like sitting in the hot tub without toddlers diving around me.
The only payment plan I've ever heard of is to pay a certain amount down to reserve your tickets, and the balance before you get the tickets.
August is hurricane season.
Yes it's hot, but then you should expect tropical weather on tropical islands. The ships are all air conditioned.
I had a WONDERFUL land tour in Grand Cayman with Captain Marvin's.
Hurricane season is June-November.
We did the Sting ray tour in Grand Cayman. It was really cool, to be out there in the water with them.
There are three things to see on the land in Grand Cayman....The Town called Hell, the Turtle Farm and The Rum cake Factory. The beaches are great, and the snorkeling is wonderful. Sting Ray Island is lots of fun. If you like the water, it's a good stop. If you don't....well, you can shop!
Oh yes, we went to the Rum cake factory. There are several places there who give out free samples of the Rum cake ,YUMMY 
Our tour was extensive. Beyond the usual Hell, Turtle Farm & Rum cake factory, we went to a school, saw a historical home, visited a delicious chocolate shop, drove through a new housing development, saw where/what Hurricane Wilma destroyed, met a few natives, etc. We toured a large part of the island. So much so that hubby and I would love to retire there.
Thumbs down to Carnival! I really like Celebrity. I am possibly going on a Royal Caribbean cruise with my sisters and some girlfriends in September, so it will be my first on RC.
Packages: We booked part of our airfare ourselves this past November and saved a LOT. The flights we needed once we were actually in S.A. were booked by the travel agent. But to and from, we booked our own and saved quite a bit.
August is hot - so the Caribbean in August will be HOT. And remember, it is hurricane season, so there is always that *possibility* that your cruise will be rerouted or canceled.
Excursions: You *can* book through the ship, and those are supposedly guaranteed, but we prefer doing our research and booking our own - often cheaper, though not always, and definitely better.
Also, you need to decide what type of cabin you want: do you want an oceanview (with a window), or a balcony cabin, or are you satisfied with an inside cabin, with no window??
Join one of the cruise messageboards - I am partial to CruiseCritic. You can search by cruise line, ship, port of call, activity, etc. LOTS of good information and advice there. No question goes unanswered.
Hey conni, you can always leave out of Galveston and I'll come see you off! lol... or stow away in your luggage!
No matter what cruise line you choose, stay away from the Art Auctions. They are a total rip-off. Don't even accept a prize of a piece of art. They will charge you more to ship it to you than it is worth.
"All cruise ship art auctions are conducted in international waters and they are insulated from US consumer protection and fraud laws:
The auctioneers are not regulated by any USA state or jurisdiction.
US consumer fraud laws and deceptive business practice laws do not always apply on the high seas.
The cruise ship auctioneers would like you to think that their art is a good investments, but many web publications state otherwise, many suggesting that they are a scam, or at least a very bad investment. Some people go as far as to suggest that cruise ship art auctions use deceptive business practices."
I've had dealings with on of the major cruise line auction companies, Park West, going back to the late 60's, when our military wives' club was sued after we held an auction using this company. They sold fake N. Rockwell prints and claimed they were originals.
The art sold on cruise ships is a horrible investment. If you like a piece, just remember that you can probably go home, and buy it online at 1/10th the cost.
Ditto Bea on the art auctions! Park West seems to dominate, and it's a major annoyance, IMO, when they are hawking that and shoving it in your face 24/7 on a cruise.
Another consideration for you would be how casual or formal you want to cruise. Most cruises have at least one formal night, but formal on Carnival - IMO - is much less formal than some of the other lines. We didn't like Carnival simply because it was a very young, very drunk crowd - at least the cruise we went on was. Plus the cruise director shouting over the PA all the time was irritating.
Do you want to cruise on a large ship with all the extras (rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, tons of onboard shopping), or a smaller ship with less *stuff*?
I personally prefer *smaller* ships, the largest I've sailed was the Celebrity Constellation, and we loved the ship, but we had an aft stateroom (by choice), and it took forever to get anywhere on the ship.
Again, read the cruise boards, it might help you make a decision.
The Main reasons I did not like Carnival(Now it could just be this particular ship)was because it was dirty. Ok, not filthy, but not clean. When we got into our cabin, there were things left in one of the closests, female products(not used), dirty towels etc...I expect more from the cleaning people.
Dishes were never removed from the outside eating areas. You know the tables by the pools, where people will sit and drink and eat.. Dirty dishes were left there for hours. I only knew this because we were on the Lido deck and it was a quick walk from our cabin to the outside area. Even in the inside buffet area, it took awhile to find a clean table to sit down at, as most tables were always piled high with dirty dishes.
Our first meal on Carnival, after we checked in. They ran out of food. Oh I am sure they had it in the back. Imagine a line full of people, who just boarded to find the food was gone...not good..
I would do early morning walks on the track, which is just past the pools. I would find broken glass(the glasses alcohol were in) on the stairs, and find dirty glasses on the tables, this was around 7am. I expected that this would be taken care of before people were out and about.
We found mold on our table cloth in the dining room, and the waiter argued with us that it was not mold, and clearly it was.
After a port visit, I was holding my sleeping 2 yr old and waiting in line to board the tender boat, and 2 cruise workers, totally cut in front of me to get on the tender first...What the heck was that? Rude....
