TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only
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I have been on about 20 cruises and offer this information for you.
If you have the money to spend for the very top and best cruise lines try Crystal, Oceania, and Silver Sea. These cruise lines are a cut above the others because they run smaller ships (about 500 to 700 passengers) and have a higher staff to passenger ratio so you get top of the line service. They also have more amenities included in the much higher price, like all veranda/balcony cabins, tubs and shower bathroom, larger cabins, daily wine and/or champaign with meals, etc. . Prices for a 7 day cruise on these top of the line ships may start at $4000 to $5000 (vs about $1200 on the next tier of ships.). These ships tend to have a more sophisticated and older crowd and more formal dining.
Most cruises are done by the next tier of cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, and Disney. Most of the ships for these lines are now 1500 to 2500 passenger ships. The ships are big but things are so well managed that you really don't feel crowded on them. Prices on these ship can be as low as $800 for a 7 day inside cabin and about $1200 for a balcony cabin. Shorter cruises of 3 to 5 days will be proportionally less, starting about $400. Sometimes people get confused by the categories on ship that agents or the web sites refer to. Categories are simply a listing of the different types of cabins on the ship by size, location and amenities. Categories are the price structure.
There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships, inside, outside, balcony and suites. The cheapest cabins offered are always the inside cabins; those without a window or porthole. The inside, outside and balcony cabins are generally about the same size on each ship, but may vary by ship and cruise line.
The terms "cabin" and "stateroom" mean the same thing; the cruise industry prefers stateroom. The standard cabin that most people get (inside/outside/balcony) are generally between 175 and 200 Square feet, about the size of a 9 by 12 ft home bedroom (balconies are about 45 to 55 sq ft). Each cabin has a two beds which can be made into a queen, a bathroom with a shower stall, a closet and some drawer space, a TV and telephone, a safe for valuables, a mini-refrigerator, and a life jacket for each passenger.
The type of cruise you have can vary by cruise line. Carnival is the fun ship, they are low priced, and are the party cruise line that most young folks and first time cruisers take (ages 20 to 35) who want to party, party, party. If that’s what you are looking for then Carnival is the one for you.
Disney has good ships (but just 2 ships right now) but is primarily for kids, and families with kids. It does have adults only areas on ship, but the kids are still there on ship. I would not recommend going on their ships unless you do not mind being around a lot of kids. Also, since Disney has only two ships your options with them are limited.
Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Celebrity, and Norwegian tend to have people who have cruised many times and are in the 40 and over age group; a more reserved crowd. Although the crowd is more reserved the ships are still just as much fun. Holland America tends to have the oldest cruiser; primarily people in the 60 and up age group.
Celebrity and Princess also tend to be more upscale and Royal Caribbean tends to be more family oriented. Norwegian is also family oriented but is more casual with its "freestyle cruising" Freestyle simply means that you do not have to select a time to go to dinner each day; you just go whenever you want after about 6:00 PM. It also means that the traditional "formal night" which are really requested attire on ships, is more like "dress up if you want to night".
MOST ACTIVITIES:
Royal Caribbean is the cruise line that has the most activities on its ships. In addition to multiple pools and hot tubs, you will find, depending on the ship, the rock climbing wall, a full sized basketball/tennis court, a mini-golf course, an ice skating rink, a roller blade track, a water slide, and on the new Freedom class ships (Freedom of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas) a flowrider that allows you to surf on a boogie board right on the ship. RC's ships also have great gyms and the best gym I have ever seen is on the Freedom (and Liberty).
WHAT'S INCLUDED
The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (except the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:
GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for drinks (alcoholic beverages) and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink of soft drink order.
PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most. Skip them and save yourself a lot of money. Take your own camera and have the other passengers photograph you on and off the ship.
TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to take any tours from any ship and you can get of and on in port stops as much as you want when you want. But the ship's tours are listed on your cruise line web site and you can reserve them well before the cruise and pay for them also. If you wait until you are on ship to book tours they will be charged to your on board account (then you can pay cash to settle your account on the last day). Once you book your cruise the cruise line will send you a booklet listing all of the tours.
SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.
CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.
OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all that will be available.
If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.
Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).
You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).
BEST DEALS
I have found that the best deals can be had by going directly to the cruise line web sites and looking for their specials. Most will have their specials prominently displayed on their home page but I have found that Royal Caribbean and Carnival have the best web sites for this.
You will always get the best price if you book very early and early means 9 to 12 months or more in advance. You can book on most any cruise line web site by paying a deposit of $250 to $350 per person, depending upon the length of the cruise, and then pay the balance no later than 60 to 75 days before the cruise (depending upon the cruise line). Anyway, if you want to go next June then right now is a great time to book for a good price.
Another factor to consider is to be flexible on your date of travel. Consider going when there is a special. Many times identical cruise itineraries can very in price by hundreds depending upon the date.
CARIBBEAN CRUISE ITINERARIES
There are really three basic types of itineraries for the Caribbean. Western Caribbean cruises typically go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and a private cruise line island. If you go to Cozumel there is the opportunity to buy a tour to see Mayan ruins, if that's your interest. If you go to Jamaica the two main attractions are a river raft float trip (not rapids) and the Dunn's River Falls climb. If you go to Grand Cayman you will likely want to go to 7-Mile Beach ( a short taxi/mini-van ride ($4-$5 per person each way), or do a swim with the dolphins/stingrays tour.
Cruises to the Eastern Caribbean typically go to St Thomas, St Maarten, a private cruise line island and maybe another island like Tortola or Puerto Rico. If you want to do a lot of shopping then pick a cruise with St Thomas as one of the port stops. St Maarten is also mainly a beach and shopping stop.
Most Caribbean cruises have a private island stop where the ship takes food ashore for an all day beach party with games and entertainment. Royal Caribbean has THE best private island I have ever been to at Labadee, Haiti. Its a huge place that has multiple beaches and many activities. RC's ships the Freedom and The Liberty which do both the Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries both have stops at Labadee.
The Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries typically start in Puerto Rico and go either to Aruba, Curacao, and St Thomas and St Maarten, OR they go to the southern Caribbean islands like Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia and maybe St Thomas and/or St Maarten. The main difference between these two itineraries, aside from the different islands, is the Aruba cruise has two "at sea" days with no port stops, while the other has a port stop about each day.
Having taken all of these |
MomSezNo
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Since you "don't know much about cruises", you'll need to do some research. You need much more information than you could get here.
Go to your library or a bookstore and get a book on cruising. You might also want to get a guidebook on Caribbean islands. If you like the "Dummies" series [no offense!], they have a guide to cruising.
Caribbean cruises generally cost about $100/day/person for the basic cruise fare, taxes, port fees, etc. Alcohol, spa services, tips for service people [mandatory], shore excursions, airfare, transfers, casino costs, etc. are all additional charges.
The cruise guide will probably give you a basic packing list, or there are many available by doing a search on that topic or you can go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" and find that topic thread.
There are so many variables to consider, that you really need to do your own basic research. Once you've narrowed things down a bit, you should consult with a travel agent, preferably one who is experienced in cruise travel, to make your final plans.
Good luck, and have fun with the research! |
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