Info about Cruises?

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Cobalt Daisy

Congratulations!

We've been on a few cruises before, two with Princess and one with Royal Caribbean.

Each time we've been on the cruise there's been some kind of illness (not to either of us). The cruise staff put signs all over the place reminding people to always wash their hands. Then there are hand sanitizer pumps everywhere too, especially at the food areas.

We ALWAYS wash our hands and we haven't gotten sick once. We do sanitize the cabin (wipe everything down with antibacterial wipes, I mean EVERYTHING) before we touch anything.

I'm not sure if there was an actual virus outbreak or just people getting sick from uncleanliness but one time a cabin near us was basically quarantined. There was a big sign on the door that said only staff were allowed to enter. They fumigated the whole room. The mattress was taken out and the bedding...it was a little scary. I thought someone died in there but they were just really ill. Like I said we didn't get sick because we kept as clean as possible.

Be careful of the buffets. Other people's hands may have touched the food...certainly they've touched the serving utensils. Once you get your food, if the hand sanitizer pumps are out go back and use them before you eat. If not bring a small bottle of it with you (Burt's Bees makes a great one).

As for getting seasick it depends. We had a boat growing up and I loved it. Do you like crazy amusement park rides? Do you get dizzy? Just in case bring ginger supplements with you. They help your tummy and any nausea. :) The constant rocking motion- especially when you are sleeping- may be hard to get used to and that's when some people get sick. Either then or watching the waves or curtains move back and forth when eating... Everyone is different. Keep hydrated and use the ginger supplements (powdered ginger in gelatin caplets, can be found almost anywhere).

When you are docked in port be very careful of any food and drink you consume. It's always risky when you eat/drink in another country. Make sure you thoroughly research the trip and the ports of call you will be docking at. http://www.cruisecritic.com/ is a great place to start. :)

We've had fun on all the cruises and plan on doing more. We made sure to bring our own water, plenty of sunscreen (that is not harmful to marine life- some places will prohibit the use of chemically laden sunscreen since it does harm marine life), the ginger caplets, the camera with PLENTY of memory, good walking shoes, insect repellent, hats and sunglasses, t-shirts for swimming in if snorkeling (TRUST ME, sunburn stinks on a cruise), anti-diarrheal medicine and medicine for upset tummies, and these waterproof travel "wallets" that are thing and go around your waist and attach with a clip. They don't come off and are not easily seen. You can place your ID and some money in there.

It's a good idea for your man to get some cargo pants with strong velcro pockets and to get swim shorts that are also cargo- those pockets help a lot!!

Your cabin will have a safe so you can lock up some items in there. Don't bring too many valuables. Make sure you leave a copy of your passport with a trusted friend (or save it to a secured server that you can access easily) in case of any problems. Know where the American Embassy is just in case. Don't go in unmarked vehicles or wander off alone. If you are going on an excursion stay with your guide. Be safe in your travels.

Like I said being prepared by doing adequate research before you go helps TONS. I think you will have a great time. Please let me know if I left out anything or if you have any other questions I can help you with.

One last thing, just some food for thought:
We decided not to go on a cruise or do anything "touristy" for our honeymoon. Instead we rented a lake house (out of state in a beautiful location) and just enjoyed each other and spent a relaxing honeymoon together. Now we do all the touristy/travel stuff. We would not have changed it if we had to do it all over again. Had we done a huge trip we know we would've been too exhausted to enjoy it, or each other. Just an FYI.

Congratulations again! :)

Stephen M

First off, the news reports about the norovirus are blown way out of proportion. If you go to http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html
you can scroll through lots of stuff that will scare you. However, read the details. On the ships that report illness, I've never seen the percentage higher than 10%. Most times it is between 3% and 5% when it is reported at all.

The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often. Take some of the liquid hand-sanitizer with you.

As for sea-sickness, some people are more likely to get sick than others. However, these ships are very big and have stabalizers. I normally get seasick on smaller boats, but have never gotten sick on 8 cruises. Only once did I feel queasy, and that was a night that was so rough that even some of the crew were getting sick. Taking one of the pills they were handing out made it fine for me.

The crossing from Florida to the Bahamas is usually not that rough, but if there has been a hurricane or tropical storm in the vacinity, the water can get pretty stirred up.

I've been on 6 Carnival cruises, 1 Royal Caribbean, and 1 Cunard. I've visited most of the islands in the Caribbean at least once, as well as visiting Alaska on a cruise.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you have further questions.

steve@thevacationstop.com
http://thevacationstop.com

postal p

Basically, go and have a great time. Those cruises where everyone gets sick, are the one in a million. The cruise to the bahamas is a short one, through calm waters. Check around on prices, try Vacations to Go. The prices change like the stock market. Do your homework, watch for deals, you will be rewarded with a nice and inexpensive honeymoon. Good Luck!