Yes we did make a complaint, and basically they offered us 200 on board credit for our future cruise...
They allow the staff to get on the tenders ahead of passengers quite often, I imagine so they can get back onboard to accommodate their shifts. I have seen that on every single cruise I've taken. Keep in mind, the staff gets off when the ship is in port to do their personal shopping (necessities, toiletries, etc.), not only to just *see* the islands. Sometimes that same staff boards the tenders to assist the other passengers boarding behind them.
As for the cleanliness, again, I've noticed on every cruise, that *sometimes* on the outer decks, drink glasses have been left behind, presumably from the previous night's guests partying. Not saying it should be excused, but I have noticed it. However, I've never seen broken glass left behind. There's no excuse for that.
What can I say..........the things you listed are just some of the reasons I don't like Carnival. However, I do know people who DO like Carnival and have had excellent cruise experiences with them. I'm just not one of them. LOL
Karen, I didn't realize they allow crew members to get on tenders first. I just found it rude that I was carrying a sleeping 2 year old, and about to step down into the tender, and these 2 young men push past me to get on first...sorry I just found that rude.
We were on the Carnival Valor, which was one of their new ships. Yes, it was PACKED with kids, but we expected that late August. I just did not expect the lack of cleaning up that we saw.
Oh here is another one.
My sister in law was with us. She has only one leg,(Lost the other to cancer). Anyways, when we would go see the shows, the bathrooms were in the hallway right outside the door. They had the regular restrooms, and a separate door for handicapp. My sister in law was waiting outside the handicapp restroom,(the handciapp restroom its only separate door, not with the regular ones) and out pops an abled bodied employee of Carnival. Apparently she felt too special to use the regular restrooms. My sister in law was beyond upset about this. She had no problem waiting her turn if another handicapped person needed that restroom, but to find an employee in there was beyond rude. My sister in law told the worker to stop so she could see her name, and the worker wouldnt let her see her badge/name thingy. She told my sister in law a ••• story if she gets reported that she was afraid of losing her job etc.. so my sister in law never reported it.
We LOVED Carnival, and so much so that we are cruising with them again in Feb. The ship was new and beautiful, the staff was fantastic, my 13 year old loved her youth group, the food was fantastic, etc. My mom has cruised many times, and all over the world. She was so shocked to see how large our room was, how much storage space we had, the size of the washroom, the comfort of the bed, etc. The only thing she didn't like was the mainly younger crowd. We went on March break, so it was packed with people on spring break. We're going in Feb this time, so and it was a low price week, so we're hoping it's not quite as young. Then again, we're taking about 30 people, and many of them are in their late teens to mid 20's.
I haven't cruised in the summer, but spent 2 partial summers in St. Vincent in the West Indies. IT IS HOT!!!!
I dislike Carnival. We have gone on Carnival twice. Both times it seemed like a younger and more party crowd. We witnessed a lot of drunks and found the decor gaudy.
We like Royal Caribbean but are considering trying another cruiseline next time.
No matter what cruiseline you choose, you will have fun. It is hard not to enjoy a week on a cruise ship
We are the type that choose the larger ships. We are not loungers. We need to have activities every day of our vacation. The larger ships provide us with more things to do on the days at sea.
Thank you ladies!!! So far I am thinking of waiting and cruising in February 2009. I just won't be able to handle the heat in August and the price is too much. I am going to probably depart from Galveston. That just makes since (cost wise) to drive there as opposed to flying into Florida. I am sure this will limit what cruise lines we'll have to choose from and what ships.
I will probably do a 7 day cruise. I am not worried about the boys going to kids programs. I doubt they will want to go. By that time I will have an almost 17yr old, 15 yr old and almost 9 yr old. We typically stick together on vacations.
The shore excursions I am not too concerned about either. Because if they are expensive for the 4 of us- we won't be able to do them. lol We will be happy to play on the beach and walk around/through the shops. (for free )
I will look at the cruise critic website today!
Thanks for all the information!
The EARLIER you book, the cheaper it will be! We always book over a year in advance!
Jackie, I don't mean to imply that ALL of the employees who cut in the line have a good reason or a right to. And they certainly don't have a right to use the handicap restroom if they are not handicapped.
Heck, on our Galapagos cruise, I left the dining room one night to go in the Ladies room - now, this was a 90 passenger *ship*, so the Ladies room was outside the dining room, and the Mens room was up or down one deck, and one of the ship's OFFICERS was in a stall in the Ladies room! And the reason I KNEW this was because I opened the stall and there he stood, had not even locked it! I was in shock. And ticked off.
Being an employee doesn't give you the right to do anything you darn well please.
Conni, my mom and I are really considering doing one probably in October. I saw some really reasonable ones on the carnival website leaving from Galveston.
Yvonne, have you tried Celebrity? We really like that line. Although, we have actually looked into a couple of Princess cruises......
Got the info from my sister's friend today about the RC cruise - it's on the Enchantment, and I don't know if I am going now. They have booked adjacent rooms on the 2nd deck level, interior cabins. I get seasick and really need to be able to see *out*. I am going to ask my sister if she wants to share a cabin with me 2 decks up with a window, if not, I am not going. I refuse to spend money to be sick all week. However, she had a major catastrophe with her dogs today (see my related thread), so I will have to wait a day or so to even talk to her about it.
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