Question for anyone who's been on a cruise?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Since you have never been on a cruise before I will give you a brief summary of the world of cruising that you would or could get from a travel agent. Travel agents are paid by the cruise line on commission and so you can go to one and ask all of the questions you want and the agent will help you with no charge. Even after I explain things you may still want to use a travel agent to double check what I tell you and to book your cruise. If not you can book everything right on line. I have been on about 20 cruises and have booked several of them right on line.

If you have the money to spend for the very top and best cruise lines try Crystal, Oceania, Windstar, 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. 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.

If/when you go to a cruise line web site you will see the various cabins listed by type, i.e., SUITE, VERANDA or BALCONY, OUTSIDE, and INSIDE, the category, and generally the square footage of each cabin type. The category will generally be listed next to the cabin type. The most expensive cabins are the penthouses and owners' suites. . Next are the jr and full suites. The next are the VERANDA or BALCONY cabins (you have your own private patio). The next lowest priced are OUTSIDE cabins (they have either a window or porthole). 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.

Carnival is the fun ship, they are low priced, but their accommodations are not the best. Carnival is the party cruise line that most young folks and first time cruisers take (ages 20 to 35) who want to party, party, party. If thatâ€™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 served 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". All of these cruise lines may also have some kids but not as many as Disney. However, on all of these lines there are activities just for kids of different ages and staff persons assigned to supervise them most of the day.

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. If you want you can have airfare included in the price of your cruise; or you can book your airfare separately on your own.

What's on ship to do?

Half of the fun of a cruise is on board activities like the shows every night, activities around the pools every day, using the free gymnasium, the discos and lounges with a variety of music, and games and special activities on certain ships or cruises like lectures (optional) and demonstrations. The other half of the fun of a cruise is the activities that you can participate in at the port stops. Like climbing Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica, or swimming with the dolphins or stingrays, or snorkeling and just enjoying a great beach like the 7-mile beach in Grand Cayman. Then some people enjoy cruises where you have ports stops in Italy and can go to Rome, or the Greek isles in Greece, etc..

The additional cost 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: These 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).

Another factor to consider is to be flexible on your date of travel. For example, the best price may not be the day after a wedding or birthday but a few weeks or even months later. So consider going a few weeks or months after if the price is better.

Also consider going when there is a special. Many times identical cruise itineraries can very in price by hundreds depending upon the date.

Another important factor to consider is, cruises going to the Caribbean tend to have more young folks than those going to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or South America. People who go to the Caribbean are looking for fun things like beaches, jet skiing, snorkeling and scuba diving, parasailing, and a lot of other activities related to water and beaches. On the other hand, people who go to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, etc., are looking for cultural and historic activities. These cruisers tend to be the older people (40+). That does not mean these cruises are dull, it just means that the passengers are more mature and reserved. You will find the 40+ crowd in the bars and disco and having as good a time as the youngsters, but you may not hear them across the room or deck.

I suggest that you go to the web site for the cruise lines and look at the cabin prices, port stops, the features for the ships and select a cruise that will do what you want to do. Then you may want to talk to an agent and see if they can find what you want. Finally, decide whether you want to book your self or have an agent do it for you. I would look for a cruise on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean or Princess and I would select a balcony cabin, preferably as high up as possible and mid-ship. That's my recommendation.

Christine H

My husband and I went on a cruise in April 2006 for our honeymoon. It was absolutely the best decision and best trip ever! It was romantic, fun, and relaxing. We went on a western Carribean cruise on the Costa cruiseline to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West. The great thing about a cruise is that you can do as little or as much as you want. You can relax, swim, and sunbath onboard. You can also go to the casino, dance club, theatre, etc. if you want. When you stop at one of the ports, you can either do your own thing and explore on your own or you can take a shore excursion (extra cost) that is arranged by the cruiseline. Because it is your honeymoon, you'll want to get a balcony. That will definitely add to the romance. Each morning you can get room service to have on your balcony (no extra cost). For your honeymoon, I would definitely go with Princess, Costa, or Royal Carribean, which are more upscale, rather than Carnival. Oh, they also do a special cocktail party for newly weds on the ship, which is nice. I think you would absolutely love the experience and it is one you would remember fondly for years to come.

Phillies in 2008

i have been on several cruises and only 1 of them was dissapointing. it is a great getaway and very fun. i would definatly do it again if i had the chance, but we go on a cruise just about every summer

shhhhhhhhhhhimhiding

I have been on 6, soon to be 7 cruises (in 18months no less).I am a 40yr with kids who loves to travel and have found cruising fantastic. It allows me, and my family and friends, visit places that we wouldnt necessarily want to spend a week. I have travels with co-workers and sisters, with kids and without.

Having cruised with both Carnival and RCL I prefer Carnival. I have found thier service consitant throughtout the line, whether its 4 days to the Bahamas or the Mexican Riveria. The rooms were superior as is the food. RCL did have a great buffett but found their dining areas cramped and not very user friendly for groups over 6 (which on a honeymoon isnt a problem) I recommend choosing a crusie with the itenery youd like to visit. You'll hear pro's and cons with all the cruiseline and its so subjective that If you have friends who have cruised and know you their recommendations will ring more true for you.

JANSEN

i went on a carnival cruise and the food was good...the whole thing was a blast. there was gambling ,a night club, formal dinners, vegas type shows, and mexico was fun too.

brooke M

cruises are really fun because you go to a lot of places within a few days, you see a lot and do a lot. plus, you spend a lot of time together because you're on a boat, you have no where else to go haha so thats good for honeymooners. i know that carnival and ncl have honeymoon suites. they also hav massages, champagne and other stuff for honeymooners. the cons are if you get seasickness, it cud be a disaster. also, if you miss the ship you're like stranded haha. you can't get up and leave when you want unless you want to go into the ocean. and if one of you gets mad at eachother, they can throw the other overboardd hahaa. thats rly happened it was in the newspaper.

anyway, congratss and good luckk =]]]

ctelly22

Cruises are nice and fun providing you choose the right ship. My initial cruise was with carnival, and I hated it so much I did not want to cruise again. The service and ship were horrible and there were no onboard activities. Reluctantly I went on another cruise, this time with royal caribbean and I loved it. The service and ship were excellent, and they had an abundance of onboard activities. Cruises are like floating resorts, so one with activities is a plus for me. Also a good thing about cruising is that it allows you to see multiple places within one trip. The negative side to that is you only get a limited time in each port so you aren't able to explore and experience it like you would if you flew there. Another negative is if you are a big drinker, alcohol on the cruises aren't included and drinks can be pretty pricey. Depending on how much you normally spend on vacations, cruises can either be more expensive or about equal to what you may normally spend.

Star T

Your travel agent should inform you about other expenses not included in the cruise prices. For example, gratuities (for each day) , excursions, drinks from the bar plus your souvenirs. There are a lot of activities organized in the cruise ship. You may want to choose one where you will spend more relaxing time with your spouse. The Caribbean cruises will stop at beautiful beaches that you will enjoy. At dinner time, you will be seated with other couples. Make sure you choose a reputable cruise line. Royal Caribbean is a good one. Enjoy!!

Pick a better cruise line. From what I've heard the cheaper lines like Carnival have lousy food and service.

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