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on about 20 cruises with 4 different cruise lines and cruised all over the Caribbean and a lot of other places. So I can share some information that's based on experiences.

First of all you are not likely to get sea sick because the ships are so big that they do not move with the ocean the way a smaller boat or ferry would. The ships being used these days have automatic stabilizers that prevent most of the side to side rocking. In addition, you will move from port to port overnight so you will be busy moving around or sleeping when the ship is not in port. If you are concerned about motion sickness there are several things you can do. First try to book a cabin mid-ship and on a lower deck, but get an outside or balcony cabin so you can sea the ocean. You can also get from your doctor a patch that goes behind the ear to combat motion sickness, or you can buy from a boating store a wrist band that prevents sea sickness.

The problem with the Norwalk Virus that causes people problems is real. Don't listen to people who tell you its just hype. I just completed a cruise where it was a problem and there were hundreds of people sick and confined to their cabins. We heard that there were about 120 people who were sick and some were sick before they even got on the ship. The cruise ship went to extraordinary means to prevent other people from getting sick. So it was not like lockdown for everyone. They had staff people at every eating place passing out handi-wipes for hand sanitation. They had other staff people wiping down hand rails and every area on the ship that people touched with their hands. They were evening wiping the walls and chairs after people left the dinner table. In the buffet they had staff people serving everything so no people would contaminate the food or dishes. It worked and on the last couple days of the cruise everything was back to normal.

What we always do on cruises is carry a bottle of hand sanitizer and some handi-wipes and use them regularly in addition to hand washing after using the rest rooms. So if you are not careful you can get sick. But all it takes is normal good sense and diligence.

If you are going on a honeymoon I recommend going on a more classy line than Carnival. Carnival is a budget cruise line and you can get better accommodations, food, service and have a better cruise on cruise lines like Princess, Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean. If I were doing my honeymoon I would look at those three lines and pretty much in that order. In fact we did our honeymoon on Princess. Also, do get a balcony cabin as it will greatly enhance your cruise experience.

If you are looking for a good deal on a cruise you need to shop around on the cruise line web sites and find a cruise at a good price and go on that date rather than being firm on going the day or a few days after your wedding. Sometimes the best price is weeks or a month later so be flexible on your date.

Also be flexible on your destination. In addition to the Bahamas, Bermuda is a great honeymoon cruise and the cruises go there from many ports on the East coast. A 5,6, or 7 day cruise to Bermuda is plenty enough time to enjoy that island. One thing about going to Bermuda is there are no slums and the island is beautiful (been there twice on cruises). All of the beaches are free and easy to get to by public transportation. I recommend Bermuda over the Bahamas.

Ali

I am only 13. I have been on 3 cruises. Two Royal Caribbean(soon to be 3) and one Holland America. I went on Enchantment of the Seas to New England/Canado, Mariner of the Seas to Eastern Caribbean and Masdaam to Canada/New England. Then, we are going on Freedom of the Seas to Western Caribbean. None of my family has ever gotten sea sick on a cruise. You hardly even feel the boat moving. Plus, they can steer out of the way of storms. On our second cruise, on Mariner of the Seas, I got the Norwalk Virus, and that was not fun at all. A ton of people on our ship had it, and I'm not kidding. It even made the news. But, the chances of that happening are unlikely. Royal Caribbean ships are amazing. I love Royal Caribbean. They are really big and really relaxing. There are also a ton of activities going on at all time. Holland America is more for older people. The average age is 70, and they pretty much specialize in doing nothing. It is pretty boring on those ships, so I would advise you not to go on one of those. My aunt and uncle who have been on at least 20 cruises say Royal Caribbean is one of the best cruise lines. They said not to go on Carnival though because they are not very nice ships. They also said Princess is good. If your wondering what region to go to, (I've only been to Canada/New England and the Eastern Caribbean) Canada/New England cruises are beautiful. I love that area. It also isn't to hot or too cold if you go in the summer. If you go to the Caribbean is the summer that is stifling-I'm not used to that kind of heat....it was just plain old burning up hot and i'm from Indiana where it is humid and hot at the same time which is way better. The Caribbean is really nice though. We are going there again this summer. A plus size is usually in the Caribbean, they have bigger ships sailing, and you can go in the pool more. Any cruise would probably be great though. I mean, these words are just coming out of a 13 year olds mouth. I am 37 days away from being a freshman though and I'm pretty sure I'm in the top 25 in my class out of about 350 kids. lol.....Just have fun though!!!

elmgirl

My husband and I went on the Grand Princess, it was gorgeous!!! Everything you could imagine, I would say if this is for a honeymoon, I'd stay away from the Carnival line since they cater toward the younger crowd, I love kids but when I want to get away I want some peace and quiet. You'll have a great time no matter which one you choose. We did the Western Carribean, Grand Cayman Islands swimming with the stingray is a must if you go there!!!!!

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